Strobel - Case for Christ/Case for Faith Compilation

Resources by Lee Strobel

The Case for Christ

The Case for Christ (audio)

The Case for Christ Student Edition (with Jane Vogel)

The Case for Christ for Kids (with Rob Suggs)

The Case for Christmas

The Case for Christmas (audio)

The Case for a Creator

The Case for a Creator (audio)

The Case for a Creator Student Edition (with Jane Vogel)

The Case for a Creator for Kids (with Rob Suggs)

The Case for Easter

The Case for Faith

The Case for Faith(audio)

The Case for Faith Student Edition (with Jane Vogel)

The Case for Faith for Kids (with Rob Suggs)

Discussing the Da Vinci Code (curriculum; with Garry Poole)

Discussing the Da Vinci Code (discussion guide; with Garry Poole)

Exploring the Da Vinci Code (with Garry Poole)

Experiencing the Passion of Jesus (with Garry Poole)

Faith Under Fire (curriculum series)

Gods Outrageous Claims

Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary

Off My Case for Kids (with Robert Elmer)

Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage (with Leslie Strobel)

Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage (audio)

What Jesus Would Say

ZONDERVAN

The Case for Christ/The Case for Faith
Copyright 2006 by Lee Strobel

The Case for Christ
Copyright 1998 by Lee Strobel

The Case for Faith
Copyright 2000 by Lee Strobel

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ePub Edition August 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-86584-1

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ISBN 978-0-310-6088-0

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Interior design by Sherri L. Hoffman

CONTENTS

Can the Biographies of Jesus Be Trusted?
with Dr. Craig Blomberg

Do the Biographies of Jesus Stand Up to Scrutiny?
with Dr. Craig Blomberg

Were Jesus Biographies Reliably Preserved for Us?
with Dr. Bruce Metzger

Is There Credible Evidence for Jesus outside His Biographies?
with Dr. Edwin Yamauchi

Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus Biographies?
with Dr. John McRay

Is the Jesus of History the Same As the Jesus of Faith?
with Dr. Gregory Boyd

Was Jesus Really Convinced That He Was the Son of God?
with Dr. Ben Witherington III

Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to Be the Son of God?
with Dr. Gary Collins

Did Jesus Fulfill the Attributes of God?
with Dr. D. A. Carson

Did Jesusand Jesus AloneMatch the Identity of the Messiah?
with Louis Lapides, M.Div., Th.M.

Was Jesus Death a Sham and His Resurrection a Hoax?
with Dr. Alexander Metherell

Was Jesus Body Really Absent from His Tomb?
with Dr. William Lane Craig

Was Jesus Seen Alive after His Death on the Cross?
with Dr. Gary Habermas

Are There Any Supporting Facts That Point to the Resurrection?
with Dr. J. P. Moreland

Objection #1:
Since Evil and Suffering Exist, a Loving God Cannot

Objection #2:
Since Miracles Contradict Science, They Cannot Be True

Objection #3:
Evolution Explains Life, So God Isnt Needed

Objection #4:
God Isnt Worthy of Worship If He Kills Innocent Children

Objection #5:
Its Offensive to Claim Jesus Is the Only Way to God

Objection #6:
A Loving God Would Never Torture People in Hell

Objection #7:
Church History Is Littered with Oppression and Violence

Objection #8:
I Still Have Doubts, So I Cant Be a Christian

I am extremely thankful for the insights and contributions that a variety of people have made to this book. In particular, Im indebted to Bill Hybels, who allowed me to produce a series of presentations on this topic at Willow Creek Community Church; my wife, Leslie, who came up with the idea of translating that concept into a book; and my editor, John Sloan, whose creative input greatly enhanced the project.

Also, Im grateful to Mark Mittelberg and Garry Poole for their ongoing encouragement and assistance; Chad Meister and Bob and Gretchen Passantino for their research and ideas; Russ Robinson for his legal perspective; my assistant Jodi Walle for her invaluable help; and my daughter, Alison, and son, Kyle, for their behind-the-scenes contributions.

Finally, Id like to thank the scholars who allowed me to interview them for this book. Again and again I was impressed not only by their knowledge and wisdom but also by their humble and sincere faithas well as their desire to help spiritual seekers investigate the outrageous claims of Jesus.

I n the parlance of prosecutors, the attempted murder case against James Dixon was a dead-bang winner. Open and shut. Even a cursory examination of the evidence was enough to establish that Dixon shot police sergeant Richard Scanlon in the abdomen during a scuffle on Chicagos south side.

Piece by piece, item by item, witness by witness, the evidence tightened a noose around Dixons neck. There were fingerprints and a weapon, eyewitnesses and a motive, a wounded cop and a defendant with a history of violence. Now the criminal justice system was poised to trip the trap door that would leave Dixon dangling by the weight of his own guilt.

The facts were simple. Sergeant Scanlon had rushed to West 108th Place after a neighbor called police to report a man with a gun. Scanlon arrived to find Dixon noisily arguing with his girlfriend through the front door of her house. Her father emerged when he saw Scanlon, figuring it was safe to come outside.

Suddenly a fight broke out between Dixon and the father. The sergeant quickly intervened in an attempt to break it up. A shot rang out; Scanlon staggered away, wounded in his midsection. Just then two other squad cars arrived, screeching to a halt, and officers ran over to restrain Dixon.