The Case for Christ: A Review

Lee Strobel's best-seller book, The Case for Christ: a journalist's personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus, is admittedly one of the best books that I have ever read. Strobel uses his law background to put Jesus on trial. One must understand that Strobel used to be an atheist, but when his wife became a Christian, he decided that he would take a closer look at Christianity, mainly Christ. However, he decided to do it in a logical and courtroom systematic way. He applied several tests to his investigation about Jesus, the central figure of the religion, which are applied in the courts to determine validity of arguments, statements, evidence, and witnesses. Moreover, he interviews a dozen top-notch scholars who help give him the evidence that he used in his investigation, which are as follows:

• Eyewitness Evidence
• Documentary Evidence
• Corroborating Evidence
• Scientific Evidence
• Rebuttal Evidence
• Identity Evidence
• Psychological Evidence
• Profile Evidence
• Fingerprint Evidence
• Medical Evidence
• Circumstantial Evidence

Throughout his investigation, Lee remained a skeptical atheist. It was not until afterwards that he sat down as an unbiased juror and came to a conclusion beyond reasonable--not conceivable--doubt. He found that he had more evidence in support of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and for his deity than some in court had, but were sent to death row! In other words, the evidence is very powerful, being both sound and valid, able to stand up to questions, tests, and cross-examinations, so powerful that it lead Strobel to become a Christian. As a result, Strobel's entire life changed for the better, so much so that his own daughter told her mother that she wanted God to do the same thing to her that he did to her dad (p. 269). Thus, one more piece of evidence comes to play: experiential evidence. Strobel's life stood in the foreground as proof of the work of Jesus, which confirmed the facts of the aforementioned objective evidences. Let's briefly take a look at these.

Eyewitness Evidence (p. 259)

• The gospels are superb witnesses and are to be considered reliable and trustworthy.
• The gospels are not the product of spiritual propaganda and legend.
• The gospels stand up to scrutiny, passing the eight evidential tests for determining the validity of eyewitness evidence with flying colors.

Documentary Evidence (p. 260)

• The New Testament is unparalleled in its being preserved throughout time.
• The New Testament today is 99.5% free of textual discrepancies, and none of the discrepancies that exist bring any major Christian doctrine into doubt.
• The New Testament that we have today is very much the same documents that were written in the first century.

Corroborating Evidence (p. 260)

• There is a good deal of credible evidence for Jesus outside of the gospels.
• Outside biblical sources we find mention of Jesus as a worker of miracles and as the Christ who was crucified, and even though he died a most grotesque death, his disciples, believing that he was still alive, worshiped him as God.
• One scholar was able to document "thirty-nine ancient sources that corroborate more than one hundred facts concerning Jesus' life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection."

Scientific Evidence (pp. 260-61)

• Archaeology confirms the New Testament's credibility rather than debunk it.
• No archaeological discovery has ever disproved a biblical reference.

Rebuttal Evidence (p. 261)

• The Jesus Seminar studies Jesus with huge presuppositions, such as the impossibility of miracles, it utilized questionable criteria for its methodological approach to studying the gospels, and some of the members of the Seminar have tried to sell mythologized "documents of extremely dubious quality."
• We can confidently claim that "the Jesus of faith is the same as the Jesus of history."

Identity Evidence (p. 261)

• Jesus did believe and know that he was the Son of God.
• Jesus did believe and know that he was the Son of Man.
• Jesus did believe and know that he was the Christ, the Messiah.
• Jesus did believe and know that he was the only Savior of the world.

Psychological Evidence (pp. 261-62)

• Jesus was not crazy or mentally ill.
• Jesus backed up his claim to deity by performing miracles, demonstrating power over nature, unparalleled teaching, and also "with his own resurrection, which was the final authentication of his identity."

Profile Evidence (p. 262)

• Jesus fulfilled the attributes of God: omniscience; omnipresence; omnipotence; eternality; and immutability.
• The New Testament is clear "that Jesus ultimately possessed every qualification of deity."

Fingerprint Evidence (p. 262)

• The odds of Jesus fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies were one in a trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion, trillion.
• Jesus is the only one who fulfilled the prophecies written several centuries before he was born.

Medical Evidence (pp. 262-63)

• Jesus did not survive the crucifixion, and he died on the cross.
• Jesus did not faint and merely wake up earlier while in the tomb.
• Roman executioners were extremely efficient killers, because they would face death if their victims ever came off the cross alive, so it is highly improbable for Jesus to come down the cross alive.

Circumstantial Evidence (p. 263-64)

• Jesus' "disciples were in a unique position to know whether the Resurrection happened, and they went to their deaths proclaiming it was true. Nobody knowingly and willingly dies for a lie."
• Aside from the Resurrection, "there's no good reason why skeptics like Paul and James would have been converted and would have died for their faith."
• After a matter of weeks after the Crucifixion, "thousands of Jews began abandoning key social practices that had critical sociological and religious importance for centuries. They believed they risked damnation if they were wrong."
• Both Communion and baptism affirm Jesus' resurrection and deity.
• The emergence of the Church in the face of brutal Roman opposition and persecution demands an explanation that only the Resurrection can provide.

Now that we have looked at the basic facts of the evidence, let's look at their implications.

Strobel wrote the following on pages 266 and 67:

If Jesus is the Son of God, his teachings are more than just good ideas from a wise teacher; they are divine insights on which I can confidently build my life.

If Jesus sets the standard for morality, I can now have an unwavering foundation for my choices and decisions, rather than basing them on the ever-shifting sands of expediency and self-centeredness.

If Jesus did rise from the dead, he's still alive today and available for me to encounter on a personal basis.

If Jesus conquered death, he can open the door of eternal life for me, too.

If Jesus has divine power, he has the supernatural ability to guide me and help me and transform me as I follow him.

If Jesus personally knows the pain of loss and suffering, he can comfort and encourage me in the midst of the turbulence that he himself warned is inevitable in a world corrupted by sin.

If Jesus loves me as he says, he has my best interests at heart. That means I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by committing myself to him and his purposes.

If Jesus is who he claims to be (and remember, no leader of any other major religion has even pretended to be God), as my Creator he rightfully deserves my allegiance, obedience, and worship.

To that I must say, "Amen."


Strobel, Lee. 1998. The Case for Christ: a journalist's personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Comic Books and Christianity

H. Michael Brewer wrote a superb book relating Christian theology to comic books entitled, Who Needs a Superhero? Finding Virtue, Vice, and What's Holy in the Comics. This book is fantastic in my opinion. If you are a fan of comic books and would like to learn about Christianity, or if you would like to see Christianity from a fun and fresh perspective, then I would recommend that you buy this book and read it as it has a lot to offer.

I would like to give you a heads up by sharing some of my notes that I took on each chapter. I have summed up each chapter in a sentence, and so I will share that with you.

• Chapter 1: Superman as Jesus Christ
• Chapter 2: The Hulk as sin
• Chapter 3: Batman as the rich young ruler and as Paul who was formerly Saul
• Chapter 4: Iron Man as David
• Chapter 5: Superman as Jesus Christ revisited
• Chapter 6: Wonder Woman as Truth
• Chapter 7: Thor as sanctification
• Chapter 8: Spider-Man as servant hood
• Chapter 9: Daredevil as spiritual alertness
• Chapter 10: The X-Men as the Church in relation to the world
• Chapter 11: The Fantastic Four as the Church in relation to itself
• Chapter 12: The Punisher versus Green Arrow as prevailing views about God in pop-culture
• Chapter 13: Captain America as protection in suffering
• Chapter 14: The Spirit as Christian discipleship and as Christ’s death/resurrection

This book helps people to understand Christian ideas and principles by using comic book characters as analogies for them. Brewer uses these caped crusaders as good examples for important truths about Christianity and about life. Who knew that comic book characters could be used to help all people learn about what God is like, or about what the gospel is all about, or what truth is, or what the purpose of the Church is? This book helps to demonstrate answers to these questions by going through several fictional comic book examples and then drawing the bridge into reality where these theological principles exist. By going through the history of many of the popular comic book characters and revealing what their stories are and what they are all about, Brewer connects with his readers in an engaging way and brings home the fundamental truths about Christianity with a pow.

My challenge to you, if you do not read the book, is to review my synopsis of the book in the list aforementioned and try to figure out how the superheroes might relate to Christianity. How could Superman be used to talk about Jesus Christ? How could Thor be used to explain sanctification? Why would the Hulk be used to teach about sin? See if you can come up with the analogies yourself; otherwise, if it intrigues you enough, buy the book and see it for yourself! It will be well worth your time, a fun read, and a growing experience.

Sexual Purity in Light of 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6a

Many have pondered as to how far they ought to go sexually before marriage. Others don't care, while others fret about it. Obviously, in our culture today, this is a pressing issue, for the sexual promiscuity of our nation is rampant and free. Unfortunately, it is also pressing hard upon the Christian community of this nation, on those who have been called to not be involved in such a lifestyle. Often times some teenage Christians will contemplate whether or not they should have sex even if they are not married because the Bible doesn't really seem to say that sex in this context is wrong. However, I am here to say that it does. Let's take a look at 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6a, which clearly identifies that sex is not acceptable when it is not within a marriage relationship.

1 Thess. 4:3-6a, NIV

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each one of you should learn to control his body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this manner no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him.

Let's go through the Greek of this text, and perhaps it will help to illumine the call to sexual purity.

Verse 3: For this is the will of God, your sanctification: abstain from sexual immorality (my translation).

Right off the bat, Paul notes three important truths in the lives of believers. Starting from the back and moving forward, we see that Christians are called to abstain from sexual immorality, which is a part of their sanctification, which is part of the will of God. In other words it is God's will for us to be sanctified--continually being made holy through a life-long process--which specifically entails sexual purity. The will of sanctification does not come from Paul, but from God. The Greek in this instance for "the will of God" is a genitive of source, meaning, "this will comes from God" or "this will is sourced in God." Because the will of sanctification comes from God, it must be mandatory for all believers since they too are sourced in God. This will is played out specifically in the act of abstaining from sexual immorality. To "avoid" or to "abstain" is more directly "to keep away" (BDAG). It very clearly indicated a total avoidance of any sort of contact with or use of something (BDAG). In this case sexual immorality is to be utterly and completely avoided in every way in the lives of believers. But what is sexual immorality?

Sexual immorality, or porneia in this case, is fornication (prostitution, unchastity, and the like). Part of the will of God is for his believers to have sexual purity and to not have sexual relations outside of his will--marriage. All those who are believers are also being sanctified, which means they have no business and no right to have sex out of marriage.

Verse 4: each one of you should learn to control his member in holiness and honor (my translation).

This sort of command to learn to control his "member" is an infinitive verb that functions as a command. For all you Greek-buffs out there this is a perfect active infinitive. This means that, because it is in the perfect tense, it happened initially in the past and still continues presently. So, Paul is urging his listeners to continue learning what they have already learned, that is, to control themselves sexually. In fact while many translations refer to the Greek word skeuos as "body" and others as "wife," I think it is better to translate it as "member" because it takes the form as a euphemism for a male's penis. Since Paul was writing to males, it would be logical for him to make reference to such an object. It seems less likely for him to tell the males to take a wife or to control their wives since he was not really for marriage in the sense that he thought it was better not to be married so that one can fully serve the Lord without hinderance (1 Cor. 7), and also that he did not view males as the only submissive party (Eph. 3:21ff). Using skeuos in this way produces a bold statement: Men, learn to keep it in your pants; keep your zipper up! The word in Greek used for "control" means "to gain control" (BDAG).

Paul is thus urging his listeners to gain control of their penis. This is only appropriate, for the city of Thessalonica was well-known for its sexual promiscuity. Gentile believers there would have grown up in a city that would have formed their lifestyle; those who became Christians would have to defy the very lifestyle that they had grown up with. What a challenge! No wonder Paul urges them to gain control. The good news is that they had already learned how to gain control, but they were to continually put it into practice.

Verse 5: not in passionate lust as even the Gentiles do, who do not know God (my translation).

The Thessalonians and the nearby city of Corinth were well-known for their sexual practices. Mistresses, prostitutes, and wives were all respectable heterosexual partners. The Gentiles had strong desires or passion entailed in sexual desires. In other words they were very horny and they were not afraid to act on that horniness. The problem is that Christians have no right to act in the same way. While the Gentiles act in this manner, it is because they do not know God, but because Christians do in fact know God, they have no business acting likewise.

Verse 6: that no one should cross over the boundaries and take advantage of his brother in this affair (my translation).

It is clear that when one does not control his member in a holy and honorable manner that he will inevitably sin against his brother. In this case Paul writes that one should not transgress his brother "by going beyond proper limits in behavior" (BDAG); nor should he take advantage of him, either by cheating or exploiting him (BDAG). Not keeping it in the pants leads to crossing certain behavioral boundaries. Crossing these boundaries leads to cheating and exploiting one's brother. And who is one's brother? Well, the word for "affair" could actually be a euphemism for an illicit sexual affair (BDAG). This means, if it is true, that one's brother is everyone affected by the sexual affair. The woman or man involved, friends or family, children or partners. Perhaps the most likely meaning behind "brother" would be marital partner. However, sexual immorality is refering to fornication and not adultery, although it is possible that Paul had in mind both since the Greek word entails both. So which is it?

Since Paul was writing to males who may or may not have been married, and given the sexual practices that the Thessalonians would have been raised up in, we must assume that all fornicative and adulterous relationships are in Paul's words here. This means that sexual immorality extends to casual sex to sexual affairs. This means that sexual immorality applies to married couples and single individuals. And what does it mean for these peoples? It means that single individuals who do not keep the zipper up sins against the person they sleep with, and when either member of a marital party does not keep it in the pants, he or she sins against the partner as well as the adulterous partner. In either case, whether fornication or adultery, boundaries are crossed and people are exploited. Such is not the life of the believer who has been called to sanctification. The believer has been called to something greater--the will of God--and that means that utmost respect for all people, marital partners, friends, family, children, coworkers, and strangers be upheld so that no boundaries might be crossed and no one might be taken advantage of.

Now What?

The Bible is certainly clear that sex outside of marriage is not acceptable behavior for Christians, because they have been called to put aside sexual immorality by God. God has called them to grow in holiness, and pursuing a sexual lifestyle that rests in lustful passions outside of marriage does not bring about the holiness that God desires. We need to instill in ourselves that such actions have no place in our lives, because we are called to be holy. This means that some action is going to be necessary.

Take action, if you are single:

• to respect all others, male or female
• don't put yourself in a position that would cause you to cross the boundaries
• don't put yourself in a position that would cause you to selfishly use someone for your own pleasure
  
• to respect yourself
• don't involve yourself in degrading materials
• don't involve yourself in degrading events

Take action, if your are married:

• to respect your partner
• don't put yourself in a position that would cause you to cross the marital boundaries
  
• don't put yourself in a position that would cause you to selfishly use your spouse for your own pleasure
  
• to respect yourself
• don't involve yourself in degrading materials
• don't involve yourself in degrading events

Getting Practical

Let's say you are a 15 year-old girl and you have a crush on a really cute 17 year-old athletic stud. You find out that he likes you, or at least that he thinks you are pretty cute, but he also wants you to make out with him. He waits for you outside your last class on a Friday afternoon so that he can talk to you. He suggests that you and him sneak off somewhere really romantic, like the nearest bathroom stall, and make out. While making out your passion flares and things heat up. Next thing you know, he is asking you to give him oral sex, but deep down inside you don't really want to do it. Yet, this guy is incredibly cute, and you do not want to upset him, after all, you are having a good time, so why not? So, you proceed to orally stimulate this bathroom stall hunk.

This hypothetical situation is quite real; it happens more often than we might think in public and, even more sadly, private schools today. Our passage directly applies to this situation. Neither the girl or the guy showed any true respect. They were acting out of the here-and-now, living only for the moment. As a result, they crossed the boundaries and they exploited each other. Not only that, but they took advantage of each other without respect to their future marital partners! They put them in an overwhelmingly compromising position that caused them to disrespect others and themselves.

Giving oral sex in bathroom stalls isn't the only problem. Porn and strip-joints are another. They are degrading to both men and women, and they certainly strip something--respect--from all participants. When Paul said to abstain from sexual immorality, he literally said to abstain from porneia. Yes, pornography, whether in a book, in a magazine, on the television, on the computer, or in a so-called "gentlemen's" bar is inappropriate material and events for all believers. Such things are part of porneia and they also do not help the believer gain control of his or her member, but rather they encourage zipping down and dropping pants.

Even after marriage, porn and strip-joints are unacceptable, but so are any possible compromising situations. This means that husbands should not spend time alone with female coworkers, either in the car or on business trips, because it puts him in a compromising situation that could lead to disrespectful behavior towards his coworker and more importantly his wife. Not only that, but it is dishonoring to one's partner to use them solely for sex. Your partner is more than a sex toy--they are God's child--and they deserve to be loved, not used. Using one's partner even within marriage is not characteristic of a true believer of God. In this case a husband should ensure that his wife feels loved and not like a prostitute by constantly telling her that he loves her, spending time with her (not having sex), providing for her, and especially taking time to talk to her and to listen to her. It is important to have respect for yourself and for others, including marital partners, and this entails having a wholistic love--friendship, romantic, and erotic.

The Bottom Line

Paul urges believers to steer clear of sexual immorality in all its forms at all costs necessary. If you are not married, then avoid dangerous situations where you might get caught up in the moment. Also, avoid pornographic materials, whether it be Hustler Magazine or even the latest drug store romance novels (yes, ladies, those are pornographic in nature too, even though they don't necessarily have any nude pictures in them). If you are married, then do as the unmarried do but also cling to each other as well. Find fulfillment in each other, sharing in a complete love of friendship and romance. It is important that while we avoid sexual immorality at all costs that we also learn to control our bodily nature. Use the self-control given to you by the Holy Spirit. Keep your pants up. In doing so you will be able to fulfill Paul's commands to not sin against your fellows; you will remain in the boundaries and you will not have taken advantage of anyone. Remember that because you know God you have the responsibility to be sanctified, and to be sanctified means specifically to avoid sexual immorality at all costs in any given context. Learn to keep your pants up so that you might not sin against or take advantage of anyone. By doing this you will honor God--how cool is that? Now go, be sexually pure, and honor God with your life.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: abstain from sexual immorality; each one of you should learn to control his member in holiness and honor, not in passionate lust as even the Gentiles do, who do not know God; that no one should cross over the boundaries and take advantage of his brother in this matter.

Marriage and Mario Bros.

Now that I am married, I can speak from experience. My experience, though short, is extremely good. Here is what I have to say about it.

Marriage is not "Game over." It is the beginning of a life-long splendor. It may have it's difficult times, but it is supremely fulfilling. Allow me to relate this to you via Mario Bros.

Mario Bros. can be challenging at first. In fact learning the controls can be quite frustrating, and the tasks limiting and humbling. What is interesting is that in the video game one can accumulate lives so that if they die (fail at a task), then they can try again from the most recent starting point. Sometimes it takes several tries and can be the most frustrating thing in the world, but it is a challenge that must be won, and so you simply keep trying until you work through it and win. The game takes a while to beat. It takes a lot of time and effort, strategy and skill, and it even involves a long journey. This, I tell you, is like marriage.

Marriage is quite challenging at first and throughout. The couple must learn control and rolls despite frustrations, and at times might feel limited and also humbled. The interesting thing is that at times it might take a lot of tries and probably more often than not, failure will reign, but trudging on towards victory, the couple will reign in the end. Marriage takes a lot of investment of time, energy, and effort, and it most certainly is a life-long journey.

To all those who view marriage in a negative light: you are greatly missing out on a most beautiful sanction. It is not "Game Over." It is a journey of trials and victories that enables growth to the fullest. Don't let anybody tell you differently.