The "Minimal Facts" Approach

In our last post, we introduced "The Minimal Facts Approach" for the case for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This approach has been described by Gary Habermas and Mike Licona and can be found in their book, "The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus."  In brief, the five "facts" that Drs. Habermas and Licona use in this approach are:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion
2. His tomb was found empty
3. The disciples believed and preached He is risen (indeed)
4. Paul the church persecutor was converted
5. James the skeptic was converted

Jesus is risen: a well attested historical event

There are several things about history that we can be very sure of.  Napoleon was a short man.  George Washington cannot tell a lie: he chopped down a cherry tree.  Socrates was forced to take hemlock.  Oh, and Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

But how can such a (seemingly) far-fetched and miraculous event be something we are certain of?  The answer: it is the most plausible conclusion from what we know historically.