The title has changed, but the content in Beyond Reasonable Doubt remains the same! Aside from personal faith in God, is there any evidence to substantiate the claims of Christianity? You be the judge! This text is an introduction to the study of apologetics. It will take you step-by-step through the well-documented evidence. Whether a skeptic or a believer, this book will help you reach a verdict - that could very well change your life! Robert J. Morgan, 96 pages, paper, ISBN 0-910566-70-4 Aside from personal faith in God, is there any evidence to substantiate the claims of Christianity? What about Jesus Christ - was He more than just a man? And the Bible - is it more than just an interesting piece of literature? Much of the research for this book was conducted to answer the author's own earlier doubts about Christianity's claims. Table of Contents Introduction: Can Christianity Be Proven? The Empty Tomb The Eyewitnesses The Existence of Creation The Complexity of Creation Historical Prophecy Messianic Prophecy The Unequaled Christ The Solidarity of Scripture The Reliability of the Biblical Documents The Evidence of Archaeology The Witness of Changed Lives The Absence of Alternatives This book is an ETA Classroom Series textbook and is a part of ETA's Church Ministries Certificate Program. Aside from personal faith in God, is there any evidence to substantiate the claims of Christianity? What about Jesus Christ - was He more than just a man? And the Bible - is it more than just an interesting piece of literature? You be the judge! Beyond Reasonable Doubt! Will take you step-by-step through the well-documented evidence. Much of the research for this book was conducted to answer the author's own earlier doubts about Christianity's claims. Whether a skeptic or a believer, this book will help you reach a verdict - that could very well change your life! Robert J. Morgan, M.A., a native of Elizabethton, Tennessee, is a graduate of Columbia International University and Wheaton College Graduate School. Since 1979 he has served as senior pastor of The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee, affiliated with the National Association of Free Will Baptists. Rob is a prolific writer having been published in magazines such as Leadership Journal, Decision, and Moody Magazine. He has also authored several books. Rob and his wife, Katrina, are the parents of three daughters. From the Introduction Years ago, when I began pastoring, I faced an unexpected problem. Each Sunday, after preaching to my small congregation, I would go home wondering if my sermons were true. What if Christianity was just a grand hoax? What if it was all a myth? These doubts drove me to study apologetics, from the Greek 'apologia,' meaning 'defense.' Paul used this word in 2 Timothy 4:16 and Philippians 1:7,16. Peter wrote, "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Pet. 3:15). I found apologetic - the defense of the truth of Christianity - demonstrates that our faith is not a blind leap into the dark but a sensible step into the light. . . . The Very Existence of the Universe Anyone who wants to deny the existence of Almighty God has to provide an answer to one supreme question: Where did the universe come from? I remember hearing a science professor reduce to shreds the arguments of an agnostic student by simply asking him a series of repetitive questions. Where did life come from? "It evolved from chemicals in some sort of primeval pond," said the student. Where did the primeval pond come from? "From elements existing as residue of the Big Bang." Where did the Big Bang come from? "From a speck of matter that exploded." Where did the speck of matter come from? That is where the discussion ended, for the student's only answer was, "I don't know." Since that is not a very satisfying answer, scientists try to couch it in sophisticated language. They talk about the universe "exploding into existence" and the "spontaneous generation" of matter. But increasingly, honest scientists are admitting the deficiency of such language. R. C. Sproul . . . wrote: "For something to come from nothing it must, in effect, create itself. Self-creation is a logical and rational impossibility. For something to create itself, it must have the ability to be and not be at the same time and in the same relationship. For something to create itself it must be before it is. This is impossible. It is impossible for solids, liquids, and gasses. It is impossible for atoms and subatomic particles. It is impossible for light and heat. It is impossible for God. Nothing anywhere, anytime, can create itself" (R. C. Sproul, Not a Chance, 1994). What would you think, for example, if an apple suddenly materialized from thin air on top of this newsletter? What if it just "poofed" into existence? Can you imagine it appearing by "spontaneous generation"? If such a thing happened, you might call it magic or perh