Name: Case for Christ, The
ISBN: 9780310226055

Lee Strobel

Case for Christ, The

This was a fantastic book! It helps to deepen your faith with facts. Took me a while to finish because it’s not necessarily exciting. But so very worth the read!

Moriah Howard

Mariel Adrianna de la Garza

This book was given to me when I was in college; I don't remember where, or when, or by whom. I stuck it on my bookshelf with my other bible/theology reads and left it untouched until this month. I was at home and picked out unread books from my bookshelves and saw it sitting there. I found it much more interesting than anticipated and I really enjoyed it.

Strobel has a Master of Study in Law degree from Yale. If you're confused by that (as an almost-J.D., I was) look at http://www.law.yale.edu/admissions/MS.... He worked as a journalist for The Chicago Tribune covering legal issues. He presents the "case" for Christ using a legal/investigative framework. As a law student, I found this refreshing at first, though by the end I feel it was worn out as a rhetorical strategy.

The book is basically a series of interviews with respected scholars and the chapters have titles like "Testing the Eyewitness Evidence" and "The Corroborating Evidence." They're clearly written, easy to follow, and full of what I found to be useful information. They're also flecked with anecdotes, and stories about interesting criminal cases lead each chapter to illustrate the particular kind of evidence Strobel is seeking.

At times I found the information a bit superficial, but then I remembered the book is intended as a starting point for further personal investigation, not an authoritative tome. A really great quality is the long list of sources Strobel provides. Each chapter ends with a list of "more resources on this topic" and there's a long list of sources at the end of the book. It's more than enough information for someone to dig deeper into whatever area they found most interesting or challenging. I love when books encourage further learning. 

I'd definitely recommend this book to Christians and non-Christians alike. Strobel is a former atheist and clearly using his writing to appeal to those who are struggling with belief in Christ or who do not believe at all, and he does so in a manner that is not condescending or accusatory. I grew up a Christian and still found it interesting and, at times, touching. (I cried when reading the chapter dealing with the crucifixion.) All in all, worth the short amount of time it took to read.