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Award-winning reporter and author Lee Strobel (The Case for Christ) once again uses his investigative skills to address the primary objections to Christianity. As a former atheist, Strobel understands the rational resistance to faith. He even names the eight most convincing arguments against Christian faith:

1) If there's a loving God, why does this pain-wracked world groan under so much suffering and evil?
2) If the miracles of God contradict science, then how can any rational person believe that they're true?
3) If God is morally pure, how can he sanction the slaughter of innocent children as the Old Testament says he did?
4) If God cares about the people he created, how could he consign so many of them to an eternity of torture in hell just because they didn't believe the right things about him?
5) If Jesus is the only way to heaven, then what about the millions of people who have never heard of him?
6) If God really created the universe, why does the evidence of science compel so many to conclude that the unguided process of evolution accounts for life?
7) If God is the ultimate overseer of the church, why has it been rife with hypocrisy and brutality throughout the ages?
8) If I'm still plagued by doubts, then is it still possible to be a Christian?

Customer Reviews:

• Foregone Conclusion
  Before I say anything else, I should explain myself. I am not a scientist. I am not a biblical scholar. Only in the broadest and most generous sense could I be called an amateur philosopher. I'm not a lawyer, judge, or DA. I don't have any PhDs. And most importantly, I was already a Christian before I read this book.
  
  That is the most important thing to consider. My guess is that many Christians like myself will enjoy this book. Anyone who is not a Christian will probably not be convinced by it. People often (but not always) have a way of getting around things that go against their own beliefs (that goes for everyone--Christian, atheist, patriot, racist, or insert any other idealogy here). This point is mentioned a few times in the book, the most memorable being towards the end. It was something to the effect of, "If John Doe saw a heavenly figure come out of the clouds in broad daylight, and it said to him, 'John, I've had enough of your atheism. Behold the one you deny, and believe,' then what would John Doe do? He'd explain it all away." Or if you prefer, "A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." "You can prove anything with facts." The list of snappy quotes goes on.
  
  But I still would reccomend this book to anyone. I don't think I have to explain why I think Christians would like it. But as for atheists and other non-Christians, I still think it is worth taking a look at. I don't expect anyone to radically change his beliefs just because he read a series of (admittedly) biased interviews (although that would be great, based on my Christianity). At the very least, the book's value to atheists is that it provides a look at the counter-arguments. What good is any idealogy if it hasn't been argued against? If nobody has taken a swing at your beliefs, how do you know that they can stand up to anything?...more info
• Well written, but I disagree with the conclusions
  I think Lee Strobel did a good job of writing up his case, but I disagree with the conclusion. Too much "one-sidedness" with who he interviewed and how he interpreted the answers to the questions. Kind of like a prosecuting attorney presenting a practice case, without a defense attorney or judge to actually call him on his assumptions and rationales....more info
• Old Apologetic Arguments
  The case for faith is built on faith - which is not evidence. The author uses old tired apologetic arguments to bolster his case that, of course, Jesus is God and you should just shut up and obey. The mysteries of the Bible and God are just too much for a small minded human to comprehend so don't even try - its just God's mysterious ways. Keep in mind that Bible literalists believe in unicorns and talking donkeys too. An examination of faith without context is a waste of time. Glad I got this book in a cutout bin....more info
• The Case for Faith
  Lee Strobel confronts some of the greatest obstacles of Christianity as he did in "The Case for Christ". He asks and says whatever it takes to get honest answers from all he interviews. If you are an atheist or a devout Christian there are many questions that may be lingering in your mind. After reading "The Case for Faith", you may find yourself that much closer to the truth.
  
  Since Evil and Suffering Exists, a Loving God Cannot: "...if there is no God, where did we get the standard of goodness by which we judge evil as evil?"
  
  I Still Have Doubts, So I Can't Be A Christian: "Faith is not always about having positive emotional feelings toward God or life." "...a faith that's challenged by adversity or tough questions or contemplation is often a stonger faith in the end."...more info
• Good evidence but biased
  Lee Strobel mostly interviews Christian thinkers, and addresses the objections to "faith" himself -- a rather one sided and biased method. If an atheist wrote a book debunking faith and interviewed only fellow atheists, I'm sure Strobel would strenuously object to the bias.
  
  Strobel also showed his bias in discussing hell. He refers to those who think God will eventually mercifully end the lives of hell's residents as "annihilationists." What an emotionally loaded, negative word! Why not call them "people of mercy" instead? Strobel apparently sides with his interviewee who believes the "saved" are capable of enjoying themselves in heaven while being remotely aware of souls suffering terribly for eternity.
  
  This is the same view some of us have in the prosperous west. We can enjoy our way of life and be only vaguely aware of starving, suffering people elsewhere -- and not do a thing about it. It isn't Jesus' mindset. ...more info
• Great Book
  The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity by Lee Strobel tackles the big eight road blocks of faith. He asks questions like "Why is there so much suffering, why do innocent children die, why is there a hell, is Jesus the only way to heaven," and so on. He struggles with these questions with Christian community leaders and gives the reader a different slant on faith.
  If you are still searching for Spiritual Enlightenment in a seemingly hopeless world, May I suggest you read My book as well. (See Above)...more info
• Great Loaner Book
  I had borrowed this book from a friend over a year ago and found it to be a great introductory apologetic resource. I found it valuable just because the questions that Lee Strobel presents are ones that have not really weighed me down personally, but they are often the type of questions that non-believing friends would ask. So when some of these questions were put to me, I always found myself coming up with less than complete answers. I really needed a copy for myself to refresh on what some of the top apologetic minds had to say about these questions. Since a lot of my friends read, I also wanted to have it lying around as a loaner....more info
• a response
  This is in response to an earlier reviewer, who stated "b) the "answers" are so convoluted and weak, nobody can remember them or make sense of them enough to repeat them." In a summary of the answer as to why God will stand by and watch a child be raped and murdered, I would say - God created the world with free choice. If a child is being raped and murdered, that is the free choice of the person who is committing the act, an act of evil, and he will ultimately pay for it. The child, who suffers, will [probably; I can't really pass judgment on this and I am a little bit unsure of concepts of heaven etc.] go to heaven and have everlasting peace, through this bit of suffering [and remember, all people suffer at some point or another. There is no one who passes in and out of this world without suffering, and there is no way to quantify or qualify suffering, and to say which kind of suffering is "better" or "worse," because it is all suffering.]
  
  People have a choice to either be good or evil. Because there is free choice, there are such things as love, real love, and yes, hate, real hate. But the free choice makes life worth living. If we were all automatons in a world where nothing bad happened, we would not be capable of really loving, really cherishing what we have in this life, and really looking forward to the better life that comes through death, or the paradise that Christians refer to. If God intervened when one child was being abused, then He would have to intervene when all people are abused ever, and that would require qualifying pain/suffering/etc. People are dying every second. Car accidents, drug abuse, AIDS, you name it. But death is a fact of life. No death is a "good" death in the sense that all lead to the pain of the self as well as loved ones. So, if God intervenes when someone is about to experience suffering, then he should intervene whenever anyone ever is about to experience suffering, and that would make life false, and remove the quality of free choice that is inherent and important to human existence, and actually separate humans from God, because they would not understand death and suffering, they would love this life too much, and not recognize that this life is temporary and that a better life will follow.
  
  [This actually ignores the possiblity that God DOES intervene, through prayer. Many people believe that when they have prayed, God has intervened in their lives. But that is a whole different issue.]
  
  I remember being young, and wishing I had a magic pill that I could give to a boy to make him "like" me. Imagine if that actually existed. We all want love. So, someone loves you, but not because it is really love, but because he has been tricked/drugged/brain-washed into loving you. That is not real love. It would be depressing. We can look at human love for God in the same way. God created us hoping that we would find Him, love Him, and need Him. Not so that we could be little robots who would love and honor him without a thought, for no real reason.
  
  I can't make a historical summary of why bad things happen in the name of religion. Yes, bad things happen in the name of religion, love, or whatever else that is, on its own, "good." But killing in the name of a religion usually has political motivations that have nothing to do with the religion, and are rooted in evil, and the people who perpetrate these things will ultimately pay for it; those who were the victims of these things experienced the pain and suffering that all people will endure [to greater or lesser degrees, at some point or another].
  
  Since I haven't addressed my views on Strobel's book, I will do it now. I think a lot of it is very informative, for a Christian or non-Christian, and certainly any uneducated atheist or Christian who throws around terms like evolution, spontaneous generation, big bang, etc. etc. Most people don't realize that there is a HUGE difference between macro and micro evolution, that Darwin's vague notion that macroevolution was even possible was based on misconceptions about the development of life that are now understood via technology, and microevolution and Christianity are NOT mutually exclusive.
  
  I would also disagree with someone who thinks that Strobel's book goes against the basic principles of faith. Yes, faith is supposed to be something separate from reason. We have faith in things that cannot be determined empirically. We have faith that someone loves us, we have faith in ourselves, etc. etc. In religion, though, a lot of people, especially today [with so much information out there, a lack of education, and people being much more reason-oriented than centuries ago] people have so many mental/intellectual barriers, that it's difficult for them to allow themselves to feel faith. So, Strobel gives reasons to remove those mental barriers, to explain the flaws in Darwinian theory, to explain how unbelievable is the theory of spontaneous generation without intelligent design. Removing this barriers alone will not bring one to faith, but will help someone ultimately find faith, if one wants to.
  
  My main complaint about the book "Case for Faith" would actually be that it's slightly too chatty. There are narrative qualities that almost detract from the book's credibility, but make it much more readable. So, this is probably good for the typical reader, who doesn't want to be bogged down by philosophical/scientific arguments without a soft/chatty/entertaining narrative quality. Also, yes, this book is not a great historical text for scholars. It is not meant to be a book for scholars. It is a book for the typical person who battles with the idea of faith in God, and it is probably more useful for the person who *wants* to believe in God but has too many questions. For the person who does *not* want to believe in God, I am not sure how convincing the book would be. To have faith requires, usually, a desire to have faith. Someone who actively does not want to find God will probably not find him. One must seek in order to find Him.
  ...more info
• I don't hear armchair atheists address many of these issues....
  This book talks about things in ways that, if you're predisposed to Christianity or just don't like pesky atheists, you'll be convinced of a lot. More or less...
  
  Anyways... I will be buying many more of Lee Strobel's books!...more info
• Before buying, conduct this simple test.
  If you're wondering if this book has any convincing arguments to make, there is a very simple way to find out.
  Simply read the reviews.
  If Strobel's book presented a solid rational argument for believing in the Christian god, then the reviewers who write 5-star reviews will be able to tell you what it is. They would be able to clearly articulate the answers to questions like "how can a supposedly good and powerful god stand by and watch a child being raped and murdered?" But not a single one of these cheerleading reviewers can tell us what the book's convincing arguments are. They all write vague things like "this will answer your questions", "it'll tell you everything you want to know", "it asks and answers all the tough questions" -- but not a single reviewer can provide a single specific answer from the book.
  If these reviewers can't tell us what Strobel's "answers" are, then we have to conclude that either a) the book provides no convincing answers at all, or b) the "answers" are so convoluted and weak, nobody can remember them or make sense of them enough to repeat them.
  Try it yourself. Go through every glowing review and see if anybody can supply even a single convincing argument from the book. You will find exactly nothing. And nothing is exactly what this "Case" offers. ...more info
• Backfires beautifully
  First, a non-snarky point about this book: it prompted me to get myself up to date about controversy around evolution. Perhaps not the best book for doing that, but it worked for me.
  
  However, I mainly give this book five stars in the sense of "hightly recommended" but not good in the usual sense. The chapter that stuck in my mind most was chapter three, "If God is morally pure, how can he sanction the slaughter of innocent children as the Old Testament says he did?" I had been aware of these passages, but I had never heard someone defend them before. Reading the defense helped convince me that Biblical inerrantists are morally bankrupt. Also, I had been unable to remember the chapter and verse citations for these passages, this one provided me with I Sam 15:2-3 for use in debate ("Thus says the Lord of hosts... kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey."
  
  Also informative was chapter four, on hell. There we learn that denying God is a worse crime than torturing a human being. This goes a long way to helping me understand why Christians have been willing to torture heretics (see chapter seven).
  
  Some people are likely to say this book will confirm the faith of believers and challenge that of skeptics. I think the reverse is more likely!...more info
• Strobel's Second Apolgetic Work Continues His Search for Faith
  Like many American Christians, I was brought to church most Sundays and endured countless sermons and lessons. Despite this seemingly rich education on Christian principles, I never was exposed to a lesson or class on the existence of God; God's existence was assumed as fact. As I matured into my twenties and went to college, the existance of God was no longer taken for granted. I encountered many agnostics and atheists among my many college professors. The net result of their influence was to question my faith. I never lost my faith, but I found it was a faith that could not withstand scrutiny.
  
  Reading Lee Stobel's "The Case For Faith" continued in me my search for the certainty of my faith. Strobel's book is an excellent place to start investigating the issues that question one's faith. Like in his previous book, "The Case for Christ", Strobel presents interviews with several Christian apologetics that involve issues related to the veracity of the Christian faith.
  
  The issues are as follows:
  
  Can a real living caring God exist in a world filled with evil?
  Are the Biblical miracles really true?
  Is evolutionary theory enough to explain life on earth?
  Is there only one way to GOd - through Jesus?
  How can a loving God throw his created people in hell?
  Is the church's history, with it's abuses, crusades, and inquistions, a reason not to believe in Christianity?
  If I am filled with doubts, can I still be a believer?
  
  Mr. Strobel investigates each issue thoroughly. He approaches the issues as a skeptic who wants to be convinced of the truth. Strobel was once a skeptic himself and his investigative journalism convinced him of the truth of his Christian faith.
  
  If you have questions about your faith, then this is a good starting point for your investigation. There are other books that go into more detail on all the issues raised here, and you may want to purchase these as well for further study. But this is a very good starting point for answering those nagging doubts about your faith in Christianity and one's faith in the person of Jesus.
  
  Most highly recommended.
  
  Jim "Konedog" Koenig...more info
• Manipulative, Disingenuous, Disgraceful
  The faults of this book are too numerous to explore, there is only room for the most egregious. Foremost among them is that the author, and the shills for whom he provides a platform, completely miss the point of faith.
  
  Logic and faith cannot coexist any more than a square and a circle can. To be a true believer, one must take Kierkegaard's "leap of faith", a brave and beautiful act of daring and trust, sailing off into the unknown and, more importantly still, unknowable. Were there empirical evidence to support such an act, it wouldn't be faith at all.
  
  Strobel, and his long line of hilariously serious pseudo-academics, as they discuss how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, have removed the poetry, music, and sheer transcendent majesty of faith and replaced it with arguments that are deceptive and self-serving at best and often just intellectually shabby.
  
  This book will appeal to the convinced and provide them with the illusion that there is historical, archeological, scientific, and philosophical evidence to support the preposterous theories they hold so dear. To the unconvinced it will appear sad, deceptive, and desperate - emblematic of the bizarre extremes a person is capable of reaching when attempting to defend the indefensible.
  
  Though evident throughout the book, this was particularly noticeable in the section explaining the centuries of cruelty and murder dished out by the church itself, most noticeably the Inquisition. Denial, they say, isn't just a river in Egypt. The rationale behind why hell is a blessing was also priceless.
  
  The most insightful quote in the book, and there are many, comes from Nobel Prize winner Steven Weinberg who said, "With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and bad people doing bad things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." ...more info
• GREAT BUY GREATBOOK
  This was a great book to read, I would recommend this to anyone who is curious about faith and the love of god....more info
• An Answer For Rob Burkett (reviewer, below)
  To address the two objections of Mr. Burkett: first, regarding the random drawing of numbers--true, all combinations are equally random, but if we find we have drawn the first 100 digits of the number "pi" (3.14....)we should become convinced some sort of mathematical principle is in play. Likewise, any 13 cards drawn from a deck are equally random, but if the dealer deals himself a straight flush we rightly suspect him. The term employed for such a phenomenon is specified complexity. Any given hand of cards or collection of numbers is complexity, but specified complexity conforms to an uniquely significant pattern. By the way, don't feel bad--Richard Dawkins,possibly the best-known spokesperson for Darwinian evolution, also missed this point.
  The next point dealt with the circularity of using the Bible to support the existence of God and God's existence to support the Scriptures. If that's what Strobel had done, you'd have a very good point. But using the science of history to verify the accounts of the life of Jesus, et cetera in the Bible and from there to study the clearly attested miracles, fulfillments of prophecy, and so on is just what circularity is not.
  I know one tends to read cursorily when they are examining opposing viewpoints so it's possible to miss the flow of argument in a popular essay such as Mr. Strobel's. Perhaps the challenge to the author is to make his arguments so lucid that they are impossible to miss under even such conditions. Then again, Mr. Burkett, perhaps you were giving stock answers to the questions at issue. ...more info