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Review Summary: A must-read for open-minded seekers |
Date: 1999-01-27 |
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Details: This extremely readable and historically solid book is a must-read for any open-minded person who is truly seeking reliable information about Jesus and his identity. On one level, it's highly entertaining. The author has an uncanny ability to make complex issues understandable and to use colorful and compelling language to convey his points. He's an extremely gifted writer. And yet on another level it's a fully indexed reference book that will be an excellent resource in studying the controversial issue of whether Christianity is based on mythology or historical truth. I found the author's quest for accurate information about Jesus to be thorough, credible, and balanced. He raises tough questions and demands satisfying answers from the thoughtful scholars he cross-examines. A few have claimed the book is one-sided, but this completely misses the point! The author takes critiques of historic Christianity by Michael Martin and others and then seeks a response from the experts he interviews. It's up to the reader to decide whether these scholars give appropriate and meaningful responses. Also, the author exposes the faulty thinking and pseudo-scholarship of the liberal Jesus Seminar. Thus, it's false to say the book is one-sided. It deals responsibly with the toughest challenges to Christianity. One indication of the success of this book is that it has struck a raw nerve among atheists and others who apparently feel threatened by the book's ability to undermine their philosophy. A few have written reviews critical of the book. However, I say READ THE BOOK YOURSELF. In most cases, the author has already answered the critique of the reviewers!!! One example: a reviewer says, "Who would die for a lie? Heaven's Gate is only a recent example." However, this is faulty thinking, as the author points out. People in Heaven's Gate were willing to die for their faith because they BELIEVED their faith was true. However, they had no way of knowing whether their faith was REALLY true; they merely believed it was true. This was totally different for the disciples of Jesus. They didn't just believe Jesus was resurrected in the ultimate authentication of his identity as God; they KNEW it was true because they were in a unique position to actually encounter and interact with him. KNOWING what really occurred, they were willing to die for their beliefs. Thus, this is a completely different situation. I see this over and over: reviewers who raise issues but then ignore or misunderstand the author's point. In fact, I will say this: every single objection raised by reviewers is easily answered. Unfortunately, those who lack adequate background knowledge of these issues may be misled into thinking these criticisms carry more weight than they do. Some sound impressive -- until the reader goes through this book himself or examines similar books, such as Dr. J.P. Moreland's "Scaling the Secular City." I strongly recommend "The Case for Christ" to anyone who is sincerely interested in exploring whether Jesus was merely another man or was, indeed, the unique son of God. It will inform and challenge those who begin (as the author himself did!) as skeptics. And it will encourage and undergird the faith of those who already have concluded that Jesus is who he claimed to be. I'll add this: read ALL of the reviews before deciding whether to buy this book. Don't just read the most recent ones, but go to the next screen and go through all of them. And consider buying copies for friends. I've already purchased four paperback editions and given them to friends of mine who are curious about whether Christianity stands up to scrutiny. For those who speak German, I'd encourage you to read the foreword to the German edition of "The Case for Christ." It's written by Dr. Klaus Berger, one of Germany's most distinguished and thoughtful New Testament scholars -- and someone who is NOT an evangelical Christian. Dr. Berger's enthusiastic endorsement gives this book STRONG credibility. In fact, his intellectually informed endorsement is much more significant and important than some random and misleading critiques by amateurs who merely object to the author's conclusions. So CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF. I did, and I'm richer for the experience. |
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Review Summary: Reads like a great Novel. Engaging anf Powerful! |
Date: 2000-04-25 |
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Details: Lee Strobel has given the Christian community a wonderful apologetic work that reads like a great novel. Strobel is a journalist and has a knack for writing detail that many other authors might miss. "The Case for Christ" is a project that has Strobel traveling the globe to interview some of the more well known Christain philosophers and apologists. Strobel has organized the book into three main parts, each dealing with a crucial issue in the Christian Faith. For example, part one covers the evidence for the Christian faith. What evidence is there? How can the evidence be tested? What is the scientific evidence? All these questions and many more are covered in the first part. Moreover, Strobel seeks answers from top people in many areas of study. Strobel interviews and questions Dr. Craig Blomberg (Denver Seminary), Dr. Bruce Metzger (Princeton University), Dr. Edwin Yamauchi, Dr, Gregory Boyd, Dr. Ben Witherington III (Asbury Seminary), Dr. D.A. Carson (Trinity), Dr. J.P. Moreland (Biola University), Dr. Gary Habermas (Liberty University), Dr. William Lane Craig, etc. Each scholar contributes to the content of the book via Strobel's probing and asking difficult questions. Topics covered are the resurrection, the historicity of Jesus, the person Jesus (i.e. who He was and what He claimed) and the historical evidence for the Christian faith. This book is extremely well written and packed full of wonderful facts. I highly recommend it for the serious reader and the not so serious reader as well. |
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Review Summary: This book is only for the BEGINNER, NOT ADVANCED STUDENT |
Date: 1999-10-29 |
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Details: For those who have bothered to read the previous reviews, you well know that some skeptics claim the book is shallow and uninformed, while some Christians imply it is the end-all-beat-all to the Jesus issue. So considering the one-line summary review I gave, I think Strobel's work deserves 5 stars FOR AN INTRODUCTORY. He does cover a broad range of issues in a little space! Nowhere does he say he is going to make an unbiased presentation of the evidence. In fact, he explicitly said he wanted the readers to act as a jury. At any rate, you can't possibly compare this book to a scholarly work -- IT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE AS SUCH. If you really want to dig deeper, there are PLENTY of other works which deal with the Jesus controversy more in depth. I know that means doing weeks worth of library work, but if you really want to get at the truth of anything, it takes hard work!! The Net: Simply accept the book as a good solid introduction into the issues surrounding Christianity and grow beyond Strobel's book. It meant as an introductory and nothing more! |
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Review Summary: an excellent primer for the orthodox view of jesus |
Date: 1999-09-15 |
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Details: Strobel, I'm sure, didn't set out to provide an exhaustive list of evidences for the existence, deity, and resurrection of Christ. That would require a much longer, and tedious, book. He does, however, provide sufficient evidence. While a skeptical reader may not be convinced after reading the book, he cannot say that there is no or little evidence for the authenticity of traditional christian belief. Whether he believes the evidence is a different matter altogether. Strobel, therefore, provides a lengthy bibliography for those who want to do a more extensive study on the subject. In addition, he provides resources written by Crossan, Martin, and other non-believers. This indicates to me that Strobel is not afraid to let the reader see both sides of the issue. Most books on Jesus that i've read written by liberal scholars almost never point readers to resources that expound an opposing view. For a more scholarly (yet highly readable) treatment of the orthodox view of Jesus, I'd recommend The Historical Jesus by Gary Habermas, and Jesus Under Fire by M. Wilkins and J.P. Moreland. As for the negative review dated Sept 11, 1999, the reviewer states that Palestine didn't become a roman province until 6 a.d. This is simply false. Any perusal through a book on Roman or Palestine history will show that Jerusalem was conquered by Pompey in 63 BC. |
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Review Summary: A Compelling Case For Christ |
Date: 1999-12-22 |
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Details: Strobel makes a strong and profound case that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. By basing his book on literary fact and historical data, Strobel allows for the existence of Jesus Christ and his deity to be explored without relying on the "gift of faith." Strobel's personal testimony brought tears to my eyes. How can a man who sought to disprove Christianity at the beginning of his book become a man who loves and trust Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It simple, the facts in this book point towards Christ's deity and are well-supported. Then you factor in God (as Strobel puts it: believe + receive = become) and you have the Christian-Lee Strobel. Strobel makes a convincing argument that Christ, the man, existed and walked the earth by interviewing scholars who are world renown for their vast knowledge on the historical records of Christianity. I encourage Christians and non-Christians alike to read this book. For the Christian, like myself, it further strengthens your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. For the non-Christian it might just change your life, just like Lee Strobel's life was. |
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out of 650 Reviews
