Comments on Strobel's "Case for Christ"

A reader recently e-mailed me (zeteo DOT eurisko AT gmail DOT com) to ask about my promised review of Lee Strobel's book The Case for Christ:

I have run across your blog in my search for truth which most people begin at some time or another and was curious as to your thoughts on Lee Strobel's "A Case For Christ"? I noticed you had an outline, but I didn't find much information. Any information provided will be very much appreciated.

My response follows.

A review of Strobel's book is somewhat on hold. In reading his book, as well as the apologetic works of Josh McDowell, I am frustrated by the one-sided presentation of the material. They never include a complete presentation of the views and arguments of their opponents. They both often include long passages refuting opposing opinions, but the reader unfamiliar with those alternate views is left to either trust that the apologist is right or seek out the alternative views themselves for closer examination.

I have selected the second path. Strobel and McDowell have taken on such a broad subject matter in their writings that the diligent truth seeker will do well to pursue further study. For a start, read Jeff Lowder's article on the Strobel book:
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jeff_lowder/strobel-rev.html

(Infidels.org is a good site for finding opinions opposing those of the apologists. I'm not necessarily endorsing the site -- read their views as critically as you would any other! It is a good resource for counterpoint, though.)

The book that I'm reading now has been quite interesting. It is Bart Ehrman's New Testament introduction:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195154622/sr=8-3/qid=1156345461/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-6654396-3744819?ie=UTF8

It's actually a college textbook, so the overview of the NT is quite extensive, but the text is accessible to someone, like me, who is not an NT scholar. This is an interesting work in that it does not so much endorse strong conclusions -- like the apologists' works -- as it teaches the methods by which scholars come to those conclusions through various methods of critical thinking. The text also serves as a repository of good information that counters apologists' arguments.

Note that both Ehrman and Lowder were both once evangelical Christians whose reasoned study has led them to alternative conclusions. Lowder is an atheist, Ehrman, an agnostic.

The most important thing is to critically evaluate your sources of information, whether they be Christian or not. This requires lots of reading in addition to any single perspective.