There are at least two major understandings of the nature of Jesus' resurrection. What is significant is that both Christian apologists and their secular critics agree that the material understanding of the resurrection is the correct one.
The resurrection means little unless it really happened. If the resurrection for Jesus turns out to have been a fraud or a pious myth or even somehow an honest mistake, then there is little reason to think about it or see meaning in it.
The question whether, in that literal understanding, Jesus did rise from the dead is of supreme theoretical and practical importance. For the knowable fact that he did, if indeed it is a knowable fact, is the best, if not the only, reason for accepting that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel....
Conclusion
I think there are three distinctive characteristics about the contemporary debate between Christians and secularists over the resurrections. First, both sides tacitly assume that the material understanding of the resurrection is the proper understanding of the issues involved. Second, both sides fail to discuss the background probability of the resurrection from their critic's point of view. And third, both sides seem to think that a strong apologetic can be made for their particular position.
As we have seen, there are at least two major understandings of the nature of Jesus' resurrection. What is significant is that both Christian apologists and their secular critics agree that the material understanding of the resurrection is the correct one. For example, Stephen T. Davis, an evangelical philosopher at Claremont College, wrote (1993, p. ix):
... But I am convinced that the resurrection means little unless it really happened. If the resurrection for Jesus turns out to have been a fraud or a pious myth or even somehow an honest mistake, then there is little reason to think about it or see meaning in it. Perhaps it would provide some lessons about courageously facing death, but that would be about all.
In his view, the meaning of the resurrection is dependent upon the historicity of the event.
In similar fashion, in his opening remarks in his debate on the historicity of the resurrection with Gary Habermas, atheist philosopher Antony Flew made the following revealing comment (p. 3):
We [Habermas and I] both construe resurrection, or rising from the dead, in a thoroughly literal and physical way.... We are again agreed that the question whether, in that literal understanding, Jesus did rise from the dead is of supreme theoretical and practical importance. For the knowable fact that he did, if indeed it is a knowable fact, is the best, if not the only, reason for accepting that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel....We are agreed both that that identification is the defining and distinguishing characteristic of the true Christian, and that it is scarcely possible to make it without also accepting that the Resurrection did literally happen. (emphasis added)
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