Presentation on ‘Evidence of the Resurrection: A Lawyer’s Analysis’ set April 27

CHRISTIAN J. CLARK

MADISON  Catholics take it on faith that Jesus rose from the dead to secure our salvation but is there evidence that the Resurrec­tion occurred?

Christian J. Clark, a Harvard Law School graduate and faithful Catholic, will lay out that evidence to prove it on Wednesday, April 27, when he presents “Evidence of the Resur­rection: A Lawyer’s Analysis” at 7 p.m. in the Evangelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls here. During this in-person event, he will investigate the biblical account of the Resurrection with a lawyer’s critical eye to see if it could stand up in a court of law.

“Christian will address the question that people might have after hearing the Gospel readings at Easter Mass: how valid is the evidence for the Resurrection? As Catholics, we should wrestle with the evidence to become better informed,” said Brian Honsberger, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan director of mission and technology integration, who arranged the talk by Clark, a litigation associate with the New York-based law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. “We want to draw in lawyers, including members of St. Paul’s outreach to lawyers, Advocati Christi; young adults, and anybody who is interested in the authenticity of the Gospel and validity of the Resurrection,” he said.

A parishioner of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood in the Newark Arch­diocese, Clark first started delving into this subject while a theology teacher and Theo­logy Department chairman at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, his alma mater, where he taught freshmen and sophomores the Old Testa­ment, morality, and an introduction to Catholicism. Clark wanted students to be able to engage in apologetics: the ability to explain the faith and persuade people to believe, he said.

While teaching, Clark read the book, “A Case for Christ,” by Lee Strobel, a journalist, who investigates the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. While at Harvard Law School, he came across the work of Simon Greenleaf, a 19th century Harvard Law professor, who analyzed the Gospels as an evidence scholar that piqued his interest. In 2016, Clark earned his law degree from Harvard, where he received the Dean’s Scholar Prizes in the Government Lawyer and Poverty Law courses. He was also inspired to think more deeply about this subject after having watched a movie about Strobel’s investigation, also called “A Case for Christ,” he said.

Clark has put together a talk in support of evidence of the Resurrection and first presented it at a meeting of the Guild of Catho­lic Lawyers of New York. He has since spoken on the topic at a variety of places, including St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish in Wyckoff, and Cardinal Kung Academy in Stamford, Conn. Clark said his presentation digs deep for evidence and pulls from the scholarship of other academics, such as Peter Kreeft, philosophy professor at Boston College and King’s College.

“Conducting this research has deepened my faith. It enabled me to work out some of my questions about faith and then share them with other people,” said Clark, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Boston College in 2009. From 2009 to 2010, he was a novice in the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, where he spent time discerning the priesthood. “With my presentation, I want to move from the personal and subjective to the objective and historical. I might not be able to convince people at that moment but I want to persuade them that the claims are worth investigating,” he said.

Clark is a member of the New York and New Jersey bars.

A resident of Ridgewood, Clark and his wife, Katherine, are parents of three young children.

The “Evidence of the Resurrection” presentation will start at 7 p.m. April 27, followed by a 7:45 p.m. question-and-answer session with Clark and an 8 p.m. lawyers’ cocktail hour with him.

The cost is $25 for the cocktail hour and presentation or $10 for the presentation only. Continuing Legal Education credits are not offered for this event.

Registration: https://insidethewalls.org/evidence