To the modern mind, the resurrection is utterly implausible.

One in five Americans don’t believe in a deity. The “none” category in religious polls has doubled over the past ten years, and less than half of the population attends religious services on a regular basis. As statistics rise on the decline of Christian faith in America, you may find yourself wondering if Christianity is really worth believing. After all, the Christian faith makes some audacious claims.

Question your faith. Doubt your doubts.

Perhaps the most audacious Christian claim is that a first-century Jewish man, crucified between two common thieves, was actually God and rose from the dead. To the modern mind, the resurrection is utterly implausible. Here are four doubts about the resurrection:

1. “How is it possible for someone to rise from death after being in a grave for three days?”
2. “Didn’t the early Christians experience a mass delusion that has been passed on over time?”
3. “Even if Jesus did rise from death, what difference has it made in the world?
4. “Why should I believe in a resurrected Jesus when it requires wishful thinking (faith), seeing myself as a rule-breaker (sin), and belief in moral philosopher (Jesus)?”

In Raised? Doubting the Resurrection, Brad Watson and I address each of these questions. We want to encourage believers to rightfully question their faith and for skeptics to doubt their doubts.

We should determine good reasons for believing or not believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It changes everything if Jesus really did defeat death (1 Cor. 15:12–19). Doubt well and you can walk away from skepticism, cynicism, or blind faith into perceptive belief, intellectual security, and deeper commitment. You can know that you have honestly questioned the resurrection.

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