An Excellent Evangelism Tool for the 21st Century

An Excellent Evangelism Tool for the 21st Century
Review of “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel
Prepared by Bob Koehler for TH365 at Calvary Chapel Bible College
May 22, 2008

“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. The 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 as 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. In addition to his law degree from Yale he holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri. He has been a pastor at two mega churches, Willow Creek and Saddleback, and 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 to my mind 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 two 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 and 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 four 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 who has authored or edited more than fifty books, is a noted theologian, holds numerous degrees and is the chairman of the New Revised Standard Version Bible Committee. The topic of this interview centers on the abundant documentary manuscript evidence supporting the New Testament. In addition the composition of the canon of Scripture is discussed as well as the Nag Hammadi documents. Strobel states that after this interview “no serious doubts lingered” about the reliability of the text of the New Testament.
Third 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 …”
The next topic is archaeology and 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 … to explain a situation apart from the demonic.”
In the eighth 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 next with forensic pathologist Dr. Robert J. Stein. Then Strobel and 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 thirteen 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 … (option) … 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 and 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 … directly addresses the approach my students most commonly take when confronted by the topic of Jesus … 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 and half-truths.” Her assessment seems a little too harsh to me.
Overall I personally preferred the presentation of Josh McDowell in “Evidence That Demands a Verdict.” I thought that Strobel was heavy on quotes and 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 is a great tool for outreach. I have already recommended it to a friend and will continue to do so. My desire to dig deeper and learn even more about Jesus has been increased as a direct result of taking the class on Apologetics Evangelism and reading “The Case for Christ.” I have been teaching an adult Sunday school class on apologetics using the framework of the first five centuries of Christian Church history. I have already woven material from this book into my class.
I am scheduled to preach at our new satellite campus in Seal Beach on a regular basis and will be using material from Lee Strobel whenever it is appropriate to the topic of the week. I plan to continue my research about Jesus and am already halfway through Mark Driscoll’s book “Vintage Jesus – Timeless Answers to Timely Questions.”
As Outreach Base Coach for Cypress Church I have been teaching classes in evangelism and am planning a workshop for our congregation on the subject of personal evangelism. I plan to weave the material from this book into the workshop along with some of the excellent resources made available to me through this class.
I firmly believe that every time I commit my heart to seeking the Lord and learning more about Him that my faith is increased. The more I learn the more I want to learn. As I make myself more available to serve Jesus in ministry, I find new doors opening. As I put into practice what I learn, I find that God is drawing me closer to Him and showing me even more about Himself.
I know that God provides enough time for me to do exactly what He wants me to do each day. However, I still find myself wanting what I know it is impossible to have - more hours in the day for more service in Jesus’ Name.

Bibliography:

“Case for Christ,” http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books;
Foutz, S. D., http://www.theologywebsite.com/books;
http://www.mwillett.org/atheism/strobel.htm;
Lowder, Jeffery J., “The Rest of the Story,” http://www.infidels.org/library;
Kush, K., “Nonsensical “case” for Christ,” http://www.mwillett.org/atheism/strobel.htm;
Strobel, Lee, The Case for Christ, (Grand Rapids, Zondervan), 1998;
“The Case for Christ,” http://www.amazon.com/.
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