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404 reviews for:
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
Lee Strobel
3.94 AVERAGE
404 reviews for:
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus
Lee Strobel
3.94 AVERAGE
Strobel, a former investigative reporter and religious skeptic, interviews scholars from various fields, including history, psychology, and archeology, to determine if it is possible that Jesus is the Messiah. The book is structured similar to a court case, with Strobel explaining the different types of evidence he is about to present by using court cases to illustrate how they can impact a trial.
However, the major problem with his argument is that he leaves out one very important part of a court case: the cross examination. The scholars who do appear in the book hold conservative religious beliefs, and more liberal theological views, such as those of the Jesus Seminar, atheists, and agnostics, are introduced only so that they can be quickly dismissed. As a result, Strobel has a major hole in his rhetorical strategy that leaves the reader with more questions than answers concerning the perspectives he did not give fair weight to.
However, the major problem with his argument is that he leaves out one very important part of a court case: the cross examination. The scholars who do appear in the book hold conservative religious beliefs, and more liberal theological views, such as those of the Jesus Seminar, atheists, and agnostics, are introduced only so that they can be quickly dismissed. As a result, Strobel has a major hole in his rhetorical strategy that leaves the reader with more questions than answers concerning the perspectives he did not give fair weight to.
It appears that many readers hated this book, but I think for what it is-it's a good stepping off point for anyone with those nagging questions about their faith. Even for the unsure Christian. It gives you foundational questions and answers to build your own research. Not everyone who reads this book is going to come to Jesus, that's not Strobel's job.
An attempt at a rational defence not of the Christian faith necessarily, but of the divinity and historicity (is that a word?) of the Jesus Christ of the Bible and the truth of his bodily resurrection.
I'm biased because I already believe pretty much everything that the author presents as evidence. One glaring omission, though, is that Mr Strobel only interviewed Christian scholars, leaders and scientists for this work. Of course, then, he was always going to reach the conclusion he does: that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be - the Son of God and saviour of mankind.
The other (related) problem is that counter-arguments to Christian beliefs are often not developed fully. Even in his alleged rebuttals, Strobel does seem to present the most extreme or "strawman-like" versions of these arguments. These are likely not all that reflective of the actual positions.
All that said, its probably confirmation bias that has me giving this a 4 star rating. The book is extremely well written as well. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to a genuine skeptic though. This book is probably good for introducing someone who believes in Christ already to the idea that there is a rational basis for that belief.
I'm biased because I already believe pretty much everything that the author presents as evidence. One glaring omission, though, is that Mr Strobel only interviewed Christian scholars, leaders and scientists for this work. Of course, then, he was always going to reach the conclusion he does: that Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be - the Son of God and saviour of mankind.
The other (related) problem is that counter-arguments to Christian beliefs are often not developed fully. Even in his alleged rebuttals, Strobel does seem to present the most extreme or "strawman-like" versions of these arguments. These are likely not all that reflective of the actual positions.
All that said, its probably confirmation bias that has me giving this a 4 star rating. The book is extremely well written as well. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to a genuine skeptic though. This book is probably good for introducing someone who believes in Christ already to the idea that there is a rational basis for that belief.
"He was loving but didn't let his compassion immobilize him; he didn't have a bloated ego, even though he was often surrounded by adoring crowds; he maintained balance despite an often demanding lifestyle; he always knew what he was doing and where he was going; he cared deeply about people, including women and children, who weren't seen as being important back then; he was able to accept people while not merely winking at their sin; he responded to individuals based on where they were at and what they uniquely needed." -Gary R. Collins
This book is wonderful. So in awe of my Savior after reading this.
I started this when I was skeptical of my faith .. And am now completely firm in my faith.
This book is wonderful. So in awe of my Savior after reading this.
I started this when I was skeptical of my faith .. And am now completely firm in my faith.
Words cannot express how amazing and shocking this book is. I love the author's style of writing, and his determination to provide accurate facts for determining the evidence. I was a little disappointed at how easily he agreed with the scholars based on their education; I feel he didn't dig deep enough, but I guess he left it up to the readers to take the step further.
I was(?) agnostic.
Science doesn't lie.
Everyone has their own opinion; I'm just stating mine.
I was(?) agnostic.
Science doesn't lie.
Everyone has their own opinion; I'm just stating mine.
As a beginner to the study of apologetics, I thought this book was pretty amazing. The author made it quite clear in the beginning that he was a skeptic on a mission to discover if Jesus Christ really is the Son of God and Savior of the world. I am thankful that this book was written by Lee Strobel, as his professional career was in journalism so he knew how to add enough flavor to the book to keep it from becoming quite dry and bogged down in straight facts. As a journalist, he covered high profile court cases and criminal investigations, so he had experience at sifting through facts and asking probing questions. The writing in this book is actually quite conversational in style, so the whole time I felt like I was right there, listening to Strobel cross-examine experts in various fields. This book was a great overview of the various topics covered by apologetics. Each chapter was relatively short and quite to the point. The version of the book that I read was copyrighted in 1998 and, based on what Strobel said in the final chapter, contained conversations that he had with various Biblical experts in the early 1980's. So the only thing I could wish for this book is that it could be updated if there has been any new research in any of the areas he visited.
informative
reflective
challenging
informative
medium-paced
This book was very well done. Strobel was able to explain everything clearly that even I, just having jaw surgery and totally out of it, was able to fully comprehend it. This book didn't touch on every argument against faith, but you can't expect it to. However, this book touched on a lot of subjects and gave plenty of evidence. I believe this book is great for strengthening Christian faith as well as serving as a stepping stone into Christianity. I highly recommend this.
informative
slow-paced