Mount Pleasant churches celebrate the history of Easter

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For many in Mount Pleasant, Easter is one of the most important religious holidays of the year. Though for others, it’s just another day.

On Sunday, local churches celebrated the anniversary of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Easter is one of the largest days of the year for church attendance, said Tom Dennis, Mount Pleasant Community Church congregational pastor. Regular attendance numbers are usually about 1,300, but on Easter, MPCC, located at 1400 W. Broomfield St., expected about 3,000.

“The statistics tell us that visitors will decide in the first seven minutes whether or not they’re going to come back,” Dennis said. “That and Christ’s admonition to love each other make it very important for us.”

MPCC Senior Pastor Brian LaMew preached of why Christians believe in the resurrection, saying it was a literal historic event rather than a myth. Quoting supportive scholars, lawyers and journalists, many of whom had originally been opponents of the idea, LaMew said the evidence points toward the story being real.

“Every single one of us needs to investigate the evidence,” he said. “If you like Mythbusters, this is going to be good.”

Theory by theory, LaMew explained to his congregation why he believes Jesus did rise again. The idea that the disciples stole the corpse, he said, is unrealistic because of the sealed stone and the guards.

Matt Sprague disagrees.

“How difficult would if be for seven guys to move a rock and a body?” the Lapeer sophomore said. “I don’t even think Jesus was real.”

The disciples’ martyrdom is proof that they told the truth, LaMew said. No one would endure torturous death for something they had faked, he said.

“I don’t think I could go to my execution supporting a lie,” he said. “The most credible answer for what happened in the New Testament was that (Jesus) really rose from the dead.”

Mount Pleasant resident and MPCC attendee Zach King said he loved the sermon. It was good to hear a pastor back up his beliefs with scholarly evidence rather than just preach opinion, he said.

“I thought it was a good approach for Easter,” King said. “Especially for people who are searching for truth or new believers.”

Other perspectives

Not everyone celebrates the religious aspect of Easter, however. Farmington Hills sophomore Tim Justice Jr. said he has nothing against the holiday, just religious institutions that he feels prey on people’s fears.

“We forge it so we can be comforted, like the idea of God as a loving father,” he said. “The evidence for Jesus is very limited.”

At His House Christian Fellowship, 211 W. Broomfield St., Associate Minister Josh Chaffin also preached on the historic basis for the resurrection. Chaffin said he wanted students to have great faith, but not blind faith. Proof of Jesus’ resurrection can be seen, he said, in the life of Paul who went from persecuting the church for preaching to it.

“A changed life is evidence of the resurrection,” Chaffin said. “The resurrection confirms our identity in Christ and our lives have purpose because God has called us to be a part of his kingdom.”