The Christian faith rests on the death and resurrection of Jesus. There is no serious debate about the fact that a Jewish rabbi named Jesus of Nazareth became prominent in Israel around 30 A.D. and that he was crucified at the orders of Pontius Pilate. The key issue, therefore, is whether Jesus truly, physically rose from the dead. If he did, we have every reason to believe the rest of his miracles and teachings. If not, the whole New Testament topples like a house of cards. 

Another respected Christian apologist, William Lane Craig, argues along similar lines on his site here. Here is a synopsis of the key evidences for the resurrection from these two scholars.

1. Jesus’ burial place was known – It is unclear today exactly where Jesus was buried but in the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ crucifixion everyone in the area knew the tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. This adds strength to the empty tomb claims below, as anyone could have investigated the tomb itself.

2. The tomb was empty – Had this not been the case the Jewish and Roman authorities could have easily squashed the claims of the early Christians. That no body was ever found and the tomb was empty are facts that everyone – even skeptics and liberals – has to find some way to explain.

3. The apostles believed they saw the risen Jesus – Whether or not you choose to believe it, the 11 apostles were convinced that they saw the real Jesus back from the dead. This is obviously attested in the New Testament and confirmed by the fact that all eleven ended up martyrs for their message. People often invent stories to benefit themselves but rarely do so when it leads to their death. See below for a key quote from Josephus, the Jewish historian.

4. The accounts of Jesus’ resurrection date back very close to the event itself – It is true that some books in the New Testament were written 20-50 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. But it is clear that the claim that Jesus rose dates back to within just a couple of years of the resurrection – which means it could not have been a myth that developed generations later. When claims are made within just a few years of an event they can be investigated and either confirmed or refuted. The fact that belief in a Risen Jesus only grew and expanded in the first century means that more and more people became convinced it was true.

5. Paul and James converted to believe in Jesus – Two of the most prominent leaders in the early church were previously vocal opponents of Christianity. Paul locked up and executed early Christians. James, the brother of Jesus, questioned Jesus’ sanity and tried to persuade him to stop preaching. But both of these men changed their minds and became significant promoters of Jesus and his resurrection.

Gary Habermas summarizes: “Notice that we didn’t use the Gospels here. We only used texts that are accepted by virtually all scholars who have studied these events in detail. As Ehrman points out, the pagan dying and rising gods motif has many serious problems and cannot be used to argue some sort of copycat theory by the early Christian apostles.

“Altogether, these five reasons are each based on a well-evidenced foundation, built on texts that are accepted as historical by virtually all scholars, whatever their religious persuasion. Readers who choose to reject them must consider whether they are doing so for other than factual reasons.”