Every year around Easter, it’s the same thing. Another TV special or book challenges the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection. They promise to reveal new or secret information that “the church doesn’t want you to know.” The one-sided information is not new or secret; it is meant to under-mine the Christian faith. If the resurrection can be debunked, there’s no substance for the Christian’s hope.
I must confess I used to make those same challenges. When I was a devoted Muslim, I rejected Jesus’ resurrection because the Qur’an declared that He didn’t even die on the cross, let alone rise from the dead. (See Qur’an 4:157-158.) As a Muslim, I wanted other people to believe what I thought was the truth—that the substance of our hope doesn’t rest in Jesus’ death and resurrection, but in God’s mercy on those who strive to follow all of His commands. Undermining the resurrection would undermine the gospel, which would allow me to invite people to whatever hope Islam could offer. After all, as the apostle Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (1 Cor. 15:14).
Read more: http://intouch.org/read/magazine/features/the-substance-of-hope
-Also see: Resurrection—No Doubt About It | Answers in Genesis