The Reason for God
Chapter 13 – “The Reality of the Resurrection”
Discussion Questions for February 11, 2009

1.    Keller claims: “If Jesus rose from the dead, it changes everything” (p. 202).  Do you agree with this claim? Or is this claim a hyperbole?  In your experience, are there clues that give merit to this claim? Or does your experience indicate that this claim is questionable?

2.    Many Christians say they have had dreams and visions of Jesus where they feel that Jesus is with them, guiding them, and living on in their hearts in spirit (cf. p. 203).  Some people even credit these visions as being their moment of conversion.  Do these testimonies undermine the bodily resurrection of Jesus?

3.    Keller writes: “In [non-Jewish thought of the 1st century Mediterranean world], resurrection was not only impossible, but totally undesirable.  The goal was to get free of the body forever…Unlike the Greeks, the Jews saw the material and physical world as good.  Death was not seen as liberation from the material world but as a tragedy.  The idea of an individual being resurrected, in the middle of history, while the rest of the world continued on burdened by sickness, decay, and death, was inconceivable” (pp. 206-7).  Are these worldviews still alive today?  Does the resurrection continue to be undesirable or inconceivable?

4.    In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died” (1 Cor 15:20).  Why do think God only brought about the first fruits of the resurrection?  What is the point of waiting so long for the last fruits?  Do think the gap in time between Christ’s resurrection/ascension and Christ’s return helps or hinders the cause of Christianity?

5.    Keller seems to think there are two options: A person can either reject the resurrection as a fictional myth or embrace the resurrection as a historical reality.  Are there only two options?  Or could a person reject the historical evidence of the resurrection yet still embrace Christianity with the premise of Jesus living on spiritually?  Could a person accept the historical evidence of the resurrection yet still reject Christianity?

6.    If you were asked to preach on Easter Sunday, who would be your target audience?  What would you say?