TNG Interview with Dr. Gary Habermas

Best-selling author, speaker and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarland, best-selling author and apologist Dylan Burroughs together bringing you truths for a new generation. This is TMG radio to Jesus Christ we rise from the dead did Jesus Christ really even exist.

The Jesus we read about in the New Testament really live. Those are important questions that will tackle these today on TMG radio Alex McFarland here with Dylan Burroughs and that you know Dylan. We do a lot of shows we do several unit probably hundred recordings that but I have never been more excited than I am today about the guessable interview and these are important questions that people are asking about the reality of the authenticity of Jesus in the New Testament.

Aren't you excited about the subject matter we have today and our guest. Yes, I'm excited to let you introduce a morbid Dr. Gary Harrah mass is a professor at Liberty University.

He's considered the world's foremost expert on the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ with our honor to have him with us and attack them today well and let me say this just by what way of introduction, people who have been to treat for new generation conferences people have heard us together on James Dobson's radio program and some in many other contexts. You probably know Gary have amassed as the great author and researcher on the resurrection. The ancient evidence for the life of Christ but Angie and I know him as somebody who was immeasurably shaped our life and and I will say this I give God the glory. But as a as a minister as an apologist just in the service of the gospel. A big part of who I am is due to the investment of Gary have amassed in a dog have amassed. We just appreciate you so much taking time to be on TMG radio. Well Alex, I'm so humbled to hear that. It just the way it's hard to hear someone operation you because I think to myself. Now that's not me but but thank you so much for all you here. We go back a long way and I am so thankful for you guys ministry and what you're done for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Will you know I'm more excited than ever. You know I think about 2220 now going on 23 years ago when I graduated from Liberty under your program and you know I was ensues then, but I am more enthused than ever more excited than ever about sharing the gospel with the world and how hungry people are especially young people, so I guess I'll begin with this question. When you got into apologetics, and you begin to teach at Liberty and you begin to research and write. Did you ever envision Christian apologetics kind of becoming the cultural juggernaut that it currently is actually not all. I spent five years at a couple of difficult for liberty but I don't. Liberty's is 81 and when I came in 81 I seen it seemed like I spent a lot of time with students dealing with the is apologetics even biblical question and not know it was a large percentage of students, but to me that the small fraction. I mean 15 maybe 20% like came here from from other places. I was appalled is too strong a word surprise that people were biblically motivated and biblical thinkers couldn't seem to find apologetics of the old and new Testaments and Asking why do we need this.

Why should we just assert it and preach stroke. While that was the focus 15 or 20% may be a 1980 – your you're exactly right. I'm almost 30 years. Sorry almost 40 years later I'm told by publishing houses regularly gets the hottest topic in their in their publishing line out you started. You you started these citywide apologetics, crusades, way back in North Carolina back in the day and I was there with you for the first 1° Burroughs I recall it was fantastic but now Alex look around the country and see how many big conferences are doing these citywide rallies with with no thousand or 2000 or more just one not long over 3000 people. It just it is amazing how far spread that back to me is very exciting.

It really is and those that are not aware apologetics is not apologizing is not saying I'm sorry or anything like that but it's giving a reasoned distance for the say sent.

We believe that compelling lines of evidence do point to the reality of God in the Bible and Jesus Christ and you know I think about this. We actually first use the word truth for new generation of the phrase. Rather, in 1994 I was still a liberty student and we are doing the youth event, but it was a small hundred and 50 people, but like you said when we rented the Greensboro Coliseum. That was kind of a real quantum leap. But Gary is speak to this view would because I think apologetics has been used by God because it does unify the body of Christ to degree and I remember I went around to all these pastors and youth pastors and Christian schools and listen. Imagine if a theology lecture and a Billy Graham Crusade could be combined. That's kind of what rafter it's good to be evangelistic but it's going to be discipleship and we're going to win the lost and equip the saved and 70 people said you know that'll never work. It worked tenant amazing. I cannot think of two topics.

The area work in a leafy apologetics area and I can't think of a twofold theme that is more important than what the gospel in and what, commitment to people make to get in the door so to speak.

And then secondly how they quit because I watched part of this is it's not just that Christians are energized since the 1980s and movement had been wanting apologetics. But the Christian world is incredibly energized and leave all you gotta do is write a blog on a Christian topic, especially one of the one George mentioned did Jesus live and out and it's possible that 80%, 70% of your reactions will be from fairly angry atheists sounding skeptical people who are incredibly energized today so I think this is required of the church to be able to get answers, certainly the case is excited us to Liberty University's had such a large part in the development of apologetics in America and beyond. Over the past generation you personally been a big influence announcing in the moment after break were going to come back and talk more about liberty's role in your role in particular and seen apologetics and worldview grow and become the phenomenon that it is nationwide and worldwide today and so if you just joined us were here at Dr. Gary have amassed from Liberty University will be back in a moment to talk more about apologetics a stick with the seer truth or new generation radio Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government. The portion of the war. Too often, we manage these disagreements by ignoring them, yet were called to engage the world for the sake of Christ. How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions and issues that divide Christians Alex McFarlane challenges us to drill down to the core of current issues such as social justice evil and suffering number fee and environmentalism echoes the biblical patient, this reason together only by engaging the Scriptures deeply thinking clearly and speaking truthfully can we, in God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose. 10 issues that divide Christians find this book and many others. Alex McFarlane.com. If you're a Christian parent. You of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children, your pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarlane encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum.

The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity. I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children. The spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids the book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation.

The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask the book study guide and video series. You'll find it@afastore.net that AFA store.net know in second Peter chapter 1 verse 16 regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as we have not follow cleverly devised fables, when we made known to you the power in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ will welcome back to TNG radio amendments dedicated his life to telling the world about the evidence for Jesus is Dr. Gary have amassed from Liberty University and were so glad to have them on the program now and before we resume our conversation with Dr. have amassed Dylan. Let's talk a little bit about liberty under the website is liberty.edu and it's a great school. I graduated from there and let's give people a little info about the programs they've got will certainly Dr. have a massive you're the one he's been foundational and so much of what liberty is done over the years, apologetics, and now they've grown from having just one program to you ~7 different programs and apologetics gives a little bit of a taste of what people can experience if they're looking to study apologetics liberty University well thanks for asking the question follows. I currently teach full-time in I guess you'd say, our crown jewel of the seven programs I teach in the PhD program in theology apologetics and will require courses in such areas like the resurrection of Jesus and Christian worldview methods and things like that bunch of electives that's PhD level. We also have another doctor to demand a pastoral doctorate. Apologetics flavor concentration. We also have THM for your masters degree. We got one of those M.Div. three year masters and MA apologetics and document the undergraduate level. We have a BA and an AA associate of arts all apologetics concentrations or majors so anything from AA all the way up to demand, and finally to a PhD so it's amazing because here at the school. I talked about earlier work or percentage small percentage but a fair percentage of students saying there's a single biblical tool school today that has use more than a half-dozen programs presenting the gospel in the way that is I think we have a ventral and that's phenomenon is not just on campus. Liberty is leading the way online as well, isn't that correct how it is. I read an article was a secular article, nothing that would be written by liberty and you know, increasingly, schools have online presences universities big schools have online and this article was probably getting close to five, six, seven, eight years ago and listed liberty as the fourth largest university in US fourth largest university the entire country and give a secular station and you have to count a distant students and never fluctuates. We frequently the up and down with company distance to have. In particular, we frequently bent over hundred thousand students so that started with the distance in the 80s saw this come along way. You know it's really cool is liberty allow myself proudly so traveling the country literally every weekend literally everywhere I go.

Dr. have amassed people come up and say hey hey I'm a liberty alarm to class of 99 you in a class of 79 you and God's hand is really been upon it and and I think and also this segueing to some different content here. I think part of the reason that God has blessed liberty and is blessing liberty is because from Elmer towns here Wilmington and of course Dr. Falwell up through yourself in the very present day liberty has been based on the word of God.

True to the gospel and God has blessed you.

You guys in light of that right leadership. Been fantastic and all of us want that to continue. We want leaders who will go back to earlier points in the early segment out people who are the Lord people who want the Lord to get the glory of your country and people who are talking more about others and about themselves.

People who want to bless people's lives. I mean, we often see it is I live on a small lake side window. The lake of time talking and if I catch a big bass on like a very few times to few times I'll hold that backstop and I'll shout. I don't care if anybody's around the property or not – you know about my team won the Super Bowl you know about it. If our teams when this or that or something else we get a big honor like that. Nobody. There's nobody to hear it while every time I do that – I think about my team, whatever that is why we're not like that about the Lord some time, but we just as is bold to say hey I got some news that could change your life that could not just make life better in the present but that says something for the coming that is the best message. You know, as we wait for a quick break and soak stating just listening. Now were having a conversation with Gary have amassed and you know one of the great things about the resurrection in first Corinthians 15. The last verse of that chapter, first Corinthians 1558.

In light of the resurrection. Paul says, therefore, be steadfast in movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Gary is not just a joy and an incentive and a great motivator to know that because the tomb is empty and Christ is alive and he will return and there is a great reunion day ahead. We can stand strong. We can stay in there and be excited every day because in a transient world where we were living in the realm of reality, we are we are so well I'll just make one statement and New Testament.

Basically, the resurrection is related to every major area of theology, almost every major area of practice theological doctrine in its most related to is that because Jesus was raised from the dead believers.

So, as he is, so we shall be that team takes it from Jesus Dawson again. What could be more exciting.

We got a break stating you know Alex is writing for many years. One of his classic books is still great. Today is a basic introduction to the Christian faith. It's called Stan courtrooms must know for unshakable faith.

This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt onto solid ground you read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity. They are one inspiration of the Bible to the virgin birth. Three. The deity of Christ for atonement. Five. Christ's resurrection and six. Christ's return, Alex mixes it up with humor and stories gleaned from decades of working with youth and encourages things to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ.

Simple and straightforward. Stan courtrooms you must know for an unshakable faith available wherever Christian books are so our country is falling apart, political unrest, social upheaval, the breakdown of the family.

The rise of atheism.

The rise of Islam are religious freedoms are under attack. There's gender fluidity gender identity is making mass freedom of expression. So we need to put some skin in the game and love this nation.

As Christians we are to stand strong.

There has to be some personal investment in the living out in the preservation of stand strong American face help you become a champion champion for Christ. Stand strong American Jason Jimenez and I lay out the facts about our nation. The current condition and how you yes you will, family, community, something this great Republic stance on America is a guide for encouraging wherever Christian radio Christmas to everybody in every country Christmas since you have a wonderful time of joyous Jesus filled Christmas and we would ask that you pray for this ministry and consider truth in a generation in your giving.

We have five major citywide events planned for 2019 and even as we would record this. Our board is working on a lot of the logistics behind what all we do publishing events, broadcasting all with the desire to evangelize the lost and equip the saved to publish broadcasting do events and to win the lost and equip the church so keep us in prayer. We know that were so grateful for you for all that, pray for us. You email as you support us and you interact throughout the year. Please know that we we love you. We thank God for you and were deeply grateful and Dylan are we blessed to be able to do all the things that God is called us to do at this time we haven't got a sense so many wonderful things are truth for new generation this year and we thank you for being part of that. Continue to pray for us continue to support us and keep in touch with all your calls and messages. We really appreciate it.

And as we come back to our guests stay. Dr. Gary have mass from Liberty University.

We have been blessed with this discussion about how apologetics has made such a come back. But this is something that still confronts our headlines today. Even this month were looking at these atheist billboards a come out around the holidays and say Jesus was even real at but that's something that doesn't even connect with what the scholarship says as a doctor have amassed.

Give us this information. He talked about before the segment about the idea that even the leadings break here. There is a Catch-22 increasingly are naturalistic educated world likes to say there aren't too much scholarship and I'm sure the crowd that says Jesus never lived up which the billboards up. I'm sure they'd like to say all the scholars agree with them but but Barbara Norman called atheist New Testament scholar, and… That she is himself and he is probably the best-known skeptic in the country and he says in his book did Jesus exist. He says if I remember the line correctly.

He says that of all the thousands of professors in religion and cognate subjects that dead people teach in colleges, universities, and seminaries. He says to his knowledge, not a single one of them would teach that Jesus never lived a single one.

And yet, the folks who are trumpeting this stuff. The loudest that you never lectured that Christmas time there say that loud loudly and they want people to think Scholarship agreed that Barbara McKay called the mountain and interestingly enough, a lot of them were not very happy with them. I imagine I felt kind of betrayed because you know you should be one the one say no, no, no, you're right, but you should actually know know know you're all wrong to judge you by University professors who teach you subjects. I think that's really damaging this this often angry, loud group that claims to be speaking for scholarship or not.

You know Dr. have amassed not only the reality that Jesus existed leaving the empty tomb. I remember in your book on the case for the resurrection of Jesus that you wrote them as I recall, you were with Michael Acuna. Also one of our best friends in the ministry, but in the book, you said something like 75% of historical scholars except the empty tomb as an historical fact and the majority of nonbelieving scholars accept such facts and not just Christian scholars. My remembering that book right then and the second example your second comment there. Michael Grant thought the Roman historian said that if we apply to the empty tomb, normal historical rules that we apply to any of that. He says you really don't have any options other than to accept the stress of the empty tomb, and after secular historians, so the number is about 75% and you know what's amazing is about 20 points higher than that in the 90 percentile are the number of scholars who say… To my words are carefully what they would say that after the death of Jesus's early followers's earliest followers, so we can get right back to the cross. He actually says that the earliest followers proclaimed that they had experiences that they believed were appearances of the risen Jesus say we have a believe that. But the point is talk that they really saw the risen Jesus and they devoted their whole life to that teaching. Let me ask you this how urgent is it that churches and families and believers know these things be familiar and teach these things and how can they begin to do that. I think it's very urgent. Alex and I think it's very relevant. We often call a copy all and are embarrassed of being called out or said you have any evidence or whatever, but there's a credible amount of evidence for Christianity which we need, we frankly do Christianity is truly the best word in the world that someone can have eternal life. Here we are at Advent season. It's one thing to have this fantastic message that's also something else to say that it is so incredibly highly evidenced from an incredible number of different perspectives you have evidence coming in from from almost 10 heavy evidence from almost 10 different perspectives data that skeptics will often acknowledge this the best evidence of the world. But the most evidenced religious message and were almost at a time. Owner said everyone listening, you know, really there in the two people in the world.

Those who have Christ are those who need Christ and we want you know that that Jesus Christ is real and he loves you and God is not mad at you. God isn't trying to hold you at arms length friend Jesus is his close by is a prayer and no better time I can think of the inherent Christmas when we commemorate the incarnation of Christ call on Jesus and open your heart to him. He'll he'll forgive your sins. He'll restore your joy, he will heal whatever wounds you might carry turn to Jesus and you will find that he is everything.

Not not only that we say he is these everything that the word of God promises that he is and Dylan.

Isn't that the truly truly great news.

The good news here at this time. Amen. There's no better time than now. Thank you to Dr. Gary have amassed me with the she find out more about him and Gary have amassed.com that's HA BER MAS.com and find out more about liberty go to liberty.edu to find more about the programs they have available to help you and your family grow in your walk with God thanks for being with us will be with you next time. Truth for new generation radio truth for new generation in association with Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries exists to equip Christians with the biblical worldview through conferences and camps for information about upcoming events visit for a new generation.com or give us a call at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes and the number one TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries PO Box 102310 NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231, North Carolina 27404 is online@alexmcfarland.com or truth for a new generation.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time. As we bring you more true for a new generation on TMG radio