The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Resurrection (Case for ... Series)

I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. However, since I’ve been the only one in my family, I’ve had a lot of potholes, empty knowledge, places where I needed to have things filled in. Lee Strobel does an exceedingly excellent and important work in addressing point blank questions that Most people don’t dare to ask. He has access to people and things because of his work as a journalist, which gives us a bird eye and in fact and a direct in person seat with the top of theologians, and as a result is allowed to ask questions that get thorough and concise answers from experts in the field. The case for Easter is a must read and has provoked me to wanting to read more of his. Thank you Lee struggle for taking the time to investigate.

This was a really quick read that I picked up for fun, finished it in less than a day! Many people know about Strobel’s “A Case for Christ.” This book is additional evidence based on his research to support the Easter events specifically. The way he captures conversations with prominent theologians is great, and it was an added bonus for me having seen much work from the likes of William Lane Craig and Gary Habermas already, so I enjoyed reading their answers to Strobel’s questions. All in all, I would recommend this book for skeptics or for people who want to build their defense of our Scriptures. I may have known a lot of the arguments presented, but I still found this to be a great refresher and learned from it!

I am and have been a believer in Jesus Christ at the age of 7. I am now 67 and even more staunchly convinced of His Life, Death and Resurrection. However, many don’t have the same assurances that I have, so I’ve often be asked to explain or defend my belief. I always begin with Scripture, but many reject the Bible as being the true Word of God. Therefore, I also discuss the horrific torture that Christ endured, the proof that He died, was resurrected and seen by many before His ascension. Lee Strobel has done the research for me in his books, “The Case for Christ” and “The Case for Easter”. He has accessed the most prolific and studied men of our day to interview and approve or disprove the Rene to of the Christian faith. For skeptics, agnostics and atheists who are not afraid to have their notions, ideas and postulations shattered, I highly recommend these tomes. For Christians like me, who want to have the medical and historical facts at hand, I also highly recommend Lee”s works.

"If you confess with your mouth, `Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Jesus of Nazareth made a lifestyle out of equating himself with God. In fact, he made at least 213 separate claims to deity. But the ultimate and irrefutable proof of those claims is his resurrection from the dead. Lee Strobel clearly, concisely and forcefully sets out the compelling case for Easter in this excellent paperback. What sets the Christian faith apart from all other faith systems is that their leaders are all either dead or dying, while Jesus is eternally alive. Strobel makes a strong case that Jesus really did die, was actually dead for a couple of days, and then physically rose to be seen by many. One of the most helpful points made is that Paul's claim "Christ has indeed been raised from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:20) was made around AD 51. That's about 24 years after the first Easter, there were over 500 witnesses and most of whom were "still living" (verse 6). I think if someone denied Argentina ever invaded the Falklands in 1982 there'd be plenty of witnesses still alive in 2006 to silence them! Yet for me it contains two minor anomalies. (1) The Bible attests that every human is made in God's image. It also claims we inherited mortality from Adam, making an exception for God-incarnate by claiming he had no cause of death in him. Strobel seems to contend that Jesus was brutally tortured until he suffered cardiac arrest and died. But Jesus' death was and remains the only voluntary death in history! The words "He gave up his spirit" (Matthew 27:50) translate literally "He sent his spirit away", suggesting a deliberate act of the will. Jesus himself claimed that "No-one takes my life from me but I lay it down of my own accord" (John 10:18). (2) Strobel accurately remarks that the Jews bribed the tomb guards to say they'd fallen asleep and Jesus disciples had stolen his body during the night. But he neglects to mention that if the guards were all asleep they couldn't possibly know who'd stolen the body. Notwithstanding these two flaws in the secondary details, The Case for Easter is a MUST READ!

THE SCOPE: This short little work answers three primary questions about the facts surrounding the death the Jesus Christ from an investigative reporter’s lens. The three questions are: 1) did Jesus die by crucifixion, 2) was His tomb empty, and 3) did credible people encounter Jesus after His death? THE METHOD: As an investigative reporter, Lee Strobel interviews and interrogates experts on this remarkable event. In other words, the reader does not get bogged down in a myriad of historical details, but, through the author, challenges these experts. This process of establishing the credibility of those interviewed along with insightful questions gives the reader quick access to the facts surrounding the resurrection of Jesus. SOME OF THE EXPERTS: Regarding the actual death of Jesus, Lee interviews Medical Examiner Dr. Robert J Stein and research scientist Dr. Metherell to understand Roman crucifixions. Concerning the “missing body”, Lee interviews William Lane Craig, Ph.D., D.Th., who gives multiple reasons to support the empty tomb. To investigate the idea of credible witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, Lee Strobel interviews author, debater, and resurrection historian Gary Habermas, Ph.D., D.D, who asserts that …”by itself an empty grave does not a resurrection make.” Habermas make the case that credible people encountered Jesus after His death. SOME OF THE CONCLUSIONS: According to the medical experts, Jesus died on the cross. The most rational explanation for the events after the crucifixion of Christ was an empty tomb. Some of the cogent reasons for empty tomb include the very early development of resurrection creeds, the tomb sight was known (the Jerusalem factor), the recording of Mark’s Gospel was too near the event to be embellished by legends, the culturally embarrassing fact that the women were the first to witness the empty tomb, and the Jewish polemic presupposes an empty tomb. In addition, there were multiple sources who claimed to see the risen Christ. This includes specific names and five hundred witnesses. Many of these witnesses claimed to see Jesus alive after the tomb was empty and consequently died for their eyewitness reports. Generally, people are not willing to die for a lie. AN EMOTIONAL BYPRODUCT: The fact or fiction of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is more than an academic pursuit. The answer to this question has real world emotional consequences to those who are suffering or who have lost a love one. Some would say there is an eternal component. Philosopher J. P. Moreland describes the transformation in the attitude of the disciples. They went from discouragement and depression to enthusiastically proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus without any earthly payoff. They faced incredible hardships because they knew the Easter Story was true.

Lee is awesome at all these in the series. Good read and helpful for those having questions

Excellent! All premises supported by scripture. An excellent read for Lent and Easter!! Solid journalistic exploration with interviews with strong learned men of faith!

I believe with all my heart ever since I was sentenced to prison and found Jesus, it surprised me how comforted and peaceful I was able to feel behind gates and concrete walls, but that’s was Jesus promises us if we come to him, a peace this world can never give us, I pray for all who read this that they accept Jesus Christ into their hearts wholeheartedly like I did and follow him until they’re end in this life and I hope to see you in our eternal resting place. Praise the lord hallelujah

He visto que hay quejas de que está sesgado. Es cierto. Sin embargo, es posible que no hayan pensado que el objetivo del libro no es un análisis crítico de todos los planteamientos sobre la posible resurrección de Jesús de Nazaret, a pesar de que sí que incluye contraargumentos (de alguna manera, según se me ocurrían) y que cuesta 4€. Se lee de una tirada sin problema. En cualquier caso, si algún ateo lo lee, por lo menos le hará ir a otras fuentes a intentar rebatirlo. Si no, ya es su problema.

I am 75 years old. I was born in a Christian family and I practice a if I can call it that a secular form of Christianity not enamoured by the fundamental type who believe that having doubts about what is written in the Bible is a mortal sin. This book helped to clear my mind about Jesus death on the Cross, the empty toumb and his subsequent appearance to his followers as presented by the author helped in clearing a lot of unwanted clutter from my mind.

This is a book everyone should read believer and non believer. For the believe it will deepen your faith and for the non believer it will challenge you. This was my first Lee Strobel read but it wont be my last.

Really easy to read but hard to put down. Lee bought out the best in each of the experts he interviewed. Highly recommended.

Une véritable enquête d'investigation, réalisée par un journaliste agnostique, qui révèle la vérité sur Jésus ! Croyants et athées se doivent de lire ce livre !