Resurrection The Capstone In The Arch Of Christianity

Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone who wonders about eternity.
Review: At first glance, this book appears to cover a broad range of topics. But after reading the book cover to cover, I thought it was a wonderful discussion of the Christian biblical view of the resurrection of all people on the day of judgement. The first section of this book about the resurrection of Christ was informative as to addressing many of the attacks on Christ's resurrection that I was unaware of. True, it covers a broad range of attacks on the resurrection of Christ and doesn't go incredibly in deep detail (more than a couple pages) on any one discussion. However, I believe the reason for this is that it was written in a way for the common person to be able to read and understand without requiring a degree in theology to understand every discussion. If someone has more questions, they can simply consult the references listed in the book (Mr. Hanegraaff does the best job of referencing his sources over anyone else I have ever read), or just call the Christian Research Institute and get that information. I know they will be glad to provide it.

The true beauty of this book, in my opinion, lies in the second section, which addresses different aspects of the resurrection of all people and what life will be like after death for everyone. Despite growing up in church, I found that I knew very little regarding the biblical teachings on the resurrection, and I suspect this to be true for many people, whether they be a Christian or not. As a Christian, I was equipped so much better for having read this portion of the book. This book has affected me long since reading it by giving me a lasting impression of the importance of living our lives according to the hope and eternity that awaits us all after this life, and backing it up solidly with scripture.

I applaud this work by Mr. Hanegraaff and encourage everyone to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Primer
Review: Hank Hannegraff is president of the Christian Research Institute (CRI) and host of the popular "Bible Answer Man" program. He has written other books such as "Christianity In Crisis" (his first and greatist work) and the "The FACE that Demonstrates The Farce of Evolution" (another primer book). Hank's strength is his easy to read writing style which allows him to reach an audience who want to read a book either quickly or they are embarking a new subject.

For this reason, "Resurrection" works. If someone is either trying to study this outstanding feat in history for the first time or learn more about their belief and how to defend it; this book is a great read and will give much food for thought without straining the brain. The book falls, however, in two aeras: (1) It is not a book for serious academic study. It gives quick easy tips to help one defend their belief against the average atheist or agnostic. The average Christian is ill prepared to defend his or her beliefs (so is the average unbeliever). But the serious skeptic can raise serious objections and therefore, one may want to delve into other works such as "Jesus Under Fire" and "When Skeptics Ask."

The biggest flaw of the book is when he deals with ideals such as cremation and sex. Much here is speculation and does not lend itself with a book which is trying to deal with facts of history. It is distracting in my view and this material could have been reserved for another book dealing with speculative issues.

All in all, the book is a nice and easy read. I wanted to give the book a higher rating because I admire Hank Hannegraff and I am a support of CRI. I enjoyed the material but felt more material should have been added in the realm of history and manuscript evidence. The book will be a great read for people who have never really studied the subject before, but for the serious student, it will be a liesure read and only a quick reference text.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I would've given it 4.5 for being a little dry sometimes but I couldn't. So I rounded up :D.

Rating:
Summary: Good logical summary of evidence concerning the resurrection
Review: The book is geared toward answering difficult questions regarding Christ's resurrection and the afterlife.

In the first 64 pages Hanegraaff defends the resurrection of Christ with valid logic and a moderate amount of historical and archaeological evidence. For a more detailed account of the evidence concerning the resurrection of Christ I would recommend "A Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel or "Jesus- the Great Debate" by Dr. Grant R. Jeffrey.

The next 30 pages present a defense of an afterlife where souls live for eternity. I found this section to be groundbreaking- new and unique thought in an area not often covered.

The remainder of the book (186 pages) presents answers to questions about the afterlife. The questions are often asked and thought about, but I have not yet heard definitive answers as Hanegraaff gives here.

Overall it is good reading and a very enjoyable book. Critics and Christians alike may find Hanegraaff's book interesting at the least. I thought it was well worth my money. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: I was pleasantly surprised.
Review: When I was handed this book by a devout evangelical friend, I was a bit skeptical that he was doing so in an effort to "witness" me and my Catholic faith. Soon after getting into this, I realized that the subject matter at hand was instead something dear to both of us (and to all of us united in Christ). Since that time, I have become somewhat of an admirer of Hank Hannegraff. His sincerity and charity, even in points of disagreements, are true models of what the Church should look like.

That being said, there was almost nothing in this book that I disagreed with. As a matter of fact, it was literally FULL of positive citations from Catholic sources (Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas, several different works by Peter Kreeft, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, etc).

Theologically, he does an admirable job in offering his apology for the doctrine of the resurrection. On the theological side, I applaud him for emphasizing the importance this event has on the Christian faith. I hope that modernists and liberals take notice of the fact that if they reject this doctrine, they reject their entire faith, as Paul so clearly said. The reasons that Paul said this make total sense after reading this book.

Concerning historicity, the book is slightly weaker, though he does raise some very valid and thought provoking philosophical and probable arguments in favor of the resurrection. While not bound to convince well informed skeptics, it will serve as an excellent starting point for those skeptics who may be persuaded to dig a little deeper into the subject. For those who have already been bestowed with the gift of grace, it will serve to deepen their convictions, and grow in their walk with God.

The last section, the Q&A section, was well written, as one would expect from the "Bible Answer Man." He covers a lot of great questions, again basing some of his answers on one of my favorite Catholic writers, Peter Kreeft (the work that Hank often cites, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven, but Never Dreamed of Asking" is a very worthwhile and informative read.

The only part I "object" to was a very brief treatise on sotierology :) Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.