The Case for Christ

This work presents a journalistic investigation into the historical evidence for Jesus Christ's divinity, structured as a series of interviews with thirteen biblical scholars and experts. Strobel, a former atheist and legal affairs journalist, applies courtroom methodology to examine the New Testament's reliability, approaching the question of Christ's identity through empirical investigation rather than philosophical speculation.

The text organizes its inquiry around key challenges to Christian claims: the reliability of Gospel accounts, the historical Jesus versus the Christ of faith, and the evidence for the resurrection. Strobel interviews scholars including Craig Blomberg on Gospel eyewitness testimony, Bruce Metzger on textual criticism, and Gary Habermas on resurrection evidence. Each chapter frames skeptical objections before presenting scholarly responses that defend traditional Christian positions. The author's legal background shapes his approach, treating historical evidence as testimony to be cross-examined and evaluated for credibility.

Methodologically, the work operates within an evidentialist framework, arguing that historical investigation can establish religious truth claims. Strobel engages primarily with evangelical scholars who employ historical-critical methods while maintaining orthodox conclusions. His investigation responds implicitly to Jesus Seminar scholars and explicitly to skeptics who deny the Gospels' historical value. The work represents a popular apologetic approach that emerged in the 1990s, combining journalistic accessibility with scholarly argumentation.

The book's significance lies in its attempted synthesis of faith and reason through historical methodology. Unlike philosophical arguments for theism, Strobel grounds his case in specific historical claims about a particular figure. This approach assumes that questions about God can be addressed through empirical investigation of historical events, particularly the resurrection. The work thus contributes to debates about the relationship between history and theology, the nature of religious evidence, and the possibility of rational belief.

While critics challenge the selection of exclusively conservative scholars and the predetermined trajectory of the investigation, the work's influence extends beyond evangelical circles. It exemplifies how contemporary apologetics employs academic historical methods to defend traditional theological claims. The text ultimately argues that historical evidence, properly examined, leads rationally to Christian theism, positioning faith as the reasonable conclusion of empirical investigation rather than a leap beyond evidence.