Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing book from a panel of scholars.
Review: This is an excellent introduction to (or, summary of, depending on your reading background) the evidence for the historical Jesus. At least ten of the interviews could not have been better.It is not thorough but Strobel highlights the main issues. He offers some suggestions for further reading on each topic. As Strobel mentions, "No single book can deal with every nuance" (p. 270). But as you read this book and find intelligent answers to some of the most important questions, and you read other books that answer your other objections, yet still you formulate additional difficulties, and then find them answered, you should begin to see a pattern developing: that even if no individual can answer every question, the evidence taken as a whole points to the conclusion that Jesus of Nazareth is who he claimed to be -- the Son of God. The authenticity and accuracy of the New Testament record, the deity of Jesus, and his bodily resurrection have all been proven to as much of an extent as possible. (The best of that evidence is in this book.) If you need more evidence, then the question is: What would convince you? What it usually boils down to is that those unconvinced by the evidence would require that Jesus appear to them in bodily form and allow them to touch his hands and side (perhaps even that wouldn't convince the most ardent skeptics). This is because it is not a matter of the mind, but the will -- they simply don't want to believe.
Rating: 
Summary: Great reading for anyone skeptical of Christianity.
Review: Although I found the material generally educational I still felt that one monumental piece was missing. What makes a prophecy a prophecy? Further explanation is required and this book unfortunately glosses over this vital element required for the The Case.
Rating:
Summary: Great Response to the Postmodern Drivel of the Jesus Seminar
Review: Here is a response to the reasons provided by those who gave low ratings to this book: Textual critcism of Josephus' writings have established what he wrote with a high degree of certainty. Josephus wrote about many things that happened decades before he lived. Those who then would argue that Jesus could not have been a historical figure because Josephus wrote about him decades later would then have to throw out everything else he wrote on that basis, not to mention reams of works by other ancient historians. If what Josephus wrote actually HAPPENED, then of course it reflects what people believe; people usually believe in things that really happen! If this is a criteria for judging authenticity, we have to throw out every recorded history ever just to be consistent. You can also refer to other sources. We do have Justin Martyr's "Dialogue with Trypho", Origen's "Contra Celsum" and bits and pieces of responses to Poryphery. It seems pretty reasonable that this gives us an accurate sample of the types of objections that the early Christians faced. As for comparing Osiris to Jesus Christ, I think this nonsense has been borrowed from the now discredited writings of Herbert Cutner (or someone who read him). This objection is not even relevant for Tacitus, who refers to Christus as a person who lived and was crucified under Pilate and says nothing about people believing Jesus to be a resurrected god. Pliny says that he was recognized "AS if to a god", not that he was a god or recognized as one like Osiris, which suggests that he was an actual person whom Pliny perceives would not ordinarily be recognized as a god. It is amazing that people would use G.A. Wells an authority on history. What an authority! A professor of GERMAN writing about history! What a gas! That people would uncritically accept what Wells has to say merely demonstrates their radical unfamiliarity with primary and secondary sources and the methods used by historians in evaluating them. Most people involved in Biblical history/research have degrees in divinity or theology or New Testament studies. Divinity and Theology degrees require substantial coursework in Biblical Studies. And these questions require inquiry in a number of fields, not just history. These are the people Lee Strobel interviewed. It is hilarious to see how people would discard the research of learned scholars only to uncritically believe a book written by a professor of German! Here is the unsound premise of those who criticize Strobel's book : Theologians are not true scholars! People with faith can't face the facts. Sounds like sour grapes to me! Contrast this to the overwhelming majority of the members of the Jesus Seminar who are fringe scholars from either Claremont or Harvard and are NOT among those "most respected". Jesus Seminar is sooooo choosy that one of them is Paul Verhoven, whose credentials include directing the movies "Showgirls" and "Starship Troopers." They're obviously not too picky about who they choose. In fact, over half have only published a couple of articles and/or are recent PhD's. (As of 1999, but I don't think that that's changed much.) In fact, that is the opinion of many scholars of a variety of stripes, including Richard Hays, R.E. Brown, John Meier, etc. Maybe a dozen out of the 70-75 are in the category of Crossan, who was badly outclassed in his debate with Dr. William Lane Craig. Finally, the idea that Christianity and Mithraism have anything to do with one another is so outdated as to be stale beyond redemption. This position is NOT held by Mithraic scholars today and has been abandoned by all NT scholars who bothered to wake up. Those who would even consider this now discarded theory need some catching up to do in their readings.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely builds a case for the truth
Review: This is an excellent book that can be read as a novel or reference guide. Each point he researched is strong on it's own, but together they create a tight case. I'm sure he couldn't help but accept the truth after he was done!
Rating:
Summary: Airtight Evidence, no 2 ways about it.
Review: The thing about this book you have to keep in mind is, it was written by a veteran journalist with a very extensive amount of experience in writing about crime and courtrooms, in addition to having a Law degree. This isn't just some 'guy' sitting down and writing a book. Strobel, better than many others, knows what he's doing. It is imperative that you not only read this with an open mind (if you don't believe in Christ, at least who He is said to be) but also read it knowing that a professional wrote it. He interviews 13 leading authorities on different facets of Christ's life (Are the Gospels reliable? Was Jesus crazy? etc) as a skeptic and comes away with some very very convincing evidence. There are some who will read this and scoff and I dare say they aren't reading it with an open mind. I am not saying that anyone who reads this will go out and become a Christian right away. What I am saying is anyone who reads this WILL acknowledge the fact that there is good arguments.
Rating:
Summary: This is book is GREAT!!!! 5 stars baby
Review: To not like this book you have to be an enemy of the truth or afraid to face it. This book finds answers to some of the age-old arguments posed by atheists, agnostics, and especially College professors who enjoy attacking Christianity. It's not meant to be comprehensive but addresses some major questions. The author lists books and sources for those who want to dig deeper. I give this book 5 big stars.
Rating: 
Summary: To the point of embarassing to Christianity
Review: "If I were a Christian, with only one day to live, I would not spend it reading this book" to paraphrase another reviewer. I picked this book up, out of boredom mostly, and finished it within a day. Its pathetically weak arguments almost shamed me out of believing that Jesus was the son of God, or that the God of the Bible even exists. If you want your religious belief reinforced, do NOT read this book. Its arguments are embarassing, to say the least. There are many good books out there dealing with Christianity and Christ. This book is definitely not one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Every person, Christian and non-, should read this book!
Review: If I were an atheist and had only one day to live, I would spend it reading this book. I was an atheist five days ago. I picked it up out of boredom, only to finish it the same day with no doubt that Jesus did exist, he was the son of God, and that accepting these two facts insured my salvation. Every person, despite any present beliefs, should read this book open-mindedly and see if it doesn't change their life as it has mine.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read for open-minded seekers
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Gumshoe knocks on only friendly doors
Review: When I read the reviews here when deciding whether or not to buy this book, I was struck by how atheist/agnostic readers either rated it one or two stars, whereas believers gave it five stars. After reading it, I can see why. Strobel is trying to pass his book off as the "Big Story" kind of investigative journalism. THis is a innovative approach, but I was left feeling like it was a cheap gimmick. After a while, the first-person past tense description of all the nuances of his physical interviews got tedious. I don't really care what professor so-and-so was wearing during the interview. The only exception was his description of his interview with a gruff unprofessorial hockey fight-loving thoelogist who softened at the mention of his faith in resurrection as his wife lay dying. For those of us skeptics, not having interviews of persons whose former faith has been erased into skepticism also by logic and reasoning was a critical defiency. The negative reviewers were right in that he was largely preaching to the choir. In fact, many of the comments he made or questions he asked were not truly interrogative questions but rather "pat me on the back for what I already believe" lobs. Many five-star reviewers argue that Strobel's one-sided interviews ARE equal time to unchallenged liberal theological drivel. For the faithful who need an infusion of cognitive confidence in their faith. The book is a sure-fire hit. However, because this book is held out as AN INVESTIGATION into the logic and FACTS of Christianity in an INVESTIGATIVE REPORT STYLE, I can only give this book three stars given the one-sidedness of the selected interviews. I found the chapter on the interview with J. P. Moreland the most challenging to my life-long skepticism, and I have begun reading Moreland's book "Scaling the Secular City" in hopes that Moreland expands on his rationales for the plausibility of the resurrection, etc.
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