The Man Behind The Case For Christ

Family policy matters in engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Ralston presidency family and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will for better equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and nation, and now here's our house to family policy matters. Tracy Devitt brings thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters. The strengths of the Christian faith is how its principles and truths are rooted not just an abstract faith but also in sound reasoning as the very fundamentals of Christianity come under increasing attack in our culture, we constantly have to remind ourselves to keep in mind. First Peter 315. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is within you, but Peter goes on to say we should do that with gentleness and respect what can be a tricky line to walk. I'm excited today to be joined by a man who has spent his entire life, practically putting this into practice and giving guidance to all of us who are trying to do the same Lee Strobel is the best-selling author of the book and now movie the case for Christ. Other books include the case for faith. The case for a creator, the case for grace and his latest book, the case for miracles.

Strobel was at one time legal editor of the Chicago Tribune.

He was a professor of Christian thought at Houston Baptist University, and most recently he has teamed up with Colorado Christian University to establish the Lee Strobel Center for evangelism and applied apologetics, which seeks to fuel spiritual renewal in America by equipping churches, ministries, and individual Christians to naturally share and defend their faith Lee Strobel. Welcome to family policy matters greatly written much what you do with thank you.

Most of us know who you are, but for those of us who may be unfamiliar with your faith background. Could you start by giving us a quick overview of how you came to faith in Christ sure my early life, journalism and loss would be quite the skeptic about the thought that was a waste, and certainly not built on any rational foundation. My wife will ultimately would be faster came to faith in Christ. It was really two things would happen. One, the positive changes in her character and values attract me toward the same… I wanted to rescue her from us but so that we could get our old life back in the so I decided to use my journalism training and legal training to systematically investigate whether there was any factual underpinnings through Christianity, especially the resurrection of Jesus which are recognizes, the key to the whole thing through years of my life investigated the historical evidence for the resurrection, and ultimately becoming convinced that based on the avalanche over evidence supports powerfully for the truth of Christianity more.

The main thing but it was a great story always love hearing that you spent much of your life as a Christian, exploring the intersection of faith and reason. What is unique about the way that you believe these two pillars interact in the Christian tradition well. Unlike other systems, the evidence of science and biology research, biochemistry, genetics, human consciousness points toward the existence of a creator who just happens to match the description of the God of the Bible that we look at history as I mentioned, the historical evidence for Jesus not only claim to be the son of God, but that back up that claim by returning from it that we have strong evidence inside and outside the New Testament that Jesus is who we claim to be the unique son of God. Therefore Christianity is not based on legendary beliefs or mythology or wishful thinking, but really is built on a solid foundation of historical truth. So in our current culture.

It seems like we have a tendency to vilify the other side and even be afraid of talking to them you think it's possible for Christians to engage in the most contentious cultural debates and not only maintain their Christian testimony, but actually to use that as an opportunity to talk to others about their faith in Christ are more talking about spiritual matters in the past. So I think I figure culture even though you're right it is a tumultuous time to be alive and to be a Christian. People are curious about faith or curious about Christianity that I find that it's pretty good spiritual conversation and if we do what you quoted earlier for Peter saying that we should share with gentleness and respect for more receptive that we give him credit for little bit more because in its least in the political environment. It seems like evangelical Christians are lumped into one group and there are a lot of misconceptions about them.

So how do you bridge that gap and get a conversation started. You're right, you know, in the popular culture these days.

Christians are being homophobic and bigoted and all real extreme right wingers and so for the white supremacist, and so forth, which of course is totally inaccurate, but beyond that how we could be that I think is through relationships through friendships is through letting people know who we really are being authentic, being honest, being gentle, being forthright listening to her more listening than talking, asking more questions and giving answers being authentically interested and concerned about where other people are coming from but then to bring a biblical perspective in a gentle and respectful way to explain why we believe what we believe increasingly today. We have to be able to share with people matches what we believe why we believe it why it makes sense why it syncs up with reality and so I try to get beyond some of the social disputes we have in our culture and get down to the spiritual questions of where we come from God how can we know them personally listening post weekly radio show and podcast of family policy Council. This is just one of the many ways in educating citizens across Mr. Lana about policy issues that impact families. Our vision is to create a state or nation where God is on religious freedom versus families were in life's cherished more information about his family and how you can help us to achieve this incredible vision for our state and nation. Visit our website and see family.org and see family.org and be sure to sign up to receive our email updates, action alerts, and of course our flagship publication family North Carolina magazine would also love for you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and right so when people hear that word, apologetics. I think they they think of college professors they think of people who study for years and years that difficult to come up with some of these recent arguments to think on cultural issues that we face every day. Be willing to say the great question. I have no idea how to answer it for you know what, let's pursue an answer together so many good resources out there today and we can go to help us reach a friend not a Christian atheist or agnostic. I'll say hey you know.

Would you be interested in watching the debate between one of the smartest Christians in the world and one of the smartest use of the world with a no holds barred intellectual shootout on the question of whether God exists without be interesting to you. That is not interesting will go on YouTube you can watch the debate between William Ln., Craig Christian, Christopher Hitchens, the atheist was held a few years ago by the University is a wonderful debate to watch with someone and then to discuss it. The talk about sometimes it's good to be able to bear playing. An even playing field. Let's watch a no holds barred debate event talk about it. Okay so did you the opportunity to get a shameless plug for your books would you think that working through those as well with somebody who had some interest would be an opportunity to to share with you.

Believe absolutely every people to avoid my books all the time I get all the time. You know some people go watch movies and they learn visually and so for those people I say you know if you're on Netflix you can get for free movie the case for Christ which is the dramatic portrayal of MySpace journey from atheism.

The faith and what it did to our marriage and so forth.

That's a very well-done motion picture won some awards and you can watch that great opening to after discussion about what you think about that investigation because the evidence is in the film and the gospel is in the film as well just for people that might not be familiar with your books. I resent the fact that they're very easy to read is not lost. The language in there. I mean, it really is easy to follow and so that would be a good place for people to start.

I think I see myself as a bridge between the academic world of the everyday world. My journalism background I don't portray myself as being the know know all expert. I go to the people with PhD's of the relevant areas who are authors of peer-reviewed academic articles and major books that I have some tough questions I get is an atheist and I let the reader decide whether or not they provide good answers so phrases in the case for Christ right interviews with 13 scholars with PhD's from Cambridge, and Yale and Brandeis and other major universities who articulate as you say in a very easy-to-understand way. What is the evidence. How do we know that Christianity is not wishful thinking, but it is really based on historical evidence in my bookcase recruiter looks at the scientific evidence that points toward the existence of a creator matches the description of the God of the Bible, so I'm assuming you're not going at these people quoting Bible verses that I I like to not start necessarily with the Bible.

What I'm dealing with someone who is not a believer you know I'm in a set aside the question of whether the Bible is the word of God. I believe it is, I believe it's inerrant word of God, but I set aside my signals not start their let's start with history. What can we know from history. What evidence can we find about Jesus and about his life that miracles and resurrection, and let's use the same techniques that you would use if you evaluate the writings of any ancient writer. We can take the same investigative techniques and apply them to the New Testament and two other ancient writings and try to determine what is the truth so I don't set the bar so high at the beginning to say a minute defend inerrancy right off the bat.

I'd rather say you don't, let's try to determine what history says and I believe there's good evidence that what we find.

New Testament is good history and I think are good reasons for that that I explained in same with the question of science use evidence not that is only accepted by Christians but accepted by every scientist that I believe that evidence from cosmology, which is the origin of the universe. Physics genetics by human consciousness and so forth that points toward a creator matches the description of the God of the Bible. Most people I think she likes science has been commandeered by people who are atheists or who don't believe in the Bible so that's an interesting approach. I know some people. There's that old saying the Bible set it I believe it, that settles that.

Why do you believe that that for at least communicating with people outside of our faith that that's just not enough to write about science. There's a difference between science and scientism. What we see in our culture today thought scientism or scientism says is that science is the only way to discern what's true and if you can't prove it to be scientifically believe the problem with that is that statement. The only thing you can know is what science tells us, is not a scientific statement, and therefore itself refuted. So science is a way that we can learn things. What is not the only way we could learn the a lot of people say, as you mentioned it.

If it's in the Bible I believe and that's the end of the discussion trying to base your faith that Scripture as I do myself but in sharing with people who don't have that worldview. I want to say you know what I think I can demonstrate quite persuasively that the writings of the New Testament are accurate when they talk about Jesus claiming to be the son of God and rising from the dead and thus proving is the son of God and not that good evidence outside the Bible that supports what the Bible tells me so I buy like to base it on the common ground I have with the nonbeliever in science and in history not the average person may say will golly I don't know that much about what your physics or historical data, and that's okay. That's why, as you mentioned earlier that people like us right books and you can go through those with nonbelievers. You can give a book ever discussion about it so forth, apologetics or evidence for the faith has two functions. One is to reach out to nonbeliever the other is to strengthen our own faith and sometimes it's helpful for us as Christians, just to be familiar with the breath and depth of evidence for our faith just to bolster our confidence that our faith in Jesus is well listening to family policy matter. This is been part one of a two-part series with renowned Christian author Lee Strobel. We hope you enjoy the show and plans to do it again next week for 14 to listen to this program online and to learn more about NC families want to inform, encourage and inspire families across North Carolina go to our website and see family.org that's in see family.org.

Thanks much for listening and may God bless you and your family