Saturday, March 22, 2014

Raised? by Jonathan Dodson and Brad Watson

Belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has always been an essential part of the gospel. Believing that Jesus died is one thing – believing that He rose again is quite another.

If you doubt the resurrection, that's good, the authors write. “Anything worth believing is worth questioning.” They want you to make sure you have good reasons for believing or not believing in the resurrection.

The authors explore the biblical characters who doubted, the vast number of Christians who do believe it today, and the consideration that it just might possibly be true. They review the Greek and Jewish thought at the time of Jesus and how hard it would have been for them to believe in a resurrection. They explore the role the resurrection has had in human history and what it means to individuals. The belief structure around the resurrection is reviewed (such as faith and sin). The benefits of believing in the resurrection and living that truth are also explained.

If you have thought about Jesus' resurrection but have doubts, this would be a good book for you to read. The authors show that Jesus' resurrection is intellectually plausible. They show how life is changed when you believe in the resurrection and what it means to you if you do not embrace the resurrection. It is not a technical book nor is it filled with carefully crafted arguments. It reads as if you were across from the authors sharing a time of coffee. 

As they write at the end of their book, Jesus is the one we were made for. Reading this book will help you understand why.

Jonathan K. Dodson is the founding pastor of City Life Church in Austin, TX. He holds a B.A in Cultural Anthropology and two theology degrees from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Brad Watson serves as a pastor of Bread & Wine Communities in Portland, Oregon. He lives in the inner city with his wife and daughter.

Zondervan, 112 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this independent and honest review.

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