On that Sunday morning the first thing that impressed the people who approached the tomb was the unusual position of the one and a half to two ton stone that had been lodged in front of the doorway.

In this sentence McDowell underscores a physical, concrete detail in the Gospel resurrection narratives: the tomb’s sealing stone was not merely moved but in an “unusual position.” The rhetorical aim is apologetic—highlighting a purportedly heavy barrier (often described in popular Christian literature as one-and-a-half to two tons) to argue that the empty tomb is not easily explained by simple human interference. By focusing on the stone’s displacement, the line invites readers to treat the resurrection claim as involving observable, material circumstances rather than purely private spiritual experience, thereby supporting McDowell’s broader emphasis on evidential reasoning in Christian belief.