The Case for the Resurrection: A First-Century Reporter Investigates the True Story of the Cross [Paperback]

Lee Strobel's "The Case for the Resurrection: A First-Century Investigative Reporter Probes History's Pivotal Event," is a power-packed booklet (almost 100 pages) that offers compelling evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "The Case for the Resurrection" is helpful and readable and makes a great evidential introduction for this essential truth of Christianity.

This New book features:
Fresh insights from Lee Strobel's new "The Case for Christ Study Bible," as the author covers the story of Christ rising from the grave from the Gospel of Luke with outstanding notes from "The Case for Christ Study Bible." The proof is potent, the writing is engaging, and the author has a true passion for the subject.

Remember that the Apostles saw the risen Christ, touched the risen Christ, and died tortuous deaths proclaiming its truth when all thy had to do was deny it; yes many people die for lies, but no collective, diverse group of people die for what they Know is a complete lie.

Furthermore all known ancient documents that refer to the subject report an empty tomb. Even though the manner in which one accepts or rejects the evidence on the historicity of the ancient documents and other papyrus is controlled by one's presuppositions, the facts are mighty; the evidence is there, and is impressive, but there is an important distinction between proof and persuasion.

Note the evidence for the resurrection of Christ is:
- 100's of eyewitnesses testified under the threat of death that they saw the risen Jesus including 500 people at one time. All the apostles, except one, died a horrible death knowing they saw Jesus alive from the dead. 100's more died because they would not recant the fact that they saw the risen Jesus. Not one Apostle recanted to save himself from a torturous death.

- Only Christianity offers over three hundred predictions written down before Christ came and fulfilled exactly, most of which could not have been self-fulfilled.
Only Christ offers a confirmed resurrection of a Savior to demonstrate His authority. (Greek & other pseudo-resurrection gods were not historical figures, the only documents we have concerning the false gods/myths are documents dated 100's of years after Christianity.

- The resurrection was proclaimed in Jerusalem where the trial, crucifixion. and resurrection took place. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, his enemies only had to produce this body and this new religion that they hated would be terminated before it started.

- The conversion of Jesus' opponents to Christianity, including many Jewish Priests and Pharisees can best be explained by the resurrection of Christ. The risen Jesus converted many of those who executed Him because of the overwhelming evidence of His resurrection and His many appearances through God's grace (Acts 6:7 & Acts 15:5).

- Jesus' tomb was secured and guarded by well trained Jewish and Roman guards. The tomb had a Roman seal on it to prevent tampering with the threat of execution for breaking the seal, yet the tomb was empty. Every ancient historical source that discusses the subject verifies the tomb was empty.

- Moreover the real fight is between presuppositions; the Christian presupposes God who raised Christ from the dead and provides all the required preconditions for the laws of logic that allow one to investigate anything, including the resurrection of Christ. Without God, one cannot supply the necessary preconditions for laws of logic. But the chief epistemic issue is that the particulars always have to be examined, including the historical or evidential particulars, through universals, moral laws, and necessities that atheism fails to ground.

- Ancient hostile sources and extra-Biblical writers record the same facts of Christ's death and empty tomb. Additionally, the continuous defense of the resurrection in front of Roman government officials from Paul to Tertullian was unchallenged by Rome and all ancient historians.

- The historical and biblical testimony concerning the resurrection of Christ is convincing to me and other believers as well. Those outside the faith have a different set of presuppositions and this leads to problems when you employ biblical proof outside the epistemic credentials of Christian Worldview (CWV). The scriptures do not instruct us to press only the brute prima facie evidence, but to placard the
a priori necessity of the truth of Christianity. The job of the Christian isn't to demonstrate the probability that God exists through displaying the brute evidence outside the truth of the CWV, but to demonstrate that God lives. God is the precondition for all argument, proof, evidence, verification, and reason. It is impossible for God not to exist forasmuch as He is the ontic truth condition for all intelligent exchanges.

The truth of God's existence is not probable, it is impossible for Him not to exist. God's existence is the absolute precondition for all our questions and doubts. We affirm the necessity of knowledge in our questions as well as in our doubts, thereby affirming that God lives forasmuch as He is the required a priori condition for knowledge; no God, no knowledge; knowledge hence God (knowledge requires the use of the laws of logic which only God has the ontology to ground). Christianity is the only worldview that provides human reason a foundation which is indispensable for knowledge. Non-Christian systems of thought cannot furnish a foundation for the laws of logic which is necessarily involved in all knowledge endeavors, thus those systems of thought can only offer worldviews that fail to underwrite the laws of logic required for knowledge. Unless one believes in the triune God, one cannot account for knowledge.
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"The Case for the Resurrection: A First-Century Investigative Reporter Probes History's Pivotal Event" is a fine introduction on a powerful Christian truth.
Christ is risen indeed!
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See the New Book that proves the existence of God using moral absolutes by Mike Robinson:
There Are Moral Absolutes: How to Be Absolutely Sure That Christianity Alone Supplies
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or additionally see the dynamic new book that proves the Resurrection of Christ:
"God Does Exist!: Defending the faith using presuppositional apologetics, evidence, and the impossibility of the contrary"

This booklet may be short, but it's packed full of wonderful insights from Lee Strobel on the crucifixion and resurrection. The booklet starts off with Lee explaining his "journey into the evidence" and this gives the reader some background into his path to faith. The booklet also has an appendix which gives Matthew's, Mark's, and John's account of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Something that I found particular helpful when comparing them to Luke's account. This booklet is a great introduction to "The Case for Christ Study Bible" which I will be getting very soon!

The content is condensed, which as someone who struggles to get enough reading time is an appreciated feature. But just how small the book is was a surprise. If you're looking for a high-level overview of the historical case for the resurrection, this is a useful read.

I find Strobel's writing style a little patronizing, but appreciate his dedication to clearly and simply communicating his point.

As with most of Strobel's work, the nut of the argument is this: if you are open to the existence of God (and in this case, the resurrection) the resurrection is the most adequate explanation for the recorded history. The natural counterpoint (which the author does not address as directly) is that if you are not open to the existence of God (or in this case to the possibility of resurrection) no amount of historical evidence is going to seem relevant to you.

In other words, if you're starting with the assumption that deity is unlikely and resurrection is (thus) inherently impossible, this book may irritate you. If you start with the assumption that deity is probable and that resurrection is (thus) inherently possible, you may find that the book argues quite elegantly that Jesus's resurrection is not only possible but likely from a historical point of view.