Upon first look at Doug Powell’s innovative book, Resurrection iWitness, I was already impressed with its aesthetic appeal; not a typical feature of an argument-based apologetic work. With further exploration, I realized there was great potential for a lasting educational impact of the material because it taps into different learning styles. This book is ideal for establishing a foundation for belief in the resurrection for those persons who are visual or kinesthetic learners. In other words, if you wouldn’t necessarily be excited about reading through pages of arguments in text-only format, this might be the apologetics book for you.1

I took the book into the youth room at our church to get some reactions. The main word I heard over and over was “Cool!” A few people took the time to go all the way through the book, even though I just asked them to skim through. Bearing in mind that the youth room is full of distractions, I was impressed with the attention given to the work. This included adults as well as students! Some of the adults were extremely impressed with the work, asking where they could buy a copy. (You can purchase one on Amazon.)

Do you have a child who is questioning belief in God? Perhaps, they are somewhat disconnected from the whole idea of the “resurrection” of Jesus. This book vividly brings to light the evidence and importance of the resurrection of Jesus, but does so in a way that will engage their imagination. It looks like a storybook and has been jokingly dubbed “the resurrection pop-up book” by some of my church members, but its ingenuity lies in how it draws the attention of the reader to engage in learning. Of particular interest to me was the “Martyr’s Map” in which the locale of each martyr’s death was depicted by a red pushpin on a black and grey map; such striking imagery!

Though there are a few spots in which the type is a little small (due to formatting) the overall book is truly a masterpiece. After reviewing it with my own teenage daughter, as well as with our youth minister and his wife, I am convinced that this resource will be invaluable as a teaching aide for the most important doctrine of the Christian faith. I highly recommend this work for any Christian home or church as it will provide instruction for the young and act as a piece of intrigue for those unfamiliar with arguments for the resurrection.

[1] And perhaps a catalyst towards more investigation into apologetics!