The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict Fully Updated To Answer The Questions Challenging Christians Today [Hardcover]

Josh McDowell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 1999

Evidence I & II-The classic defense of the faith: Now fully updated to answer the questions challenging evangelical faith today.

The New Evidence maintains its classic defense of the faith yet addresses new issues.

The New Evidence is destined to equip believers with a ready defense for the next decade and beyond

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bestselling author and Christian apologist Josh McDowell hopes The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict will further document historical evidence of the Christian faith. As such, it is a straightforward compilation of notes prepared for his lecture series, "Christianity: Hoax or History?" The entire book (over 750 pages) is laid out in outline form, which makes it easier for researchers, scholars, and students to access. As a result, this is not reflective fireside reading. Rather, it is a tool for locating supporting "evidence" whenever the need arises. Part I addresses the trustworthiness of the Bible; Part II offers historical evidence and supporting attestations for Jesus' claim to God; Part III addresses "radical Christian criticism" of the Bible; Part IV is devoted to quelling the voice of numerous skeptics, including "a defense for the existence of miracles" and "answers to divergent worldview."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Rev Upd edition (November 23, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785242198
• ISBN-13: 978-0785242192
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Josh McDowell has been reaching the spiritually skeptical for almost five decades. Since beginning ministry in 1961, Josh has delivered more than 24,000 talks to over 10 million young people in 118 countries. He is the author or co-author of 120 books, with over 51 million copies distributed worldwide; including More Than a Carpenter (over 15 million copies printed in 85 languages), and The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict, recognized by World magazine as one of the twentieth century's top 40 books. Josh continues to travel throughout the United States and countries around the world, helping young people and adults strengthen their faith and understanding of Scripture. Josh will tell you that his family is his ministry. He and his wife, Dottie, have been married for 39 years and have four children and four grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

212 of 242 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my life, February 7, 2005

By 

J. Chang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict Fully Updated To Answer The Questions Challenging Christians Today (Hardcover)

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.

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good place to start., July 14, 2006

By 

Matt Keaton (Charleston, WV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict Fully Updated To Answer The Questions Challenging Christians Today (Hardcover)

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.

131 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference, July 5, 2001

By 

Carl A. Redman (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict Fully Updated To Answer The Questions Challenging Christians Today (Hardcover)

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.