Toastmasters speech at Wells Fargo today: "Why I don't believe in Santa Claus but I believe in Christmas"

By the time this posts, I will have given my 7 minute speech (I have a hard time fitting all into 7 minutes - but that is my allotted time). Outline is as follows:

• Introduction:
  • For a longer title: Why I don’t believe in Sasquatch, Big Foot, the Tooth Fairy, the Locke Ness Monster, or Santa Claus … but I believe in Christmas.
  • Why? Essentially I am an empiricist – I look for evidence
  • At Christmastime, Christians celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth -Even though unlikely he was born on December 25th
• Four questions about Jesus Christ:
  1. Just a legend?
  2. A liar?
  3. A lunatic?
  4. Or Lord?
• A legend? Mythical? Or Historical? Verifiable?
  • The analogy of Abraham Lincoln from 200-150 years ago
  • Our summer of Lincoln: Books, Places
• Historical references (Biblical and extra-Biblical):
  • Luke 2:1-3: “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city
  • Flavius Josephus (AD 37?-101?, a Jewish historian)
  • Pliny the Younger mentioned Christ. Pliny was governor of Bithynia in Asia Minor.
  • Links:
    • http://carm.org/non-biblical-accounts-new-testament-events-andor-people
    • http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4223639/k.567/Ancient_Evidence_for_Jesus_from_NonChristian_Sources.htm
    • http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/45841
• A liar?
  • He made claims:
    • “Before Abraham as I am” (Abraham the Father of three religions: Islam, Judaism, Christianity)
    • “he that has seen me, has seen the Father”
  • He forgave men their sins (and who can forgive sins but God?!)
  • He accepted worship
• A lunatic?
  • A teacher
  • A healer / miracle worker
  • A prophet – the destruction of Jerusalem
• Or Lord? Early Christians and Christians today believe the grave could not contain Him - He is risen Lord!