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"The Case for Christ" looks at the evidence about Jesus Christ from the perspective of a skeptical investigative legal reporter searching for the real story.

Author, Lee Strobel, is a former law student from Yale who went on to become "an award winning journalist" with the Chicago Tribune. The Tribune link intrigued me. My grandfather, Philip Kinsley, was a reporter there during the 1930's and 1940's.

Strobel is extremely well qualified to address the task of examining the evidence for Jesus. He holds a law degree from Yale & a journalism degree from the Univ. of Missouri. He has been a pastor at two mega churches, Willow Creek & Saddleback, & is a prolific author. He describes "The Case for Christ" as his effort to retrace the steps of his own spiritual journey prior to making his personal commitment to follow Jesus many years ago.

This book recalls a time in the early 1990s when I was searching for answers as the Spirit of God was lifting me out of the deceptive doctrines of Christian Science. At that time I read the 2 volume series by Josh McDowell, "Evidence That Demands a Verdict." Like McDowell, Strobel examines evidence but in an entirely different way. Strobel's book is the account of his travels and interviews with thirteen leading Christian scholars and apologists. He uses his hard hitting, pointed questions and the answers provided by these scholars to build a very convincing argument, similar to a legal brief, in favor of Jesus Christ & the Christian faith. He concludes with an appeal to his readers to reach the same verdict.

The first topic Strobel tackles is the reliability of the accounts of the life of Jesus in the New Testament. His interview is with Dr. Craig Blomberg who is "widely considered to be one of the country's foremost authorities on the biographies of Jesus" (the 4 Gospels). Initially Blomberg verifies that the Gospels of Mathew, Mark and Luke are almost certainly written by the traditionally accepted authors. He states that there is some debate about which "John" wrote the fourth Gospel. On the subject of common source material which may have been used by the three writers of the synoptic Gospels, Blomberg states that the supposed "Q" document is "nothing more than a hypothesis." He makes a strong case for early authorship of these accounts of Jesus' life and also discusses early Christian creeds. In Blomberg's opinion the "fundamental beliefs in Jesus' atonement, his resurrection, and his unique association with God" can be traced back to a time "within two to five years of the events themselves."

The next interview is with Dr. Bruce Metzger, author/editor of more than fifty books & a noted theologian. He holds numerous degrees & is the chairman of the New Revised Standard Version Bible Committee. This interview centers on the abundant documentary manuscript evidence supporting the New Testament. In addition the composition of the canon of Scripture is discussed and the Nag Hammadi documents. Strobel states that after this interview "no serious doubts lingered" about the reliability of the text of the New Testament.

3rd on the list of experts is Dr. Edwin Yamauchi of Miami University in Oxford Ohio. Their discussion centers primarily on evidence for Jesus outside of the Bible itself. After discussing writings of Josephus, Tacitus and others, Professor Yamaucui concludes: "For me, the historical evidence has reinforced my commitment to Jesus Christ as the Son of God %u2026"

The next topic is archaeology & the expert witness is none other than John McRay, Ph.D., the author of "Archaeology and the New Testament" and consultant for the cable TV program "Mysteries of the Bible." Strobel verifies that Luke's remarkable accuracy as a historian is verified by archaeology as well as details in Mark and John. McRay shows how the evidence of document 4Q521 from the Dead Sea Scrolls has helped unravel some riddles about Jesus. The McRay interview helps Strobel conclude that archaeology provides "important corroboration" for the reliability of the New Testament.

As the interviews continue expert Gregory Boyd refutes contentions of the Jesus Seminar about the Jesus of history being different from the Jesus of faith. Strobel's discussion with Dr. Ben Witherington focuses on Jesus' view of himself and his claims to deity as revealed in Scripture. Next the psychological evidence is reviewed with Dr. Gary Collins. The idea that I found most intriguing from this chapter was Collins' contention that, to a degree, people find what they are looking for. While discussing the topic of Jesus' exorcisms he states: "People who deny the existence of the supernatural will find some way %u2026 to explain a situation apart from the demonic."

In the 8th interview Strobel grills Dr. Donald Carson of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School about the incarnation. They also discuss the relationship of Jesus to God the Father and controversy surrounding the word "begotten" used in many English Bible translations. Carson's scholarly view is that a better translation of "begotten" might be "unique one." The word does not indicate that Jesus is "ontologically begotten in time."

The next interview is with Messianic Jewish scholar Louis Lapides. Predictably their discussion focuses on Jesus' Jewishness and His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Lapides dismisses the thought that anyone could have orchestrated their life in such a way as to satisfy the many and varied predictions that Jesus did. "Not a chance," says Lapides. "The odds are so astronomical that they rule that out."

Medical evidence is reviewed with forensic pathologist Dr. Robert J. Stein. Then Strobel & Dr. Bill Crane discuss the empty tomb, Joseph of Arimathea and the harmonization of Gospel accounts about Jesus' death and resurrection. Next the biblical accounts of Jesus after His resurrection are reviewed with author and scholar Gary Habermas who has written seven books on the subject of Jesus rising from the dead. Their conversation includes a look at the debate on the short and long endings of Mark's Gospel as well as various alternative theories about Jesus' post-resurrection appearances.

The last interview is with the noted philosopher and theologian Dr. J. P. Moreland. This chapter deals with circumstantial evidence in support of the Christian faith. Topics include the fact that the disciples died for their beliefs, the conversion of hardened skeptics to Christianity (James and Paul), changes in social structure in the first century, the emergence of the church and the ordinances of communion and baptism.

Strobel's final chapter is a brief review of his 13 interviews with a summary of each subject. He then presents his "Formula of Faith" which is to believe in Jesus, receive God's free gift through a step of faith and become a child of God through gradual character changes "with Christ's help." The final section invites the reader "as a fair and impartial juror" to reach a verdict in favor of Jesus Christ. The author closes with the classic words spoken by C. S. Lewis about a person who says that Jesus is a "great moral teacher" but who do not accept "His claim to be God." Lewis states that Jesus "has not left that %u2026 (option) %u2026 open to us. He did not intend to."

Throughout the narrative Strobel intersperses stories from his secular journalistic encounters with his current quest for the truth about Jesus. This technique has the effect of making the book read "like a captivating, fast-paced novel. But it's not fiction."

The approach seems to work & Strobel does make a thorough examination of many areas where seekers and skeptics might have doubts or concerns. Community reviewer Marlene at chapters.indigo.ca states: "I was not really a sceptic (sic) but found that questions that I haven't even thought of were answered and evidence produced that I didn't know existed. This is an excellent book for those on the edge." Scott Foutz echoes these views at theologywebsite.com: "Strobel's book %u2026 directly addresses the approach my students most commonly take when confronted by the topic of Jesus %u2026 The writing style is highly readable and engaging."

Probably the best feature of the book from my personal perspective is that it serves as a condensed research project with documentation of the views of many well respected Evangelical Christian scholars. "Strobel is to be commended for summarizing the work of so many leading apologists for Evangelical Christianity in such a compact and easy-to-read format."

Although many reviews are very complimentary there is definitely another side to the coin. Strobel interviews only proponents and supporters of Christianity. He totally ignores actual contact with detractors although he does speak about their views. In addition one reviewer, Gloria Kan, comments that the book is "loaded with logical fallacies, falsehoods & half-truths." Her assessment seems a little too harsh to me.

Overall I preferred the presentation of Josh McDowell in "Evidence That Demands a Verdict." I thought that Strobel was heavy on quotes & light on detailed references to the actual evidence referred to by the subjects of his interviews. Atheist Kush K. remarks: "Strobel, without doubt, is a dramatic writer. Unfortunately, drama cannot substitute for substance, logic and consistency. Drama is not evidence."

Although Kush's comment may be true (at least in part) one must consider the source. As with any issue in Christian apologetics, if a person does not have an open mind they will most assuredly find what they are looking for. Their theological conclusions will reflect the presuppositions of their jaded worldview.

I believe that this book, "The Case for Christ", is a great resource & I highly recommend it.

"When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, 'Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?'" This is the most critical question we will ever have to answer because our eternal destiny depends on what we believe about Jesus Christ.

Most of our information about Jesus comes from the Bible and, more specifically, the New Testament. How do we know that we can trust what we read in the pages of Scripture? How do we know that what we are told about Him in the New Testament is the truth?

The Bible came from God to us through four different processes which are like links in a chain. These are inspiration, canonization, transmission and translation. After God had spoken through the inspired authors, their writings were assembled and recognized. From studying the writings of the early church fathers we know that very early in the history of the church the writings of the apostles were spread throughout the Christian world, collected and preserved. According to scholar and theologian Norman Geisler: "The corroborative quotations of the church Fathers from the first few centuries, totaling over 36,000, include almost every verse of the New Testament."

"The story of the transmission and translation of the Bible is an exciting one, and confirms our confidence in Scripture." In this paper we will examine the reliability of the New Testament. Since the original Bible documents were written thousands of years ago, what confidence can we have that these writings have been preserved intact down through the ages? Were the scribes faithful in fulfilling their duties? Did they add to or subtract from the original text? Are the manuscripts we have reliable? Are biblical assertions supported by archaeology, science and history?
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The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the central event of Christianity. Many skeptics have attacked the New Testament accounts of these historical happenings. Jesus had to die in order to fulfill God's righteous requirements as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. If Jesus' death cannot be verified some might doubt their salvation. But "professional medical opinions are unanimous in concluding that Jesus certainly died as a result of being crucified."
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Despite the controversies, both of the major Greek texts used for English Bible translations are extremely accurate. Before his death in 1952, British paleographer and scholar Sir Frederick Kenyon stated:

"The interval then between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established."
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My studies in Apologetics and my reading and research in preparation for this paper have firmly convinced me that the Bible I hold in my hand contains the "vox" (voice or meaning) of God's Word. I can base my faith, my hope of salvation and my abundant life in Christ on the principles found in Scripture with no doubt that God has spoken to me through its pages.
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To read the full text of this report please visit:

"Rightly Dividing The Word - A Christian Blog authored by Bob Koehler."

For more information about Jesus and Christianity check out some of these books:

"Why Grace Changes Everything by Chuck Smith"

"Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll"

"Every Day With Jesus by Greg Laurie"