Resurrection The Capstone In The Arch Of Christianity [Paperback]

Hank Hanegraaff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2002

In this definitive work, popular Christian apologist Hank Hanegraaff offers a detailed defense of the Resurrection, the singularly most important event in history and the foundation upon which Christianity is built. Using the acronym F.E.A.T., the author examines the four distinctive, factual evidences of Christ's resurrection-Fatal torment, Empty tomb, Appearances, and Transformation-making the case for each in a memorable way that believers can readily use in their own defense of the faith.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Evangelical apologist and radio show host Hanegraaff here reads an abridgment of his defense of the resurrection of Jesus, as well as the orthodox doctrine of the event. One of the strengths of this work is its comparisons of major differences between this view of the resurrection and views held by other religions. Hanegraaff's radio program is broadcast throughout the United States and Canada, and his experience is evident in this recording. His voice is expressive and well modulated, as shown by the enthusiasm and energy he displays throughout the recording. However, the music that accompanies the reading is often overwhelming and distracts from his arguments. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849942950
• ISBN-13: 978-0849942952
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #562,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hank Hanegraaff serves as president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina-based Christian Research Institute International. He is also host of "The Bible Answer Man" radio program, which is broadcast daily across the United States and Canada as well as around the world through the Internet at http://www.equip.org.

Widely considered to be one of the world's leading Christian apologists, Hanegraaff is deeply committed to equipping Christians to be so familiar with truth that when counterfeits loom on the horizon, they recognize them instantaneously.

Through his live call-in radio broadcast, Hanegraaff equips Christians to read the Bible for all it's worth and answers questions on the basis of careful research and sound reasoning. Additionally, Hanegraaff regularly interviews today's most significant leaders, apologists, and thinkers.

Hanegraaff is the author of award-winning best sellers, including "The Prayer of Jesus," "Christianity in Crisis," and "Resurrection," the latter providing a stirring and persuasive defense of the central event in Christianity. "Resurrection" and "Christianity in Crisis" both won the Gold Medallion for excellence in Christian literature awarded by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Hanegraaff's books "Counterfeit Revival" and "The FACE that Demonstrates the Farce of Evolution" each won the Silver Medallion. "The Prayer of Jesus" was honored as a top 10 best-selling nonfiction book in both 2001 and 2002 by the Christian Booksellers Association, while the small-group video presentation "The Prayer of Jesus EZ Lesson Plan" taught by Hanegraaff won a Telly Award in 2003.

Recent releases include "The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says about the End Times . . . And Why It Matters Today"; "The Legacy Study Bible"; "The Bible Answer Book, Volume 1," which answers common questions regarding Christianity, culture, and cults; and "The Bible Answer Book, Volume 2," in which he tackles tough questions, including "How can Christians legitimize a God who orders the genocide of entire nations?" and "How could the Bible command a rape victim to marry her rapist?"

He is also coauthor of the novel "Fuse of Armageddon"; The Last Disciple fiction trilogy ("The Last Disciple," "The Last Sacrifice," and, forthcoming, "The Last Temple"); "The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?"; and "Seven Questions of a Promise Keeper."

Other works include "The Covering: God's Plan to Protect You from Evil"; "The Third Day"; "Fatal Flaws: What Evolutionists Don't Want You to Know"; and "The Millennium Bug Debugged."

Hanegraaff is a regular contributor to "Christian Research Journal" and "The Plain Truth" magazine. A popular conference speaker, he addresses churches, schools, and businesses worldwide. He is frequently invited to appear on national media programs to discuss a wide range of issues.

Hanegraaff and his wife, Kathy, live in North Carolina and are the parents of nine children--Michelle; Katie; David; John Mark; Hank, Jr.; Christina; Paul; Faith; and baby Grace--and the grandparents of five.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little disappointed, April 29, 2000

By 

J. F Foster - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Resurrection The Capstone In The Arch Of Christianity (Hardcover)

Hanegraaff divides his book into 3 sections; defending Christ's physical resurrection, defending the certainty of heaven and hell, and tackling tough questions about what the resurrection will look like.

His defense of Christ's resurrection was disappointing. As a Christian, I came away from this section a little confused as to who Hanegraaff's intended audience was. His defense was at a very top level, and I found it incomplete. An informed skeptic could attack this defense by raising more detailed objections that Hanegraaff did not attempt to address, as well as raise objections on other fronts that Hanegraaff never gets into. While agreeing with what Hanegraaff presented in this section, I was anticipating a more detailed and comprehensive defense of Christ's resurrection. Because he didn't do that, I remain confused about the target audience. I found little in his defense to bolster the arguments of the seasoned Christian, or to undermine the arguments of the seasoned skeptic.

Section 2 was a little better than section 1, in my view. While I was still a bit disappointed by the top level nature of this section, Hanegraaff does present sound logic and firm Biblical basis to advance his arguments here, particularly in the area of eternal torment. While still lacking the kind of comprehensive treatment I had been hoping for, I found this section to contain more useful information than section 1.

Section 3 was better than section 1, but not as good as section 2, in my view. For better or worse, when scholars attempt to grapple with the issues that Hanegraaff tries to deal with in this section, an inevitable degree of speculation is in order. So while Hanegraaff tries to ground his views with Scripture (and does a pretty good job), I still walked away from that section feeling as if the answers to these issues won't truly be known until we get to the other side, because Scripture is not iron clad on many of these questions. Hanegraaff's views in this section may very well be right, but the reader should understand that because Scripture does not hit these issues head on, Hanegraaff's opinions are just that, opinions based on a certain degree of speculation.

Overall, I will consult this book on an occasional basis when presented with objections from skeptics. But I would not recommend that the Christian base their entire apologetic knowledge on this book, nor would I recommend this book to non Christians that I might witness to. The information contained in the book is good for as far as it goes. In my view, it did not go far enough, nor dig deep enough to be considered a top apologetic resource on this topic.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good logical summary of evidence concerning the resurrection, March 14, 2000

By 

Nathan Rice - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurrection The Capstone In The Arch Of Christianity (Hardcover)

The book is geared toward answering difficult questions regarding Christ's resurrection and the afterlife.

In the first 64 pages Hanegraaff defends the resurrection of Christ with valid logic and a moderate amount of historical and archaeological evidence. For a more detailed account of the evidence concerning the resurrection of Christ I would recommend "A Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel or "Jesus- the Great Debate" by Dr. Grant R. Jeffrey.

The next 30 pages present a defense of an afterlife where souls live for eternity. I found this section to be groundbreaking- new and unique thought in an area not often covered.

The remainder of the book (186 pages) presents answers to questions about the afterlife. The questions are often asked and thought about, but I have not yet heard definitive answers as Hanegraaff gives here.

Overall it is good reading and a very enjoyable book. Critics and Christians alike may find Hanegraaff's book interesting at the least. I thought it was well worth my money. I highly recommend it.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was pleasantly surprised., April 5, 2001

By 

Chris in Maine (Portland, ME United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurrection The Capstone In The Arch Of Christianity (Hardcover)

When I was handed this book by a devout evangelical friend, I was a bit skeptical that he was doing so in an effort to "witness" me and my Catholic faith. Soon after getting into this, I realized that the subject matter at hand was instead something dear to both of us (and to all of us united in Christ). Since that time, I have become somewhat of an admirer of Hank Hannegraff. His sincerity and charity, even in points of disagreements, are true models of what the Church should look like.

That being said, there was almost nothing in this book that I disagreed with. As a matter of fact, it was literally FULL of positive citations from Catholic sources (Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas, several different works by Peter Kreeft, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, etc).

Theologically, he does an admirable job in offering his apology for the doctrine of the resurrection. On the theological side, I applaud him for emphasizing the importance this event has on the Christian faith. I hope that modernists and liberals take notice of the fact that if they reject this doctrine, they reject their entire faith, as Paul so clearly said. The reasons that Paul said this make total sense after reading this book.

Concerning historicity, the book is slightly weaker, though he does raise some very valid and thought provoking philosophical and probable arguments in favor of the resurrection. While not bound to convince well informed skeptics, it will serve as an excellent starting point for those skeptics who may be persuaded to dig a little deeper into the subject. For those who have already been bestowed with the gift of grace, it will serve to deepen their convictions, and grow in their walk with God.

The last section, the Q&A section, was well written, as one would expect from the "Bible Answer Man." He covers a lot of great questions, again basing some of his answers on one of my favorite Catholic writers, Peter Kreeft (the work that Hank often cites, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven, but Never Dreamed of Asking" is a very worthwhile and informative read.

The only part I "object" to was a very brief treatise on sotierology :) Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.