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At a glance
Disciples who fled now preached boldly; Saul the persecutor became Paul the apostle; the church exploded across cultures.
Moreland argues that the resurrection best accounts for the birth and shape of Christianity — not mere moral inspiration from a dead teacher.
Relevant Scripture
"And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all."
Acts 4:33 KJV
UECF.NET summary
Chapter 14 closes the forensic chapters with circumstantial evidence — the kind lawyers use when no camera filmed the crime. J. P. Moreland, a philosopher, points to the transformation of the disciples, the rapid spread of a resurrection-centred message, the shift of worship to Sunday, the conversion of hostile witnesses, and the willingness of early believers to suffer. UECF.NET’s companion adds that movements founded on known fraud usually unravel when leaders face death; the apostles did not recant.
Moreland also treats the moral impact of Jesus’ teaching as real but insufficient alone. Many martyrs have died for false ideas sincerely held; what needs explaining is why the first generation claimed eyewitness status and maintained it under pressure. The empty tomb and appearances are direct evidence; the changed world is the echo that confirms the sound.
Part 3 therefore stacks medical, tomb, appearance, and circumstantial layers. No single layer may convince every mind, but together they form the historical case the book has been building — and the case Paul assumed his readers in Corinth could examine.
Main theological themes
- Transformation of disciples and enemies as fallout of Easter
- Sunday worship and resurrection preaching as early cultural shifts
- Circumstantial evidence complementing direct testimony about the tomb and appearances
Key ideas
- People die for beliefs they think true; apostles claimed they saw — a different category of motive.
- The church’s birth in hostile Jerusalem is a historical problem resurrection solves elegantly.
- Moreland connects philosophy of mind and history — persons are not merely brains; resurrection fits human hope.
- Part 3 ends ready for the verdict: what does the evidence establish, and so what?
Important concepts
- Circumstantial evidence — Indirect facts that fit one explanation better than rivals — here, the rise of resurrection faith.
- Transformation of the disciples — From fear to bold witness — Acts ties the change to seen resurrection.
- Sunday observance — Early Christian gathering on the first day — linked to resurrection, not law alone.
Related Bible references
- Acts 2:32
- Galatians 1:11–16
- Romans 1:4
- Revelation 1:18
- 1 Peter 1:3
Practical Christian application
- Tell someone how Easter changed you — personal circumstantial evidence.
- Read Acts 1–5 and underline every reference to resurrection as the engine of mission.
- Ask whether your church’s courage this week looks like people who believe their Lord is alive.
Questions for study
Reflection questions
- What is the greatest ‘ripple’ of resurrection in your own life — courage, forgiveness, hope?
- Could you explain Christianity to a coworker using only the minimal facts and circumstantial pattern?
- Does fear still dominate areas where resurrection power should speak?
Small-group discussion
- How is circumstantial evidence used in law, and what are its limits in history?
- What alternative explanation for the church’s birth has your group heard, and does it hold?
- How do resurrection ripples show up in UECF’s mission and worship?
These notes are an original UECF.NET study companion and are not a reproduction of Lee Strobel's text, which remains in copyright. Read chapter 14 — book pages 329–348 — in The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel (Zondervan, 1998 edition). Scripture quotations above are the King James Version. No quotations from Strobel are included on this page.