Posted on 05/20/2006 3:44:21 AM PDT by rhema
If you want to debate Christianity with Lee Strobel, you'd better do your homework. The California author brings to conversations the same friendly, fervent tenacity and intelligence that marked his former career as a big-city journalist and his current one as author of 17 books, including "The Case for Faith" and "The Case for Christ." Strobel, who calls himself a multidenominational Christian, has been a hit in the evangelical world, partly because his personal story is so dramatic. In 1981, the Chicago Tribune legal affairs editor jettisoned his adamant atheism and converted to Christianity.
In his work since as an author, speaker and teaching pastor, he's embraced what he calls an investigative approach to Christianity, citing research and experts that he says prove Jesus' life and death were precisely as the New Testament describes. Critics say he ignores academic and philosophical evidence and arguments that are skeptical about Christianity, but the intelligence and passion he exudes are undeniable.
We talked to Strobel recently while he was in the Twin Cities.
Q Talk about your latest book.
A "Exploring the Da Vinci Code" [with Gary Poole, 2006, Zondervan Press] says, essentially, good for Dan Brown for raising spiritual curiosity. The book and movie have inspired a lot of conversation. But historically, it's nonsense -- 10 percent truth, 90 percent fiction. We take a look at the book and the facts.
Q How did you come to Christianity?
A I grew up in Chicago in a nominally Christian household. I had the usual questions -- How can there be a loving God and a hell? How can Jesus be the only way? If Darwinism is true, isn't God out of a job?
In the fall of 1979, my wife, Leslie, became a Christian. I was dismayed -- I thought she'd turn
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
As an atheist I have never read any of these articles about former atheists that convince me even a little, and this one is no exception. But I'd rather read a hundred of these pieces than one more "God is dead" self-loathing dirge.
I worry, though, whether people get the impression they're to be committed to Christ because they have intellectually satisfying information that helps them maintain their Christianity or because they've committed to Christ NO MATTER the satisfaction level of any current investigation into any murky issue might be.
It's like the Soldier's Oath into the US military being:
This is as funny as the Da Vinci Code is ponderously pretentious.
I will never forget the first time I heard about the DaVinci book, a friend said that her mother read the book and was convinced that Jesus had been married etc.
Point being, some weak Christians who are weak in their faith were questioning Christianity and the reason is that the novel was about a secret organization formed by the Catholic Church that not a lot of people knew nothing about.
OpusDei
The author of the DaVinci Code cleverly used the name of the "secret" organization to further his "secrets" that there must be something to this "secret code".
All this secrecy and intrigue was a veiled attempt to shake the faith of weak Christians and to question thousands of years of faith and the Bible.
Don't fall for it. Believe in the Bible and Jesus Christ!
This is what Opus Dei is:
"Opus Dei is a Catholic institution founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá. Its mission is to help people turn their work and daily activities into occasions for growing closer to God, for serving others, and for improving society"
http://www.stjosemaria.org/sji/default.asp
stjoesmaria was born in Spain and is Spanish....
Hmmm want to add to the "mystery of the DaVinci Code or the "conspiracy"
this may be a stretch but with this controversial conspiracy amongst it all we have the spanish speaking
illegal aliens infiltratiing this country any connection???
Gotta give guys like Strobel that much, anyway: being related to Jesus seems to give them a lot more enjoyment than taking up permanent residence in a materialist Slough of Despond.
When it comes to Christian apologists, I prefer Chesterton [Orthodoxy; The Everlasting Man] to Strobel.
For those who want to believe but have difficulty, and for those who think God and Jesus are just comforting superstitions, historical facts and intellectual reasoning are helpful.
For those who know, these discussions are satisfying though unnecessary.
Anywho, I know plenty of folks who actually BELIEVE the DaVinci code is real. They say "well, its based on fact". Bleh, so is Star Trek..
I first met Lee Strobel as a 17 year old at a regional high school journalism conference in St Charles, Illinois in 1969. I met him again in 1994 following my own conversion to Christianity. Took me 13 more years than it did for him to acknowledge the truth.
I must misunderstand your point...why would that be a worry?
To me this is ho hum. The book is definately a page turner, but the legends and conspiracy theories have been around a long time. It turns into a search for the Holy Grail which was a popular theme in the 14th century. It points up the fact that many Bible believers do't know church history and they concentrate on the first century exclusively. Is theirs a living God or an artifact?
I became curious and read Brown's book. It's junk. Not even good detective fiction. As the movie's almost always worse than the book, I think I'll save the money and play an extra round of golf.
"The Case for Faith" and "The Case for Christ."
Read these two, The Case for Christ, first. Before I could have faith I had to have facts. These books are filled with facts.
> The Case for Christ, first. Before I could have faith I had to have facts. These books are filled with facts.
Yes, but then, so is "Da Vinci Code." I tried to read "Case for Christ," but while it was "filled with facts," it was also filled with specious, unconvincing and basically illegitimate arguements. The paragraph at the bottom of page 22/top of page 23 was both typical and completely invalid.
History has shown that you can trick someone into faith (Scientology, anyone?). But it also shows that when the person you're trying to trick figures out what you're doing, you can turn them away from whatever it is you're tryign to convince them of.
Very interesting read by skilled author Grant R. Jeffrey:
"Creation-Remarkable Evidence of God's Design"
Thank you for that link. I've tried to find Chesterton on the web beforewithout too much success but this site is wonderful. Just finished reading the essay on Babies. So true!
to those religious folks who feel threatened by the da vinci code,
ask yourself one question:
what is more believable - that there was a man named jesus who happened to be married and had a child?...OR, that a man named jesus was immaculately conceived, and walked on water, and turned water into wine, etc........
...the bible is THE biggest piece of fiction of all time, and should have a disclaimer saying so
"The Bible is based on historical fact, whereas the DaVinci Code is hysterical fiction."
...lol, what facts?!...the fact that you were TOLD to believe it?
...the bible has constantly been proven wrong over the centuries on many scientific fronts
Yeah, that's what a lot of people have said. Instead of sitting back and self-righteously (how's that for irony?) sniping at believers, a number of them have set out to prove the point. You'd be surprised how many consequently became Christians. But of course, it depends on your level of intellectual laziness and smug superiority, whether you can be bothered to actually investigate what's true.
i'll answer your quesion, when you and others on this board answer mine:
what is more believable - that there was a man named jesus who happened to be married and had a child?...OR, that a man named jesus was immaculately conceived, and walked on water, and turned water into wine, etc........
The DaVinci Fad is just tin foil fiction.
Pray for W and Our Troops
what is more believable - that there was a man named jesus who happened to be married and had a child?
Unbelievable as there were too many witnesses that would not have lied for Him AND His followers gained nothing but painful deaths. Being stoned to death (Stephen) or thrown in boiling oil (John)or crucified upside down (Peter) isn't the kind of compensation that would make people continue to lie.
OR, that a man named jesus was immaculately conceived, and walked on water, and turned water into wine, etc........
Believable as He was the Son of who created all those things.
I enjoy Lee Strobel. By the way, Hebrew names/words that end with "el" usually mean something to do with God. Samuel (Asked of God), Daniel (Saved by God), Bethel (House of God). I wonder what Strob-El means? Kidding aside, Strobel is also the writer that broke the Ford Pinto/Exploding Gas Tank story years ago.
I surmise that he's a Bible hating noob troll as he spams FR with his angst. Check his post history.
I could not bring myself to waste a post on the hapless fellow. Just reading his was putting me to sleep.
His posts sound like the pap spewed on DU. Apparently, he wasn't prepared for answers to his "group think" questions. Liberals always think that they've come up with unaswerable posers when in fact they lack logic.
Definitely zot bait for sure.
Thank you. I thought it looked that way as he seldom posts and only seems to post anti-God stuff.
Yep. Just another angry leftist troll who can't understand something greater than he is.
His 'Case For A Creator' is a good read also.
I do like Strobel. There's a simulcast at many churches tomorrow where Strobel will be discussing the DVC. Should be interesting.
My only problem with that is that you don't know who is reading the twisted logic and needs to hear the truth.
Good point. Still frustrating at times.
It's the first stance that causes concern, not the part that you cited.
In sum, those who are content to be believers so long as they have satisfying answers at hand.
Thx!
Yr Wlkm
you sound like a cultish "thinker"...you've been programmed by your church to believe that ultimate piece of fiction (the bible) can not be questioned, even when your bible is proved wrong by science, whether it be through carbon dating, evolution or astronomy (as you recall the bible taught geocentricity, i.e. that the sun and planets revolve around the earth)...i'd bet your church still wishes they could burn the naysayers at the stake as they did the knights templar
...gimme a break, jesus walked on water, and you actually believe that?!
Heh, that was very inventive!!
Btw, where are your scientific facts that you promised GarySpFc in post 25?
I know Lee Strobel. He was one of the pastors on staff at Saddleback Church when I attended there. Good man.
Hogwash.
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