It’s likely if you’re reading this blog, you’ve heard of Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Christ. The story goes- Lee Strobel was a Harvard Law graduate and “investigative” reporter for the Chicago Tribune and an Atheist.
In his book and newly released movie by the same title, Strobel describes how he found his faith through the true word of Christ.
Watch Brian Dalton, aka Mr. Deity, review Strobel’s The Case for Christ. It’s perfect!
Strobel appears to be the worst “investigative” reporter ever! Apparently, he has the required training and skill set. But, holy shit, he blows it! Not once did Strobel speak with an atheist or skeptic to refute what the Apologists told him. Classic confirmation bias! Strobel set out to learn about the Christ…several Apologists fed him the standard bullshit reasons…and he blindly accepted them. A half-ass reporter (Harvard educated!) would have followed up to investigate the claims he just heard.
(Side note- over 11 years ago, when I was still in my fire-brand Atheist phase, my born-again Christian brother tried to present The Case for Christ to me as sound reasons to believe in God.)
So, let’s have a brief look at what Strobel lays out for the Case for Christ. The following “evidences for Christ” can be found at All About Jesus Christ.
The Case for Christ – The Findings
Strobel divides the case for Christ into three basic sections:
1. The Historical Record:
The eyewitness evidence (can the biographies of Jesus Christ be trusted, and do they stand up to scrutiny?).
The documentary evidence (were the biographies of Jesus reliably preserved for us?)
The corroborating evidence (is there credible evidence for Jesus Christ outside of His biographies?)
The scientific evidence (does archaeology confirm or contradict Jesus’ biographies?)
The rebuttal evidence (is the Jesus of history the same as the Jesus of Christian faith?)
2. A Profile of Jesus Christ:
The identity evidence (was Jesus really convinced that He was the Son of God?) The hological evidence (was Jesus crazy when He claimed to be the Son of God?)
The profile evidence (did Jesus fulfill the attributes of God?)
The fingerprint evidence (did Jesus – and Jesus alone – match the identity of the prophesied Messiah?)
3. The Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ:
The medical evidence (was the death of Jesus Christ a sham and His resurrection a hoax?)
The evidence of the missing body (was Jesus’ body really absent from His tomb?)
The evidence of His appearances (was Jesus seen alive after His death on the cross?)
The circumstantial evidence (are there any supporting facts that point to the resurrection?)
The Case for Christ – Examining the Evidence
In trying the case for Christ, Strobel cross-examined a number of experts and recognized authorities in their own fields of study. He conducted his examination with no religious bias, other than his predisposition to atheism. Remarkably, after compiling and critically examining the evidence for himself, Strobel became a Christian. Stunned by his findings, he organized the evidence into a book he entitled, The Case for Christ, which has won the Gold Medallion Book Award for excellence. Strobel asks one thing of each reader – remain unbiased in your examination of the evidence. In the end, judge the evidence for yourself, acting as the lone juror in the case for Christ.
My thoughts- my favorite line, presented in the last paragraph, is “he conducted his examination with no religious bias, other than his predisposition to atheism.” For fuck’s sake, this is absurd! It IS bias when you do not address the other side of the issue. As I have previously stated, Strobel only interviewed Christian Apologists. He didn’t investigate their claims!
What really bothers me is that Strobel keeps claiming that he has always been a skeptic. During his investigations, several red flags should have popped up which should have led to further investigations. As a Harvard educated law student, Strobel should know that eyewitness accounts are not as reliable as one may think. He lost all credibility with that first line of “evidence.”
I’ll conclude with this gem of a shit statement of Strobel:
“I spent two years looking at the evidence, and in light of what I consider to be an avalanche of evidence that points so powerfully toward the truth of Christianity, I came to the conclusion that it would take more faith to maintain my atheism than to become a Christian.”
Please visit mrdeity.com for his hilarious Mr. Deity and The Way of the Mister videos.