The Resurrection of Jesus with J. Warner Wallace Part 1

In this episode of Viewpoint on Mormonism, host Bill McKeever and guest J. Warner Wallace explore the historical reliability of the resurrection of Jesus through a forensic, evidence-based approach. Wallace, a former cold case homicide detective and author of 'Cold Case Christianity' and 'Alive: A Cold Case Approach to the Resurrection,' applies investigative principles to the Christian claim of Jesus' bodily resurrection. He argues that just as detectives separate truth from falsehood in crime scenes by evaluating early, credible eyewitness testimony, so too should believers evaluate the resurrection claim using abductive reasoning—inferring the best explanation from the available evidence. The discussion highlights how many former Latter-day Saints, disillusioned by what they perceive as falsehoods in Mormon doctrine, often reject Christianity entirely, despite its foundational claim of Christ's resurrection. Wallace urges them not to abandon truth-seeking altogether but to apply the same rigorous standards they used to question Mormonism to evaluate Christianity with intellectual honesty and integrity. The episode emphasizes the importance of worldview testing, comparing Christianity’s historical claims to other religious systems like Baha’ism, which rely on philosophical or spiritual reflection rather than verifiable historical events. Wallace stresses that the resurrection is not a myth or metaphor but a testable historical event, with the earliest gospel accounts offering the most reliable evidence. He contrasts the early, consistent testimony of the New Testament with later additions and alternative gospels, arguing that the core resurrection narrative is well-supported by multiple independent sources and early documentation. The conversation sets the stage for a follow-up episode focused on abductive reasoning as a tool for evaluating historical claims, particularly the resurrection.