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The Six Minimal Facts

April 3, 2022

Bob Hiller, Doug Powell, Eric Landry, Justin Holcomb

The Resurrection The Works of Christ

The Six Minimal Facts

39 min

The Resurrection The Works of Christ

The Six Minimal Facts

39 min

“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain,” writes the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:14), situating the resurrection as the central claim of Christianity—the foundation for the entire biblical worldview. But why is it so important? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Eric Landry, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Doug Powell discuss Christ’s resurrection as a unique claim among world religions. They also work through “The Minimal Facts” put forward by Gary Habermas, equipping listeners with an agreed-upon baseline for proving the historicity of the resurrection and evaluating objections.

Quote:

“The resurrection is a unique claim among the scriptures of world religions because it actually points out how to defeat Christianity. If you stated it in a negative way, it’s how to prove Christianity is false. There are a lot of different things that people have attacked about the Christian faith, but there’s only one of them that’s kind of like the nuclear bomb—if you get this one, it all falls down. And Paul points it out in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19. That’s how secure he is in the historical evidence for the resurrection.”

Doug Powell

Mentioned on the Show:

Holman QuickSource Guide to Christian Apologetics

Book by panelist Doug Powell

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus

Book by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona

The Gospel and the Greeks

Book by Ronald H. Nash

Check Out This Month’s Offers:

“But If Christ Is Not Raised . . .”: Why the Resurrection of Christ Matters For You

Free download written by Justin Holcomb

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Bob Hiller is the Senior Pastor of Community Lutheran Church in Escondido/San Marcos, California. He is the author of Finding Christ in the Straw and the content editor for The Craft of Preaching (1517).

Doug Powell holds an MA in Christian Apologetics. In addition to being a best-selling author of more than a dozen books on apologetics, he is a speaker, musician, songwriter, graphic designer, app developer, and a very amateur magician. He has performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and has been featured on CNN and NPR. He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Eric Landry is the Chief Content Officer for Sola Media and is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (Austin, Texas).

Justin S. Holcomb, PhD, is an Episcopal minister and professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has authored, coauthored, or edited more than twenty books on numerous topics, including abuse, biblical studies, and theology. Justin and his wife, Lindsey, coauthored the award-winning children’s book God Made All of Me, God Made Me in His Image, and God Made Babies. You can read more from Justin at justinholcomb.com and connect with him on Twitter @JustinHolcomb.

Series • 4 Episodes

The Resurrection and the Life

Resurrection Objections

Resurrection Objections

Having established the minimal facts of the resurrection, how do we respond when people suggest alternative theories for explaining the missing body, the empty tomb, and Christ’s post-resurrection appearances? Did Jesus simply faint on the cross? Was his body stolen? Did the women go to the wrong tomb? Did the disciples make up the resurrection […]

04/10/22•Bob Hiller, Doug Powell, Eric Landry, Justin Holcomb•41 min

Christ Is Risen Indeed

Christ Is Risen Indeed

What kind of sermon did you hear today? In this episode of White Horse Inn, seasoned pastors Eric Landry, Justin Holcomb, and Bob Hiller are joined once again by apologist Doug Powell to discuss the essential elements of an Easter sermon—and describe some of the “misses” you might have experienced. This Easter, they hope you […]

04/17/22•Bob Hiller, Doug Powell, Eric Landry, Justin Holcomb•41 min

Life in His Name

Life in His Name

If Christ really rose from the dead, then it must have major ramifications for our lives. So how does the resurrection shape us? In this episode of White Horse Inn, Eric Landry, Justin Holcomb, Bob Hiller, and Doug Powell discuss the impact of Christ’s resurrection at the cosmic level, institutional level, and personal level. They […]

04/24/22•Bob Hiller, Doug Powell, Eric Landry, Justin Holcomb•43 min

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Answering the Most Common Criticisms of the Cross and Resurrection

Answering the Most Common Criticisms of the Cross and Resurrection

How do you explain the cross to someone who has no category for sin, atonement, or sacrifice? Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Walter Strickland, and Bob Hiller tackle the most common objections to Christianity’s central claims, from the “barbaric” nature of penal substitution to skeptics who dismiss the resurrection as legend or borrowed mythology, and more.

04/07/26•Bob Hiller, Justin Holcomb, Michael Horton, Walter Strickland•44 min

The Empyrean (highest heaven), from the illustrations to The Divine Comedy by Gustave Doré.

The Basis for Hope: Christian vs. Transhumanist Eschatology

Richard Dawkins displays little knowledge of Christian theology. However, he is spot-on when he summarizes, “Pantheism is sexed-up atheism. Deism is watered-down theism.” It’s interesting that the pioneers of early modern science were orthodox Christians who were especially allergic to occult forces within […]

03/20/26•Michael Horton•28 min

A systematic theology in four volumes laid out on a plain blue background.

Last Things: A Review Series of Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology (Part 7)

All good things must come to an end, or at least so they say. With the release of their fourth volume, Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley have brought their mammoth project of *Reformed Systematic Theology* to completion. This final installment now brings this […]

09/16/25•Harrison Perkins•7 min

Why We Must Die

Why We Must Die

“God isn’t going to throw away your body, but he’s not going to just improve it. It’s not a better you. It’s a new creation.”

08/19/25•Michael Horton•38 min