Rating: 
Summary: you can't deny the truth
Review: I've notice a bunch of negative reviews, no doubt by people upset they cannot refute the evidence but still wish not to believe the truth. This book is basically the easy to read version of his massive "evidence that demands a verdict". If you've glanced at that book, this will be nothing new. But this is a lot easier for the average person to take in. Only takes a few hours at most to read it completely. As metioned in the book, seek and you will find.. if you don't believe, simply use all of your energy to try to prove it wrong like the author did, in the end you will find the truth.
Rating: 
Summary: Not meant to be a comprehensive apologetic
Review: The negative reviews of this book are apparently expecting it to be a polemic proving the diety of Jesus Christ. Those looking for such material should check out "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict" by the same author or "The Case for Faith" or "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. This book's aim is different, which in no way decreases its value to someone who is openly searching for truth.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: This book has a very interesting and detailed perspective. I would also highly recommend that sincere truth seekers get a copy of According to the Scriptures: Comparing What The Pastor Said With What the Master Said, Volume 1 by Bobby Woods. Available at ...- it is an empowering, fresh, and honest read.
Rating: 
Summary: Less than a carpenter's apprentice
Review: A truly worthless book is hard to come by, and this one may just fit the bill. Woefully circular and question begging, this would-be attempt at apologetics is a waste of time and money. Since it's pretty much preaching to the choir, it does not engage skeptics and liberal bible scholars. Strewn with pathetic anecdotes and lame arguments, it cannot even begin to challenge the mind of an average person that has access to Encarta encyclopedia, much less those who have read the Jesus Seminar and Earl Doherty's The Jesus Puzzle. If you're looking for a reasonably good Jesus apologetic, try N.T. Wright's books.
Rating: 
Summary: Wasn't Impressed with the Proofs
Review: I wasn't impressed with the use of circular logic within this book. The Case for Christ is a far better book when looking from a logic-oriented viewpoint. Still a good book, but the circular logic can be distracting.Have fun and good luck :)
Rating:
Summary: A book that everyone should read at least once...
Review: I first read Josh McDowell's "More Than A Carpenter" when I was a freshman in college. Someone had given me the book, and although I was already a committed Christian, it literally blew me away with the simultaneous simplicity and depth of its arguments on behalf of Jesus Christ. Like a prosecutor laying out his case, McDowell presents a series of facts about Jesus of Nazareth and attempts to uncover the truth about his life. Jesus claimed to be God himself. So either Jesus was a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. McDowell performs brilliantly in putting forward his case that Jesus was and is Lord. Few books better illustrate that believing in Christ is NOT a matter of "blind faith", but rather part of an intellectual exercise. Faith is a matter of believing in and trusting in the facts that are presented. (i.e., Are the words of Jesus trustworthy?) For most objective readers of McDowell's book, the answer will be a resounding yes... Britt Gillette
Author of "Conquest of Paradise: An End-Times Nano-Thriller"
Rating:
Summary: Basic Introduction and Arguments
Review: I read this book when I was in college. For a while, it spurred in me a desire to read more in the area of Apologetics before my theology professor sparked my interest in Systematics. I consider myself fairly well read on both sides of Apologetics arguments (and one has to be if they want to be an Apologeticist), and I found later that Carpenter is really a rather simple sort of book. It's the sort of thing that's good for the average laymen. It does teach very basic thought processes for someone just getting into the field, but it is woefully inadequate once a person gains more than a toehold. This book would make a good tool to allow your average reader to engage in meaningful debate with a friend who is agnostic or atheist, but is equally unlearned in the subject. However, the arguments and ideas McDowell presents have been around for a while and have been "refuted" or at least raised questions that the author never intended. For that reason, and because it got so many into apologetics, I give the book a healthy four stars. But, don't think by any means that it, or Lee Strobel for that matter, will make you an expert on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: The Debate of Christ
Review: Josh McDowell
More Than a Carpenter
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Wheaton, Illinois. 1977
Special edition
128pp.
0-8423-4556-6 For more than 2,000 years the identity of Jesus Christ has been debated throughout the world. In More Than a Carpenter, Josh McDowell presents compelling cases concerning the identity of Jesus Christ, the reliability of Biblical records, the reality of a resurrection, and prophesy. Josh supports his claims by using personal and recorded testimonies, the archaeological record, "legal-historical proof", as well as quoting over 100 well known sources. For the past 39 years, Josh McDowell has been documenting why he believes faith in Jesus Christ is intellectually feasible. He is currently active in presenting his evidence to universities all over the country and challenging individuals to seek the truth about his claims. This book is written for anyone wanting to search out either the greatest hoax or the greatest truth in all history.
Rating:
Summary: Good "Summary" of the existence of Jesus.
Review: I almost thought about giving this book three stars but I decided to be nice. Josh McDowell is a good writer, but less of a historian. He does a good quick swift job of making his points. I especially love the Lord, Liar, or Lunatic chapter in which I agreed with 100% after reading. But overall the book was too short! If you are going to write an analytical historical book, you should back it up with as much historical information as possible. For a historical book, it did not cover enough. And Josh McDowell should have confronted the issues that other historian's might take. This was done poorly in this book. He resorted to refuting arguments made by flight attendants and philosophy teachers that probably have studied biblical texts very little. Overall, a decent book.
Rating:
Summary: Great book using the simplest logic
Review: Using basic human logic McDowell is able to paint a very compelling portrait of the truth of Christianity. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone. It has certainly strengthened my faith. And as MCDowell points out, the gospels have FAR greater evidence for their accuracy than any other piece of historical literature.
For the people who are criticizing this book, it is obvious that they either haven't really read it, or they just don't like Christianity and won't let themselves believe even if they come across logical arguements for it.
I noticed people criticizing the "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" portion of the book saying that McDowell falsely gives only 3 alternatives for a result. THERE CAN ONLY BE THESE THREE! If Jesus claimed to be the son of God, then either he was lying about it, he was nuts (meaning he only thought he was the son of God), or he was telling the truth! Tell me now folks.... what other "alternative" can there be?
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