Unit 3 Miracles Test

Question 1

What is the best answer to the statement, “There will always be more evidence for the non-miraculous than the miraculous”.
A Miracles are common events
B Miracles, by definition are uncommon events
C Miracles, by definition, are common events
D Evidence for miracles does not exist

Answer 1

B Miracles, by definition are uncommon events

Question 2

Why is 1 Corinthians considered by critics to be a more reliable source than the gospels?

Answer 2

Written by Paul and in an early source

Question 3

What important facts does 1 Corinthians 15 not include about the resurrection?
A The burial of Christ
B The rising of Christ from the dead on third day
C Appearance of Christ to 500 believers
D The empty tomb

Answer 3

D The empty tomb

Question 4

Which of these is not one of the four minimally accepted resurrection facts
A Jesus died by crucifixion
B Christ’s legs were broken
C Disciples all interacted with the risen Christ
D James met with the risen Christ (skeptic before)
E Paul interacted with the risen Christ (skeptic before)

Answer 4

B
Christ’s legs were not broken as was the custom to speed up death.
Fulfilled Psalms 34:20 “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken”

Question 5

Explain how you can use the minimal facts to make a case for the resurrection

Answer 5

Use them to rule out naturalistic theories such as

• Christ was just passed out - swoon
• someone stole the body
• • mass hallucination

Question 6

Why is the swoon theory unreasonable?

Answer 6

Critics all accept that Christ died. Roman soldiers were experts at crucifixion and would not be fooled

Question 7

Why are the fraud theories (stolen body) some of the worst?

Answer 7

Doesn’t explain why the disciples were transformed into believers who would endure harsh treatments and death without wavering. If there leader died and was not resurrected they would have disbanded and moved on.

Question 8

What are some problems with the hallucination theory?

Answer 8

• No first century evidence points to causes of mass hallucination.
• No first century evidence accounts for the missing body. (required for hallucination theory)

Question 9

How can we know that not all possible theories about the resurrection are reasonable?

Answer 9

Evidence

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a requirement for a miracle?
A Must be an unusual, specific and purposeful event
B Supernatural cause
C Must violate natural laws
D Doesn’t have to violate natural laws, although the obvious ones would

Answer 10

C Must violate natural laws

Question 11

Who else during Jesus time claimed to be "the son of God" and what did that imply about him?
A  Roman pope
B  England's King Edward
C  Caesar
D  John the Baptist

Answer 11

C Caesar - he claimed divinity

Question 12

Do natural laws tell us what MUST happen? What do they tell us?

Answer 12

No

What has most often happened in the past

Question 13

What does God’s existence have to do with the possibility of miracles?

Answer 13

If God exists, there is no reason to reject miracles “apriori”
Apriori - theoretical deduction rather than observation or experience

Question 14

What is the difference between an apriori belief and an aposteriori belief?

Answer 14

Apriori is beforehand (before data is shown)

Aposteriori is after

Question 15

Why is the resurrection the foundation of nearly all Christian doctrines?

Answer 15

Without resurrection, there is no salvation and therefore no gospel at all

Question 16

According to the video by the pastor from the Bahamas, what relationship did God intend to make between heaven and earth?

Answer 16

He wanted to bring heaven to earth through people made in his image (colonization analogy). His goal was not just bringing earth to heaven

Question 17

Why should any thoughtful person have a theory on who Jesus was and what happened to him?

Answer 17

Because of the wide reaching historical impact of the birth of Christianity

Question 18

How can conflict resolution skills be useful in talking about controversial things?

Answer 18

Help avoid angering or offending participants so conversation can continue and relationships are not ruined.

Question 19

What other ways besides miracles did the Christian God intervene in the world?
A Changed lives of believers to affect Godly change
B Speaking to people through Holy Spirit
C Answered prayer
D Providential guidance
E All of the above

Answer 19

All of these

Question 20

Someone arguing for resurrection without use of biblical claims can use what?
A  accepted historical facts
B  accepted parts of scripture
C  The book of Mormom
D  The Koran

Answer 20

A & B

• Even critical historians accept some facts as true such as the death of Christ and lack of a stolen body
• Many parts of scripture are accepted by critical historians due to validation with other sources

Question 21

What argument did John Lennox (Oxford professor) use to support the reasonableness of belief in the supernatural?

Answer 21

Atheist naturalism - brains are result of mindless cause and effect over time
Therefore no reason to believe what we think is trustworthy. Such as scientific “facts”

Question 22

Match these:
A “disconfirmed by fewer accepted beliefs”
B “ more probable”
C “good explanatory scope”
D “less contrived”
E “good explanatory power”
1- Hypothesis that explains more of the evidence
2- Won’t conflict with as many beliefs of the time
3- Hypothesis that best fits background beliefs
4- Hypothesis that makes evidence more plausible
5- Hypothesis not requiring adoption of new beliefs

Answer 22

A-5
B-3
C-1
D-2
E-4