Jesus Christ - Who is Jesus-- really?: a dialogue on God, man, and grace

[A DIALOGUE ON GOD, MAN, AND GRACE]

COFFE HOUSE

CHRONICLES

WHO IS

J E S U S

...REALLY?

JOSH MCDOWELL
AND DAVE STERRETT

M OODY P UBLISHERS
CHICAGO

2011 by J OSH M C D OWELL and D AVE S TERRETT

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, aretaken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

All Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

All Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale house Publishers, inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

All Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Edited by Paul Santhouse Cover design: Faceout Studio
Interior design: Ragont Design Cover image: Getty #71854369, and
Sterrett Photo: Katherine Robertson iStock #8196668, #6032134
McDowell Photo: Barbara Gannon

Library of congress cataloging-in-Publication Data

McDowell, Josh.
Who is Jesusreally? : a dialogue on God, man, and grace / Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett.
p. cm. (The coffeehouse chronicles; 2)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8024-8767-4
1. Jesus ChristPerson and offices. 2. Jesus Christhistoricity.
3. Apologetics. I. Sterrett, Dave. II. Title.
BT203.M3387 2011
232.8dc22 2010042290

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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To
Dr. Robert Saucy,
my professor and mentor for three years.
Who always challenged me to love Jesus,
study the Scriptures, and pursue Truth.
Josh

To
David Gilbert, Michael Gilbert, and Bill Sterrett
These three men, who love Christ,
have challenged me to share Gods love with others.
Dave

THE AUDITORIUM was packed. Hundreds of students, faculty, and donors turned out for the humanitarian dinner, and Dr. William Peterson, professor emeritus at Opal School of Religion, was about to deliver the keynote. He walked onstage to hearty applause, spread his notes on the lectern, and made eye contact with friends.

Thank you for that very gracious welcome. Honestly, the students who organized this event deserve all the recognition, and Ill be asking one of them to join me up here in just a moment. First, let me highlight an important upcoming event here at the school of religion.

Were pleased to announce an exciting new lecture series entitled The Historical Christ: Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up. Beginning October 8, right here in Wesley Auditorium, three professorsincluding two of our ownwill be exploring and debating the historicity of Jesus Christ. This is something you wont want to miss.

Nick, sitting at a front table, nodded at his friend and instructor, Jamal Washington. Jamal would be one of those speakers, and Nick couldnt wait.

Dr. Peterson went on to recognize several teams of students who spent their summer months working with orphans and refugees in Majority World countries. Then, turning to his right, he invited one of them, Jessica Friesen, to join him at the podium and describe this years student-led humanitarian campaign. Nicks heart pounded as Jessica crossed the stage. She looked stunning. He noted how long her hair looked when she wore it down, and how fit she looked, probably from her marathon training. If only Id acted differently she might still be interested in me, he mused. Maybe I should have huh? His friend Jared was shoving a note under his elbow. He unfolded it and read, Heyclose your mouth, chump!

Nick smiled at him, and then turned back toward Jessica. She had been completely transformed since coming to faith in Christ five months ago. All she ever talked about was Jesus. No more getting wasted with the girls at the bars on McKinney and Lower Greenville. She even turned him down one night when he asked her out for Tex-Mex. What was that about? She loved Tex-Mex. Nick was offended because her rejection seemed personal. Although she expressed genuine gratitude for his influence in leading her to trust Christ, the more she grew in her relationship with God, the less time she made for her relationship with him.

Then again, she was busy. Between her nineteen credit hours, leading the Sudan project for girls, and training for the marathon, the only time he saw her was at the weekly I am Second campus Bible study. He shook his head. Months ago he was the one resisting a romantic relationship because of her disinterest in Christianity. Now she was avoiding him! It just didnt make sense.

Jessica closed with a story about the Opal students who had traveled to Sudan during the summer. The audience was moved by her emotional appeal and responded with a round of applause and cheering as she returned to her seat.

Throughout Dr. Petersons lecture Nick glanced at Jessica and reflected on their times together. At one point, her eyes met his and she smiled before quickly looking back at Professor Peterson. She seemed to be moving on, and Nick felt convicted that he should be thinking more about the children in Sudan.