Or, is everything relative to something else, and if so, is actual reality just a fallacy? The first question is illogical, and the latter leads to situational ethics.

Of course, to state categorically that there is no such thing as absolute truth is illogical, because in making such a statement, one is declaring the one and only truth, besides denying obvious facts such as the existence of gravity and magnetism.

Adherents to any one of the world’s religions accept and believe the truths associated with their faith, and Christianity is no different.

Perhaps you think of Christianity, or any religion for that matter, in terms of opinions and feelings: “What you believe is true for you, and what I believe is true for me.”

But if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, and his body has decayed, then Christianity is a lie; it isn’t true for you, and it isn’t true for me. It isn’t a question of feelings; it is a question of fact. If Jesus isn’t alive, we can have all the feelings and opinions we want, and it won’t change the fact that Jesus is dead, and the Christian faith is worthless.

One of the absolutes accepted and believed by all Christians is the historical fact that a man, Jesus of Nazareth, was crucified, died, and laid in a tomb, in the early part of the first century. Christians also accept and believe that Jesus rose from the dead, spent about forty days walking and talking among several hundred witnesses, before ascending to where he came from.

So, really, it all boils down to a question of just one absolute truth: “Is Jesus Christ alive, or dead?”

Christianity’s fallibility hinges on the answer to this one question, because, if Jesus’ body eventually turned to dust in the same way as would the body of any other mortal, then Christianity is a joke. On the other hand, if, at this moment, Jesus is powerfully alive, one would be a fool not to be a Christian.

Even the Bible points out this fork in 1 Corinthians 15, where it is written: “If Christ has not been resurrected, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith. Furthermore, we are being false witnesses about God . . . If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else. But Christ has been raised to life!”

Dear friends, the question about whether or not Jesus is alive or dead cannot be avoided. If he is dead, you can forget about him and do your own thing.

But, he is not dead; he is powerfully alive right at this very moment, and he calls you to believe in him.