Book Review: The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

 

     Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ, A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus, is – Hands Down – one of the best books I’ve ever read! From its Introduction to the last page, his writing style, and especially how he lays out the information, held my attention to the end. Mr. Strobel brings us along a methodical process while he asks pointed questions to the men he interviews. I felt as if I was right there in the room, the fly on the wall.

     Sometimes authors add “fluff” when describing a person or a location and the reader will skip over… not this time. Every word he used set the mood perfectly.

     Anyway, in the Introduction Mr. Strobel writes, “For much of my life I was a skeptic. In fact, I considered myself an atheist.” Then his wife Leslie became a Christian. As the movie they made based on the book details further, he sets out to prove she is on the wrong path. But, there is so much more…

     For informational purposes, each chapter ends with “Deliberations – Questions for Reflection or Group Study” and “For Further Evidence, More Resources on This Topic.” I’ve added several books he recommends to my Amazon wish list! This man was thorough.

     I’ve written an outline based on the table of contents, adding each chapter's divisions to help me reference back in the future. I’m certain I will “study” this book again, and again, as I learn how to defend my faith in Jesus to others with similar questions.

Maybe the topics explored will pique your interest as well.

Introduction

Part 1: Examining the Record

Chapter 1: The Eyewitness Evidence (Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?) with Dr. Craig Blomberg

                Testimony from Distant Time

                Eyewitness to History

                Delving into Specifics

                Ancient versus Modern Biographies

                The Mystery of Q

                The Unique Perspective of John

                Jesus’ Most Audacious Claim

                The Gospels’ Theological Agenda

                Hot News from History

                Going Back to the Beginning

                A Short Recess

Chapter 2: Testing the Eyewitness Evidence (Do the Biographies of Jesus Stand Up to Scrutiny?) with Dr. Craig Blomberg

1.      The Intention Test

2.      The Ability Test

3.      The Character Test

4.      The Consistency Test

5.      The Bias Test

6.      The Cover-up Test

7.      The Corroboration Test

8.      The Adverse Witness Test

    A Faith Buttressed by Facts

Chapter 3: The Documentary Evidence (Were Jesus’ Biographies Reliably Preserved for Us?) with Dr. Bruce Metzger

     Authenticating the Documents

     Copies of Copies of Copies

     A Mountain of Manuscripts

     The Scrap That Changed History

     A Wealth of Evidence

     Examining the Errors

     “A High Degree of Unanimity”

     The “Secret Words” of Jesus

     The “Unrivaled” New Testament

Chapter 4: The Corroborating Evidence (Is There Credible Evidence for Jesus outs His Biographies?) with Dr. Edwin Yamauchi

     The Power of Corroboration

     Affirming the Gospels

     Testimony by a Traitor

     “There Lived Jesus…”

     The Importance of Josephus

     “A Most Mischievous Superstition”

     Chanting “As If to a God”

     The Day the Earth Went Dark

     A Portrait of Pilate

     Other Jewish Accounts

     Evidence apart from the Bible

     Corroborating Early Details

     Truly Raised from the Dead

     Truth That Sets Us Free

Chapter 5: The Scientific Evidence (Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus’ Biographies?)  with Dr. John McRay

     Digging for the Truth

     Luke’s Accuracy As a Historian

     The Reliability of John and Mark

     Puzzle 1: The Census

     Puzzle 2: Existence of Nazareth

     Puzzle 3: Slaughter at Bethlehem

     Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls

     “A Remarkably Accurate Source Book”

Chapter 6: The Rebuttal Evidence (Is the Jesus of History the same as the Jesus of Faith?) with Dr. Gregory Boyd

     Can the Jesus Seminar Be Refuted?

     Writings from the Radical Fringe

     Discovering the “Real” Jesus

     Giving Evidence a Fair Hearing

     Critiquing the Criteria

     Jesus the Wonder Worker

     Jesus and the Amazing Apollonius

     Jesus and the “Mystery Religions”

     Secret Gospels and Talking Crosses

     History versus Faith

     Combing History and Faith

     A Chorus of Criticism

Part 2: Analyzing Jesus

Chapter 7: The Identity Evidence (Was Jesus Really Convinced That He was the Son of God?) with Dr. Ben Witherington III

     Exploring the Earliest Traditions

     By the Finger of God

     John’s Portrait of Jesus

     “I and the Father Are One”

     In the Very Place of God

Chapter 8: The Psychological Evidence (Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?) with Dr. Gary Collins

     “Raving Mad”

     Jesus the Hypnotist

     Jesus the Exorcist

     “Preposterous Imagination”

 

Chapter 9: The Profile Evidence (Did Jesus Fulfill the Attributes of God?) with Dr. D. A. Carson

     Living and Forgiving Like God

     Mystery of the Incarnation

     Creator or Created?

     Was Jesus a Lesser God?

     The Disquieting Question of Hell

     Jesus and Slavery

     Overthrowing Oppression

Chapter 10: The Fingerprint Evidence (Did Jesus – and Jesus Alone – Match the Identity of the Messiah? with Louis Lapides, MDiv, ThM

     A Spiritual Quest Begins

     “I Can’t Believe in Jesus”

     “Pierced for Our Transgressions”

     The Jewishness of Jesus

     Epiphany in the Desert

     Responding to Objections

1.      The Coincidence Argument

2.      The Altered Gospel Argument

3.      The Intentional Fulfillment Argument

4.      The Context Argument

     “Everything Must Be Fulfilled…”

Part 3: Researching the Resurrection

Chapter 11: The Medical Evidence (Was Jesus’ Death a Sham and His Resurrection A Hoax?) with Dr. Alexander Metherell

     Resurrection or Resuscitation?

     The Torture before the Cross

     The Agony of the Cross

     The Cause of Death

     Answering the Skeptics

     The Final Argument

     A Question for the Heart

Chapter 12: The Evidence of the Missing Body (Was Jesus’ Body Really Absent from His Tomb?) with Dr. William Lane Craig

     Defending the Empty Tomb

     Was Jesus Really Buried in the Tomb?

     Is Joseph of Arimathea Historical?

     How Secure Was the Tomb?

     Were Any Guards Present?

     What About the Contradictions?

     Can Discrepancies Be Harmonized?

     Can the Witnesses Be Trusted?

     Why Did the Women Visit the Tomb?

     Why Didn’t Christians Cite the Empty Tomb?

     What’s the Affirmative Evidence?

     What About Alternative Theories?

     Conclusion: The Tomb Was Vacant

 Chapter 13: The Evidence of Appearances (Was Jesus Seen Alive after His Death on the Cross?) with Dr. Gary Habermas

     “Dead People Don’t Do That”

     “Convince Me It’s a Creed”

     The Mystery of the Five Hundred

     The Testimony of the Gospels

     Mark’s Missing Conclusion

     Are There Any Alternatives?

     “No Rational Doubt”

     The Resurrection of Debbie

Chapter 14: The Circumstantial Evidence (Are There Any Supporting Facts That Point to the Resurrection?) with Dr. J. P. Moreland

     EXHIBIT 1: The Disciples Died for Their Beliefs

     EXHIBIT 2: The Conversion of Skeptics

     EXHIBIT 3: Changes to Key Social Structures

     EXHIBIT 4: Communion and Baptism

     EXHIBIT 5: The Emergence of the Church

     Taking the Final Step

Conclusion: The Verdict of History

 An Interview with Lee Strobel...