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Summary: Proves Why Christians Dare Claim Jesus as God
Review: In our "politically-correct" era, many people ask why Christians dare to claim that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Answer: Jesus Christ rose from the dead. None of the other religious founders did.Josh McDowell provides compelling historical evidence that Christ did indeed rise from the dead. Don't rely on the rationalistic assumptions of the so-called Jesus Seminar, or of other liberal theologians (all of which start with the preconception that miraculous events are impossible). Consider the historical sources cited by McDowell, which prove that the Resurrection account dates right up to the time of Christ and so could NOT have been invented by the early church.
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Summary: Brilliant, intense, convincing...must for all Christians
Review: McDowell is the most brilliant researcher in Christianity. His Harvard background and legal research expertise show through in the thoroughness and logic of his arguments for the gospel, while his earthiness as a youth minister make the message humorous and understandable. I cannot immage being a Christian leader without this information. It has enabled me to share the gospel with many Jews and Athenists with boldness, confidence, and success.
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Summary: Shallow and unconvincing to anyone well read
Review: This book will convince only those who are already Christians who would never question their faith- no matter what, or those who are intellectual lightweights. The author does not make any pretense of having rigorously searched for the truth before arriving at his foregone conclusions. Rather, he ignores biblical and historical scholarship in blind devotion to his one-sided preconceived conlusions. If anyone wants to examine whether the bible really is the inerrant word of God, I recommend reading "THE FIVE GOSPELS-WHAT DID JESUS REALLY SAY" by Robert Funk, Roy Hoover, and the Jesus Seminar.
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Summary: Think about the origin of this book.
Review: After reading through the other reviews of this book, it became clear that many of the readers of this book don't understand where this book "came from." Dr. Josh McDowell, at one point in time, was an atheist. He was very angry at Christians. This book started out as his attempt to disprove Christianity. As he did more and more research, the evidence against his argument overwhelmed him. As a result he is now one of the finest men of God around, and a great speaker. Read this book if you haven't already.
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Summary: What an offensive book!
Review: This book is really offensive--to some. It methodically refutes one objection to Christianity after another. It also upsets the anti-Christian crowd by presenting so much straightforward, honest evidence as well as rebuttals of the often-heard objections. I first read it chapter by chapter for enjoyment and have since used it as a reference book. It is powerful in both capacities.
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Summary: only useful as a set of notes but leaves a lot of gaps
Review: This work certainly does not present any kind of compelling argument for Christianity. It reads like a set of footnotes used to make an argument, which is admittedly, the author's intention. For this it gets 2 stars instead of 1. However, the selected notes are still one-sided and simply reading them will not demonstrate to anyone with training in philosophy, history, or theology that Christianity is true. What one will get is a collection of opinions stated by various persons. The book shows no real appreciation for the advances in biblical scholarship and does not even really present arguments in outline form (as I mentioned, it just gives lists of opinions under each topic). Many of the quotes, though interesting, are not very helpful for constructing an argument and there seems to be an overreliance on secondary literature. A better, though not perfect, source would be Kreeft's "Handbook of Apologetics."
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Summary: Verdict or biased opinion?
Review: While the book is a good referance source for Christians, I find it lacking enough evidence for conversion of non believers let alone skeptics. I would have to equate it with using Peter Pan to validate Captain Hook. Still all in all it is interesting reading.
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Summary: Doesn't quite reverse two hundred years of scholarship
Review: This book would be very impressive to someone with very little education in biblical criticism and scholarship. Many fundementalists like to carry it around and quote it as evidence of the Bible as the literal, inerant Word of God because it does give the impression of being very learned to someone who doesn't know any better. If you do know better, you will be irritated and frustrated by his simplistic and dogmatic scholarship. Still, it's not breathtakingly bad like most conservative Bible books, just very limited and one sided in its approach. There are any number of writers, such as Crossan, Paigels, Borg, Spong, and many, many more that present a far more comprehensive and intelligent analysis.
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Summary: A fantastic Bible study tool.
Review: Chapters 1, 10 & 11 gives astonishing facts that intelligently prove that the Bible is the Word of God and is the most unique book on the face of planet earth. I love reviewing these facts, for they are irrefutable, and they give me information that I need when I defend the Bible. Thanks Josh for a great work.
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Summary: A great way to research your beliefs...facts behind faith
Review: I have both used and taught ETDAV several times over the past 20 years. Vol. 1 is more useful to the average reader than vol. 2 which is a college level treatise adressing weightier issues (presuppostion etc.). I recommend this book to anyone researching the 'whys' behind the 'whats' they believe.
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