Proving The Resurrection By the Minimal Facts Approach

[Randy Carson]

Recently?

Within the last year.

So, I'd like to ask this:

If you were writing a story in order to promote a new God-man, would you:

• Have him die on a cross (which would scandalize your audience, Jews and Gentiles, alike)?
  
• Have the empty tomb found discovered by women (whose testimony was worthless in the eyes of your audience)?
  
• Attribute your play to Matthew (a hated tax collector), Mark (who wasn't even there) or Luke (a Gentile) instead of the more famous players such as Peter, James or John?
  
• Would you have your God-man saying un-Godlike things such as he was less than the Father, that he did not know all things or that he could not do many miracles in his hometown because of the lack of faith of his neighbors?
  
• Would you have your God-man's own brothers and sisters claiming that he was "out of his mind" and not believing in him?
  

Is that how you would conspire with your friends to get a new religion off the ground?

And would you be willing to die rather than admit that you made the whole thing up even though neither you nor anyone in your family would benefit in any way from maintaining the charade?