Review: Resurrection: The Capstone in the Arch of Christianity

Resurrection: The Capstone in the Arch of Christianity by Hank Hanegraaff
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked up this book as part of reading material for a research paper. Incidentally the book I read just before this was Strobel's The Case for Easter, which is actually an excerpt from the bestselling The Case for Christ. While Hanegraaff does make some unique contributions and substantives on his own, it seemed that many of the citations were secondary material from Strobel. Seeing the Gold Medallion Book Award and the many pages of recommendations by famous scholars, I however felt that the book was underwhelming for the amount of accolades and good reviews it received.

The distinguishing factor from Strobel's more popular level material would be the more technical aspects of Part 2 (Defense of the Resurrection of Creation) and Part 3 (Definite Answers to Questions Regarding the Resurrection). However, I felt that Part 1 (Defense of the Resurrection of Creation) is far too brief before the hard hitting matter comes along.

That's not to say that this is a mediocre book, it's one of the better ones on the topic of the resurrection, just that it is not brilliant. I will still recommended Strobel's to anybody who wants to get a grasp on the subject.

View all my reviews

Review: The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection

The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection by Lee Strobel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For the purposes of a research paper, I picked up this book alongside probably 30 or so other books, journal articles and encyclopedia articles and this was by far my favourite. The others were mostly either a challenge to read or skimmed the surface; they were either full of complicated theological matter or were too simplistic. Strobel pitched it just right - he pens in an engaging and easy-to-follow manner and yet dived in deep into the subject matter.

An able writer himself, Strobel provides an insightful introduction to each of three segments - (1) Did Jesus really die on the cross, (2) Was Jesus body really missing from his tomb and (3) Did Jesus appear to people after his death on the cross. The highlight of the book is probably when taps upon the expertise of Alexander Metherell, William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas, providing a summary of the interviews he conducted with them when he was still a skeptic. I was surprised that I enjoyed the read (because I wrongly expected popular level books to be mediocre)!

Like today's great comedians who entertain stadium-sized crowds, this book ended a series of exciting storytelling with a bang - one that left this reader highly encouraged and inspired. While the rest of the book appealed to one's intellect and reasoning, the final story tugs on the heartstrings.

View all my reviews