The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ


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    • Author : Lee Strobel
    • Binding : Paperback
    • EAN : 9780310240617
    • Format : Large Print
    • ISBN : 0310240611
    • Is Eligible For Trade In? : Yes
    • Label : Zondervan
    • List Price : $12.99 (USD)
    • Manufacturer : Zondervan
    • Number Of Items : 1
    • Number Of Pages : 320
    • Package Dimensions : 1.10 inches (Height) x 7.80 inches (Length) x 0.53 pounds (Weight) x 5.28 inches (Width)
    • Publication Date : 2007-09-10
    • Publisher : Zondervan
    • Studio : Zondervan

    FOR DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE THE USA. From college classrooms to bestselling books to the Internet, the historic picture of Jesus is under an intellectual onslaught. This fierce attack on the traditional portrait of Christ has confused spiritual seekers and created doubt among many Christians -- but can these radical new claims and revisionist theories stand up to sober scrutiny?

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    Customer Reviews:

    Rated 4.0 stars Customers rated The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ 4.0 stars out of 5.0 based on 90 reviews:

    • Strobel Builds a Solid Case

      by Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - 2010-08-21  Rated 5 stars
      Lee Strobel addresses recent attacks on the four Gospels and other New Testament writings by interviewing scholars who reveal the careless research of those making the accusations. Many of the so called new revelations are "old news" to experts who have devoted their academic careers to the subjects being addressed. Frequently comparisons are overgeneralized, placed in improper historical context, or come from sources that are not reliable and not as current as the original documents. Strobel takes great care in offering evidence to counter each claim that is made by the critics. He cites the credentials of the scholars he interviews and goes on to present their responses to the rumors and gossip fueled by popular culture and the Internet. In addition to building a solid case and letting the evidence carry the weight of his argument, Strobel is a gifted writer, but one would expect such from a former journalist for the Chicago Tribune. For people serious about investigating the real Jesus of history, I recommend this book.

    • Strobel makes his case

      by Tim Beazley (San Diego, CA United States) - 2010-05-23  Rated 4 stars
      Some modern challenges to the traditional Christian view of the historical Jesus come from pop culture, like Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code." Others come from modern scholars with impressive credentials, like Bart Ehrman, Elaine Pagels, and the Jesus Seminar. Still others come from modern philosophies, such as the postmodernist claim that everything, including morality, is relative and that it is virtually impossible to know anything for certain about the distant past. "The Case for the Real Jesus" is Lee Strobel's response to those modern challenges. I previously read Strobel's "The Case for a Creator" and found that book to be completely stupid, so I was prepared to dislike this book too. I'm happy to say, however, that it's nowhere near as bad. In fact, it's actually pretty good. "Real Jesus" follows the same general pattern as "The Case for a Creator." Strobel interviews a variety of people said to be renowned experts in this or that field, in hopes of getting reliable answers to a number of challenges to traditional Christian religious beliefs. The qualifications of some of the so-called "experts" in "The Case for a Creator" were obviously hyped beyond all recognition, but Strobel seems much more restrained in "Real Jesus." (Perhaps Strobel didn't need to engage in any hyperbolic puffery this time around, because the experts in this book, unlike in the former book, really are experts!) In any case, the challenges Strobel presents in "Real Jesus" and the experts' responses to them were quite interesting and informative. Strobel addresses six main challenges: 1. Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the four gospels. 2. The Bible's portrait of Jesus can't be trusted because the Church tampered with the text. 3. New explanations refute Jesus' resurrection. 4. Some Christian beliefs were simply copied from pagan religions. 5. Jesus failed to fulfill the Messianic prophecies. 6. People should be free to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus. All six discussions were well done, but one of my favorites was the very first one with Craig Evans about how historians normally evaluate the reliability of ancient documents. When the normal standards that are used in other contexts are applied to both the New Testament writings and the non-canonical "Lost Gospels" that challenge them, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Judas, the Secret Gospel of Mark, etc., the overwhelming superiority of the canonical documents is obvious. The second discussion, which covered some of the textual discrepancies that skeptics like Bart Ehrman and Richard Carrier rely on in their arguments, was another highlight. Strobel's expert, Daniel B. Wallace, presents a convincing counterargument supporting the traditional view of the historical Jesus. But my favorite section was the third, in which Michael Licona dismantled various objections to the Resurrection story. Licona points out that alternative explanations have to account for at least three generally accepted historical facts: the crucifixion itself, the empty tomb, and the post-Resurrection appearances. This or that alternative explanation may -- repeat, may -- be somewhat successful in dealing with one or the other of the three facts, but no single alternative explanation has been able to convincingly explain all three facts. There is only one unified explanation so far that fully incorporates all three facts, and that's the traditional Christian view. I don't necessarily agree with all of the experts' arguments. The arguments that the presence of embarrassing details in the Gospels is powerful evidence of the Gospel's truthfulness, that Luke's accuracy about geographic details is strong evidence of his reliability on other matters, and that there are no reasonable alternative explanations for the "enemy" conversions of Paul and James seem strained. For example, an important part of the James-argument is that James was in fact the brother of Jesus, and probably over half of all Christians don't actually believe that that "fact" is in fact true. Nevertheless the vast majority of the other arguments seem well thought out and powerfully argued, especially in comparison with some of the objections that Strobel claims have been made by Muslim, atheist, and liberal challengers, which frequently seemed downright laughable or, as with the Secret Gospel of Mark, even fraudulent. Unfortunately, Strobel appeared pretty laughable himself on at least one occasion. One of Strobel's experts complained about how some attacks on the traditional view of the historical Jesus are made in popular literature, where ridiculous claims might mislead people without the academic background needed to evaluate those attacks. That's a very good point, and Strobel, as usual, seems to accept his expert's complaint quite readily. The problem is that Strobel was guilty of exactly the same sort of stupidity himself in his "Case for a Creator," in w ...

    • Absolutely Explosive!

      by Gordon A. M. Hazell - 2010-05-07  Rated 5 stars
      WOW! If I didnt believe in the veracity of scripture before I surely and more definitely do now. Strobel is a necessity in todays world of skepticism and radical atheism. WHile many try to make Christianity to be a faith bankrupt of intelligence Men like strobel, who have personally been in the center of the skepticism they now seek to counter, have shown just how easy it is to demonstrate the importance of the Christian Worldview. Great Read!

    • Interviews with Leading Experts about the Evidence Concerning Christ's Divinity

      by Professor Donald Mitchell (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 97,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - 2010-04-23  Rated 5 stars
      "So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" -- Matthew 27:54 (NKJV) I developed an interest in reading this book after hearing Lee Strobel preach at Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a few weeks ago. He presented a lot of background information about Jesus that was new to me, and I decided I wanted to learn more. I believe that you will gain the most benefit from The Case for the Real Jesus if you first read Lee Strobel's earlier book, The Case for Christ. The facts and arguments in The Case for the Real Jesus are often connected to material in The Case for Christ. In the interest of helping you figure out if this is a book you want to read, I suggest you begin by taking a look at pages 266-267 where the key issues addressed in the book are summarized. The book considers these challenges that have been frequently raised in the public press during recent years: 1. "Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents just as credible as the four Gospels." 2. "The Bible's portrait of Jesus cannot be trusted because the church tampered with the text." 3. "New explanations have refuted Jesus' resurrection." 4. "Christianity's beliefs about Jesus were copied from pagan religions." 5. "Jesus was an imposter who failed to fulfill the Messianic prophecies." 6. "People should be free to pick and choose what to believe about Jesus." Each section basically follows the format of finding one of these six challenges, documenting who made the claim and what the claim was based on, locating an expert in that area, and asking the expert to comment on the claim. You may find that format a little restrictive for getting all of your questions answered. I think you'll find that reading this book is a little like getting an appetizer-sized portion of the information. It would have been much more interesting if Mr. Strobel had arranged for those who made these claims to debate the "expert" who was interviewed and then reported on the give-and-take. The book is filled with references, however, so you'll have an easy time tracking down the original claim and what others have written on the subject. I believe there's enough here to lead you to the information you are looking for to make up your mind from what the sources say or suggest and your heart tells you. If you are a graduate-level theology student, this material will be too simple for you. If you are just an average person who wants to understand more about what scholars are disagreeing about, you'll probably find that you will get enough information in many areas to satisfy your curiosity. I feel that people should know why they believe what they believe. The historical record about Jesus' life through the ascension into heaven is richer than is typically the case for events that happened almost two thousand years ago, and I think most people who want to know more about Jesus will be glad they became more familiar with the sources and how they were developed and analyzed. May God bless you, your family, and all you do in the name of Jesus!

    • BRILLIANT LEE!

      by Robert Comer (Red Lion, Pa.) - 2010-04-16  Rated 5 stars
      Lee Strobel, I have read now three of your books, "The Case For Christ" "The Case For Easter" and now "The Case For The Real Jesus" Congratulations Lee! Your research and dedication is far and beyond all with an opposing view. I think your presentation is commendable. It is not "In your face" to the unbeliever, but a very pleasant and soothing delivery of the known facts. I thank you for your dedication to the Lord. Of course, we know, as all real Christians know, only his Holy Spirit can bring one to a realization of his existence. And you Lee, being a former atheist, know very well how one's PRIDE can keep one from seeing the truth! Thank you Lee! Excellent work!

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