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Summary: It takes a lot of Courage to write a book like this
Review: I admire Lee Strobel for writing a book that tackles the issues that most (if not all) Christians and non-christians struggle with. Although I felt that some of the questions were not ever completely answered, the questions were answered much better and with much more logic than any other books I have read on this topic
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Summary: Hard hitting questions hit head on
Review: Lee does another excellent job of tackling the questions I always hope I won't be asked! Regarding the reviewer that gave this book low marks for not interviewing more skeptics, Lee spent much time interviewing a huge skeptic and then addressed his criticisms. Besides Lee didn't need to spend time talking with a bunch of others (he gives lots of references to opposing views) because most people are exposed to those thoughts on daily basis in the daily paper, magazines and TV in general.
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Summary: Evidence Proves Faith Is NOT Contrary to Reason
Review: Contrary to John Robinson's review full of presuppositions and prejudices, I found The Case for Faith compelling, rational, and well evidenced. Rombinson's main problem in evaluating the arguments and evidence on the their own merits is that he seems unable to accept any definition for "faith" other than his own "intrinisically isolated from reason and reality." On the contrary, any faith worth having ought to correspond exactly to reality. I may have faith that my parachute will deliver me safely to the ground, but my "faith" is based on the evidence and previous performance of the parachute and its maker. If I were to have "faith" in a parachute completely isolated from reason and reality, I would be taking a crap shoot on my own life. One's faith is only as good as the object of that faith. Strobel in The Case for Faith has capably demonstrated that faith in Christianity is reasonable, well evidenced, and able to save lives (eternally). I highly recommend this book and his previous one, The Case for Christ.
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Summary: A good place to start
Review: A Case for Faith proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Christians and Christianity can be well-reasoned and rational. In this book, Lee Strobel makes a logical and well-researched argument for faith in God. For those who are searching for their faith, this book makes a good starting point. In response to detractors who would say that this book is biased, I would say, look at the title. It's A Case FOR Faith, not A Case AGAINST Faith.One of the most meaningful lines in the book for me was, "If you want to grow roses, you don't buy an acre of land in Alaska." If you're looking to find your faith, start with faith-building materials (Don't look for faith in all the wrong places!).
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Summary: The Case For Faith Review
Review: The writing style, investigation style, descriptions and syntax all seemed very familiar in this book because they are identical to The Case For Christ. Unfortunately, any depth or meaning to be gained from an unbiased effort to make a case for faith is significantly wanting. This book is obviously the work of someone (Lee Strobel) who is doing little more than trying (in his own way) to convert as many people to Christianity while he is on this earth as he possibly can. As in The Case For Christ, I would have been very much more impressed if any of his "expert witnesses" were not fundamentalist Christians. If there really is a case for faith, non-fundamentalists should be able to make it as well. All his interviewees are severely predisposed to give answers designed to rationalize and justify all the shortcomings, atrocities, biblical errors, biblical contradictions, etc. of Christianity and the Bible. Christianity should rightly be held accountable for all of these issues if anybody is expedted to worship Strobel's God. Although, Strobel asks pointed and valuable questions, his follow-up is very weak (as it was in The Case For Christ). The primary positives I will give this book are the interview with Charles Templeton, which I found interesting from a historical perspective, and final interview with Lynn Anderson. Anderson seems to truly understand the meaning and definition of faith (believing in something even if you have no compelling evidence to do so). That view was so refreshing compared to all the other interviewees and Strobel himself. These people are so obsessed with proving their religion (virgin birth, miracle accounts, creation, Noachian flood, etc.)and trying to turn faith into a scientific exercise. I wonder sometimes about Strobel's own faith when he feels it so necessary to prove scientifically everything he believes spiritually. I have many specific objections to items in the book but I will list just a few. By doing this, I hope that anybody reading this review will recognize that if you cannot trust a few things in the book, maybe you cannot trust anything in the book (Strobel's own logic). Chapter 2 title "Miracles Contradict Science.." Miracle accounts do not contradict science. Science by definition cannot address miracles because they are not observable or testable. Science does not address accounting either. It does not mean science contradicts accounting. Chapter 3 title "Evolution Explains Life, So God Isn't Needed". Just the title indicates how little Strobel knows about evolution and why he should not be writing about it. He correctly cites that Darwin says very little about the origin of life in his writings and then makes the leap that this is a flaw in evolutionary theory. This is a common creationist tactic. "Evolution of Life" and "Origin of Life" are two completely different fields of study. Evolution is more a study of biology and Origin is more a study of Chemistry. Darwin does not address origin of life in his writings, except to say he knows very little about it. He did this because it was not his field of study. Evolution of life once it was already here was his area of expertise. This distintion is obviously lost on Strobel and negates this entire chapter which was falsely premised in the title. Chapter 4 title "God Isn't Worthy of Worship If He Kills Innocent Children". This was the weakest chapter in the book and a question that will forever prevent me from worshiping Strobel's God. Rationalizations for God killing childrens such as "...if they had continued to live in that horrible society, they undoubtedly would have become corrupted..." are very shallow. If God deems the adults in a society corrupted and want to slaughter and rape them, that is one thing, but to kill the children because of what they might grow up to be? This is supposed to be an all-powerful God after all; why does he just not relocate the children into a not corrupt society? Simple, humane solutions like this are abundant but Strobel's God apparently did not think of them. Also, the rationalization that most of the children killed by God were in reality dangerous teenage thugs and early street gangs is laughable and not scripturally supportable. Were all the one-month olds, two-month olds, three-month olds, etc. murdered by God in the great flood members of street gangs? I think not. This was the weakest chapter because there cannot be any rationalization for killing a child by a human or a God. And any God who does kill an innocent child should be tried in absentia for crimes against humanity, not worshiped. I do not recommend buying this book.
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Summary: The Case for Faith: Unfortunately, a biased view
Review: I was deeply disapointed in the integrity of Lee Stobel. As in his first book "The Case for Christ", he tries to portray himself as a skeptic and advocate of agnostics or "seekers". In fact, he is and was for both books a deeply religous man who had an obvious agenda for both books. Both books are strongly biased - the second book more so than the first. This would be OK if the author did not try to portray himself as balanced. Not one single person with an atheist or skeptics view is "interviewed". As reviewers have used the analogy of a "trial reporter", these books are comparable to making a court judgement based on testimony only from the plaintiffs. I am a Christian who would have loved to see a more convincing book. At best, this book is misleading.
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Summary: The Investigation Continues
Review: Like the Case for Christ, Strobel presents the evidence in a clear and explanitory fashion. While I'm still not convinced one way or the other, and some of the reasoning requires that your are already a believer, the methodology is sound.
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Summary: Real Answers From A Former "In Your Face" Skeptic
Review: Lee Strobel asserts his genius and experience to give a cogent argument that pinpoints real objections with objective answers. As a former "Unchurched Atheist Harry" (to borrow a phrase from Strobel's earlier work), this legal expert asks hard questions from true experts. Beginning with an interview with Charles Templeton, the preeminent evangelist before Billy Graham turned skeptic, this riveting account provides the answers to answer the major objections to the Christian faith. For the skeptic and the believer alike, "The Case for Faith" goes deep. You will enjoy it in the process. I guarantee it.
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Summary: simple case
Review: The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel is written for the non-scholar interested in responses to common objections to the Christian faith. While good, this book is not as convincing as his earlier book, The Case for Christ. In TCFC, the issues were more factual, the answers more objective, but in TCFF, the subject is more philosophical, and answers are subjective. Strobel's skills as a journalist are clear in his research of the issues and his selection of scholars, theologians and philosophers to interview. Strobel writes with an approach that makes this book an easy to read, but his chatty style and folksy jargon become almost annoying in places. Most of the arguments against the objections are treated in summary form, but at the end of each chapter there are listed resources for further research. For example, the chapter on Evolution and the important argument for design is far to brief, but in the resources he does list the better books by Dembski and Behe (but for some reason, not Polkinghorne). Every Christian who has had to defend their faith against agnostics or other beliefs will benefit from knowing these arguments. Every serious Christian would do well to look deeper into the arguments than one finds in this book.
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Summary: Food for thought for atheist and Christian alike
Review: A penetrating look at the most-cited objections to Christianity. Lee Strobel interviews eight impressively credentialled scholars - some former atheists? - and, through captivating dialogue, shows how Christianity still provides the most intellectually satisfying answers. Honest skeptics will be encouraged on their road to faith, as Strobel was, and believers will marvel at the coherence of their beliefs, in the face of these difficult questions. Not all the answers will be tidily wrapped up in a neat package - each issue is worthy of several books - but we are given much (meat-and-potatoes) food for thought, and nonbelievers will be exposed to a depth of thought which, while common in conservative theological circles (they have to try to make sense of reality, warts and all, after all), is rarely seen in pseudo-skeptical circles. He also discusses the problem regarding the sincerity (or lack thereof) behind some objections - that some simply do not want to believe, no matter what, and hide behind supposed objections (as he once did himself). (This explains the overall poor quality of argument and reasoning readily apparent on sites like talkorigins. How can one love science, on the one hand, yet ignore, distort or dilute it when it contradicts/falsifies evolution?) A book much needed in an age where much puerility ("There are no absolutes!" etc.) passes for "intellectual" atheism.
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