Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?

3. Are Miracles Possible?, 4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Christianity, Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?, Gospel, history, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, New Testament, Resurrection, Steve Lee
When it comes to the fate of Jesus and determining if he rose from the dead, a historian employs a two-step or stage process to uncover the relevant historical facts surrounding the fate of Jesus and then sifts through the various live explanations to determine the best explanation.  It is somewhat like being a detective. A detective gathers the clues (the established historical facts) and then solves the case (provides the best explanation for the historical facts). ESTABLISHING THE HISTORICAL FACTS There are four established historical facts or truths concerning the fate of Jesus that are widely accepted by critical scholars today.  Here is a quick acronym to remember these four historical truths: BEAT.   B = Burial E = Empty Tomb A = Appearances of Christ T = Transformation of the Disciples   Dr. Craig…
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The Persecution of Christians on Campus

Apologetics, Campus Life, Christianity, college life, free speech, Gospel, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Persecuted Church, Religious Freedom, Steve Lee
[Editor’s Note: “The point of peak persecution on American soil is the University” – John Ferrer. This article from Christian Apologetics professor and high school Bible teacher, Steve Lee has been his passion project spanning most of his teaching career at the high school and college level.  Over the past 14 years, this list of anti-Christian incidents has steadily grown with the most recent example being perhaps the most significant religious and political assassination in this generation: Charlie Kirk’s shooting at the Utah Valley University. Readers should note that this list is not exhaustive. There are many more examples beyond this list. Also, these persecution events on U.S. college campuses is not intended for petty games of comparison, as if our persecution is more important than someone else’s. No, this…
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Top 5 Apologetic Books for a Graduate

Apologetics, Campus Life, Christianity, college, Gospel, Graduation, high school, Introductory Apologetics, IsChristianityTrue?, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, resources, Seniors, Steve Lee
[Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in May 2025 at Is Christianity True?] We are in the midst of graduation season and some of us either have a graduate or know a graduate who is going to be headed off to college in just a couple of months. How can we help prepare them to face some the challenges and opportunities that college offers. Here is a list of the top apologetic books to buy for a recent graduate that would be helpful: Welcome to College: A Christ-Follower’s Guide for the Journey, 2nd edition by Jonathan Morrow (Kregel Publishers, 2017) Jonathan Morrow is the director of Impact360 which has a two-week Immersion worldview training and a Gap Year for college students. His book Welcome to College, newly published, is now in its second edition.  J. P. Moreland,…
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Religious Pluralism: What About Those That Have Never Heard the Gospel?

Apologetics, Christianity, Evangelism, Exclusivism, Gospel, Inclusivism Categories: Theology and Christian Apologetics, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, Pluralism, Steve Lee, Theology and Christian Apologetics, tolerance, universalism, World Religions
Several years back my eldest son who was in fifth grade at the time was brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. He stepped into the hall and yanked the toothbrush out of his mouth, slinging toothpaste against the wall, and asked, “Dad, dad! What about those people who have never heard about Jesus? Do they go to hell?” First, what fifth grader thinks about such things when they are brushing their teeth (apparently mine). Second, this has been one of the formidable issues that I believe any reflective Christian can contemplate. The issue at hand is that it seems unfair to us for God to not provide salvation to someone just because they did not get a chance (because of historical or geographical reasons) to hear the gospel…
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The Myth of the Dark Ages

Apologetics, Christianity, Dark Ages, Enlightenment, Gospel, historical apologetics, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, Legislating Morality, Culture & Politics, Medieval, Middle Ages, New Atheism, Steve Lee, Theology and Christian Apologetics
We have all heard about the “Dark Ages” between 500 AD and 1500 AD.  Some common descriptions include: “There was a time when religion ruled the world. It is known as the Dark Ages.”[1] – Ruth Hurmence Green (1915-1981, a notable atheist with the publication of her book The Born Again Skeptic’s Guide to the Bible). Joseph Lewis in An Atheist Manifesto claims that “If you do not want to stop the wheels of progress; if you do not want to go back to the Dark Ages; if you do not want to live again under tyranny, then you must guard your liberty, and you must not let the church get control of your government. If you do, you will lose the greatest legacy ever bequeathed to the human race—intellectual freedom.” Jeffrey…
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Guards at the Tomb: Historical Inquiry and Resurrection Apologetics

4. Is the NT True?, Apologetics, Christianity, Gospel, history, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, NT Apologetics, Resurrection, Roman Guards, Steve Lee
Scripture reports that there were guards at the tomb of Jesus (Matt. 27:62-66). This historical claim has been either much discussed by some apologists, but largely dismissed or ignored by others despite its potential significance in resurrection narrative. Dismissing the Guard Evidence For example, here is William Lane Craig answering a question about the guards at the tomb:   Craig doesn’t think much of this “guard” claim. Defending the Guard Evidence On the other hand, Dr. Timothy McGrew, professor of philosophy at Western Michigan University, has a thorough response to the challenge of Matthew’s veracity concerning the resurrection as it pertains to the guards narrative in Matthew 27:62-66. It is well worth the read as Dr. McGrew picks apart the claims of resurrection-critic V.J. Torley. He aims his critique here at the historicity of the…
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Gen Z, Atheism, and The Problem of Evil

Atheism, demographics, emotional doubt, evidential problem of evil, Generation Z, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, logical problem of evil, Problem of Evil, Steve Lee, Theology and Christian Apologetics, youth exodus
Generation Z is the generation born from 1999 to 2015. They are the successors of Gen X (born 1965-1980) and Gen Y, also known as Millennials (b. 1981-1998). The dates are approximations and arbitrary creations of sociologists and scholars studying generational trends. The Barna Group alongside the ministry Impact360 has conducted as study of Gen Z’ers called “Who Is Gen Z.” A short introductory video of their study can be viewed here. Jonathan Morrow, director of Cultural Engagement at Impact360, wrote an article titled “Why Gen Z Is Not Prepared To Follow Jesus In A Post-Everything World” and revealed that only 4% of Gen Z has a Biblical Worldview while atheism is on the rise amongst this generation. Gen Z and Atheism One of the things that has come to light in the Barna…
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What About the Crusades? Myths and Facts.

Apologetics, Christianity, Church History, Colonization, Crusades, Gospel, historical apologetics, history, https://ischristianitytrue.wordpress.com/, imperialism, Islam, Steve Lee, Theology and Christian Apologetics
Misinformation on the Crusades continues unabated in contemporary society. From former president Obama mentioning it in a prayer breakfast speech, to Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, to Clinton’s 2001 speech at Georegetown University which blames the current increase of Islamic terrorist activity, such as 9/11, as fallout from the Crusades. I wrote a short article for the Apologetics Study Bible for Students over this topic.  Here is a small snippet from that piece.  Following that is a list of resources that are from historical experts on the Crusades that expose many of the myths surrounding the event. Excerpt from the Apologetics Study Bible for Students “Ask any individual about the Crusades and you will probably get an answer like, ‘They were wars of unprovoked aggression by Christians against a peaceful Muslim world which…
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3 Reasons to Believe in God

2. Does God Exist?, Apologetics, Arguments for God, Christianity, design argument, First Cause Argument, God’s existence, Gospel, IsChristianityTrue.Wordpress.com, Kalam, Moral Argument, Steve Lee
In presenting apologetics there are certain points I focus on in order to systematically examine the evidence for the truth of Christianity.  While there are many other areas of interest and concern for the apologist, these areas are essential in determining the veracity of the Christian religion. These main features of Christianity include: The existence of God The reliability of the Bible The divine claims of Jesus the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. I organize these four points in the form of a question, which can possibly be answered yes or no, in order to be objective in the analysis. I’d like to focus on point #1 by asking the question: “Does God Exist?” Does God Exist? Obviously, if God doesn’t exist then Christianity cannot be true.  It is…
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Biblical Archaeology: Bethsaida, Birthplace of Jesus’ Apostles

4. Is the NT True?, Bethsaida, Biblical Archaeology, Peter Andrew and Philip., Steve Lee, www.ischristianitytrue.wordpress.com
The possible birthplace of three of Jesus’s disciples has been discovered. Or, at least, revised. The city is Bethsaida. Besides being another place-name mentioned in the Bible, this town was also the home to three of the apostles, Peter, Andrew and Philip. “Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida” (John 1:44). [Editor’s Note: In 2017, archaeologists began revising theories about the location of the ancient fishing village of Bethsaida. The traditional site of Bethsaida known as, El Tell, is about a mile away from the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. But what is a fishing village doing a mile away from the water? Well, it was believed that the water levels in that area were higher 2,000 years ago. But, archaeologist Stephen Notley and…
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