With Valentine’s Day now out of the way, stores across the country are setting up for the next most widely celebrated holiday – Easter.

And while for some, that may mean bunnies and chocolate, for believers it should mean cross and resurrection. However, for many Christian youth, it doesn’t.

“The real meaning of Christ’s resurrection is being lost on an entire generation,” says the Josh McDowell Ministry. “In fact, 51 per cent of today’s churched youth don’t even believe Jesus bodily rose from the dead. Unless they believe the historical truth and why Jesus was in fact raised from the dead their faith will be in vain.”

Knowing this, the ministry’s founder, best-selling author Josh McDowell, has released a new book with the help of his son, Sean McDowell, in hopes of equipping pastors and youth leaders who want to get a jump on the holiday teaching in order to help more believers apply the power of the resurrection to their everyday lives.

The book, Evidence for the Resurrection: What It Means for Your Relationship with God, views the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ through relevant apologetics in a way that is designed to answer crucial life questions people face every day in today’s culture.

"While the resurrection promises us a new and perfect life in the future, God loves us too much to leave us alone to contend with the pain, guilt and loneliness of our present life," says Josh McDowell.

"Young people have these questions about the resurrection,” adds 32-year-old Sean McDowell, “not necessarily dead or alive questions. They have relevant-to-their-life questions that deal with real-life relationships."

In Evidence for the Resurrection, the McDowells lead readers step by step through God's original intention in creation, how that intention suffered a damaging blow, and His solution for once again restoring the estranged relationship with man and woman. The last half of the book presents a thorough but accessible exploration of the many compelling pieces of evidence and solid reasons for the conviction of believers that Christ's resurrection actually occurred as a real event in history.

In addition to the book, companion books for teens and children, titled Jesus: Dead or Alive? and Jesus is Alive!, have also been released.

A free, 6-page downloadable Evidence for the Resurrection pamphlet containing the book's foundational messages and related information is available online at www.josh.org/risen