Rating: 
Summary: New words, new stories, same old information.
Review: If the book is like the exerpts I personally would have trouble getting into this book. New believers and seekers on the otherhand might find it interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Strobel's Book is "Theology Lite" - keep looking
Review: I am a stuggling Christian, who agrees with Christians and skeptics alike who have criticized this book, as well as Strobel's "The Case for Christ" book. I recommend looking elsewhere for much more thoughtful, intellectually challenging, and better written books on Christ and faith.Strobel writes in a very hackneyed way, which makes it hard even for this believer that Jesus is the Christ to take Strobel seriously. It's as if he is bending over backwards to "prove" he is a hard-nosed, "just the facts, ma'am" newspaper reporter. In so doing, he merely parodies himself. In one "interview" (I do not have the book in front of me-sorry) he asks what he apparently presumes to be a devastating devil's advocate question, and pounds his fist, saying "Case closed." Then Strobel goes on to breathlessly say how his interviewee is taken aback by his brazenness. The writing style is indeed very contrived, and, however unintentionally, it comes across as insincere. No wonder so many skeptics have given him one-star ratings. Not that his interviewees necessarily constitute a think tank, either. In response to an agnostic's quote that 'God cannot possibly exist because of the presence of terrible human suffering', certainly a valid concern even Christians struggle with, Strobel's interviewee commits a terrible faux pas: he begins by criticizing the quote! The interviewee says the quote is an "arrogant" one, keying in on the phrase "cannot possibly exist." I, as a Christian, was thoroughly offput by this response! I can only imagine what a skeptic or non-believing but genuine seeker would make of the passage. I don't doubt Strobel's good intentions (his "Unchurched Harry and Mary" book is OK; he should have stopped there), but what he has created in his two "The Case for..." books are annoyingly simplistic works that will be loved by the "God says it, I believe it, that settles it" crowd, but thoroughly irk just about everyone else, including struggling Christians and non-believing but genuine seekers alike. Some passages may fare somewhat better than others, so Strobel eaks out 2 stars from me instead of one, somewhat reluctantly. I have started reading Faith on Trial, by Pamela Binnings Ewen, which I can say definitely runs rings around Strobel's "theology lite." If nothing else, Ms. Ewen definitely writes at a much higher intellectual level than Strobel. Her perspective as an attorney, asking if the evidence for Christ can withstand a true legal review, offers far more insight than Stobel's banal writing style and sometimes insensitive interviewees. Sorry Lee Strobel, but the book is not recommended...
(pounding fist with contrived exaggerated motion on able)...case closed.
Rating: 
Summary: I wish I could give it 0 stars
Review: Rather than analyze the entire book, I'll try to capture its character by giving you a single example from it. The book tackles, among other things, why God kills children. Specifically, why would God order the killing of children? The book gives two excuses for God's behavior. First, children are not really innocent (born into sin), so God is not killing an innocent person. Second, God gave everyone life so, in the same way that we can uproot the shrubbery in our own back yards, so God can kill us anytime he likes. He owns us. Only a Christian would find these answers satisfactory. An argument for faith that convinces only the faithful is not a successful argument for faith.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for anyone struggling with the concept of faith
Review: Both this book and Lee Strobel's "The Case for Christ" are concise, informative and read like gripping novels. This book provides evidence, support and solid answers for the most frequent questions that come up when people are struggling with their faith. If you have any questions at all about your faith, or if people have been asking you questions you can't find answers to, you MUST read this book. Unlike many scholarly books, "The Case for Faith" is easy to read and understand. Lee Strobel's presentations of interviews with many different scholars make you feel like you're right there in the room with him. I honestly couldn't put it down. I have given "The Case for Faith" as a gift to 5 other people and have just purchased it in bulk (along with "The Case for Christ") to give to many more. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Review: Lee Strobel will be rewarded in heaven for his work that has been used to reach thousands for Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. All of us, including the atheists and agnostics, will someday soon bow our knees to the God of the universe. I pray for those who because of their own rebellion refuse to acknowledge God and therefore condemn themselves.
Rating:
Summary: buyer beware
Review: There are some good points in this book mixed in with a lot of theologians opinions. Basically what the author did was go to a lot of people, theologians, etc, and ask them the difficult questions that keep people from accepting Christianity. Unfortunately a lot of these are just opinions, like when they were talking about hell and one theologian said that the bible described hell in a figurative way. I don't want to burst anyone's bubble but God described hell as a real place filled with real fire. A lot of opinions make up this book, and their not necessarily the truth. A better book would be Know What You Believe, Revised and Updated
by Paul Little
Rating:
Summary: The Case for Faith Removal
Review: I loved Mr. Strobel's 'Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary' as well as 'The Case For Christ', but I literally believe this book was birthed in the pit of hell. You will notice the New Ager's review who commented that Lee's view on hell was 'comforting'. The reason he stated that is because Lee's answer to the question 'How could a loving God send anyone to hell?' was defended by asserting that the scriptures that describe hell as a place of fire is only figurative and that there really is no fire at all in hell. Maybe Mr. Strobel would like to write a follow up book answering questions such as,
1.'If there is no fire in hell, why should I care if I go there or not?',
2. 'Since there is no fire in hell, does that mean that God is really not as serious about sin as we thought?'
3. 'If there is no fire in hell, then why do we need Jesus?'
4. 'If there is no fire in hell, will it be as wild a party as the lead singer for ACDC says it will be?'
These are the questions that I woould like answers to. Two thumbs down.
Rating:
Summary: Burnt out on faith, but brought back. Thanks, Mr. Strobel
Review: For many years, I identified with an earth-based, pagan religion. From there, I had very negative experiences with both pagans and Christians and finally came to a place where I was so disgusted with religion that I actually felt an anomosity towards all things God related or religion related and felt it was all, frankly, a bunch of B.S.
Problem is, that was a rather reflexive response that didn't match what my soul's response was.....I missed having a religious system. I missed prayer, I missed believing in God. I missed Jesus, even though I had never identified myself as a Christian. I started to realize that I still believed in and longed for God and faith and had to try to separate that from feeling so profoundly disgusted by the experiences I had had with "believers" of all walks.
Enter, Lee Strobel's The Case for Faith.
I stumbled on this book at the library, took it home because I was so hungry to have both my intellect and my spirituality fed, and was delighted with the content of "The Case for Faith" as well as the positive influence it has had on my faith in God.
The content addressed the toughest objections I had to Christianity and faith. At times, I'd be reading and be thinking to myself, "Yeah, o.k., but what about....." and there would be my question posed in the very next paragraph. In my opinion, Strobel doesn't back away from any tough question and asserts throughout the book that intellect and faith can and should be partners, not enemies and can serve to enrich and strengthen each other.
One of my favorite parts of the book was how Strobels experts addressed hell---very well done, comforting and sensible.
The one weak spot was how Strobel's expert addressed the topic of reincarnation. That particular person was very dismissive and his arguments against reincarnation flimsy. The fellow made reference to reincarnation being absurd because people could come back as anything--even an ice cube. Well, sir, last time I went to my freezer, it contained no sentient ice cubes so I don't think your analogy holds water--no pun intended. While I am a natural skeptic about reincarnation, I thought the discussion of that topic could have been given more articulate attention. Many religius systems believe that humans only reincarnate as humans or higher sentient animals, such as apes, dolphins or whales, for example. How would the expert respond to that more plausable and interesting hypothesis? Save for the weak handling of reincarnation, the book is excellent and I would highly recommend it. This book has restored my faith in faith and taken me from a path were I was trepidaciously embracing atheism back to feeling like I can enjoy faith, love Jesus, embrace Christianity, pray, study, worship and not have to put my questions, doubts, explorations or intellect out to pasture to do so. Bravo, Mr. Strobel. And thanks a million.
Rating:
Summary: Not much of a reader from Colorado Springs
Review: I am a Christian. A well informed Christian. I've met and discussed with many a well informed atheist/agnostic. The reader from Colorado Springs (here on out known as Bob, due to the length of the name) does not fit into the aforementioned category. Bob has demonstrated himself to be completely unfamiliar with scholars (in general?) of any tradition other than his own. His implication that the contributors (or rather interviewees) are all "obsure teachers" at Bible colleges is preposterous. Walter Bradley is a prof at Texas A&M, Peter Kreeft is from Boston College, William Lane Craig has published a book with Quintin Smith (atheist), and has debated such big name atheists as Antony Flew and Peter Atkins. Hardly "obscure", hardly "Bible Colleges" (though I don't think Bible colleges are the horror of horrors Bob seems to imply they are). The other contributors have similar resumes. It's clear that Bob is completely unfamiliar with those he seeks to critique. Another shameful aspect of Bob's review is that he lists Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein next to David Hume in his little list of (presumably) skeptic's heroes. Rather shocking considering Newton was a churchman and Einstein took a stricly philosophical view against the existence of God (problem of divine foreknowledge and future contingents) while claiming that scientist aren't philosophers, thus undermining his own credulity. It takes a very bold, and in fact uninformed, skeptic to list them with the likes of David Hume. So there's my critique of the critique. On to the book. Obviously the chapters weren't meant to be comprehensive, merely introductory, and it succeeded in it's goal. It would have been impossible to make the chapters much more detailed due to the lenth and format of the book. The great thing about it is that it brings good, respected scholars with which most Christians are unfamiliar into the accessability of the average layperson. That's the success of this book. Strobel is a talented writer finding ways to put tough thoughts into the accessability of the average person. Well done!
Rating:
Summary: A Better Title: Preaching to the Choir
Review: Lest anyone else make the same mistake as I, this is a book for Christians (with a capital C), not for those who are looking for answers or who actually object to christianity. Reading the subtitle, "a journalist investigates the toughest objections to christ," one might expect a rigorous investigation of things that might stand in the way of a belief in christ. One would be wrong. The book is actually a series of sympathetic discussions with folks who are unknown outside Christian circles about topics of interest to believers. I suspect that Christians would find these interviews affirm their faith. For others, the "skeptics" and "atheists," who serve as punching bags throughout the book, the book is probably useless, irrelevant, shallow, or intellectually dishonest. This would be an easy book to trash. Making fun of it would be easy but unfair. Claiming the book's title is misleading would also be unfair -- anyone who has completed a bible study session run by a fundamentalist sect would know what he or she were getting into. I suspect this book will sell mostly at church-run "study groups" and off the "literature" racks in church lobbies where those who genuinely expect a thoughtful, rigorous treatment of these topics will be few and, even if misled, will readily forgive the subtitle. This is a book for a sympathetic audience looking to reinforce its beliefs. Apparently that is a group that, like the "journalist" of the subtitle, is able (and anxious) to give the same credence to the words of an obscure teacher at a "bible college" as they give to thoughts of David Hume, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein. The writing style is acceptable and typical for the genre. Those accustomed to weight loss, pro-ufo, and conspiracy theory books will feel comfortable with its approach, language, and tone. Though some may find the pattern used by the author repetitious, others will find it clear and reassuring: thoughts about the airplane the author takes to the interview are followed by a description of the interviewee -- typically a list of insignificant credentials followed by a physical description. This introductory material often highlights a friendship or intellectual kinship with other bright lights of the fundamentalist movement. This introductory material is apparently designed for those familiar with the scholarly backwaters of bible colleges yet unfamiliar with the routine of modern air travel. It establishes the credibility of both author -- who can afford to travel in these amazing "silver birds" and the "scholar" who is about to pontificate. A series of softball questions and tract-like responses follows. The text would be readable by even the most attention-challenged drop out. The bold-faced headings that one expects in this style of writing are plentiful. The headings help break the text into bite-sized chunks, helping the reader follow the obvious points made in the text and presumably giving readers a sense of progress. Though this is not a book I found edifying or even interesting, I believe it will gratify its intended audience. It would also be an excellent sourcebook for discussion for a study group of believers who feel challenged by skeptics and atheists.
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