the case for christ

The past few days I've been thinking about starting summer class (dreading it with all my heart) and marveling at how hard I study to learn useless information that I will never again need my whole life. And then I thought about how much effort I spend in comparison learning and studying Jesus; my conclusion was pathetic. So I'm going to begin putting more of an effort into learning about Jesus objectively rather than just depending on my subjective experience. After all, "Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your MIND.'" (Matthew 22:37, emphasis mine) Obviously, this quest of mine will include majorly stepping up my Bible reading, but I also want to get a better context with which to read the Word and be able to defend my position as a Christian. I've been asking people for recommendations on good Christian books (let me know if you have any! :D) and I went to the bookstore yesterday to just browse. I came across this book I've been meaning to read for a while, called The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. It was so good, I couldn't put it down (I literally read the book while walking from the bookstore to my house).

Lee Strobel was a investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune and after his wife became Christian, he applied his investigative skills to objectively explore the life and resurrection of Jesus. He began as an atheist trying to prove that Jesus was merely a good teacher, not the Son of God - and he completed his two year journey by committing his life to Christ. He concluded that there was no logical explanation for Jesus other than the claim that he was the Messiah. He said that he had seen many criminals sentenced to death row on much less evidence than what he had been presented with.

He consulted medical, archaelogical, psychological, and theological experts - all of whom supported their Christian beliefs with solid evidence and sound logic. It was heartening to read about Christian experts discussing Jesus as a historical and objective fact, rather than merely something that can be experienced in our hearts. Strobel did his research thoroughly on all the objections and conspiracy theories about the cross and the empty grave, challenging these experts, only to be faced with conclusive evidence that Jesus truly lived and rose from the dead. For me personally, it was a confirmation of my faith and gave me logical reasons to support it against arguments of skeptics. It also contained a few real and personal testimonies, which were blessing to read. I highly recommend this book to any non-believers and seekers who read it with an open mind. To you, I'd say leave open the possibility that just maybe there really was an incredible man who came 2,000 years ago to redeem His people, and is still continuing to transform people's lives today =]