More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell
Week 6: Chapter 6 — Who Would Die for a Lie?
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The willingness of the first disciples to die for their testimony is one of the most stubborn facts in early Christian history — McDowell treats it as a powerful piece of evidence that demands explanation.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.McDowell draws a sharp distinction between dying for a belief you hold sincerely (even if it is wrong) and dying for something you know to be a lie. Why is that distinction so important for evaluating the disciples' testimony about the Resurrection?
2.The disciples were in a position to know whether the Resurrection was real — they were either eyewitnesses or in close contact with those who were. What options are available to explain their willingness to suffer and die for their testimony?
a.Could they have been sincerely mistaken? What would that require?
b.Could they have been deliberately lying? What does their behavior argue against that?
3.McDowell notes the dramatic transformation of the disciples between Good Friday and Pentecost — from terrified fugitives hiding behind locked doors to bold public proclaimers willing to face imprisonment and death. What explanation does he offer for that transformation? What other explanations are available?
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