An Evidentiary Analysis of Doctor Richard Carrier's Objections to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - Paperback

by S. Ross Hickling (Author)

During his seminary studies, Ross became acquainted with the positions of the ""new atheists."" Ross observed that one of these scholars, Richard Carrier, was making bold assertions about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Carrier claimed that Jesus was a mythical figure, and that the notion of the resurrection of Jesus Christ came from preceding pagan ""dying and rising gods."" In addition to this claim, Carrier also asserted that there were many contradictions that he observed within the books of the New Testament to include its resurrection narratives, and that the disciples hallucinated the risen Jesus Christ. As he began his Ph.D. thesis, Ross was curious how Carrier's aforementioned claims regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ would fare if analyzed by accepted principles of evidence that are used to bring criminal offenders into and through the criminal justice system. Would Carrier's positions on the resurrection meet these standard principles of evidence? In this volume, Ross distills these accepted principles of evidence, developed from long recognized canons of criminal law, and applies them to Carrier's claims about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether an atheist or a Christian, you will find this rigorous analysis of a scholar's claims by legal principles both stimulating and educational. Ross retired in 2014 as a Senior Inspector from the U.S. Marshals Service after serving in federal and local law enforcement for 26 years. During his career, Ross served in a wide variety of positions to include: police officer, undercover vice/narcotics detective, SWAT team member, fugitive hunter, protective investigator, sex-offender investigator, asset seizure investigator, etc. Midway through his career with the U.S.M.S., Ross began his seminary education. Since that time, Ross has earned a BS in Religion (Liberty University), an MA in Religion (Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary), an MA in Christian Apologetics (BIOLA University), and a PhD in Missiology/Christian Apologetics (North-West University, South Africa). Since his retirement, Ross has functioned in various roles for Ratio Christi, a national campus apologetics ministry, to include being a member of the national staff, a regional director, and leading a Ratio Christi chapter at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, NC. Along with his duties for Ratio Christi, Ross founded ""Shield Your Faith,"" a ministry dedicated to sharing the great evidence for faith in Jesus Christ from an evidentiary perspective. Since retiring, Ross has also taught Christian apologetics on the seminary level as well. Ross is married to Andrea, his lovely wife of 29 years, has two adult children, and resides in Kernersville, N.C. U.S.A.

Author Biography

During his seminary studies, Ross became acquainted with the positions of the "new atheists." Ross observed that one of these scholars, Richard Carrier, was making bold assertions about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Carrier claimed that Jesus was a mythical figure, and that the notion of the resurrection of Jesus Christ came from preceding pagan "dying and rising gods." In addition to this claim, Carrier also asserted that there were many contradictions that he observed within the books of the New Testament to include its resurrection narratives, and that the disciples hallucinated the risen Jesus Christ. As he began his Ph.D. thesis, Ross was curious how Carrier's aforementioned claims regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ would fare if analyzed by accepted principles of evidence that are used to bring criminal offenders into and through the criminal justice system. Would Carrier's positions on the resurrection meet these standard principles of evidence? In this volume, Ross distills these accepted principles of evidence, developed from long recognized canons of criminal law, and applies them to Carrier's claims about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether an atheist or a Christian, you will find this rigorous analysis of a scholar's claims by legal principles both stimulating and educational.



Ross retired in 2014 as a Senior Inspector from the U.S. Marshals Service after serving in federal and local law enforcement for 26 years. During his career, Ross served in a wide variety of positions to include: police officer, undercover vice/narcotics detective, SWAT team member, fugitive hunter, protective investigator, sex-offender investigator, asset seizure investigator, etc. Midway through his career with the U.S.M.S., Ross began his seminary education. Since that time, Ross has earned a BS in Religion (Liberty University), an MA in Religion (Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary), an MA in Christian Apologetics (BIOLA University), and a PhD in Missiology/Christian Apologetics (North-West University, South Africa). Since his retirement, Ross has functioned in various roles for Ratio Christi, a national campus apologetics ministry, to include being a member of the national staff, a regional director, and leading a Ratio Christi chapter at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, NC. Along with his duties for Ratio Christi, Ross founded "Shield Your Faith," a ministry dedicated to sharing the great evidence for faith in Jesus Christ from an evidentiary perspective. Since retiring, Ross has also taught Christian apologetics on the seminary level as well. Ross is married to Andrea, his lovely wife of 29 years, has two adult children, and resides in Kernersville, N.C. U.S.A.