Introduction (2001)
Kyle J. Gerkin
At a recent family gathering the issue of my atheism was raised, though not for the first time, and I professed that I was as staunch an unbeliever as ever. Afterwards, an aunt of mine (who has recently become an evangelical Christian) pulled me aside and handed me a book. The book was, of course, Lee Strobel’s The Case For Faith. Apparently it is being hailed by evangelicals as a great "witnessing tool," especially for spiritual skeptics. I hadn’t read the Christian apologists in depth for a couple of years, so I was interested to take a stroll down memory lane. Needless to say, they’re still plugging away. I felt compelled to inform my aunt just why I don’t buy into the Christian position or their apologetics. The next thing I knew I was hammering away at a page-by-page review of the book, and sending the chapters to her via email as I completed them. Here I have presented the critique in its entirety. Naturally, I have done a bit of editing so that it is more tailored for publication. However, if the review is personal or direct at times, please bear in mind its email roots.
Strobel has decided that there are eight major objections to Christianity which act as stumbling blocks on the path to spirituality. They are listed in the table of contents for this review. Strobel has decided to pose these objections to eight prominent Christian apologists and let them make "the case for faith." The meat of the book consists of eight chapters, each one essentially an interview with a particular apologist dealing with one of Strobel’s "Big Eight" objections. Similarly, I will deal with each of the eight objections in separate sections. For ease of reference, the sections in my review will be divided into subsections bearing the same title as those found in each chapter of the book. Of course, I will include paraphrasing and quotes so that a copy of the book is not necessary for readability.