Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Not for real atheists, is a Christian "rescue" book. Review: This book is a very informative and easy to read. It is very genial and reassuring to the person of faith, serving to highlight the basic theology of traditional christianity. I believe it is a good complement to any work of C.S. Lewis. The book should not be reguarded as being useful for making atheists see the light. It is best used for someone who really wants to believe, but might have doubts. A true non-believer will not be taken in with this book. I loved this book. I have always been a believer until around last Christmas, when I was overcome with doubt. It is a rescue book for Christians, not a discussion books with the other side.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Jesus: Still Freakin' People Out Review: A friend of mine passed this book on to me and I was completely blown away by it. Stunning! At last count, I've given copies to over thirty friends since reading it myself--and they've all thanked me for it. It's helped to solidify the faith of those who've always believed and to spark an awareness for those who'd like to. I used to pass on C.S. Lewis' MERE CHRISTIANITY and Josh McDowell's MORE THAN A CARPENTER (and I still do), but this book has really grabbed the people I've given it to, so I've been pretty much giving this one out. I've read a few of the negative reviews here (my favorites are the smug scholars who work themselves into a four-alarm tizzy: you can almost see their veins pound and the froth fly by the time they finish--"THEY DIDN'T ASK ENOUGH ATHIESTS!") and one thing is abundantly clear by reading all the reactions to this book: Jesus is still freakin' people out as much today as he did 2000 years ago! That should tell you something.
Rating: ![3 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-3-0.gif) Summary: "The Biggest Story in History"? Therein lies the problem. Review: The book doesn't have footnotes, but only a few references for further reading at the end of each chapter. The prose of each chapter is intentionally formulaic: 1) an anectdote from Strobel's professional career that pertains to the topic; 2) an interview and cross examination with the scholar; and 3) a personal question or two about how the scholar's research has affected his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. All of this should provide ample evidence that this book was intended for the Sunday School lesson, not for the critics. And while I understand the need for Strobel to make the flow of the book more organic, the unnecessary asides sometimes look to be self-serving and annoying. The layout of the chapters is systematic (e.g., "The Eyewitness Evidence", "The Psychological Evidence", etc.). Like in Josh McDowell's "Evidence That Demands a Verdict", after the first few chapters that discuss the reliability of the New Testament text and judge it absolutely reliable, the text and circumstantial evidence surrounding it are used as unquestioned raw data for such exercises as doing a psychological profile of Jesus and the early followers. Critics will understandably cringe. And while the tone throughout is genial, there's something more sinister that underlies the premise behind the book. If the primary selling point of this faith is that it is historical fact while the other faiths are not, as these scholars have suggested, a question of fundamental fairness still remains. Are we supposed to accept that the ultimate question of divine justice between the sinner and saint is not a humble heart or selfless nature, but a question of, "Do you know this person and accept him as your personal savior?" The answer to this, as provided by another intellectual wing of the faith, is that no one has a humble heart or selfless nature on their own, but must impute such attributes by allowing Christ to work within them, which comes after accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior, which itself comes from accepting that Jesus was God come down to earth, etc., etc. And from there, the problems with basing a religion on an accident of history get further divorced from the reality of the human condition. I don't need a PhD in anything to figure that out.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Powerful for those open to the evidence Review: This book does a great job of presenting the evidence for Jesus in a comprehensive and credible way. I've given the book to two skeptics, both of whom have become Christians as a direct result of reading this book. I'd say that's a pretty good track record! The book accomplishes two things. First, it presents the evidence for the divinity of Jesus and reliability of the New Testament in a clear and understandable way. Granted, it can't cover every issue related to these hot topics. However, the second thing this book accomplishes is to point the reader toward additional resources if he or she wants to delve deeper. For example, I'd heartily recommend "Jesus Under Fire" as a great follow-up book, because it takes the study of Jesus to the next level. However, "The Case for Christ" is all most people will ever need. Incidentally, the book has garnered attacks from atheists who cannot accept its conclusions and therefore must try to undermine the evidence, which they attempt to do through web sites and self-published books, some of which are promoted through reviews of this book. Please don't be misled by these kind of oddball attacks on Christianity; the Answers in Action and Tektonics ministries provide rebuttals to these tired old objections on their sites. Another relevant book, by the way, was authored by New York University professor Paul Vitz on the psychology of atheism! As G. K. Chesterton said: "When a man ceases to believe in God he does not believe in nothing; he believes in almost anything."
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: WHAT A GOOD BOOK!! Review: I read this book in one day (which is superfast for me). Anyway, this book is filled with great facts, and knowledge! Do not heed the negative reviews, because darkness will always attempt to dim the Light:)!....I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! Too bad I lent it out...! Gonna read it again when I get it back...and if I don't I'm going to buy another copy... PS YES, I felt the Holy Spirit saturating my soul while reading this profound book.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Not objective, and evidence is too selective Review: Strobel is hardly objective, having only interviewed those who already agree with him. He criticizes the Jesus Seminar, and Michael Martin, and yet he neglected to interview Martin or anyone from the Seminar. The choice of "evidences" is quite selective in this book. The more obvious and damaging contradictions in the New Testament are not even mentioned (such as how Judas died). I gave the book two stars simply because it is an easy read and because it provided the ideas and opinions (regardless of how ridiculous) of many of the "top" conservative New Testament scholars of today. I highly recommend those who have read this book to experience some true scholarship and common sense by reading Earl Doherty's "Challenging the Verdict: A Cross-Examination of Lee Strobel's 'The Case for Christ'".
Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: Shaky Case --> Shaky Faith Review: Lee Strobel's "Case" for faith in Christianity's founder is hardly impressive. It is clearly written for a Christian audience, as it would not convert any skeptic who truly lives up to the name "skeptic." Its evidence is dubious, when it even exists, and its representatives, while well-spoken, provide little in the way of solid argumentation. But this is just fine for "skeptical" Strobel, whose questions seem strangely geared toward the strong points of Christianity. When weak spots in the "Case" seem so apparent, it doesn't even occur to Strobel to pop the question. While The Case For Christ may help reassure already "born again" believers that their faith is well-grounded, I doubt if any atheist or agnostic would be as convinced. If you are looking for a solid case for Christianity, look somewhere else. If you are just looking for a good laugh, be my guest.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Helped me Review: This book helped to bring me TO Christ as a skeptic. I loved it.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: A demonstration of the intellectual soundness of the Gospels Review: I believe that in this book, Mr. Strobel does an excellent job of proving that there is no substantial evidence in existence which in any way tends to disprove the veracity of the events described in the Gospels. With that said, I firmly believe that no one can cross the line from unbeliever to believer purely as the result of an objective analysis of the evidence supporting and refuting the Gospels. One's Christianity must ultimately be built on a foundation of faith. By definition, of course, faith is a conclusion that something (or Someone) is true without any objective, concrete evidence that it (or He) is true. And, faith is the work of God within you. To those who do not have faith, the Bible says that the message of the Gospels is "foolishness." If you are a person who absolutely refuses to acknolwedge the possibility of supernatural happening in this world, who believes that nothing which is not susceptible to objective proof by empirical scientific evidence can be accepted as truth, this book will not change you. You will no doubt be able to formulate rebuttal arguments against Mr. Strobel's observations. Your only hope is that God will do a work in your life which will cause you to have faith in Him. So, I do not believe it was Mr. Strobel's intent with this book to provide an intellectual substitute for faith. He is simply demonstrating that faith and reason in regard to the gospels are not incompatible, that you do not have to check your intellect at the door in order to be a believer.
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: The logic is seriously flawed. Review: The logic in this book is so bad that it will only convince those who already believe. Many of the author's arguments can be used to justify completely opposing positions as well. Lee Strobel does NOT, in my opinion, make a very strong case for Christ in this book.
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