The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Atheist-turned-Christian Strobel, with four Gold Medallions and other awards, focuses on rediscovering the real Jesus, whose identity and message have come under attack in recent years. He addresses six major challenges and claims: that a different Jesus is seen in ancient documents that seem as credible as the four canonical gospels; that tampering by the church has damaged the Bible's portrayal of Jesus; that new explanations refute Jesus' resurrection; that Christianity copied pagan religions regarding Jesus; that Jesus didn't fulfill messianic prophecies; and that contemporary people should be able to choose what to believe about Jesus. As with his previous books, Strobel attacks the issues as an investigative journalist, though one with a clear agenda. He searches out experts (including Craig A. Evans and Michael Licona) to refute each objection, offering readers top evangelical scholarship revealed in everyday language while challenging the claims of liberal writers like John Shelby Spong, Bart Ehrman and others. In the end, he says, none of these seemingly daunting challenges turned out to be close calls... they were systematically dismantled by scholars... with facts, logic and evidence. Evangelical readers will come away with deeper understanding of the various arguments about Jesus. (Sept.)
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Review

"Lee Strobel treats the subject with his usual excellence." — Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox

(Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox )

"...provides solid apologetics attempting to rebut current attacks on the character of Jesus and the 'rampant relativism' Strobel believes has enveloped our culture....[A]ddresses today's questions in a captivating style useful for those who are ready for 'solid food' rather than 'milk.'" — YouthWorker Journal

(YouthWorker Journal )

"A solidly researched book in the series that offers sound apologetics, refuting many of the current challenges regarding the character of Christ. Great for the teacher desiring intellectual reflection." — Youthworker Journal

(Youthworker Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (September 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031024210X
• ISBN-13: 978-0310242109
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,711 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

215 of 235 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the evidence not the agenda!, August 16, 2007

By	Frank Turek "Co-Author I Don't Have Enough Fa... (Matthews, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Christian apologist and writer (I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist)who is a friend of Lee Strobel. Yes, I have an agenda just like every author who claims to write non-fiction. Lee Strobel has an agenda, and so do the atheist critics who dismiss his work. But that doesn't mean that what Lee or a critic writes is false or biased. People can present evidence objectively even if they personally are not neutral (I've noticed that neutral people rarely have the interest or expertise to write books!).

Unfortunately, many of Lee's critics claim that Lee's work cannot be trusted simply because he has some kind of Christian agenda. This is a fallacy that, if true, would swing a sword cutting both ways-- if you can't trust Lee because he has a Christian agenda, then you can't trust his critics because they have an atheist agenda. All authors have agendas, and all authors believe what they write! The issue is not the agenda, but the evidence!

The survivors of the Holocaust certainly had an agenda when they wrote about its horrors. Does that necessarily mean that we cannot trust them? Of course not. In fact, their experiences may have caused them to be all the more accurate and meticulous so as not to risk the dismissal of the message they cared so passionately about.

If you know Lee Strobel, he takes the accurate and meticulous route when writing a book. As in his previous "Case" books, Lee covers complicated topics honestly, and in a very readable and comprehensive way. When interviewing Christian scholars, Lee plays the part of a skeptic: he asks the kinds of questions and offers the kind of objections that real skeptics write about in their books-- people such as Bart Ehrman, Richard Carrier, and several "Jesus Seminar" proponents.

Critics complain that Lee should really interview those people, but why? Their thoughts are already in their books. Lee's job is to see if their thoughts are credible by interviewing Christian scholars with an opposing view. As usual, Lee plays devil's advocate brilliantly. It's as if the skeptics are asking the questions themselves. So who cares who's asking the skeptic's questions? They are asked and answered, and you, dear reader, are left to judge whether or not those answers make sense. I think they make great sense.

One of the best things about "The Case for the Real Jesus" is that Lee addresses the hottest alternative Jesus theories of the day. You'll read about the so-called Jesus tomb, the charge that the manuscripts can't be trusted, and the claim that Christianity was copied from pagan resurrection myths (among other topics). This is the one book that will give you the bottom line on all of those alternative theories-- a bottom line that once again reveals that the most reasonable conclusion is that Jesus of Nazareth really did rise from the dead for your sins and mine.

So let me reveal my agenda-- I can't recommend this book more highly. I think you ought to buy "The Case for The Real Jesus" and be enlightened by its outstanding evidence.

71 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A guiding star in darkness, August 3, 2007

By	Ernest Gundel (Marlboro, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lee Strobel's "The Case for the Real Jesus" is his latest in a series of defenses of Christianity in which Strobel introduces numerous expert witnesses to refute arguments posed against traditional Christianity. Like all of Strobel's books, this latest has many illustrative examples and reads like a novel, yet is densely rich with information. This is probably Strobel's most timely book -- which is really faint praise since his other "Case for" books were more time-less than timely, and worth re-reading several times.

The earlier books were defenses against more credible attacks. The first book, "The Case For Christ" responded to attacks from secular historians, atheists, and religious scholars who seemed to think Jesus needed a re-make. Next, "The Case For A Creator" presented a strong summary of arguments for Intelligent Design. Then "The Case For Faith" was a philosophic defense of God (not so much debating his existence as explaining why he should be worshiped).

Much of the new book "The Case For The Real Jesus" defends Christianity against the likes of Dan Brown, James Cameron and Michael Baigent, who are experts only in drama and making money. I find it sad that such a defense is even necessary, but the situation may be a sign of the times, when every conspiracy theory is assumed true until proven false, and revisionist history is automatically preferred over tradition. Fortunately, Dan Brown has already been discredited by many experts (including Strobel himself), and the other opportunists are easily dispatched.

Another currently popular theme is "lost gospels", such as those of Thomas, Mary Magdalene, and Judas. These gospels are treated as new discoveries in the popular media, even though we've known about many of them for decades. Scholars almost universally reject these as anything representative of the early church beliefs, yet they are popularized as credible witnesses to the origins of Christianity. Strobel puts these documents into perspective and provides the reader with valuable tests to evaluate them.

But recent attacks on the identity of Jesus are not always so sensationalistic. The public seems to hunger for alternative visions of Christianity, and scholars have moved in to fill the void.

Bart Ehrman is a well respected scholar who is also well known from his The Teaching Channel classes and recent best selling books, including "Misquoting Jesus", which creates doubt about both the original teachings of Christianity, and the role of the early church in manipulating scripture. Strobel does not so much dispute the facts Ehrman presents as question Ehrman's conclusions. Ehrman is an agnostic, and Strobel is a believer. This is much like the difference between a pessimist and an optimist, and interpreting the fullness of a glass of water. The same information can be presented in very different ways with very different emphases. Strobel simply provides balance to Ehrman's doubts. Clearly we don't have perfect copies of the original scriptures, and clearly some scripture was tampered with. But despite this, Strobel makes clear we can be very confident with the scripture we do have.

As always, scholars find the idea of miracles and the resurrection hard to swallow intellectually. They haven't come up with new arguments, but have framed their arguments in new ways. Strobel does likewise, rehashing his arguments from previous books, but with the bullet point style of Michael Licona. He also responds to Islamic theories about what happened to Jesus on Good Friday.

Another favorite argument today is that Christianity has much in common with other religions, and may even have stolen it's central archetypes (like the resurrection, the virgin birth, and the Son of God) from earlier religions. Strobel shows us that such similarities are superficial at best, and often require quite an imagination to see the connection.

Many religious people today are discarding the old time religions, rejecting the need for religious authorities and seeking God on their own - and on their own terms. Jesus loses his identity and becomes little more than an imaginary friend, or a comforting tradition. Jesus becomes re-made, re-interpreted, like an unfaithful movie adaptation to a well known story. And the loss of church means the loss of Jesus in our social lives. Strobel describes the situation eloquently. This creative religious atmosphere may be the root cause of the absurd pseudo-Jesuses popping up in the media today, and the loss of Christianity's roots. This aimless, lukewarm attitude towards God may be more destructive to the Christian community than any athiest's argument or any secular oppression.

72 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Researched - Credible - Fast Read, September 15, 2007

By	Zecon - See all my reviews

Strobel does not present himself as an intellectual heavy-hitter. He presents himself as a former atheist, who after some research discovered faith in Christ. He approaches his task with the perspective of a reporter and former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, which he was. He does not represent himself as an authority. He simply has six challenges that he poses to scholars respected by both the defenders and skeptics of Christ.

His six challenges are:

1. Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the four gospels.
2. The Bible's portrait of Jesus can't be trusted.
3. New explanations have refuted Jesus' resurrection.
4. Christianity's beliefs about Jesus were copied from pagan religions.
5. Jesus was an imposter who failed to fulfill the Messianic prophecies.
6. People should be free to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus.

These are tough questions. Strobel does not provide the answers. He merely takes the question to the expert. These experts are not third rate scholars. Prior to each interview, Strobel presents each scholar's credentials. If you've been reading books in this sort of genre before, you will recognize the names. Even if you don't and are a layman, their credentials will impress you.

The problem for me with the field of Bible study is that I am not a language expert. Unless I want to learn Coptic, Aramaic, ancient Greek, and Hebrew, I am never going to study the original texts. I therefore have to rely upon the accuracy of others. Trust is key. I have read numerous books by Bart Ehrman and Elaine Pagels. These authors, despite their credentials, seem to cultivate attention by putting forward controversial, edgy ideas designed to raise eyebrows. Trust just isn't established for me by those sorts of academics. But I do trust the work done by Strobel in this book.

This book is worth reading. Get it. It may not change how you see things, but it is well-researched and definitely thought provoking.