Do Christians have to believe dead people return to life?

#wakeupolive brings up tricky issues.

Olive Alayne Heiligenthal (2017–2019)

Last Saturday, a 2-year-old named Olive Heiligenthal, of Redding, California, stopped breathing in her sleep. Her mom, Kalley, a worship leader at Bethel Church, a megachurch in Redding California, put out a call to pray to bring her daughter back to life.

And I had to think. The New Testament features stories of people who return to life, Jesus among them. Do Christians have to believe in resurrection?

I thought about that as I followed the Bethel story. Kalley’s original post:

Her time here is not done, and it is our time to believe boldly, and with confidence wield what King Jesus paid for. It’s time for her to come to life.

Days and 149k “likes” later, the post, the prayer, and the hashtag #wakeupolive hasn’t done the trick. Kalley is still keeping watch.

Day 5 is a really good day for resurrection.
I’ve never been more grateful for Jesus. He is endlessly worthy of our love, trust, faith and risk.

Supernatural power might, in fact, exist.

I’ve heard credible stories of ghosts, psychic experiences, past-life regressions. I know people who say they see auras. So I say to myself…