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403 reviews for:
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
Lee Strobel
3.94 AVERAGE
403 reviews for:
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
Lee Strobel
3.94 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
I've been meaning to read this forever, but just got around to it. I'm a sucker for any story of an atheist turned Christian and this is no different. Reading how Strobel finds the love of Christ through trying to prove his skepticism is beautiful.
I agree with some reviews that it would have been interesting if Strobel had interviewed non-believers. That being said, it seems that he did the research of the views and stances of atheists and liberal Christians prior to these interviews. He mentions the Jesus Seminar several times and quotes atheist historians, etc. throughout the book. Let's also remember that he was an atheist himself when he started this process. He began this investigation to confirm his doubts, not prove true what he didn't want to be true. He knew what the skeptics said. He needed to find out why intelligent, well-educated people believe in Jesus.
I do hope that anyone who takes the time to read this book can do as Lee says at the end: if you still have doubts, do the research to address them. Don't put this on the back burner. If Jesus is real and Christianity is true, it's a matter of eternity. And that's not something to take lightly.
I agree with some reviews that it would have been interesting if Strobel had interviewed non-believers. That being said, it seems that he did the research of the views and stances of atheists and liberal Christians prior to these interviews. He mentions the Jesus Seminar several times and quotes atheist historians, etc. throughout the book. Let's also remember that he was an atheist himself when he started this process. He began this investigation to confirm his doubts, not prove true what he didn't want to be true. He knew what the skeptics said. He needed to find out why intelligent, well-educated people believe in Jesus.
I do hope that anyone who takes the time to read this book can do as Lee says at the end: if you still have doubts, do the research to address them. Don't put this on the back burner. If Jesus is real and Christianity is true, it's a matter of eternity. And that's not something to take lightly.
Fairly thorough investigation, although I wish the author would have included more corroborating evidence from secular sources rather than just relying on selected expert testimony. But a lot of ground was covered, and I did appreciate the references to other works for further research. This book was good for laying out a foundation for individuals to pursue their own investigations.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
DNF. Didn’t find it interesting or enjoy his writing.
I read this before, but it is one you can read over and over again. Especially like the historical proof for Christ.
I never read any of Lee Strobel’s work, but it was often held up as a fortress of evidence that skeptics tried but failed to breach. I didn’t have an interest in investigating it, but I always thought it was there with Christianity’s back, in case I ever needed it. Now that I’ve read the book, I see that this fortress is just a cardboard echo-chamber with “no outside opinions” scrawled across it in shoddy paint.
It is poorly written, condescending, lacking in valid criticism, and dishonest.
My biggest problem with the book really is that last item. Strobel wants to be seen as a modern Saul of Tarsus, but he puts in no effort to hide the fact that he isn’t being skeptical at all. Instead of providing challenging pushback to his interview subjects, he sets up tee-ball pitches, and even carries them onto some of their own arguments. If Strobel ever was truly skeptical of Christianity, he lost track of his own doubts somewhere in the two years it took him to investigate it.
Strobel’s unwillingness to interview people who are not already theologians or Christian apologists makes this book enormously one-sided (and that’s without the help Strobel gives them along the way). How do you present a debate without giving your opponent a chance to speak. Strobel doesn’t know.
And perhaps of least import, but most irritatingly, we come to the writing.
In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the narrator, Lemony Snicket, injects frequent asides to define difficult words, turns of phrase, or lessons to his audience. Sometimes he includes an anecdote to demonstrate his meaning. They often end with a comedic spin to let the reader know that Snicket is making fun of adults who talk down to children. Strobel maintains this strategy, but lacks any satirical self-awareness. He defines basic concepts, such as eyewitness testimony, and begins each chapter with a demonstrative story of the legal argument he’ll be making in that chapter. He comes off as grating and insufferable. What’s more, these stories do very little demonstrate the actual points he tries to make. They do almost nothing except pad out the word count. His prose is also littered with phrases that do nothing, which should have been scrapped by an editor.
In The Case for Christ, Strobel demonstrates poor writing, dishonesty, and poor interviewing skills. It makes me wonder how he ever made it as a journalist.
It is poorly written, condescending, lacking in valid criticism, and dishonest.
My biggest problem with the book really is that last item. Strobel wants to be seen as a modern Saul of Tarsus, but he puts in no effort to hide the fact that he isn’t being skeptical at all. Instead of providing challenging pushback to his interview subjects, he sets up tee-ball pitches, and even carries them onto some of their own arguments. If Strobel ever was truly skeptical of Christianity, he lost track of his own doubts somewhere in the two years it took him to investigate it.
Strobel’s unwillingness to interview people who are not already theologians or Christian apologists makes this book enormously one-sided (and that’s without the help Strobel gives them along the way). How do you present a debate without giving your opponent a chance to speak. Strobel doesn’t know.
And perhaps of least import, but most irritatingly, we come to the writing.
In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the narrator, Lemony Snicket, injects frequent asides to define difficult words, turns of phrase, or lessons to his audience. Sometimes he includes an anecdote to demonstrate his meaning. They often end with a comedic spin to let the reader know that Snicket is making fun of adults who talk down to children. Strobel maintains this strategy, but lacks any satirical self-awareness. He defines basic concepts, such as eyewitness testimony, and begins each chapter with a demonstrative story of the legal argument he’ll be making in that chapter. He comes off as grating and insufferable. What’s more, these stories do very little demonstrate the actual points he tries to make. They do almost nothing except pad out the word count. His prose is also littered with phrases that do nothing, which should have been scrapped by an editor.
In The Case for Christ, Strobel demonstrates poor writing, dishonesty, and poor interviewing skills. It makes me wonder how he ever made it as a journalist.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced