Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

If a skeptic reads this book with the determination to not believe any of it, then of course he's not going to learn anything. Skeptics enjoy accusing Christians of circular reasoning and pre-conceived biases, but what do you call the following?-- "I don't believe that there's a God, therefore the Bible must be ficticious literature, therefore Josh McDowell's entire book is poppycock." That, my friend, is circular reasoning and pre-conceived bias.

For those of you who think there must be a God out there-- the beauty of nature speaks to you, the complexity of the human body amazes you, inexplicable "coincidences" stump you... this book is for you. For those of you who think that part of the Bible is true, but you're not sure if you can swallow Creation or the Great Flood as being anything but cute stories... this book is for you.

The outline format allows you to cover the presented information at your own pace, and with the Bible at your side to reference any quotes. You will learn about many astounding examples of modern science backing it all up. McDowell's language is very readable... it's neither "inimidating" nor "childish" (as elsewhere asserted). And the collaborators of this book ARE experts in science and historical writings, as well as in theology. That was their whole purpose of writing this book, for crying out loud.

For those who are looking for the truth, you will learn much from Evidence That Demands A Verdict. It will help you explain and defend your faith to those who are curious about it. This book has helped lead many skeptics to salvation. However, always keep in mind that it will never convert those who flatly refuse to listen.

What I like about this text is that the author's bias is evident from the beginning: this is a compilation of work evidencing a Christian's point of view that the bible is an accurate and the truthful representation of God's word. The author presents a well researched and well laid out vehicle to communicate this message.

While this is a great reference tool, it does make some assertions without validating them. For example, the text suggests there is evidence that the Old Testament was written several hundred years before most scholars originally thought. However, he fails to evidence this. Nonetheless, I find myself referring to this book often as it is a great resource and a valuable asset to those interested in theology.

[...]

This book contains a lot of information, however, I find it a rather dry reading at times. That might be okay for an academic work, but a popular work should be a little more "user friendly." Also, it could use some editing.

Don't be discouraged from purchasing it by my statements above or some of the other reviews. It is a beneficial work and overall, worth your time and money.

Some of the negative reviews have valid points to make. Others seem driven by their own prejudices (of course, all of us are guilty of that to one degree or another). I was a little put off by pnotley@hotmail.com's review, in that while giving the appearance of being widely read, appears ignorant of the writings of many of the church fathers as well as other internal and external evidence for the traditional view regarding the authorship of the New Testament, as well as some of the other subjects commented on. He makes statements such as, "Neither the four gospels, nor Acts, nor the Book of Revelation, nor the other letters were written by the people Christian tradition attributed to them..." Really? How does pnotely know this? If pnotely has some evidence other than that generally know to Evangelicals and liberals alike, then that evidence should be shared with all. No, I suspect that pnotely is as ignorant of the evidence for the traditional authorship of the New Testament as he is of Evangelicals and our theology, which pnotely has demonstrated to the satisfaction of us all. Is this a harsh assessment? Well, pnotely holds McDowell to this standard with the statement regarding Raymond Brown's "The Birth of the Messiah," with which he prefaced by saying McDowell "doesn't even mention...." as if McDowell must deal with every liberal theological work.

pnotely also takes exception when McDowell does quote someone, stating "But what is the point of quoting Thomas Arnold's muscular defense of orthodoxy when it didn't really convince his son, the famous poet and essayist Matthew Arnold?" What is the point of pnotely's statement? His son did not hold the same position. So what? Does that make it untrue? What a poor, pathetic argument!

Well, I could go on. The New Evidence is a good book, and while not perfect (and which one of us is?) it is undeserving some of the criticism directed at it.

I have read many reviews of this book - mostly in support of this work and hence I will not launch into a very intellectual critique of it. Suffice to say that in my search for some credible evidence of the existence of Jesus Christ - the man who claimed to be the Son of God and who ultimately was crucified for his teachings and claims, I have not found a more seminal resource. The Bible itself was insufficient evidence for me and as a Sceptic it didn't really cut the mustard to cement my faith in Jesus. Then I came across Josh McDowell's book...what a "Eureka experience". This is an incisive, well-laid out book, presenting the most credible evidence Of Christ's existence - evidence I had not seen in this format before. An example of the most excellent apologetics, with a sound yet user-friendly academic methodology, with references to other resources - a real "clearing of the fog". It most definitely assuaged my scepticism... to the point that I am no longer a sceptic! Being an avid reader I appreciate it that some books speak more to us than others- although they may deal with similar subject matter - Josh McDowell's "Evidence" has made my journey in my Christian faith a more joyful, more confident one and I can only encourage those who sincerely seek the truth about the Christian faith and its founder to read this. Detractors of the Christian faith will have a hard time with Josh McDowell's "Evidence"! Blessings on all!

This is more of a fill in review when read with the other reviews. For those of you who are unaware, Josh McDowell composed this book which now has a solid 40 page bibliography. There are 3 Sections. I have yet to meet any one person who has personally read this book from the first page to the last page. In other words, people give up on the book before finishing it. So, please take many of the reviews with a grain of salt.

The first section of the book is evidences of the Bible and a small analysis of the New and Old testaments. Many books are given to be read in addition within many of the chapters, as it is apparent that the author feels the arguements presented do not even scratch the surface. Most of the book is quoting from someone else, very little of the author expressing his own words by comparison... in the sense of there being more quotes of others, than the author expressing his own opinions, this is a one of a kind book. Also, there is no other book I know of with a solid, factual, 40 page bibliography. In this sense, this book is also very unique.

As for the arguements... when a person compares the arguements presented to the content and message of any other religious book on earth, this book clearly shows that the Bible is in its own class. In this respect, there is no doubt that if God is going to use people to write a book, the message is going to stay the same, regardless of the years that pass, and no man would be able to destroy it. The facts make the case that the Bible does fit this bill. And the numerous books given to read in and/or at the end of each chapter are present to finish each individual argument. However, as I've said before, I do not remember ever meeting someone who read this book from the front page to the last page.

Good luck you all, and I hope at least 10 of you do finish this book. Extra material is found in ample supply in the numerous books listed, particularly when a person doesn't feel like the arguement is finished or even strong enough.

This is a very unique book for one reason: you will not find any "faith-based" arguments used to prove claims made about the bible. Only documented facts are used.

McDowell employs an interesting technique to prove many of the Christian beliefs about Jesus: namely he uses the actions and arguments made by the groups that hate Jesus to prove the point. For example, he uses the heavily guarded tomb to prove that the jews were willing to do whatever they could to prevent the resurrection thus destorys their argument that the Christian's may have taken the body. Also, if Jesus' body wasn't resurrected the jews could have easily squashed the religion by simply offering Jesus' dead body up to the Christians.

Also, the author argues that the jewish priests BELIEVED in the miracles he was performing. The jews accused him of using sorcery to accomplish his miracles instead of just calling him a fake (although they call Jesus a fake with impunity 2000 years later!). When he restored the sight of a blind man they stated that he was using the devils power to restore sight instead of asking the man whether or not he was really cured of blindness.

By looking at what the antagonists say about Jesus he has a perfect source of proof. By Crucifying Jesus for Blasphemy (something even the anti-Christ authors of today admit) McDowell proves that Jesus' followers didn't merely invent his claimed divinity (what else would they Crucify him for?).

Beyond these methods the author explorers many "friendly" evidences to support the bible as well, such as scientific evidence for the locations, peoples, events, etc in the bible. He uses historical evidence, as well as the testimony of those who witnessed the events of the new testament and recorded the events in their lifetime.

Before I read this book, I had doubts that you could seriously PROVE the events in the bible and that Jesus was the son of God. But now, if this case was brought before a true court of law, I have no doubt that a jury would find for the defendant: Jesus.

This book, like any other apologetic work, has its strengths and weaknesses. While it is true that it treats each topic briefly, it nonetheless is a handy reference tool for basic and thoughtful responses to critics.

Critics and unbelievers will always be unbelievers unless the Spirit of God softens their hearts, so don't expect any apologetic work in of itself to convert an unbeliver. McDowell's Evidence book does provide a wealth of circumstantial evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and other Christian beliefs. One's assumptions are ultimately important when reading this book and judging if Jesus truly is the Lord of the earth. If one reads this book with the assumption that miracles are impossible, the Bible writers are all liars, and somehow science has "disproven" everything, then one shouldn't even waste their time.

This book succeeds in one incredible way - it emphasizes the historical evidence, the Bible's text. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical question, not a scientific one. Science cannot prove nor disprove miracles, for miracles are additions/exceptions to the natural laws and thus cannot be measured or tested by scientific methods. But the event, whether Jesus rose from the dead, is a historical matter. And this book adequately shows that much of the evidence favors the historical resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of course critics and skeptics will come up with all kinds of ways to dismantle this, but the bottom-line is that this book organizes nicely various reasons that the Christian faith has promoted the same message for nearly 2000 years... that Jesus died and rose again, and that this event can be trusted as a historical, objective reality. Is it the type of evidence that modern skeptics would like? Of course not, because modern skeptics demand precise CNN-news style reporting from writers two millennia ago. Even if the resurrection of Jesus were caught on a news camera, a skeptic would find ways to doubt this historical event. Special effects, actors, a false location, whatever, somehow in some fashion something would be proposed to deny this historical event. McDowell succeeds in presenting a book full of helpful circumstantial evidence that when combined overall, provides a most compelling and convincing case for faith in Jesus Christ.