The Cross Is Not Enough: Living as Witnesses to the Resurrection

If Christ had not risen from the dead, if God's plan for redemption had ended at the cross, what would our faith look like? Have we become so fixated on the cross that we have lost an understanding of the centrality of the resurrection? And if we ignore the resurrection, what effect does that have on our worldview, our evangelism, and our Christian practice?

In The Cross Is Not Enough, Ross Clifford and Philip Johnson explore how the resurrection of Christ has been understood in times past and restore this linchpin doctrine to its rightful place as the basis of our hope, our worldview, and the way we live our lives. They compare Christianity's unique understanding of resurrection to other world religions and explore why the resurrection connects so readily with the human psyche.
Pastors, teachers, students, and anyone involved in ministry will benefit from this insightful and engaging treatment of Christianity's most important doctrine.

From the Back Cover

The resurrection is the center of Christianity. Without it, there is no life.

As crucial as it is, the cross of Christ is not the center of Christianity. What effect does forgetting the importance of the resurrection have on our worldview, our discipleship, our ethics, our evangelism, and our Christian practice?

In The Cross Is Not Enough, Ross Clifford and Philip Johnson explore how the resurrection of Christ has been understood in times past and restore this linchpin doctrine to its rightful place as the basis of our hope, our worldview, and the way we live our lives every day. They compare Christianity's unique understanding of resurrection to other world religions, explore why the resurrection connects so readily with the human psyche, and trace themes of resurrection through movies, books, music, and other aspects of popular culture.


"Without the resurrection, Jesus' death would scarcely have atoned for anyone. Clifford and Johnson show how the resurrection is the answer to the aspirations of proponents of most of the major world religions and much of the current popularity of 'new spiritualities.' A must-read!"--Craig Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

"Clifford and Johnson argue that the Good News of Christianity is not just the cross--that Jesus died for our sins. The Good News is the cross and the resurrection--Jesus died and he rose from the dead. They make a compelling case, one that influences every aspect of Christian living and thinking."--Terry Muck, dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and evangelism professor of missions and world religions,
Asbury Theological Seminary

"Clifford and Johnson are right to want to explore not only how the resurrection has been understood in the past but also why it can contribute to the care and growth of the whole person. A resurrection-centric worldview is concerned not only with proofs of an empty tomb but also with a distinctly Christian form of holism."--Michael Frost, Morling College, Sydney; author of Exiles; coauthor of The Shaping of Things to Come and ReJesus

"Clifford and Johnson go beyond evidential studies in order to relate Jesus' resurrection to a holistic, full-orbed approach to Christian theology, mission, and discipleship, as well as the daily life of the believer."--Gary R. Habermas, distinguished research professor, Liberty University and Theological Seminary


Ross Clifford is the principal of Morling Theological College in Sydney, Australia. A former lawyer and pastor, he is cofounder with Philip Johnson of the Community of Hope.

Philip Johnson is a visiting lecturer in apologetics and alternative religious movements at Morling Theological College in Sydney, Australia.