Yesterday, I had some free time, so I picked up The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel. Strobel is well-known for several books including The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith. He is an atheist that became a Christian after doing some investigating of the claims of Christ. He was a very successful investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune before he became a Christian. Strobel has served as a pastor at both Willow Creek and Saddleback Churches. He is now focusing on writing full-time in an effort to convince other skeptics about the reality of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Just like everything else I’ve read from Strobel, The Case for Christmas was a great read that appealed to both my heart and my mind.
Below I have pasted some things that I highlighted while reading this on my iPad Kindle app…
- Eyewitness testimony is powerful.
- “Christianity was likewise based on certain historical claims that God uniquely entered into space and time in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, so the very ideology that Christians were trying to promote required as careful historical work as possible.”
- One prominent archaeologist carefully examined Luke’s references to thirty-two countries, fifty-four cities, and nine islands, finding not a single mistake.
- “Archaeology has not produced anything that is unequivocally a contradiction to the Bible.”
- As Australian archaeologist Clifford Wilson said: “Those who know the facts now recognize that the New Testament must be accepted as a remarkably accurate source book.”
- “We have better historical documentation for Jesus than for the founder of any other ancient religion,” Dr. Edwin Yamauchi told me during my visit to Miami University of Ohio.
- Someone estimated that the probability of just eight prophecies being fulfilled is one chance in one hundred million billion.
- Christians believe that Jesus wasn’t born into this world merely to identify with us, console us, or even lead us. His assignment from the outset, they claim, was to die for us—to actually lay down his life as a spiritual payment for the wrongdoing we’ve done, so that we can be released from the penalty we owe. It’s his-life-for-ours, with the result being, as the old Christmas carol “Hark! The Herald Angels” says, “God and sinners, reconciled.”
- Through a series of circumstances, including the reading of this book, you’ve maneuvered your way through the hoopla and glitter and distractions of the holiday season, and now you’ve finally come into the presence of the baby who was born to change your life and rewrite your eternal destination.
Strobel listed an awesome set of books for further reading at the end of his book. I’ve taken the time to convert them to links so you can order them right away and start reading.
- Blomberg, Craig. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1987.
- Brown, Michael L. Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Messianic Prophecy Objections. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2003.
- Bruce, F. F. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2003.
- Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith. Westchester, Ill.: Crossway, 1994.
- Copan, Paul, ed. Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 1998.
- Habermas, Gary. The Historical Jesus. Joplin, Mo.: College Press, 1996.
- Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1998. Also available in student edition.
- Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2000. Also available in student edition.
- Wilkins, Michael J., and J. P. Moreland, eds. Jesus Under Fire. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1995.