Product Description

Using the dramatic scenario of an investigative journalist pursuing his story and leads, Lee Strobel uses his experience as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune to interview experts about the evidence for Christ from the fields of science, philosophy, and history. Winner of the Gold Medallion Book Award and twice nominated for the Christian Book of the Year Award.

Product Details

Amazon.com
The Case for Christ records Lee Strobel's attempt to "determine if there's credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God." The book consists primarily of interviews between Strobel (a former legal editor at the Chicago Tribune) and biblical scholars such as Bruce Metzger. Each interview is based on a simple question, concerning historical evidence (for example, "Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?"), scientific evidence, ("Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus' Biographies?"), and "psychiatric evidence" ("Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?"). Together, these interviews compose a case brief defending Jesus' divinity, and urging readers to reach a verdict of their own.

Publisher
A Seasoned Journalist Chases Down the Biggest Story in History The Project: Determine if there's credible evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really is the Son of God. The Reporter: Lee Strobel, educated at Yale Law School, award-winning former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune—with a background of atheism. The Experts: A dozen scholars, with doctorates from Cambridge, Princeton, Brandeis, and other top-flight institutions, who are recognized authorities on Jesus. The Story: Retracing his own spiritual journey, Strobel cross-examines the experts with tough, point-blank questions: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence exist for Jesus outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual historical event? . . .

This remarkable book reads like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting quest for the truth about history's most compelling figure. What will your verdict be in The Case for Christ

From the Publisher
A Seasoned Journalist Chases Down the Leads in the Biggest News Story in History If you were a journalist, how would you handle a news story so big it would utterly eclipse all other world events? How thorough would your investigation be? How many hard-hitting questions would you ask? How carefully would you consult with top experts to get detailed, accurate answers? Lee Strobel knows firsthand. It was as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and an avowed atheist that he first investigated the greatest news story of all--the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, in The Case for Christ, he presents compelling evidence and expert testimony for the claims of Christianity. As a seasoned journalist with a Yale law background, Strobel systematically tracks down his leads and asks the blunt, tough questions readers themselves would want to ask--questions that can make or break the Christian faith. He refuses contrived, simplistic answers. Instead, he pieces together hard facts through interviews with more than a dozen of the country's top scholars. Written in the style of a blockbuster investigative report, The Case for Christ is apologetics at its most imaginative--gripping, compelling, marshaling expert testimony and incontrovertible evidence. With unerring instincts, Strobel ferrets out Historical Evidence: Do we possess reliable documents concerning the life, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus? Scientific Evidence: Is there archaeological substantiation for the historical accounts about Jesus? Did Jesus perform miracles?

Psychiatric Evidence: Did Jesus really claim to be God? What evidence is there that he fit God's profile? Fingerprint Evidence: What does prophecy have to say about Jesus? Other evidence: Jesus' death, the missing body, eyewitness accounts, and claims of personal encounters. The Case for Christ reads like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction. It's a riveting journey to the truth about the most remarkable event in history: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it's a revealing, personal testimony to his power to transform people yet today--even the most cynical, hard-bitten journalist.

Customer Reviews

if I could give this book less than one star, I would
This book is presented in the guise of addressed serious questions of the Christian faith in an objective, thorough manner; as a lawyer would defend a case. Listen, if Lee Strobel was defending Christ in a court of law, Christ would be in trouble. No offense. This book may work well for the naive, but is doesn't answer any serious questions regarding the validity of Christianity. Also, notice how everyone he interviews is a "Dr." Something. That's to help him prop up his side of the argument. He's hoping that the reader will see the "Dr." and not question the evidence. It's downright insulting. If he had good evidence to answer the questions posed, he would need someone with a "Dr." in front of their name. He could just use the evidence.

Case Closed
I'm not your classic Doubting Thomas, but I certainly like primary sources and first hand evidence where possible. As an educator and a person formally trained in literary and source criticism of the Bible, I constantly struggle to make a case for many the tenets of faith it heralds. Given that preamble, I gladly agreed to read A Case for Christ at a colleague's recommendation.

Lee Strobel, a former court investigative journalist, set out to tackle the tireless task of making a case for and proving the existence of Jesus, not as a man, but as the Christ. He relied on his investigative prowess to prove the case for Christ. Each chapter opens with a vignette from a criminal case within the justice system. Strobel then takes the role of litigator and begins to question expert witnesses. This proved to be a very compelling process, as the Bible itself is actually filled with legal and courtroom jargon. Along the way Stobel interviewed a variety of experts in fields from psychology to fingerprints, but only gave a slight nod of the head to archeology.

In each case Strobel defaults to faith and written words that have been edited, redacted, translated, deciphered and used for political posturing for more than two thousand years. He leans heavily on the Apostle Paul. In the end, his strongest argument, one he defaulted to again and again, comes as he points to the Bible. The New Testament says the Jesus story is true, ergo it must be. Moreover, rather than delineate an iron clad case for Christ, the book reads like a personal testimony for Strobel's religious beliefs. His "expert" witnesses all used the opportunity in like manner, as each admitted to being a Christian.

For many, myself included, the Bible certainly holds authority, but I need more than the one believer's veiled testimony in order to suspend understanding and rational thought processing in the name of faith. To stay with Stobel's motif of the justice system, Mr. Strobel did not make his case beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Terrible reasoning
"The Case for Christianity" is a terrible book, and the only way the conclusions could be reached would be if Lee Strobel WASN'T an atheist, but already a Christian. The reasoning was awful - 'I can't explain this, it must be God. And if it's God, it can't be a general God, it MUST be Christ!' Or... "This New Testament researcher who's a Christian SEEMS to be using flawed and biased knowledge, therefore he MUST be correct! There's surely no need to talk to someone less biased who would know about the New Testament."

I read this book AS a Christian, and I recognized it for what it truly is: tripe for fundies that are so convinced already, that this sort of reasoning is allowed to continue.