Rating: 
Summary: a response to the agnostic
Review: This is in repsonse to the agnostic that "leans toward atheism." I find it interesting that he leans toward atheism yet at the same does not want to believe that he is merely a product of time plus chance. He finds Theism to be a difficult belief because of the existence of evil. If he really leans towards atheism is he actually in a position to say what evil is? After all, he recognizes the implications of atheism, namely that if atheism is true then all that exists is merely atoms in motion. In this view there is no evil. So, eiither he admits that evil is real, and atheism is therefore false, or he says that atheism is true and thus there is no evil. Next, since he does claim that evil exists I would like to know how he accounts for it. He does not like the response given in the case for faith that humans are rational agents with free moral agency. If he does away with free will then the ONLY alternatie is a type of deteriminism, which gets everyone off the hook anyway. Finally, as for prayer, I will quote C. S. Lewis: "I don't pray to change God, but for God to change me."
Rating:
Summary: The name of this book is accurate
Review: I believe some readers may have missed the point. This book does not pretend to prove the tenets of Christianity to a scientific certainty. Rather, the author is presenting his CASE much like a lawyer presents his case in court. Are there questions that remain unanswered? Absolutely. As he points out, if there were no unanswered questions, faith would not be necessary, and of course faith is a major element of Christianity. He presents his case for FAITH in light of some very difficult questions (such as, why would a loving God allow children to suffer) and he provides arguments which show that Christian faith is not entirely illogical. If you are looking for a book that proves the existence of God beyond all reasonable doubt, I suggest that you may be missing the point entirely. The book is clearly written for Christians who already understand the concept of faith but who can't overlook those difficult questions he raises. He shows us why we are justified in making that leap of faith. While some readers may scoff at his reasoning and logic, it's unlikely that those readers really understand the concept of faith in the first place. He may not miraculously turn atheists into believers but he does provide a good bit of support for those of us who chose faith. I would have given him 5 stars except that I prefer the writings of C.S. Lewis.
Rating: 
Summary: Garbage, a tortuous read
Review: Since I only have so much room here, I will focus my review on the issue of the existence of evil.... (For commentators on my original review here, please see the end of this review.) I'm an agnostic, but I have to say I learn more towards atheism. I don't want to believe I'm nothing more than chance atoms, but the apologetics that I've read to support faith, including this one, are so utterly inane that I had to force myself to read. One of the editorial reviews commented, "Strobel's occasional melodramatic note (did he really speak 'in a voice laden with sarcasm' to any of these, his fellow believers?) seems ridiculous" is on target. Such comments by Strobel just scream, "SEE HOW OBJECTIVE I AM, AREN'T I!!!" Puke. For the question on the the existence of evil and suffering argument, Strobel used the two standard responses: 1. God gave us free will, and therefore the ability to create evil. 2. Suffering is sometimes necessary for a greater good we cannot at the time see. The person he interviewed for this question used an analogy that someone trying to free a bear trapped in a hunter's trap might be interpreted by the bear as being an attacker rather than a helper. In the process of getting the bear's paw out of the trap, it might hurt and seem to only prove to the bear that the rescuer is an attacker. The bear cannot see the good that is coming from the pain of pulling the paw out of the trap. Sometimes we cannot understand what God can, and we are like the bear unable to see the good to come. Superficially, that seems reasonable... But not really. First off, why did God make us not more wise so that we can better see the good that is to come? If He made us like the bear, unable to understand what He understands, He should not be surprised that we come to conclusions consistent with our level of understanding any more than we should be surprised that the bear comes to conclusions consistent with its level of understanding. Another analogy given is that there is supposedly a Twilight Zone episode where a man dies and goes to heaven. No suffering. No pain. But soon he is bored and wishes he could go to the "Other Place" instead - only to find out he already is in the "Other Place". So he says that an existence on Earth without evil and suffering would be like the hell of the Twilight Zone episode where you are quickly bored and spoiled. Oh, gimme a break! If Strobel is REALLY trying to ask "the tough questions" and if he REALLY believes that a world without pain, suffering and evil would make us bored and spoiled, then what exactly does Strobel think heaven is really like? Is Satan, Hitler, Stalin, etc. up there randomly wreaking havoc in heaven, torturing and killing people so that we aren't bored all the time? If this is the case, I have a suggestion for God, force people in heaven to read Strobel books as a form of occasional suffering... Here is, in my opinion, the real crux of the matter. Heaven, if it exists, would have to be entirely different than life on Earth. A life that is known to be infinite would be inherently different than a mortal life such as ours. Any explanation of why evil and suffering exists on Earth such as the arguments given by Strobel may sound plausible, until you realize such arguments could not possibly apply to heaven. And if they don't apply in heaven, then why would they have to apply to life on Earth? And if life is infinite in heaven, and therefore completely different, then what possible value is life on Earth? Of what importance is our existance here? In a billion years from now, while in heaven, are you going to be talking about the time your aunt died? And nobody has ever come up with a plausible explanation for what value prayer is. If things happen like the terrorist attack on New York because God cannot intercede in the free will of the attackers, then why bother praying? He can't do anything anyway. Or, if God can sometimes decide to do something, sometimes, based on whether or not people pray for it, what kind of a God is that? This seems to be a God that lets evil and suffering happen unless He decides that there have been enough people praying. No, ultimately, God either can't do anything, and is therefore useless, or He can do something, and is therefore fully responsible for all evil and suffering. There really isn't any plausible in-between. I notice that a couple of other reviewers have commented on my original version of this review. One says that I don't understand faith. What you don't know is how hard and for how many years I've tried to have faith. I've tried, but when I can't find logical answers to my questions, I've found it impossible. Another reviewer claims simply understanding the concept of evil, which would have no absolute meaning without God, in itself implies there is a god. But this is not true. "Hot" is a relative term, but I have a biological basis for what is hot and what isn't. "Pain" is a relative term, but I have a biological understanding of pain. The concept of evil comes from our biological understanding of pain and our biological ability to empathize (survival of the species mechanisms.) By the way, I see that even one Christian reviewer feels the arguments in this book are just straw-man arguments. This book is garbage.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong, convincing defense of the Christian faith
Review: Let me preface this by saying I'm not yet a Christian. However, I have been doing a considerable amount of reading in my quest to investigate Christianity. I consider this remarkable book to be among the most persuasive I have encountered so far. I began by reading a lot of critiques of Christianity, and they raised some extremely difficult issues. I couldn't imagine that there would be good responses to their objections. However, this book does an incredible job of replying to the eight most commonly asked objections to the faith. The chapter on pain and suffering is tremendous; it's the best summation of the pro-Christian position I've seen. Since I have a degree in biology, I was really interested in the chapter on evolution. I expected an ill-informed, half-baked critique of Darwinism, but instead I found a credible evaluation of the issue of how life began in the first place. Contrary to a few reviewers, I thought the interview with Dr. Norman Geisler on brutality in the Bible to be well-reasoned and persuasive. Likewise, the chapter on Jesus being the only way to God (which contains an interview with Ravi Zacharias) is excellent, as is the chapter that looks at atrocities in history attributed to Christians (such as the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Salem Witch Trial). Overall, I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for reasonable answers to their objections to the Christian faith. The book's only shortcoming, in my opinion, was not dealing with a few more issues, such as the Christian position on homosexuality. Maybe that will be grist for a future tome.
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Summary: A beginning to examine the objections to Christianity
Review: This is a great follow up to The Case For Christ. After establishing the external evidence for Christianity, Strobel correctly follows it up with a defense of the internal difficulties some find within Christianity. He begins with the biggest problem of pain and suffering. His interview with Peter Kreeft (one of the best contemporary Christian thinkers to handle the problem of evil) is a perfect introduction for those wishing to endeavor into theodicy. The other interviews examine other difficulties, and even some areas I have not seen much written material on (take for example his chapter on doubting and questioning). Strobel is offering a broad answer to the internal struggles of Christendom. He provides good reading resources that so that the reader can deal with deeper issues in their specificity. As a Christian, this reading this book can help fulfill the command to "be prepared to give a defense of the hope within..." For non-Christians and agnostics, this book will provide beneficial honest answers to these common objections. So, why choose this book over others? Strobel writes in a clear manner, which cuts straight to the issue. He ties in real life parallels that show how reasonable his case is. Also, he draws upon several scholars in an interview format. This format is easy to follow and provides a spread of several great intellectuals and their opinions of the Christian faith.
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Summary: A fascinating introduction to the debate!
Review: "A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion." -Francis Bacon "The Case for Faith" is a fascinating look into the logical and scientific reasons for believing in the existence of God. As the author puts it at one point during the book, it takes more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in God! Strobel, a former atheist and journalist, asks the tough questions of Christianity's defenders and scholars, and the answers he receives are compelling. The message is that doubt shouldn't discourage you; doubting is healthy and will lead to stronger faith. Reason and faith aren't incompatible at all; they're complementary, and "The Case for Faith" demonstrates that beautifully. This is a profoundly meaningful book; a must-read for theists and atheists alike! One note: if you've already read several books on the existence of God, then you're probably familiar with most of the material in this book. It's more of a summary of all the strongest arguments for believing in God. Unlike other books on the subject, however, "The Case for Faith" also tackles some questions about the Bible, so it's got something to offer everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not as immediately engaging as Case for Christ
Review: This is Lee Strobel's follow up to _The Case for Christ_. While it does seek to answer immensely important questions regarding the Christian faith, it is not quite as engaging as its predecessor. Though the interviews are well done, I didn't get the sense that Strobel was involved in a personal quest in asking this set of questions, in comparison to the questions in his previous book. Additionally, this book focuses almost exclusively on claims that must be supported by philosophical arguments, such as the problems of evil and suffering. In contrast, _The Case for Christ_ included interviews regarding the medical evidence for Christ's crucifixion, as well as other, more "objective" approaches to establishing that Christ was a historical figure, and actually went through the things the New Testament claims he did.
Rating: 
Summary: Only an Introduction
Review: As long as you read this book as an introduction to apologetics issues, you should find it to be satisfactory. This seems to be the consensus across the spectrum of reviews about the book. The people who seem to have liked the book don't seem to be too informed about the issues being addressed in it. Those who did not like the book understand that it cannot tackle the issues in-depth. If you want surface answers or an intro to apologetics issues, this book will be helpful. If you're looking for deeper answers to these questions, look to texts written by the people being interviewed in this one and not to the author.
Rating:
Summary: great start for questioners
Review: For those questioning their Christian faith, or those inquiring about the Christian Faith, this is a wonderful book to start with. Though the answers are not deeply complex, their is much information with some detail. This books give wonderful points to think about. Although I find it somewhat Christian biased, (not giving non-Christians much of a voice)I would find another book to read as well from the other perspective if you wanted to deeply question. However, this book was excellent enough for me. A great read, written well. I didnt have to seek anything more along this subject, as the author made a clear case, and a very good one at that.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent gateway/starter book.
Review: Pros: Good book, quick read, excellent list of further reading references, decent selection of topics, and excellent selection of authorities. Cons: Pretty one sided (Lee presents some of the common things nonbelievers would bring up, but it's very limited), very quick do not look at this book as more than a place to start. All-in-all: Very well focused, and presents in general terms (not many specifics given to any of the questions) the Christian viewpoint. Good for Christians to "fill in the gaps" of their faith, or nonbelievers to get a general idea of what is really going on with that Christianity thing. However to anyone desiring to be truly educated on any of these topics there is not enough info. here, please use Mr. Strobel's "For Further Evidence" sections at the end of each chapter or come up with your own further reading section, but do not stop here and think you fully understand the subject. I do recommend: for anyone who knows very little about any of the eight topics in the book and would like a little more background on the Christian viewpoint of the topic. Note: Topics are listed in the editorial review.
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