The central fundamental fact of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus. If He did not raise none of the rest of it matters. The Sermon on the Mount is useless, even the cross has no point. If Jesus is not raised, Paul tells us, we are of all men most to be pitied. This central fact, the Washington Post finds, is gaining traction in an age of skepticism:
The Easter story is the centerpiece of Christians' faith. For most, the miracle of Jesus overcoming death three days after the Crucifixion -- whether in body or spirit -- is not open to debate. Others do not view the Resurrection in a literal way but as a powerful, transformative metaphor about his message living on.
In the past two decades, there has been a heightened scrutiny of Scripture, with basic Christian tenets such as the Resurrection challenged by biblical scholars and others in their search for historical facts about Jesus. But in recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity and stature of books that embrace [Donita] Dickerson's traditional view of Easter, experts say....
"There seems to be in the past decade a move to embrace the traditional faith of the church, not really in a retrograde way, but in a 'let's take another look at what modernity may have too readily dismissed' sort of way," said Cynthia Lindner, director of ministry studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Good news, very literally.
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