Rating: 
Summary: Interjects reason into a traditionally irrational debate.
Review: Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, and the obvious tendency for reviewers to approach it with a high degree of bias, I will start by saying that I consider myself to be a fairly open-minded agnostic. I also suspect that I'm not much different from many people, in that I generally accepted that there was
an historical Jesus who was at least something like the figure described in the Bible, possibly minus the miracles and supernatural stature though. This was true up until a few years ago, when I started to realize there really wasn't as much evidence for an historical Jesus as I had always assumed. I'm still unsure about the historicity of Jesus (it seems we may never 'know', simply because there is insufficient data to draw from), but I can say that books like this one will go a long way toward furthering our ability to make an informed, rational 'best guess'. Frankly, Mr. Doherty has done a real service with this book, and he has contributed greatly to the overall quality of the debate. I generally found his reasoning and arguments to be fair, thorough and sound. While he did not convince me on every single item covered in the book, I have to admit that at least 50% of the time he did decidedly win the point -- i.e., I see no possibility of a worthwhile rebuttal forthcoming. Additionally, 30% or so of the time he was more convincing than his opponents, though the question may still have to be considered open. However, Mr. Doherty doesn't just score well on the effectiveness of his arguments, because on the whole the book is well-written and fun to read. This book probably wouldn't be of much use to fundamentalist Christians or hard-core Atheists, but for the rest who are somewhere in the middle, like myself, it is one that I feel very safe in recommending.
Rating: 
Summary: So confident, Doherty interviewed words on a page....
Review: This book may be entertaining for those whose presupposition is already inclined toward denying the scholarship of those Lee Strobel took the time to interview. However, if Doherty were so confident he had an open and closed case, he would have personally interviewed the same scholars (and other ones) as Lee Strobel with his contrived and twisted questions. That Doherty did not do this-that he basically had a conversation with himself, did nothing to advance his position or opinion in the court of reason.
Rating:
Summary: Methinks the rest doth gush too much
Review: ...Provided you are armed with encyclopedias,scholarly theological treatises and access to historical documents, (and the time to go through them all) you'll be able to quickly identify DOherty's fatal mistakes. Many others have, and you can find the critiques elsewhere on the internet...Much of his case rests on the fact that Strobel's Case For Christ is written as a popular, rather than scholar's, book and is less technically precise making it an easier target for Doherty to twist out of context. As I said, though, start going back to the source material used by Strobel in his references, and the source material used by the scholars, and Doherty's argument turns to dust. Don't be fooled into purchasing this thinking that it really is the silver bullet to tackle Christianity with. It's not even close.
Rating:
Summary: Earl Doherty Completely Annihilates Lee Strobel
Review: Earl Doherty completely annihilates Lee Strobel's case for Christ in this thoroughly researched cross examination of the latter's ill written book that has been waved around by bible thumping Christians as the authoritative argument for so-called "proof" of Christ. Doherty leaves nothing unscoured, unshakingly knocking down Lee Strobel's straw man arguments, poorly researched subject matter and other logical fallacies with the hammer of logic and reason. Ranging from Thallus to Josephus Doherty shows how all the very FEW documents hailed as "evidence" of Christ are inefficient and cannot possibly be considered unquestionable proof as well as why the canonical gospels cannot be regarded as accurate depictions of history. Being there is no contemporary secular history to parallel
the gospels, it has no more basis in reality than the hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptians depicting Osiris and Set,
as well as being written much later than supposed. Further, he points out how Christians borrowed much of their mythology from earlier pagan mystery cults whose theology revolved around a dying and resurrecting (oops, thats a word that is copyrighted by Christianity, so I'll rephrase it with "reappearing") godmen who spent a lifetime full of traveling around the countryside performing miracles such as raising the dead and healing the blind.Take Tammuz, Attis, Dionysus, Asculepius and Apollonius of Tyana for examples. This critique of "The Case for CHrist" is a damaging blow to Lee Strobel and Christianity in general. A mandatory read for Christians and non-Christians alike for any clear comprehension of the origins of Christianity as well as a brilliant light cutting through the darkness of modern day superstition and unfounded assertions propounded by those who would do anything in their power to keep the masses from closing their wallets and purses to their greedy grasp.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it, not just liked it!
Review: I cannot improve upon the remarkably insightful and perspicacious review by August Berkshire and others who rate this book 5 stars, but I felt compelled to respond to a comment in the most recent review. Unlike the author of the review by "A reader" just below, I found Doherty's exemplary and devastating rebuttal of Strobel's often disingenuous and intellectually dishonest "case" to be engrossing and easy to read. In fact, it is one of the most accessible books of its kind largely -because- of the author's use of the courtroom analogy as a guiding structural metaphor. "Forcing yourself" to read the book is the very LAST thing you need concern yourself with, as you will most likely find the book so captivating it's nearly impossible to put down! Doherty's fluid ease and comfortable facility with the facts and issues, combined with his very courteous yet rigorously truth-seeking "courtroom" demeanor, make this a positive delight to read; so much so that the "trial" is over and won so handily it's rather anti-climactic and seems to come too soon. Buy this book and enjoy one of the most accessible and rewarding examples of honest, thoughtful and eye-opening New Testament scholarship you will ever encounter!
Rating: 
Summary: YOU CAN FOOL SOME OF THE PEOPLE...
Review: Having read both of Doherty's books, "The Jesus Puzzle" first, and now "Challenging the Verdict", I prefer the straight forward approach of the first book to the rebuttal format of mock court to present the points of each book. I have read so many of these "argument" books where the "good" Christians take on the "bad" people and vice versa that I am beginning to consider there must have evolved a group of "religious" genes in the human genome which once provided some survival advantage against things that go bump in the night. If you inherit them (nature) and your parents perpetuate not only their genes but activate the fear and childlike acceptance of the stories (nurture) you will be one of the Good God Guys. Doherty logically plods along in "court", crossexamining many of the aforementioned GOOD people who believe, no matter what evidence or lack thereof , all the stories taught at home and church. If these people were in a real criminal court evaluating legal information they would be logical and follow the required the rules for doubt, preponderence of evidence, etc. to give their guilty verdict. Only in the case of religion, and it doesn't matter what one, their minds are closed, no matter what the evidence for or against. A mental wall is contacted; this far and no further will their brains work. Fear, superstition, religious tradition and culture are so ingrained that they cannot see beyond their indoctrination to the real truth that we are here alone, evolved as we did through natural selection, there is no afterlife and we each get one shot here on Earth . Many of these "blind" religious people truly view a person who doesn't believe what they do as bad, evil people who couldn't possible live decent, moral, ethical lives. Oh, how smugly righteous! Open your eyes, Doherty is not bad, he ( and many other scholars) is looking at the evidence and says Jesus is not there, in fact, he says God isn't there either if you read both books. We will never resolve the issue, the' YES, God/Jesus is' people, versus the 'No, God isn't' people because the YES people are willing to believe on faith, without evidence, and the No people won't accept it on faith without evidence. Why bother to try to convince each other, one way or the other? Closed minds who believe on faith will not be changed by logic. One can always tell that there is some uncertainty in the religious ranks when the statement is made, "What if you are wrong?" More people have died who didn't believe in The Prince of Peace, killed by those who did, than in all the wars ever fought over territory and politics. Religion CAN kill. If we could work out morals and ethics without giving the reason for them as God we'd have a chance but that isnt going to happen. The future is bleak regardless, folks. One thing we all have in common is-no one gets out alive. The GOOD religious can hope to fly way on feathered wings, the others know they will make good compost. The first can't be proven, the second is assured. Doherty is trying to make people think logically. Lots of luck, Earl.
Rating:
Summary: Liked it, didn't love it
Review: This is an excellent book full of valuable information revealing all the problems of Christianity; what is unfortunate is the style in which it is written. Written to be like a dialogue of a courtroom cross examination, paragraphs are all bunched together and it is not easy to follow who is supposed to be saying what.
You have to be very interested in the topic to be motivated enough to force yourself through reading this book, which as I said is so sad because it contains such important information!!
Rating: 
Summary: Re 1st review by: A reader from New York, USA
Review: Your comments about Gethsemane shows you probably never read the passage. Notice below only the first part of Christ's prayer was ever quoted...just a few sentences. The disciples would have been awaken intially and would have been able to hear his first words. In both, Matthew and in Mark - this is true.
MARK:32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34"My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch."
35Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36"Abba,[5] Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." This goes to show how this book does not uncover any real reason to doubt Christ...only repeating old ideas that have been reasonably refuted by Christian scholars for years.
Rating:
Summary: Read Strobel First
Review: Doherty continually relies upon appeal to ignorance and question-begging to establish his points. He attacks Strobel's sources, claiming they are not suitable witnesses because they admit to being Christians. Would he rather that Strobel use witnesses who do not believe in Christianity or witnesses that would lie about it? Doherty clearly admits to not being a Christian, so he is ruled out of the debate as well, I suppose. The courtroom drama that Doherty paints is not only inaccurate, but I hardly even find it entertaining. Doherty pretends to cross-examine the witnesses, but the answers he gives for them are merely quotes from their original testimony in The Case for Christ. He then displays how they do not properly answer his question, when in fact a true cross-examination would reveal how little Doherty really knows about historiography and textual criticism. I found this book unscholarly, perhaps even dishonest at times. I would recommended it for anyone who has actually read The Case for Christ and is not afraid to challenge their faith, but even for that purpose there are more qualified scholars and writers.
Rating:
Summary: Honest scholarship, thoroughness, and plain common sense
Review: Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ" was recommended to me by a family member and co-workers. As a Humanist, I was going to end up in everlasting torture if I didn't accept "Jesus as my savior" or some such thing, and if I was going to be convinced then Strobel's airtight case for Jesus would do it. I found the book, and I remember thinking about the obvious rebuttals to most of the so-called "evidence" as I read through it. But I was not expecting such a thorough examination and outright thrashing that Strobel's book endured in Doherty's "Challenging the Verdict"! What a wonderful combination of honest and fair scholarship, thoroughness, and just plain common sense! My next purchase will be "The Jesus Puzzle" so as to continue breathing this breath of fresh air....
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