Your Verdict on the Empty Tomb
By Val Grieve
Evangelical Press. 75 pages. £3.99
ISBN 978 1 783 971 893
Val Grieve’s delightful little reprint is a persuasive and well written defence for the historicity of the resurrection. The book’s short length does not in any way detract from the profound arguments contained therein.
In the first chapter, Val states that his aim is to help the sceptical reader think logically, thus appealing to the modern mind, which often dismisses the Christian faith as a leap into the dark.
However the book’s use should not be confined to the unbeliever alone, for a believer will also find both Val’s approach and the case made in the book edifying and instructive in giving an answer to those who ask us why we believe in the resurrection.
What gives his case such credibility is the fact that he approaches it from a lawyer’s point of view, having himself been a solicitor. This takes the idea of the resurrection out of what many regard as a fantasy realm and brings it down to reality, where the case can be evaluated in a way people understand and can relate to.
Clear and non-confrontational
Another strength of the book is the way it simply presents the arguments in a clear, non-confrontational way, allowing the reader to arrive at their own verdict.
Val’s big contention is that the most important question today is whether Jesus rose from the dead. He seeks to prove the answer as affirmative, by adopting the same method that a court of law and jury would use to evaluate this claim. He then proceeds to present the historical evidence, which powerfully speaks for itself. A whole chapter is given to the case for the empty tomb, emphasising that the alternative explanations do not hold water.
Having established the different nature of the evidence in favour of the resurrection, he draws out its implications; namely that Jesus is God, that he is Judge, that forgiveness is available and life has meaning.
I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this book and give copies away.
