Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel
Born (1952-01-25) January 25, 1952
Arlington Heights, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation Legal editor, writer, journalist, clergy
Nationality United States
Alma mater

University of Missouri

Yale University
Period Current
Genre Science and religion
Historicity of the Gospels
Subject Christian apologetics
Spouse Leslie Strobel
Children Kyle Strobel, Alison Strobel
Website
LeeStrobel.com

Lee Patrick Strobel (born January 25, 1952) is an American Christian apologetic author. He has written several books, including four which received ECPA Christian Book Awards (1994, 1999, 2001, 2005)[1] and a series which addresses challenges to a Biblically inerrant view of Christianity.[2] Strobel also hosted a television program called Faith Under Fire on PAX TV,[3] and runs a video apologetics web site. Strobel has been interviewed on numerous national television programs, including ABC's 20/20, Fox News, and CNN.[4]

Biography

Strobel received a journalism degree from University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School,[5] becoming a journalist for The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers for 14 years. Formerly an avowed atheist, he began investigating the Biblical claims about Christ after his wife's conversion. Prompted by the results of his investigation, he became a Christian.[6][7]

Strobel was a teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, from 1987 to 2000, before shifting his focus to writing and producing his TV show.[8] He continues to speak periodically at churches and has been a board member of the Willow Creek Association. In 2007, Strobel was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Southern Evangelical Seminary in recognition of his contributions to Christian apologetics.[9]

Strobel is married to Leslie, and they have two children and several grandchildren. His daughter Alison is a novelist,[8] and his son Kyle is an Assistant Professor of Spiritual Theology and Formation at the Talbot School of Theology.

Books

The Case for Christ

According to Strobel, The Case for Christ retraces and expands his journey toward becoming a Christian. The book summarizes his interviews with thirteen evangelical Christian scholars—Craig Blomberg, Bruce Metzger, Edwin Yamauchi, John McRay, Gregory Boyd, Ben Witherington III, Gary Collins, D.A. Carson, Louis Lapides, Alexander Metherell, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, and J. P. Moreland—in which they defend their views regarding the historical reliability of the New Testament.[10]

The book is divided into three parts, preceded by a Preface: Introduction: Reopening the Investigation of a Lifetime

The Case for Faith

In his book The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, Strobel replies to doubts about Christianity, including the problem of evil, the contradiction between miracles and science, whether God is worthy of worship if he kills innocent children, whether Jesus is the only way to God, and the church's history of oppression and violence.[11]

The book is divided into 8 Objections:

The Case for a Creator

The Case for a Creator

The Case for a Creator consists of interviews with intelligent design advocates and Christian apologists who argue for the existence of a creator.[12][13]

The advocates interviewed in the chapters and their topic(s) of discussion are as follows:

The Case for the Real Jesus

The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ presents a number of counter-arguments to challenges to the evangelical Christian view. Strobel addresses differences between the portrayal of Jesus in the non-canonical gospels versus the four canonical gospels, whether the church has changed this depiction over time, new explanations that challenge Jesus's resurrection, the proposed origins of the Jesus story in pagan religions, whether Jesus fulfills messianic prophecies, and whether contemporary people should have the freedom to believe what they want about Jesus.[14]

The book is divided into 6 Challenges:

The Case for Christianity Answer Book

The Case for Christianity Answer Book uses a question-and-answer format to address typical questions concerning Christianity, including the internal consistency of the Bible, intersections between religion and science, the Problem of evil and the Resurrection of Jesus.[15]

The book is divided into six parts:

Other books

Strobel says that he wrote Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary to help advance lay people's understanding of Christianity and to increase the effectiveness of evangelistic efforts, and says the book includes insights drawn from his own experiences as a former atheist as to why people avoid Christianity.[16]

Experiencing the Passion of Jesus was co-written with Garry Poole as a discussion guide for Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ.[17] Strobel and Poole also co-authored Exploring the Da Vinci Code.

Bibliography

Children's apologetics series

Film

Strobel appeared in the 2016 film God's Not Dead 2.[18]

A film, "The Case For Christ" is based on Strobel's namesake best-selling book and is due to screen in theaters in 2017.[19] The film is directed by Jonathon M. Gunn and is about an atheist reporter who tries to prove Christianity to be a cult.[20]

References

  1. "1994 Gold Medallion Book Awards Winners – Missions/Evangelism". Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-28.. ecpa.org
  2. Smith, Lisa (September 12, 2007). "Author digs deeper to defend Christianity". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on September 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  3. Falsani, Cathleen (October 1, 2004). "Ex-reporter still asking tough questions on 'Faith Under Fire'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  4. "Biography". Retrieved 2007-12-31.
  5. Biography on The Unexpected Adventure page. Theunexpectedadventure.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-14.
  6. Barry, JD (2009). "Investigative Bible Study: Lee Strobel on Engaging a Pluralistic World". Bible Study Magazine: 10–14.
  7. Lee Strobel Books and Ministry. Christnotes.org. Retrieved on 2011-11-14.
  8. 1 2 About Lee Strobel. Leestrobel.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-14.
  9. "Lee Strobel". Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  10. Lee Strobel. The Case for Christ, September 1, 1998, Zondervan, ISBN 0-310-22605-8
  11. "ChristianBooks.com". Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  12. Callahan, Tim. No Case At All, Skeptic, June 22, 2005.
  13. Foster, Charles A. (2009). The Selfless Gene: Living with God and Darwin. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson. p. xvi. ISBN 0-8499-4654-9.
  14. "Publishers Weekly Nonfiction Reviews: Week of 7/23/2007". Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  15. "ChristianBook.com". Retrieved 2015-01-13.
  16. Product Description. Christianbook.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-14.
  17. Christianbook.com. Christianbook.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-14.
  18. "'God's Not Dead 2' Offers Compelling Arguments for Jesus (Review)". The Christian Post. Retrieved November 2016
  19. "Ex-Atheist Lee Strobel's Journey From Atheism to Christ Hits Theaters in Spring 2017 (Trailer)". The Christian Post. Retrieved November 2016
  20. Jeremy Kay (3 November 2016). "AFM: Pure Flix launches talks on 'The Case For Christ'". screendaily.com. Screen International. Retrieved November 2016
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