Lee Strobel — a really interesting read

Where have I been?

by Lee Strobel, 10.18.2007

San Francisco, New York City, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston - whew! I’ve been bouncing around the country the last couple of weeks to talk about the faith-impacting issues in my new book, The Case for the Real Jesus. But I wanted to pause, catch my breath, and introduce you to the new format for my newsletter.

I’ve decided to adopt a more personal and conversational approach to keeping in contact with you. Consider it a letter from a friend! I’ll keep you abreast of new developments, share some stories, offer a few observations, and alert you to exciting opportunities on the horizon.

New Developments?

Well, I’ve been blown away by the enthusiastic reception to The Case for the Real Jesus, in which I interview experts about the current objections to Christianity that are circulating in popular culture. I think Christians are especially thirsty for answers to the tough challenges that are being promoted by skeptics in best-selling books, in college classrooms, on news programs, and on the Internet. As one physician wrote to encourage me: “This book has answered the exact questions that my skeptical friends have been asking me.” What’s especially exciting is that 206 seekers prayed to receive Christ as their forgiver and leader when I spoke on the topic of the book recently at Saddleback Church in California. (By the way, thanks to Rick Warren for saying to the congregation: “This is Lee’s best book ever!”)

At the same time, Lionsgate has released a film based on The Case for Christ. Produced by the talented folks at Illustra Media, this 70-minute documentary retraces my journey from atheism to faith and includes provocative interviews with such scholars as N.T. Wright, Mark Strauss, Ben Witherington III, and William Lane Craig. It’s the first faith-based film Lionsgate has distributed - they’re best known for the Academy Award-winner Crash and the horror flick Saw. Many churches are showing the film as an outreach event - for more information, visit www.Strobelfilms.com.

Stories?

When I was a teenager, motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel’s spectacular but ill-fated leap over the fountain at Caesar’s Palace (which put him in a coma for 29 days) inspired me to buy the same motorcycle for myself — a 650cc Triumph Bonneville. Until a few months ago, that was the only connection between me and the legendary Knievel. And then one day around Easter, my phone rang. “Strobel?” said the caller. “It’s Evel.”

Knievel, who turned 69 on Oct. 17, described to me how he had recently sensed that God wanted him to come to faith through Jesus Christ. Knievel barely believed in God and didn’t know what to think about Jesus, so he called a Christian - sportscaster Frank Gifford - and asked what to do. Gifford recommended Knievel read The Case for Christ.

As it turned out, God used my book to cement Knievel’s new-found faith in Jesus. Then, thoroughly bowled over by God’s forgiveness for his wayward life, Knievel asked Robert Schuller if he would let him proclaim his commitment to Christ at the Crystal Cathedral so his declaration of faith could be carried around the world on The Hour of Power television show.

During the church service, Knievel recounted his heart-felt conversion. “I just got on my knees and prayed that God would put His arms around me and never, ever, ever let me go,” he said. With that, Schuller baptized Knievel - and then something truly extraordinary happened.

Schuller’s son asked if anyone else wanted to trust Christ and be baptized right then and there. Immediately, teary-eyed people flowed toward the platform - in all, about 700 of them during the two services that morning! The sermon planned for the day was promptly jettisoned. After all, this spectacle of people seeking forgiveness and grace - inspired by the unlikeliest of converts - was the only sermon that needed to be preached.

Since then, Knievel and I have become friends. He even invited me to visit him in Florida so he could take me for a ride on his motorcycle. Hmmmmm. We’ll see. For now, I’m content to know that Knievel has succeeded in making the ultimate leap of faith.

(By the way, if you’d like a DVD of the service I just described, visit: www.crystalcathedral.com.)

Observations?

I’m noticing an exciting trend around the country: a resurgence of interest in Christian apologetics (the defense of the faith). This is a reaction to the current attacks on the essentials of Christianity that are coming from militant atheists, radical professors, and Internet gadflies.

I began detecting the trend in August when I was among the speakers at a two-day conference on apologetics that was attended by nearly 1,600 enthusiastic teenagers in Colorado Springs. We had to turn away hundreds of other students because the Focus on the Family auditorium was packed to capacity. How amazing - these are postmodern kids who the “experts” claim don’t care about things like doctrine or apologetics! And my ministry partner, Mark Mittelberg, also spoke to 1,500-plus high schoolers at another apologetics conference in Virginia earlier that same week. What’s going on?

I’ve seen other evidence of the trend in the burgeoning National Apologetics Conference, which will be held this November in Charlotte. (See: www.ses.edu/conference/index.htm). They’ve had to move to a 6,000-seat auditorium because of heightened interest in the topic. Behind the scenes, major new apologetics conferences are being discussed for California and Virginia. Meanwhile, the incredible reception given my new book The Case for the Real Jesus, as well as several other apologetics works that have recently been published, further authenticates the trend.

How ironic: the efforts of atheists and other skeptics to squelch Christianity is actually having the reverse effect. More and more, Christians are seeking to better understand what they believe - and why. The result will be an army of Christians who are better prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks for the reason for the hope that they have, as 1 Peter 3:15 says.

By the way, a great way to deepen your understanding of the facts behind the Christian faith is to visit www.LeeStrobel.com on a regular basis to see the free new video clips that are being added every week. Use the search engine to get answers to your toughest questions from reputable scholars, scientists, and other experts (for example, Gary Habermas, Erwin Lutzer, Mark Mittelberg, and Mark Strauss).

New Opportunities?

There are lots of terrific things on the horizon! Dr. Antony Flew, once the world’s most respected philosophical atheist, has a much-anticipated book coming out in November in which he describes the evidence that led him to abandon his atheism. I’ve read the manuscript of his book There is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. It’s so amazing to see the words of Flew, who once authored the landmark book The Presumption of Atheism, as he unambiguously declares: “I now believe there is a God!”
Not long ago, I had a rare chance to interview Flew about his stunning reversal. Stop by www.LeeStrobel.com to see some of the clips. You can pre-order Flew’s book through Amazon.