McDowell is easily the most popular Christian apologist who speaks to lay audiences. And when it comes to Christian scholars, no one has given a more formidable defense of a material resurrection in scholarly journals than Craig. Let us review now the arguments advanced by McDowell and Craig for a material resurrection.
McDowell's trilemma:
- Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
- Jesus was neither a liar nor a lunatic.
- Therefore, Jesus is Lord.
The Contemporary Debate on the Resurrection
Having now discussed the importance and meaning of the resurrection, as well as its background probability, I'd now like to briefly survey the contemporary debate and outline the major arguments by both sides, at both the popular and scholarly levels. Christian authors who address the resurrection are obviously very easy to come by. However, it is much more difficult to find secular apologists who even mention Jesus' resurrection, much less discuss it in detail. Nevertheless, there have been a few exceptions and I will highlight two such authors. But first, let us turn our attention to Christian apologetics for the resurrection.
Historical Background
Christian Defenses of the Resurrection
There is no shortage of Christian authors who have written in defense of the historicity of the resurrection: Collins, Craig, Geisler, Habermas, Lewis, McDowell, Montgomery, Morris, Story, et al. Space constraints will force me to limit my review to just two: Josh McDowell and William Lane Craig. However, I think these two particular writers are the best representatives for their particular style of apologetics. McDowell is easily the most popular Christian apologist who speaks to lay audiences. And when it comes to Christian scholars, no one has given a more formidable defense of a material resurrection in scholarly journals than Craig. Let us review now the arguments advanced by McDowell and Craig for a material resurrection.
Josh McDowell
Josh McDowell is without question one of the most popular Christian apologists ever. For example, according to the back cover of his book, The Resurrection Factor, "he has spoken to more students than anyone else lecturing in universities." He has authored over 26 books including, Answers to Tough Questions, Evidence That Demands a Verdict (Volumes I and II), More Than a Carpenter, and The Resurrection Factor, to name just a few of his more famous titles.
McDowell makes several arguments for the resurrection. I will consider two. The first argument is the famous "Lord, liar, or lunatic" trilemma. His second argument is an inference to the best explanation based on certain alleged facts.
The Trilemma - Lord, Liar, or Lunatic
Based on the argument originally developed by C.S. Lewis (40-41), McDowell developed his famous trilemma in order to refute the common assertion that Jesus was just a prophet or a great moral teacher, but not the Son of God. The argument may be formulated as follows:
- Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.
- Jesus was neither a liar nor a lunatic.
- Therefore, Jesus is Lord.
Thus, when we evaluate Jesus' claim to be God, we have three and only three possibilities: liar, lunatic, or Lord. However, McDowell argues, there are good reasons to reject the notion that Jesus was a liar. First, he has transformed lives throughout history (for the better). Second, it is unclear why Jesus would have preached his message in a country that was fiercely monotheistic, when nearby were larger, polytheistic nations that would have been more receptive to his message (1977, p. 30).
But, says McDowell, neither can Jesus be considered a lunatic. McDowell gives two reasons why Jesus could not be a lunatic. First, Jesus did not exhibit signs of abnormality and imbalance that are usually present when someone is deranged (Ibid., p. 31). And second, he "spoke some of the most profound sayings ever recorded" (Ibid.).
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