Customer Reviews

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus

5 star:		(382)
4 star:		(118)
3 star:		(73)
2 star:		(78)
1 star:		(123)

 

 

This book offers a "Cliff Notes" like approach in that it condenses the work of many leading Christian scholars into an easy to read format. It is a case FOR Christ, not a true courtroom "hear both sides of the issue" book.

Some other reviewers disliked the lack of 2-sided arguments (there are no interviews w/leading atheists and/or Jesus Seminar thinkers). Being that the title is the case FOR Christ, I did not hold this expectation and was not bothered by this. However, as a staunch skeptic who was not raised with a Christian background, I supplied much of the case AGAINST Christ in my own head.

WHAT I LIKED: The book presents a good introduction of Christian scholarship and answers to common objections regarding the historicity of the Gospels--objections which already existed in my own mind. Suggestions for further reading (primary sources by the interview subjects) are included for those who desire a more thorough scholarly approach.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE: I felt the "re-creation" of Strobel's own search was un-necessary and a bit contrived, as were the comments he interjected when he was interviewing his subjects. Perhaps that is a carry over from his journalism days. I would have prefered a more straightforward interview, but this matter of taste is small and overall I found the book worthwhile despite these stylistic objections.

HOW IT AFFECTED ME: I came to this book as a very skeptical, non-practicing agnostic Jew (who was raised w/a religious education), fresh from my reading CS Lewis' Mere Christianity (which I highly recommend). Book 1 of Lewis, with his logic/philosophy helped me see that the existence of God logically made sense, but I did not yet know *which* version of a monotheistic God was correct--the rest of his book didn't resonate for me on the first reading as it dealt specifically w/Christianity. Strobel's book answered my questions regarding history/fact as it related to the New Testament.

Was The Case for Christ "made" for me in this book? Partially, yes. And partially by Lewis too, which I reread after reading Strobel.

My ultimate conversion came through study of these and other sources, which led me to literally ask God to show himself to me in a way that I would be sure that it was indeed God. I mention this because I believe that for a stubborn skeptic like me, no single source (with the possible exception of the Bible, LOL) would have been able to convince me on its own. Rather, it was a combination of sources/experiences that did so. These included reading the above mentioned books, attending a few church services even while I was still very skeptical, opening myself to the possibility that I had been mistaken in my belief that God didn't matter (if there was even a God to begin with) and literally asking God to let me know him if He was indeed real.

Ultimately, the proof came in a manner that goes beyond scientific verifcation or re-creation. Critics of Christianity and of this and other apologetic works make a good point when they claim God cannot be proved scientifically. I agree. God is beyond science. Scientific or logical methods such as textural criticism, formal logic, archaeology, and so on, can help close the gap in accepting the possibility of God's realness, but ultimately, the gap, at least for me, was completely and finally bridged not by book or proof, but by an experience that cannot be tested scientifically nor recreated in a lab. Skeptics, atheists or agnostics who deep down are married to their viewpoints--no matter what--will likely not budge, and may label the non-testability of my "proof experience" as suspect. I don't begrudge that and would have said the same thing. It had to have it happen to me first-hand before I would believe, and I was able to keep God at bay for years due to my own certainty that this God-stuff was for dummies. I was smart and logical and would have none of that God nonsense. So, this experience came as a big surprise--one that in retrospect was very welcome.

Your mileage in reading this book will vary. If you want to learn something, you can. If you are dead set against learning anything new that might be different from what you already know that you know, it is almost guaranteed that this book will have nothing to offer you. I realize that God's allowing us to come to Him only through our own free will sounds like a cop out and is criticized by non-believers as an all too convenient excuse, but as a former non-believer myself (who was proud of it and who ridiculed that free will stuff too), I say, so be it.

I read this book a couple of years ago, when I considered myself a skeptic. Now, I consider myself a Christian. This book is not what convinced me.

If you read the reviews, they are very telling. All the Christians love the book, all the skeptics (whether they be atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, or whatever) hate the book. Everyone is biased; it is impossible not to be. People come into a situation with preconceived notions, and will believe what they want to believe, even when presented with facts that seemingly contradict their views.

Thus, Christians can read this book and come away from it with the view that it reaffirms their faith; skeptics come away from it with the view that it reaffirms their skepticism.

Trying to make the case for faith based on historical and scientific evidence is flawed in and of itself. That's why they call it FAITH. Believing in the divinity of Christ is a leap of faith that one has to take to become a Christian - if it could be proven by scientific and historical evidence, then it wouldn't be faith at all. That's the whole point of it.

I think examining evidence for the existence of the historical Jesus is fine, but when you throw in the key issue of divinity and the resurrection, that's where faith comes in.

The reason I believe in the divinity of Christ has to do with what I feel in my heart, and the major changes that came about in my life due to the change in spiritual perspective that occurred when I went from "skeptic" to "believer". It really is about a personal relationship with God. It has absolutely nothing to do with the church, which is a severely flawed creation organized by man, who has the innate ability to pervert and corrupt everything he is involved with. Likewise, personal faith has very little to do with historical and scientific evidence.

It's very similar to being in love - no one can prove that they're in love - likewise, you can't disprove it. You can't even prove or disprove the existence of love. But you feel it in your heart - you know when you're in love. That's what faith is to me, and to millions of other Christians the world over.

Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ" is actually a compilation of answers to questions about Christianity, given by a dozen of experts. Many of these are famous theists like Gregory Boyd and William Lane Craig. Strobel retraces his own journey from atheism to faith, while facing problematic issues like the evidence for Jesus outside the Bible and the resurrection.

I liked several aspects in this book, and disliked a few; For the positive aspect, Strobel's book is very readable, almost always fascinating, and captivating without being heavy. Strobel tries to show that it actually requires a lot more faith for an atheist to maintain atheism than it would to trust in Jesus. All the scholars Strobel interviews try to defuse atheist/skeptical arguments and show that the historical evidence that Jesus was who he claimed to be is overwhelming.

Does Strobel manage to convince you? Well, it will depend. I am very open to Christian arguments, but I am also very receptive to be best arguments against Christianity; your belief when you start the book will inevitably have a strong influence leading you to a final position.

Like other readers, I quickly realized that Strobel's book had a glaring deficiency: Strobel does not show us any direct interview with critics of Christianity. For instance, Gregory Boyd (One of my favorite Evangelical apologists) spends many pages criticizing the Jesus Seminar, but Strobel never lets us read any of their replies. The atheist Michael Martin is also attacked, most times, the arguments against his work are justified, but still, I always had that annoying feeling of not being shown enough of the opposing side. Strobel's method is quoting some skeptical book to a Christian Apologist, and then asking for his comments. Unfortunately, Strobel never does the opposite, quoting passages from Christians to Non-Christians in order to get their responses.

And so, to some readers it might be reasonable to claim that Strobel's book is very unbalanced, failing to show interviews with ANY critic of Evangelical apologetics. People who want the truth will want to hear both sides of the story.

Still, I was left with the feeling that it will be a big mistake to dismiss the entire book on this basis, even if you are a skeptic who will be annoyed by the limitation. The reason? Well, for a start, this book comes with a number of endorsements from high-profile Evangelicals, so it somehow might represent their best arguments; It is also very creative, and well written and organized. It summarizes the work of several leading apologists for Evangelical Christianity, in a compact and accessible format. Ultimately, the evidence provided is far from being completely unconvincing. You might need more, but even the hard skeptic with an open mind will definitely have to stop to think when reading some of the arguments in favor of Christianity.

I suggest you complement this book with something written by skeptics. A good article is "The Rest of The Story", written by Jeffrey J. Lowder especially as a response to this book (Should be freely available on the internet, try Infidels.org). I thought Lowder points some of the flaws in Strobel's book, but still recognizes its value and is never bitter against it, a good article against some weaker parts of this book, but it still justly recognizes the quality of Strobel's contribution.

Overall: Not as balanced as the title would suggest, but very well written, creative, full of quality Christian apologetics from several authors, in a very effective summarized way. Also with a good Summary, Notes and Index, something I always like in my books.

Has its weak points, but I still strongly recommended this work for any theist or atheist seeking truth.

I read this book a few years ago while just investigating christianity. I was very skeptical, and had all kinds of doubts, based on my knowledge of evolution, my public school education, exposure to the discovery channel, PBS, etc., which all tend to support a mere mythological view of christianity. I read the whole book in a matter of days, and was very impressed with the amount of topics that were satisfactorily covered in this book.

I'm not going to say I gave my life to Christ immediately, but this book opened the door for me to take Christ seriously, and to apply the same skepticism toward scientific theory that I had previously applied only toward religion. I eventually became convinced of the reality of God and the truth of the gospels, and have since trusted my life to Christ gratefully. I've bought several copies of this book and given it as a gift to family members and other non-believers in hopes that it will open doors for them as it did me.

This book isn't perfect, but its a very readable exploration into christian apologetics for a newcomer. I read The Verdict recently (the book written to counter this one), and it was surprisingly weak. Nearly every major argument in The Verdict was based on the same faulty logic (argument from silence). I started highlighting major logical fallacies from the beginning, and got about halfway through that book before my hand had turned yellow and I decided it just wasn't challenging enough. The sheer inability of the author of The Verdict to adequately challenge the arguments in this book are a testament to its quality. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone, along with Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

This extremely readable and historically solid book is a must-read for any open-minded person who is truly seeking reliable information about Jesus and his identity. On one level, it's highly entertaining. The author has an uncanny ability to make complex issues understandable and to use colorful and compelling language to convey his points. He's an extremely gifted writer. And yet on another level it's a fully indexed reference book that will be an excellent resource in studying the controversial issue of whether Christianity is based on mythology or historical truth. I found the author's quest for accurate information about Jesus to be thorough, credible, and balanced. He raises tough questions and demands satisfying answers from the thoughtful scholars he cross-examines. A few have claimed the book is one-sided, but this completely misses the point! The author takes critiques of historic Christianity by Michael Martin and others and then seeks a response from the experts he interviews. It's up to the reader to decide whether these scholars give appropriate and meaningful responses. Also, the author exposes the faulty thinking and pseudo-scholarship of the liberal Jesus Seminar. Thus, it's false to say the book is one-sided. It deals responsibly with the toughest challenges to Christianity. One indication of the success of this book is that it has struck a raw nerve among atheists and others who apparently feel threatened by the book's ability to undermine their philosophy. A few have written reviews critical of the book. However, I say READ THE BOOK YOURSELF. In most cases, the author has already answered the critique of the reviewers!!! One example: a reviewer says, "Who would die for a lie? Heaven's Gate is only a recent example." However, this is faulty thinking, as the author points out. People in Heaven's Gate were willing to die for their faith because they BELIEVED their faith was true. However, they had no way of knowing whether their faith was REALLY true; they merely believed it was true. This was totally different for the disciples of Jesus. They didn't just believe Jesus was resurrected in the ultimate authentication of his identity as God; they KNEW it was true because they were in a unique position to actually encounter and interact with him. KNOWING what really occurred, they were willing to die for their beliefs. Thus, this is a completely different situation. I see this over and over: reviewers who raise issues but then ignore or misunderstand the author's point. In fact, I will say this: every single objection raised by reviewers is easily answered. Unfortunately, those who lack adequate background knowledge of these issues may be misled into thinking these criticisms carry more weight than they do. Some sound impressive -- until the reader goes through this book himself or examines similar books, such as Dr. J.P. Moreland's "Scaling the Secular City." I strongly recommend "The Case for Christ" to anyone who is sincerely interested in exploring whether Jesus was merely another man or was, indeed, the unique son of God. It will inform and challenge those who begin (as the author himself did!) as skeptics. And it will encourage and undergird the faith of those who already have concluded that Jesus is who he claimed to be. I'll add this: read ALL of the reviews before deciding whether to buy this book. Don't just read the most recent ones, but go to the next screen and go through all of them. And consider buying copies for friends. I've already purchased four paperback editions and given them to friends of mine who are curious about whether Christianity stands up to scrutiny. For those who speak German, I'd encourage you to read the foreword to the German edition of "The Case for Christ." It's written by Dr. Klaus Berger, one of Germany's most distinguished and thoughtful New Testament scholars -- and someone who is NOT an evangelical Christian. Dr. Berger's enthusiastic endorsement gives this book STRONG credibility. In fact, his intellectually informed endorsement is much more significant and important than some random and misleading critiques by amateurs who merely object to the author's conclusions. So CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF. I did, and I'm richer for the experience.

For those who have bothered to read the previous reviews, you well know that some skeptics claim the book is shallow and uninformed, while some Christians imply it is the end-all-beat-all to the Jesus issue. So considering the one-line summary review I gave, I think Strobel's work deserves 5 stars FOR AN INTRODUCTORY. He does cover a broad range of issues in a little space! Nowhere does he say he is going to make an unbiased presentation of the evidence. In fact, he explicitly said he wanted the readers to act as a jury.

At any rate, you can't possibly compare this book to a scholarly work -- IT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE AS SUCH. If you really want to dig deeper, there are PLENTY of other works which deal with the Jesus controversy more in depth. I know that means doing weeks worth of library work, but if you really want to get at the truth of anything, it takes hard work!!

The Net: Simply accept the book as a good solid introduction into the issues surrounding Christianity and grow beyond Strobel's book. It meant as an introductory and nothing more!

At the urging of a Christian friend, I decided to read this book. I would not consider myself an atheist but someone who doesn't fit in any one religion and who feels that the establish religions leave something let to be desired (in my mind). I was raised without a religious background so I admittedly lack a strong background in Christian beliefs. But I also believe this allows me to be an objective reviewer.

Unlike many reviewers who are either entirely opposed or entirely in support of these ideas resented in this book, I tried and felt I did read this book with an open mind.

There is little doubt that Lee Strobel is a good author. He weaves his own experiences into the testimony of the experts he interviews and crafts a very interesting book. I found it easy to read and written on a level that even I could understand (as someone without a Christian background).

Strobel presents a list of experts that are very well qualified, BUT they are all very strong Christians. While some may not find this a problem, I feel that in order to present a stronger and more convincing case, he should have interviewed a wider variety of experts. When reading the book, I found only a couple of times at most when the experts couldn't refute claims against the existence, death, and resurrection of Jesus and in many cases I felt that Strobel didn't pursue his objections far enough. I felt many times he just accepted the experts testimony without questioning the experts further.

After reading the book and thinking about the arguments that Strobel presented, I came to this final conclusion:

While Strobel presented several valid arguments and evidence to support them, I feel like this is only one side of the `court case'. He now rests his defense of Christ, and it is time to hear the other side of the story before a conclusive decision can be reached.

I would suggest that anyone interest in this topic read this book, but then they should also read a book that supports the other side of the argument so that they themselves can reach their own decision.

Strobel begins this book by asking the reader to be "as a jury member," open to possibility and free of predispositions. He then proceeds to present his arguments just as an attorney would; 1, he only presents information that supports his case, and 2, he never asks a question that he doesn't already know the answer to.

While this may appear to be a solid way of presenting an argument, it will only appeal to those who have already accepted Strobel's conclusions, or those who have never asked serious questions about their beliefs and explored what other sources have to say about the basis of faith.

The book follows a basic structure. In Part 1, Strobel attempts to establish a foundation for the story of Jesus by establishing the authenticity and reliability of the synoptic gospels. The is necessary because Parts 2 and 3 rely entirely on the story of Jesus as told in the synoptic gospels. Unfortunately, Strobel does not adequately secure his arguments in Part 1. This is because of two critical flaws in his methods. First, he introduces questions from skeptics, gets simple answers from his interviewees, but never seeks counter arguments from someone with an opposing viewpoint. Secondly, he automatically accepts any answer he gets, regardless of the amount of subjective interpretation or presupposition it requires.

Here is the simple example of Strobel's "investigate reporting" skills that appear frequently in the book.
Strobel: "I understand what you're saying, but what about 1, 2, and 3?"
Interviewee: "Oh well that's not really an issue when you consider 1, 2, and 3 in the context of A, B, and C."
Strobel: "Ok, well that makes sense."

No counterargument. No challenge. Just a string of simple strawmen that won't impress anyone who has seen that actual counterarguments to these positions.

The book is exactly what the title says it is, "The Case for Christ"... emphasis on the word "for." The only reader that will enjoy this book is probably a christian who has mild questions about their own faith and is seeking some kind of affirmation or reinforcement of their own beliefs.

If you have serious questions and want objective answers, believer or not, look elsewhere.

Strobel, I'm sure, didn't set out to provide an exhaustive list of evidences for the existence, deity, and resurrection of Christ. That would require a much longer, and tedious, book. He does, however, provide sufficient evidence. While a skeptical reader may not be convinced after reading the book, he cannot say that there is no or little evidence for the authenticity of traditional christian belief. Whether he believes the evidence is a different matter altogether. Strobel, therefore, provides a lengthy bibliography for those who want to do a more extensive study on the subject. In addition, he provides resources written by Crossan, Martin, and other non-believers. This indicates to me that Strobel is not afraid to let the reader see both sides of the issue. Most books on Jesus that i've read written by liberal scholars almost never point readers to resources that expound an opposing view.

For a more scholarly (yet highly readable) treatment of the orthodox view of Jesus, I'd recommend The Historical Jesus by Gary Habermas, and Jesus Under Fire by M. Wilkins and J.P. Moreland.

As for the negative review dated Sept 11, 1999, the reviewer states that Palestine didn't become a roman province until 6 a.d. This is simply false. Any perusal through a book on Roman or Palestine history will show that Jerusalem was conquered by Pompey in 63 BC.

Throughout this book, Strobel hosts interviews with great Christian apologists of today's world. While his interviews lack a 3-D kind of depth by not digging further on issues still debatable for hard-core skeptics, the evidence and apologetics are immense and astounding. This book is truly a collection of the more relevant, up-to-date apologetics of the day that can entertain even Christian believers just wanting an affirmation or a tool for evangelism. While this book is not comprehensive, Strobel ends up coming out with strong evidence for the faith. He made me come out of this half-believing: I grew in my faith * 2! To add to that, this book reads like a story of another man's search for truth... and I immediately identified with Strobel as a kindred spirit. Not only was he honest about his doubts, he was not afraid to keep digging further despite getting already reasonable answers. This is a must read. This may not immediatel convince the normal skeptic on the street, but it's more of a headstart than many apologetics books I have read. This is an incredible tool to read more than once.