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212 of 242 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book changed my life, February 7, 2005
Allow me to start by addressing some of the negative reviews of this book.
First of all, Josh McDowell doesn't make any money off his books. For more than 35 years, the profits for all his books have gone directly to a Christian organization (i.e. Campus Crusade for Christ). He doesn't even know how much money his books make. (I heard this from his own mouth when he spoke at a church a few years back.) Second of all, Josh doesn't claim to be a great writer or theologian; he's just presenting the facts that he's discovered. You have to do the work yourself and decide. You may even have to read other books that offer opposing evidence. (Incidentally, Josh started doing all this research before he became a Christian.) And thirdly, the gospel of John was written by an apostle who lived and followed Jesus for three years. That's a first hand account. The book of James was also written by Jesus' brother (who did not initially believe Jesus, himself).
That said, I know this book doesn't end any debates about the Christian faith. For me, however, before I became a Christian, reading Josh's stuff opened my eyes to the fact that you can't easily dismiss the Christian faith the way some uninformed people do (the way I did at one point.)
So if you're the type of person to get caught up on debating grammatical mistakes and nitpicking over the difference between a few decades within the scope of 2000 years, don't read this book. But if you're open to having your perspective (and possibly your life changed), take a look. I guarantee that when your life is changed in a dramatic way, you can write about it 30 or 60 years later and remember it like it was yesterday.
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45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good place to start., July 14, 2006
While an 800-page book on apologetics may seem daunting, it is by no means exhaustive; however, my saying so should by no means be construed as critical. As another reviewer aptly noted, this is a good place to start; and as another reviewer further pointed out, the Bible should be read first and THOROUGHLY.
Some find that the book is "non sequiturs, straw men, and in general a lot of silly stuff." I find it funny when I hear these jargon terms of logical fallacies being thrown around, especially when these persons accusing an author of such literary crimes have no real examples to show to others. Isn't this accusation without evidence a logical fallacy in itself? These are usually conclusions reached when "the first few pages were so weak that [they] stopped reading," i.e., they usually didn't even read the book they feel they were qualified to criticize.
Having said that, I am not lauding this volume as "the book" to get. At best, it is a very thorough collection of first- and second-hand sources (good ones)--and then summarizes them. Defending the three C's of Christendom, viz., Canon, Christ, and Christianity by touching on a number of topics like Documentary Hypothesis and the Historicity (historical authenticity) of the Old Testament, the author attempts to provide a basis for analysis by providing the thesis of Christian orthodoxy and, in sections like Documentary Hypothesis, the antithesis of certain differing scholars.
The real jewel of the volume comes in the fantastic bibliography listed in the back. If one feels that he/she needs to know more than this book affords, the author has listed some wonderful sources from which to start.
Conclusion. Good (not perfect) introductory book to inform Christians and healthy skeptics. Wonderful bibliography.
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131 of 154 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great reference, July 5, 2001
This is a great reference book "to answer questions challenging Christians in the 21st century." The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 deals with the historical reliability of the Bible and it is probably the best section of the book. McDowell does a great job establishing the reliability of the Bible. Part 2 and Part 3 are the case for Jesus, and the case for and against Christianity, respectively. Although these sections were good, the evidence was not as powerful as in part 1. Part 4 is a section entitled "Truth or Consequences" and explores other philosophies such as agnostism, atheism, mysticism, etc. McDowell does a good job quoting other experts throughout his book, and the reader is sure to find other books that you will want to explore further. I would not recommend reading this book in one sitting; I read a chapter every night before bedtime, and even that was too much at times. Perhaps the best way to read this book would be using it as a reference tool.
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