2.14 How Evidence Lights the way out of Hopelessness: Interview with Dr. Gary Habermas

Why bother living if it all ends with death? Why are we all not despairing and in a constant state of anxiety? There is a good reason not to be.

On this podcast, I interview, Dr. Gary R. Habermas. He is Distinguished Research Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University. He has authored, coauthored, or edited thirty-six books and contributed more than sixty chapters or articles to other books.

While his chief areas of research (and the topic of eighteen of his books) are issues related to Jesus’ resurrection, he has also published frequently on the afterlife as well as the subjects of suffering and religious doubt.

Visit his Web site (http://www.garyhabermas.com/) to access some of his publications.

He and his wife, Eileen, have seven children and ten grandchildren, all of whom live in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Habermas is a staunch defender of the resurrection of Jesus, historically using evidence. Habermas’s case for the resurrection is based on a number of facts:

Jesus died by crucifixion.
He was buried.
His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope.
The tomb was empty (the most contested).
The disciples had experiences which they believed were literal appearances of the risen Jesus (the most important proof).
The disciples were transformed from doubters to bold proclaimers.
The resurrection was the central message.
They preached the message of Jesus’ resurrection in Jerusalem.
The Church was born and grew.
Orthodox Jews who believed in Christ made Sunday their primary day of worship.
James was converted to the faith when he saw the resurrected Jesus (James was a family skeptic).
Paul was converted to the faith (Paul was an outsider skeptic).

Mentioned in the podcast are the following :

Blackwell Companion to Substance Dualism

What evidence is there for out of body experiences or near death experiences?

See the two volumes by Melvin Morse (with Paul Perry), Closer to the Light: Learning from Children’s Near-Death Experiences (N.Y.: Random House, 1990)

Transformed by the Light: The Powerful Effect of Near-Death Experiences on People’s Lives (N.Y.: Random House, 1992)

Michael Sabom, Light and Death: One Doctor’s Fascinating Account of Near-Death Experiences (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998),

Howard Storm, My Descent into Death: A Second Chance at Life (New York: Doubleday, 2005)

Gary R. Habermas and J.P. Moreland, Beyond Death: Exploring the Evidence for Immortality (Wheaton: Crossway, 1998; Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2003)

See his other works on as well :