We are all probably familiar with that lovable guy named Bishop John Shelby Spong. I just found a recent article that he wrote with regards to Easter and the resurrection. In this article he says, "Easter's power lies not in resuscitated bodies but in the mind-expanding experience of knowing life is more powerful than death." According to him it is not whether or not Christ was resurrected (because of course he was not in Spong's eyes), but the main issue of Easter is that all Christians should know that life is more powerful than death. What Spong is overlooking is that life is not more powerful than death if there is no resurrection. Death has power. Death has sting. Death has victory, unless one is resurrected. The very hope of Easter is the resurrection. It is only after Christ's resurrection that life has the ability to be more powerful than death. Spong fails to see that, yet at the same time he is right on the money. When there is no resurrection hope, this present life is all that one can hold on to. There is nothing to look forward to.

Spong also states the following:

Does anyone really think, for example, that a physical resuscitation of a body dead for three days is actually possible? Would anyone believe it if someone today made that claim? If it is not possible today, can we seriously argue that it was ever possible? Does Christianity fall unless a supernatural miracle can be established?

In answer to his question, I for one truly believe that a physical resuscitation of a body that has been dead for three days is possible. "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Mt 19.26). Remember, we are dealing with the One who created the world and the sea and all is within them. He is able to raise the dead, and Christ was indeed risen. Of course we have much liberty to debate our beliefs, but the resurrection, however, is not just some unimportant point. The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith. The teaching that Spong represents is not Christian if he proposing that Christ was never resurrected. I think that I'll side on the side of the Gospel on this one.

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor 15.12-19)