Book Synopsis:
Lee Strobel knows how important it is to find answers that ring true. With his background as an award-winning legal journalist, asking tough questions has been his business. And while his search for the truth convinced Lee that Jesus is real, it also confronted him with some particulary knotty, gut-level questions about Christianity. Why is ther suffering? Doesn't science disprove miralcles? What about hell---and the millions who've never heard of Jesus? Is God unjust? They're the kind of conundrums that can---and have---blocked people's faith.
They don't have to block yours. Join Lee in a fascinating journey of discovery. You'll gain powerful insights that will reshape your understanding of the Bible. And you'll read true stories of people whose experiences demonstrate that fiath in Jesus not only make excellent sense, but a life-changing difference.
My Review:
4/5 stars. I usually like most apologetics books. This one was good, but sometimes I felt there wasn’t enough of the author’s own thoughts, just lots of interviews with other people. I loved the last two chapters the best.
I liked the general format of this book. Strobel wrote about how his journey of discovery/understanding. Rather than just stating his conclusions, he showed how he came to those conclusions by researching and talking to people. Even though I already agree with the information, it was good to see the questions he asked so I can be better equipped to respond if I ever get asked the same questions.
Because Strobel talked to a lot of different people to get his answers, the book is full of those conversations with philosophers, theologians, authors, etc. That was good, but there was too much of it. I felt like I was just reading a compilation of other people's words put together by him, rather than his own thoughts. He had his own input occasionally mixed in, but a lot of the time he was just agreeing with or restating someone else's words.
Strobel's testimony was great. He didn't grow up Christian, like a lot of apologists, and instead was a big doubter of religion for most of his early life. It wasn't until his wife became a Christian that he started to investigate Jesus. I think his testimony makes the evidence he presents even more believable, because it made him become a Christian.
My favorite chapter was the second to last one, which was all about having doubts and how it's okay. Having doubts or feelings of uncertainty doesn't make you a bad Christian, and most of the time it strengthens your faith in the end. I can relate to that, to a much lesser extent. Five or so years ago, I started to wonder/question how we know that Christianity is the true religion, wondering what if I've grown up learning all about something that's not even correct. Those doubts led me to get into apologetics, and I've come out of it with a much more solid faith.
My other favorite chapter was the last one, which was more of a conclusion chapter. In that chapter, Strobel shared a story about a murderer with the death sentence who became a Christian and was able to be let free. I love stories like that, of God's mercy and forgiveness, of second chances. That was really cool to read about.
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