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pkrez 's review for:
The Case for Christ
by Lee Strobel
"The Case for Christ" is authored by Lee Strobel. Strobel was a legal editor at The Chicago Tribune. As a newspaper man covering crime and courts, Strobel became well versed in evidence, facts, truth, and what it takes to put together a case beyond reasonable doubt. After his wife became a Christian, Strobel endeavored to use his journalistic and legal background to prove whether or not there was a case for Christ (or if he was in good standing continuing on as an atheist).
Spoiler alert: he found the evidence was overwhelming that Jesus Christ was in fact the Messiah as prophesized by the Old Testament.
Each chapter of the book is structured as an interview with an expert giving testimony as part of the case. The idea is that by the end of the book, readers will have heard the evidence and can be the jury to decide the case. Each chapter features plenty of references to other sources, so if a reader wants to study something further, he or she is easily directed to further reading.
Strobel begins each chapter with a little parable of his own about a legal case he had covered and how the evidence presented at that time is the same sort of evidence that will be presented in that chapter of the case for Christ.
Several of the book's chapters (and the evidence presented) include: (1.) eyewitness evidence and testing the biographies of Jesus; (2.) corroborating evidence of Jesus from other sources outside of the Bible; (3.) scientific evidence from archeology; (4.) identity, profile, and psychological evidence of Jesus; (5.) medical evidence examining crucifixion and death; (6.) witness testimony for the missing body, empty tomb, and appearances of Jesus after his death.
I did find that some belief and connecting of the dots required for this case. Its conclusion is not as obvious and air tight as something like D. Tsarnaev being found guilty of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
For example, much reliance is needed in ancient texts. So, in the same way I have to rely on dated material telling me Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants, the best, but ancient material tells me Jesus was the son of God.
However, attention to detail, ability to debate skeptics, and conviction of Strobel's experts, laid out a solid case that Jesus met all the prophesies of the Old Testament, and changed the culture and practices of thousands of his followers within years of his death. There was no time for his legend or myth to grow beyond what Jesus actually was before being documented in the Bible because several creeds and gospels date back to only shortly after Jesus' death and resurrection.
I found it to be a strong case and would bet that this book would at least give pause to any good atheist.
This book does not get 5 stars primarily because of its age. Published in 1998, this book is now 20 years old. Many of the prominent skeptics and popular arguments of the day against Jesus did not ring a bell to me. So whatever 'Time Magazine' article people were rallying around in 1998 has apparently not held up as well as the Bible has (another point scored in the case for Christ).
Then more personally for me, I was not able to fully grasp this book because of the Bible history alluded to by Strobel that I simply did not know. A reader would do well to brush up on who wrote various books of the Bible? When were they written? etc. Having that basic background would assist readers in going through the case.
Spoiler alert: he found the evidence was overwhelming that Jesus Christ was in fact the Messiah as prophesized by the Old Testament.
Each chapter of the book is structured as an interview with an expert giving testimony as part of the case. The idea is that by the end of the book, readers will have heard the evidence and can be the jury to decide the case. Each chapter features plenty of references to other sources, so if a reader wants to study something further, he or she is easily directed to further reading.
Strobel begins each chapter with a little parable of his own about a legal case he had covered and how the evidence presented at that time is the same sort of evidence that will be presented in that chapter of the case for Christ.
Several of the book's chapters (and the evidence presented) include: (1.) eyewitness evidence and testing the biographies of Jesus; (2.) corroborating evidence of Jesus from other sources outside of the Bible; (3.) scientific evidence from archeology; (4.) identity, profile, and psychological evidence of Jesus; (5.) medical evidence examining crucifixion and death; (6.) witness testimony for the missing body, empty tomb, and appearances of Jesus after his death.
I did find that some belief and connecting of the dots required for this case. Its conclusion is not as obvious and air tight as something like D. Tsarnaev being found guilty of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
For example, much reliance is needed in ancient texts. So, in the same way I have to rely on dated material telling me Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants, the best, but ancient material tells me Jesus was the son of God.
However, attention to detail, ability to debate skeptics, and conviction of Strobel's experts, laid out a solid case that Jesus met all the prophesies of the Old Testament, and changed the culture and practices of thousands of his followers within years of his death. There was no time for his legend or myth to grow beyond what Jesus actually was before being documented in the Bible because several creeds and gospels date back to only shortly after Jesus' death and resurrection.
I found it to be a strong case and would bet that this book would at least give pause to any good atheist.
This book does not get 5 stars primarily because of its age. Published in 1998, this book is now 20 years old. Many of the prominent skeptics and popular arguments of the day against Jesus did not ring a bell to me. So whatever 'Time Magazine' article people were rallying around in 1998 has apparently not held up as well as the Bible has (another point scored in the case for Christ).
Then more personally for me, I was not able to fully grasp this book because of the Bible history alluded to by Strobel that I simply did not know. A reader would do well to brush up on who wrote various books of the Bible? When were they written? etc. Having that basic background would assist readers in going through the case.