The resurrection of Jesus is not fiction

William Lane Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California and is arguably the foremost Christian apologist in the world today. As well as being author or editor of over 30 books, including Reasonable Faith, he is well known for his many public debates with atheists, agnostics and sceptics.

In October 2011 he visited the UK on a 10-day speaking tour, The Reasonable Faith Tour, to present the case for the truth of the Christian faith. Richard Dawkins, Craig’s opposite number in the atheist camp, declined an invitation to debate, which led atheist Sam Harris to say that Craig is ‘the one Christian apologist who seems to have put the fear of God into many of my fellow atheists’.

In the video above, William Lane Craig sets out historical and biblical evidence that leads to the conclusion that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The event took place in Southampton Civic Hall and an audience Q&A follows the main presentation. This video is a short, six-minute summary of the presentation. Also see the complete video.

In his opening remarks, he said:

How do we know that Jesus has risen from the dead? There is an Easter hymn which says, ‘You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.’ Now I think that on a personal level this answer is perfectly legitimate. But when it comes to engaging in conversation in the public square, or in letters to the editor, or in conversation with co-workers, then I think it’s critical that Christians be able to present objective evidence in support of our beliefs. Otherwise our claims hold no more credibility than the assertions of anyone who claims to have a private religious experience.

Also see the following presentation by William Lane Craig…

Making the case for God