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Is God Real? Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life
It's no coincidence that one of the most asked questions on any search engine "Is God real?" When life feels overwhelming, we want to know if there really is a deity who loves us, knows us, and cares about what happens to us. Join investigative journalist and former atheist Lee Strobel on a quest to determine whether we can know with confidence that God is real. Lee Strobel's landmark book, The Case for Christ , is one of the most respected defenses of Christianity of all time. Now in Is God Real? Lee weaves together material from his previous books with the latest evidence from the most brilliant scientific and philosophical minds to answer the pressing questions on our hearts and minds. In this rational exploration of the proof of God's existence, Lee Written for skeptics and believers alike, Is God Real? is a life-changing exploration of the question that matters most.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2023
299 people are currently reading
4365 people want to read
About the author
Lee Strobel
212 books1,707 followersLee Patrick Strobel is an American Christian author and a former investigative journalist. He has written several books, including four that received ECPA Christian Book Awards (1994, 1999, 2001, 2005)[2] and a series which addresses challenges to the veracity of Christianity. He also hosted a television program called Faith Under Fire on PAX TV and runs a video apologetics web site.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
April 5, 2025
I always like what Lee Strobel has to say. I do not necessarily agree with everything, BUT I am always willing to listen and he presents clear and articulatable arguments for his case. As with everything, I will do my own research and study on the subject. This was an excellent book, as it is filled with interviews with many other Christian philosophers and thinkers. This is a great book to read if you wish to gain an understanding from many ideological sides. It is an excellent book with respect not just to the "realness" of God, but also from the position of learning some apologetics. Well worth the time to purchase and read and share with your family.
November 24, 2023
Well researched, using very smart people in their areas of expertise to show how God is real through the evidences of the universe (Cosmos,) the fine tuning of scientific detail, DNA, the Resurrection, experiences, logical and organized reasoning and coming to terms two problems - the problem of why God allow suffering and Why is God Hidden.
April 23, 2024
It's hard to know what to say about this book because it's hard to figure out just what the author was trying to accomplish in writing it. It seems to have all the depth of a Jack T. Chick cartoon pamphlet - written at about a 5th grade reading level. It purports to be a serious examination of arguments for and against the existence of the Judeo-Christian god of the Bible, but throughout the author sets up silly straw men which either he or more often one of the people he interviews triumphantly knock down.
Just one example - the argument about "first causes" is distorted by claiming that the argument claims that things that come to exist (like the universe) must be caused, but that god is and has always been eternal, god cannot be said to having came to exist and therefore was not caused. Well, that's rather circular reasoning which in the end proves or demonstrates nothing. If your argument begins by assuming that god has always existed and was not caused...well, that's a little like saying god is real, because god is real.
The whole book is rather like this, and that's why I'm not sure what the author's goal was in writing it. The only people who are likely to find it anything other than tedious and silly are likely already fervent believers. I'm glad it was a rather thin (and repetitive) book and a quick read, because the seriousness and depth that such a subject truly deserves is nowhere to be found,
Just one example - the argument about "first causes" is distorted by claiming that the argument claims that things that come to exist (like the universe) must be caused, but that god is and has always been eternal, god cannot be said to having came to exist and therefore was not caused. Well, that's rather circular reasoning which in the end proves or demonstrates nothing. If your argument begins by assuming that god has always existed and was not caused...well, that's a little like saying god is real, because god is real.
The whole book is rather like this, and that's why I'm not sure what the author's goal was in writing it. The only people who are likely to find it anything other than tedious and silly are likely already fervent believers. I'm glad it was a rather thin (and repetitive) book and a quick read, because the seriousness and depth that such a subject truly deserves is nowhere to be found,
February 12, 2024
Lee Strobel never disappoints!
June 18, 2024
Got this book from my church library. I was fortunate to meet Lee Strobel and hear him speak. An amazing man!! This book was over my head, but still very interesting! I don’t like rating Non Fiction. I gave it 3 stars, because it was over my head but it was a 5 star if I understood it. Still a book you should read especially if you have questions about faith!!!
December 20, 2023
I won this Lovely book in the Goodreads 2023 Giveaway. I want to thank God, first, for always somehow giving me that sign, reminding me that yes, he is around even if I don't think I hear him. Then to the authors for this beautifully presented book, with stories from all walks of life of believers, nonbelievers, and those who are wondering but just not there yet. It shows how God has touched and will touch each one of us if we allow the Holy Spirit in. Many people fight the feeling of denying it, but He is there all around us, waiting for us to open up and accept him into our hearts. This book shares all these heart warming stories with you. It's not pushy. It's a profound telling of God’s ability to turn the most challenging heart soft, the meanest man nice, and the weakest woman strong if only they will seek Him.
You do not have to be a believer to read this; you do not have to be of any specific religion to read this, but I will tell you after reading this, you will feel at least better about the chances that there is the possibility of there being a God. A loving Father. Some hope of sunshine in the sky.
The forward of this book features very notable people who have written short snippets of what this book means to them, and you can see how God has worked wonders in their lives, such as Kirk Cameron. He has been a Christian his whole life but feels he grows with his faith repeatedly because the stronger his relationship with God is the better his life and his other relationships are such as with his wife and Children. I am delighted to not only have won this book but to have had the opportunity to read it and review it so others can hopefully pick up a copy, read it, and enjoy it for themselves. This would make such a lovely Holiday gift for anyone from ages 15-adulthood
You do not have to be a believer to read this; you do not have to be of any specific religion to read this, but I will tell you after reading this, you will feel at least better about the chances that there is the possibility of there being a God. A loving Father. Some hope of sunshine in the sky.
The forward of this book features very notable people who have written short snippets of what this book means to them, and you can see how God has worked wonders in their lives, such as Kirk Cameron. He has been a Christian his whole life but feels he grows with his faith repeatedly because the stronger his relationship with God is the better his life and his other relationships are such as with his wife and Children. I am delighted to not only have won this book but to have had the opportunity to read it and review it so others can hopefully pick up a copy, read it, and enjoy it for themselves. This would make such a lovely Holiday gift for anyone from ages 15-adulthood
April 5, 2024
I wish there was a higher rating on Goodreads than five stars. This book deserves ten stars at the very least, I loved it so much. There is so much in this book, from factual evidence that God exists to testimony stories that will make you cry. I've loved this book so much and it has helped me grow in my faith even as a Christian that's been a part of the faith for a long time. This book provides evidence and reassurance as to why Christianity is the best religion to follow. It handles tough subjects like why is there suffering in the world and how do we know that Christianity is the right religion to follow. This book came into my life at the perfect time to grow my faith and understanding as to why I believe that God exists and why I gave my life to the Lord, not only has it helped me prepare if anyone asks me why I choose to believe the way that I do but it gives factual data against many topics that someone could come across. Whether you are a brand new Christian or someone who has followed the Lord for fifty plus years, Is God Real? will deepen your faith and provide you with new insights. May God bless those who read it!
December 29, 2023
I appreciate the inclusion of modern science and psychology, etc., but I think it has somewhat weak arguments, although probably not for the average person. Every person interviewed was a believer, clearly biased choices unfortunately, because it would’ve been interesting to read perspectives from the other side. Reading this isn’t going to make someone believe, but you shouldn’t have to read a 200 page book to develop faith anyways. It can, however, more than likely strengthen someone’s already existing faith and maybe help someone who’s skeptical lean in more.
October 7, 2024
Extremely well researched and logically reasoned. He presents facts which are essentially indisputable. He also follows the historical method of “3R’s”, ie relevant sources,
responsible methods and restrained results. He is mathematical in his approach to proof.
responsible methods and restrained results. He is mathematical in his approach to proof.
September 5, 2025
3/10.
This book is (or should be) of little value to people who are serious about figuring out the answer to the question of God's existence. It does not feel like an honest approach at all, in contrast to Lee's claim that he values following the evidence wherever it leads. If Lee is truly impartial in this discussion and has no preference for what conclusion his readers come to (or rather, has a preference that the conclusion they come to is based solely on a rational examination of all available evidence), then I don't believe the book would have looked the way it does. It does however present the most popular arguments for God's existence in an a pretty accessible way, and so for someone entirely unfamiliar, it does a fine job in getting the point accross (altough I think it misrepresents the significance and strength of these arguments).
The book is essentially a series of interviews with popular Christians who have some impressive credentials. Each of them presents their argument, and together, all arguments add up to what should be a strong case for the existence of the Christian God. I find this approach to be problematic. The book is titled 'Is God Real?', yet the only people who are being asked about this are those who have already made a commitment to the 'yes' answer. The book would be vastly more interesting (and honest) if Lee included agnostics, atheists, deists, or non-Christian theists in his selection of interviewees. If Lee does not want to do this, the book should at least not be given this title in my view.
Furthermore, the first problem I just laid out could have been made less of a problem if Lee provided sufficient pushback against the people he interviews himself. He could play the role of say, an atheist, and bring about a more honest discussion that way. But this does not really happen. (I personally don't think Lee would be able to pull this off successfully, as I'm not convinced that he is very familiar with the positions that many atheists hold. That's fine, but again, why not bring in some actual atheists then?) Yes, Lee does ask questions that skeptics might raise, but far more often I find him to be nodding and agreeing, or too quickly letting a point go that could have made the theist's case incredibly difficult if argued for well. An actual discussion never takes place. If anything, the way I see it, Lee offers himself as more of a tool for the interviewees to use to comfortably make a point.
The last quarter or so of the book focusses on providing a response to the 'problem of evil' or 'the problem of suffering', and 'the problem of divine hiddenness'. Of course these parts also suffer from the problems I just raised, but there is another more personal point I'd like to make. Yes, these problems are very often raised by non believers as their reason for not believing that God exists. In that sense, they might indeed be seen as the most relevant objections, and it is understandable that Lee chose to discuss these in particular. It is my view, however, that these objections are not at all (or should not at all be) at the core of the discussion. These objections are only objections to a very specific type of God, namely one such as the Christian or Islamic God. That is, a God who cares about the wellbeing of (at least some) conscious creatures, desires a relationship with (some members of) his creation, is capable of bringing about any change to reality, and has a perfect knowledge of all past, current, and future facts. For some reason, this very specific type of God is (or appears to me) seen by many as something like the default view on God. But this is a mistake, I think. At minimum, it seems to me that when we speak of God, we mean a (in some sense personal) entity that created the universe. Every other property we add to that seems less than essential to the concept of God.
The biggest problem for a general theistic or deistic worldview is then not the problem of evil or the problem of divine hiddenness, but rather the failure of the arguments in favor of this general God concept—that is, the responses of well informed atheists and agnostics to the fine tuning argument, the kalam cosmological argument, the moral argument, etc. There really are strong rebuttals to all of these arguments, and providing such rebuttals is all the non-theist has to do in order to make the 'yes' answer to the 'is God real' question less than justified. Dealing with these rebuttals is the real work that theists and deists have ahead of them, and sadly, it is that work that this book largely refuses to do. The rebuttals that are dealt with in the book are often misrepresented, not dealt with with nearly the same charity as it's own arguments, or carelessly dismissed.
In summary, unlike the subtitle suggests, this book does not really explore anything. It does not take any risks. It isn't very curious or humble. It has decided on an answer beforehand and spends every page attempting to make that answer sound as plausible as possible. The cover is very pretty though.
This book is (or should be) of little value to people who are serious about figuring out the answer to the question of God's existence. It does not feel like an honest approach at all, in contrast to Lee's claim that he values following the evidence wherever it leads. If Lee is truly impartial in this discussion and has no preference for what conclusion his readers come to (or rather, has a preference that the conclusion they come to is based solely on a rational examination of all available evidence), then I don't believe the book would have looked the way it does. It does however present the most popular arguments for God's existence in an a pretty accessible way, and so for someone entirely unfamiliar, it does a fine job in getting the point accross (altough I think it misrepresents the significance and strength of these arguments).
The book is essentially a series of interviews with popular Christians who have some impressive credentials. Each of them presents their argument, and together, all arguments add up to what should be a strong case for the existence of the Christian God. I find this approach to be problematic. The book is titled 'Is God Real?', yet the only people who are being asked about this are those who have already made a commitment to the 'yes' answer. The book would be vastly more interesting (and honest) if Lee included agnostics, atheists, deists, or non-Christian theists in his selection of interviewees. If Lee does not want to do this, the book should at least not be given this title in my view.
Furthermore, the first problem I just laid out could have been made less of a problem if Lee provided sufficient pushback against the people he interviews himself. He could play the role of say, an atheist, and bring about a more honest discussion that way. But this does not really happen. (I personally don't think Lee would be able to pull this off successfully, as I'm not convinced that he is very familiar with the positions that many atheists hold. That's fine, but again, why not bring in some actual atheists then?) Yes, Lee does ask questions that skeptics might raise, but far more often I find him to be nodding and agreeing, or too quickly letting a point go that could have made the theist's case incredibly difficult if argued for well. An actual discussion never takes place. If anything, the way I see it, Lee offers himself as more of a tool for the interviewees to use to comfortably make a point.
The last quarter or so of the book focusses on providing a response to the 'problem of evil' or 'the problem of suffering', and 'the problem of divine hiddenness'. Of course these parts also suffer from the problems I just raised, but there is another more personal point I'd like to make. Yes, these problems are very often raised by non believers as their reason for not believing that God exists. In that sense, they might indeed be seen as the most relevant objections, and it is understandable that Lee chose to discuss these in particular. It is my view, however, that these objections are not at all (or should not at all be) at the core of the discussion. These objections are only objections to a very specific type of God, namely one such as the Christian or Islamic God. That is, a God who cares about the wellbeing of (at least some) conscious creatures, desires a relationship with (some members of) his creation, is capable of bringing about any change to reality, and has a perfect knowledge of all past, current, and future facts. For some reason, this very specific type of God is (or appears to me) seen by many as something like the default view on God. But this is a mistake, I think. At minimum, it seems to me that when we speak of God, we mean a (in some sense personal) entity that created the universe. Every other property we add to that seems less than essential to the concept of God.
The biggest problem for a general theistic or deistic worldview is then not the problem of evil or the problem of divine hiddenness, but rather the failure of the arguments in favor of this general God concept—that is, the responses of well informed atheists and agnostics to the fine tuning argument, the kalam cosmological argument, the moral argument, etc. There really are strong rebuttals to all of these arguments, and providing such rebuttals is all the non-theist has to do in order to make the 'yes' answer to the 'is God real' question less than justified. Dealing with these rebuttals is the real work that theists and deists have ahead of them, and sadly, it is that work that this book largely refuses to do. The rebuttals that are dealt with in the book are often misrepresented, not dealt with with nearly the same charity as it's own arguments, or carelessly dismissed.
In summary, unlike the subtitle suggests, this book does not really explore anything. It does not take any risks. It isn't very curious or humble. It has decided on an answer beforehand and spends every page attempting to make that answer sound as plausible as possible. The cover is very pretty though.
July 28, 2024
This is the perfect book for exploring one of life’s biggest questions, especially if you’re uncertain about what you believe in and skeptical. I loved how Strobel used the credibility of some of the most profound & knowledgeable experts in their field. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that majority of physicists, astrologists, and cosmologists all believe in a creator. I think the evidence presented in this book is compelling and credible, leaning me to believe that God does in fact, exist. That there is a creator. I, of course, will continue to seek more evidence, but this book did a great job of answering my objections to the question. This took a more practical, scientific, & empirical approach of presenting the facts, which is exactly what I needed. Below is a summary of some of the key points of this book for examining the evidence:
If there is no God:
- there’s no life after death
- there’s no foundation for right and wrong
- there’s no absolute meaning for life
- people don’t really have free will
- nothing produces everything
- randomness produces fine-tuning
- non-life produces life
- non-reason produces reason
- we are ignoring the strong and scientific backed evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.
For me, the most interesting points were:
- the cosmos requires a creator
- the universe is so finely tuned that believing chance created life is almost illogical
- I also loved the right & wrong argument. Being that there are objective moral values (torturing a child is wrong), was an interesting case for God existing.
I highly recommend this book for anyone strugggljng with their beliefs. Again, this made me highly lean towards His existence and there being a creator, but I will continue to seek.
If there is no God:
- there’s no life after death
- there’s no foundation for right and wrong
- there’s no absolute meaning for life
- people don’t really have free will
- nothing produces everything
- randomness produces fine-tuning
- non-life produces life
- non-reason produces reason
- we are ignoring the strong and scientific backed evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.
For me, the most interesting points were:
- the cosmos requires a creator
- the universe is so finely tuned that believing chance created life is almost illogical
- I also loved the right & wrong argument. Being that there are objective moral values (torturing a child is wrong), was an interesting case for God existing.
I highly recommend this book for anyone strugggljng with their beliefs. Again, this made me highly lean towards His existence and there being a creator, but I will continue to seek.
July 18, 2025
This book really helped deep in my faith. The facts that were presented really solidified the evidence for God and his son Jesus Christ.
November 19, 2023
The first words of the book are “More than two hundred times a second, around the clock, someone is asking on online search about God….” (Page 1)
Then on page 3 there is “Right now, where do you stand on the question of whether God is real? A few page 11 gives us “…. I became obsessed with getting to bottom of whether or not there’s a God and then living with consequences, one way or the other.”
It’s a difficult book. Not because of the words themselves but what the words represent.
The last sentence before the first chapter 1 is “So, you’ve started reading this book to see if it really makes sense to believe that God is real.”
Chapter 1 starts a list of answers to these question like “Whatever Begins to Exists Has a Cause” and then goes to Step 2, “The Universe Had a Beginning.” Then there is “The Pathway of Mathematics. (24)
Chapter is “Our DNA Demands a Designer” and in few pages there’s we go to 1871 with Darwin. (60).
This is how this short book makes it way. There are some themes make a way that most people believe what the Bible reports. But he goes into different reports than we have been told from our ministers and Bible school teachers told us.
It’s a challenge book with paragraphs that come out in a way that is difficult. And yet, there’s some topics that make us think about what we have been told.
April 9, 2024
I love the interview-style/ journalistic-style of this book and Strobel's overall style. He writes simply and easy to read, yet it's enjoyable. I also appreciate the role of the devil's advocate Strobel takes, leading to clear and convincing arguments from his interviewees. Some parts of this book can be a challenge to read, due to the heavy emphasis on physics and biology in the first few chapters, but it is highly rewarding! He offers a very thorough explanation of the evidence and its pushbacks in all the chapters, but especially in the chapter on the resurrection. He also does a really good job of equipping believers with tools such as the apologetics pyramid to help explain and make a case to others why Christianity is true. It beautifully presents the Gospel for those who don't believe, and offers a great conclusion/ summary, which I appreciate. This is a must read for anyone who doesn't believe or is questioning their belief in God, but it is also a really helpful tool for those who do believe and want to share their faith. It definitely encouraged me to do so, and I feel more prepared than I did before. Strobel answers the question that he set out to very clearly, and I don't see how you could even argue otherwise after reading this book: God is real.
June 15, 2024
I listened to this book on Hoopla. Author reads the book. The first few chapters were hard to get thru, but then it got better. Chapters: 1. The Cosmos Requires a creator. "whatever begins to exist has a cause behind it. 2. The Universe needs a Fine-tuner. 3. Our DNA demands a designer. 4. Easter showed that Jesus is God. Without the resurrection of Jesus, there can be no Christianity. 5. Experiencing God. 6. Which God is Real. 6. Which God is Real. Challenge #1. If God is Real, why is there suffering. Challenge #2. If God is Real, Why is he so Hidden.
quote from CS Lewis (p 150) "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is a megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
quote from CS Lewis (p 150) "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is a megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
November 16, 2024
I am no more convinced from before I read this. It was hard to slog through and I could have saved time and just read the conclusion. The answers were nothing novel or new that anyone with a Christian upbringing should already know.
February 24, 2025
Lee Strobel’s Is God Real? is, in a way, an impressive achievement. Even for an apologetic, it is an unusually shameless attempt to deceive the reader into thinking that the questions it evades have been answered fully and honestly. It does suggest answers to those questions, but the answers, I am afraid, are not those that Strobel seems to think he is promoting. Secure in his theological bubble, he takes no risks, soliciting the testimony of witnesses that he is already sure of and carefully avoiding the issues that he loudly demands others address in detail. The result is a purple-prose manual of fulsome delusion, rather than honest devotion.
The very structure of Is God Real? testifies to an intent to deceive. Strobel begins by demanding that you assent to his conclusions by praying to his pinchbeck deity (p. 11 Kindle text), and then lays out the argument, such as it is, in six sections, after which he declares victory. Only then does he address what he himself admits are the two strongest arguments against his central thesis, the existence of suffering under an omnipotent deity who can do whatever it wants, and the fact that his god seems to be intent on hiding from human beings, making the lessons that deity is supposed to be teaching more difficult to learn and then punishing those who fail to learn for all eternity. In both cases, the inadequacies of his arguments are startling, and it becomes clear that he has put these two problems after his conclusion because he knows he cannot handle them and he wishes to have the reader in his grasp before he grapples with that inconvenient truth.
His first chapter is entitled “The cosmos requires a creator.” Curiously, the creator is given an exemption from this imperious demand, a difficulty Strobel is determined to ignore. Here, he frequently indulges in what I call “godmode theology.” “Godmode” is a gaming term for setting the parameters of a video game so that it is impossible to lose, by making your character invincible and giving it unlimited powers. Godmode theology for Christians consists of beginning by granting their god-concept unlimited power and then claiming that this assumption wins the argument for them. Of course it does, in just the same way a godmode character in a game has no difficulty being victorious, but in both cases the win is gained by cheating and is thus worthless.
One of the most blatant godmode settings in Strobel’s game is his manipulation of the creation argument. He “proves” that there is a god by saying “everything that begins to exist has a cause” (19) and then declaring that his god is eternal and timeless and thus never began to exist (26). But there’s a word for something that has never begun to exist: imaginary. And I am not interested in the products of Strobel’s imagination, however convenient and comforting he finds them. He asks indignantly, “How can they [atheists] possibly maintain that the universe can be eternal and uncaused, yet God cannot be timeless and uncaused?” (28) We can see the universe. It’s there right in front of us. Regardless of whether or not we know how it began, what it does affects us. This cannot be said of Strobel’s phantom menace of a god, who is tangled up in the loose wires of his argument. At one point, we have “abstract objects can’t cause anything to happen” and at another, he is playing with the idea of an abstract object, the mind of his god, that “transcends time and space” (30). This is empty rhetoric, and hardly serious as an argument.
The second chapter adds linguistic manipulation to Strobel’s toolkit. Its title is “The universe needs a fine-tuner.” Here, he makes an amusing muddle of a false dilemma that is adequately addressed by the observation that if the universe wasn’t a place that we could live, we wouldn’t be living here.
The idea of “fine tuning” is an absurdity. A very tiny part of this universe is amenable to life. The other planets in this system, so far as we know, are hostile to it, and we have no reason to believe that planets around other stars would be different. Strobel is using the implications of selected vocabulary to create meaning: “tuning” is something that is done by a personality with a plan. By selecting these words, he smuggles these two ideas dishonestly into the discussion. When I place a ball on an inclined surface, it rolls down. Is this “tuning”? No, it is two objects interacting according to their natures. (37-41)
He believes that the “laws” of nature are the result of some godmode creature fiddling with the dials on everything for billions of years to get it to work in certain ways. Instead, they emerge out of the interactions of different types of matter and energy with each other, repeatable and predictable. This was suggested in ancient China nearly 2500 years ago; it’s time that Strobel caught up.
The third chapter concerns DNA. The visiting scholar here is one of the dim lights of the Intelligent Design movement, and the argument can be dismissed briefly. However difficult it is to imagine the evolution of DNA and the other apparatus of genetic transmission, it is far more difficult to imagine the mysterious appearance of a godmode god who could both design and construct that apparatus. Which is more complex, the automobile you buy or the factory that built it, with all its personnel, its design bureau, its supply chains….? Now multiply that by millions, since the godmode god is designing everything in the world, and it is plain that you have wandered deep into fantasy.
You cannot say that design proves a designer without accounting for the origin of the designer. If that design is the result of the regular interaction of natural forces (not “random” forces, a consistent and almost deliberately dishonest characterization), it will take care of itself; if we are to have a Creator running the whole show, that Creator is going to be unbelievably complex and totally unexplained. In a word, incredible, but taken in its old basic meaning, undeserving of belief.
And that’s it for Strobel’s basic proof of the existence of god. All he has really proved is something that any gamer could have told him before he began: godmode is cheating.
Since Strobel fails in his basic task, it is not necessary to review the errors in his secondary development, the attempt to justify Christianity in particular. Here, he is very fond of the so-called moral argument that is drearily familiar to us from C. S. Lewis. I have spoken of the essential worthlessness of this argument elsewhere; all we need to remember here is that its presence is the sign of extreme authoritarianism and contempt for human capabilities, in that it assumes people in general are incapable of creating a workable code for society without having it granted to them from on high. It is also historically incorrect; in ancient China, moral codes were seen as human developments and celebrated as such. Xunzi (third century BCE), the late Warring States Confucian who believed that human beings had a natural tendency towards evil, did not wander witlessly off after some god to do his work for him, but declared that the recognition of evil and erecting defences against its malignant power were the crowning achievements of civilized humanity. You don’t need a god to realize that, unless you have other and darker motivations for postulating a Big Daddy in the Sky. As Confucius himself said, Heaven does not speak. The words that we hear from it are the words of human beings, and their motivations are not what they would have us believe.
The very structure of Is God Real? testifies to an intent to deceive. Strobel begins by demanding that you assent to his conclusions by praying to his pinchbeck deity (p. 11 Kindle text), and then lays out the argument, such as it is, in six sections, after which he declares victory. Only then does he address what he himself admits are the two strongest arguments against his central thesis, the existence of suffering under an omnipotent deity who can do whatever it wants, and the fact that his god seems to be intent on hiding from human beings, making the lessons that deity is supposed to be teaching more difficult to learn and then punishing those who fail to learn for all eternity. In both cases, the inadequacies of his arguments are startling, and it becomes clear that he has put these two problems after his conclusion because he knows he cannot handle them and he wishes to have the reader in his grasp before he grapples with that inconvenient truth.
His first chapter is entitled “The cosmos requires a creator.” Curiously, the creator is given an exemption from this imperious demand, a difficulty Strobel is determined to ignore. Here, he frequently indulges in what I call “godmode theology.” “Godmode” is a gaming term for setting the parameters of a video game so that it is impossible to lose, by making your character invincible and giving it unlimited powers. Godmode theology for Christians consists of beginning by granting their god-concept unlimited power and then claiming that this assumption wins the argument for them. Of course it does, in just the same way a godmode character in a game has no difficulty being victorious, but in both cases the win is gained by cheating and is thus worthless.
One of the most blatant godmode settings in Strobel’s game is his manipulation of the creation argument. He “proves” that there is a god by saying “everything that begins to exist has a cause” (19) and then declaring that his god is eternal and timeless and thus never began to exist (26). But there’s a word for something that has never begun to exist: imaginary. And I am not interested in the products of Strobel’s imagination, however convenient and comforting he finds them. He asks indignantly, “How can they [atheists] possibly maintain that the universe can be eternal and uncaused, yet God cannot be timeless and uncaused?” (28) We can see the universe. It’s there right in front of us. Regardless of whether or not we know how it began, what it does affects us. This cannot be said of Strobel’s phantom menace of a god, who is tangled up in the loose wires of his argument. At one point, we have “abstract objects can’t cause anything to happen” and at another, he is playing with the idea of an abstract object, the mind of his god, that “transcends time and space” (30). This is empty rhetoric, and hardly serious as an argument.
The second chapter adds linguistic manipulation to Strobel’s toolkit. Its title is “The universe needs a fine-tuner.” Here, he makes an amusing muddle of a false dilemma that is adequately addressed by the observation that if the universe wasn’t a place that we could live, we wouldn’t be living here.
The idea of “fine tuning” is an absurdity. A very tiny part of this universe is amenable to life. The other planets in this system, so far as we know, are hostile to it, and we have no reason to believe that planets around other stars would be different. Strobel is using the implications of selected vocabulary to create meaning: “tuning” is something that is done by a personality with a plan. By selecting these words, he smuggles these two ideas dishonestly into the discussion. When I place a ball on an inclined surface, it rolls down. Is this “tuning”? No, it is two objects interacting according to their natures. (37-41)
He believes that the “laws” of nature are the result of some godmode creature fiddling with the dials on everything for billions of years to get it to work in certain ways. Instead, they emerge out of the interactions of different types of matter and energy with each other, repeatable and predictable. This was suggested in ancient China nearly 2500 years ago; it’s time that Strobel caught up.
The third chapter concerns DNA. The visiting scholar here is one of the dim lights of the Intelligent Design movement, and the argument can be dismissed briefly. However difficult it is to imagine the evolution of DNA and the other apparatus of genetic transmission, it is far more difficult to imagine the mysterious appearance of a godmode god who could both design and construct that apparatus. Which is more complex, the automobile you buy or the factory that built it, with all its personnel, its design bureau, its supply chains….? Now multiply that by millions, since the godmode god is designing everything in the world, and it is plain that you have wandered deep into fantasy.
You cannot say that design proves a designer without accounting for the origin of the designer. If that design is the result of the regular interaction of natural forces (not “random” forces, a consistent and almost deliberately dishonest characterization), it will take care of itself; if we are to have a Creator running the whole show, that Creator is going to be unbelievably complex and totally unexplained. In a word, incredible, but taken in its old basic meaning, undeserving of belief.
And that’s it for Strobel’s basic proof of the existence of god. All he has really proved is something that any gamer could have told him before he began: godmode is cheating.
Since Strobel fails in his basic task, it is not necessary to review the errors in his secondary development, the attempt to justify Christianity in particular. Here, he is very fond of the so-called moral argument that is drearily familiar to us from C. S. Lewis. I have spoken of the essential worthlessness of this argument elsewhere; all we need to remember here is that its presence is the sign of extreme authoritarianism and contempt for human capabilities, in that it assumes people in general are incapable of creating a workable code for society without having it granted to them from on high. It is also historically incorrect; in ancient China, moral codes were seen as human developments and celebrated as such. Xunzi (third century BCE), the late Warring States Confucian who believed that human beings had a natural tendency towards evil, did not wander witlessly off after some god to do his work for him, but declared that the recognition of evil and erecting defences against its malignant power were the crowning achievements of civilized humanity. You don’t need a god to realize that, unless you have other and darker motivations for postulating a Big Daddy in the Sky. As Confucius himself said, Heaven does not speak. The words that we hear from it are the words of human beings, and their motivations are not what they would have us believe.
June 3, 2025
Book Review_Is God Real? Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life by Lee Strobel
"Is God real?"
More than two hundred times a second, around the world, questions about God's existence are being typed into search engines. Google alone provides nearly 4 million results to that single question.
The topic of the existence of a Creator has enormous implications on our lives, including whether or not we have free will, if there's any such thing as an afterlife, and whether or not there's any basis for human morality.
In Is God Real?, Lee Strobel—author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Case for Christ—pulls together material from his previous books to create this updated rational exploration of the proof of God's existence and the basis of our hope.
Writing to skeptics, believers, and anyone who's ever gone through (or is going through) periods of doubt and disillusionment, Lee turns his critical mind and expert interview skills to perennial questions such as:
-If God is real, why is there so much suffering?
-How do we know which God is real?
-If God is real, why does he seem so hidden?
-How do recent scientific findings support the claim that God is real?
-If God is real, what difference does it make?
Here are the chapter titles–with the experts he interviews:
1. The Cosmos Requires a Creator–Interview w/ Dr William Lane Craig (author of 30+ books, named one of the world’s fifty most influential philosophers & spoke at the world’s most influential universities).
2. The Universe Needs a Fine-Tuner–Interview w/ Michael G. Strauss (PhD in Experimental High Energy Physics at UCLA, wrote 900+ scholarly articles on elementary particle physics & performs research at Switzerland’s CERN’s Large Hadron Collider on the quark).
3. Our DNA Demands a Designer–Interview w/ Stephen C. Meyer (PhD from Cambridge w/ a dissertation that analyzed the scientific and methodological issues in origin-of-life biology & one of the most compelling voices in the intelligent design movement.
4. Easter Showed THat Jesus IS God–Interview w/ Michael Licona (PhD on the resurrection from the U of Pretoria in South Africa, wrote The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (w/ one of the world’s leading resurrection authority, Gary Habermas) & has debated some of the most intense skeptics in the world).
5. Experiencing God–Interview w/ Douglas Groothuis (PhD in Philosophy at Oregon, who debated atheists & has written a slew of scholarly & popular articles, writing sixteen books).
6. Which God is Real?--Interview w/ Chad V. Meister (PhD from Marquette, visiting research scholar at the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, wrote twenty books & developed the apologetics pyramid).
7. Challenge #1: If God is Real, Why is There Suffering?--Interview w/ Peter John Kreeft (PhD from Fordham & written eighty books).
8. Challenge #2: If God is Real, Why is He So Hidden?--Interview w/ Kenneth Richard Samples (MA from Biola, worked w/ legendary countercult apologist Walter Martin & came to Christ from reading Mere Christianity by CS Lewis and responding to a God-given dream).
9. Conclusion: Your Encounter with the Real God.
Is God Real? is a life-changing exploration of the inquiry at the center of our being. There are a LOT of helpful details in this book that is not only helpful personally, but as a resource to those around us who have genuine questions.
"Is God real?"
More than two hundred times a second, around the world, questions about God's existence are being typed into search engines. Google alone provides nearly 4 million results to that single question.
The topic of the existence of a Creator has enormous implications on our lives, including whether or not we have free will, if there's any such thing as an afterlife, and whether or not there's any basis for human morality.
In Is God Real?, Lee Strobel—author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Case for Christ—pulls together material from his previous books to create this updated rational exploration of the proof of God's existence and the basis of our hope.
Writing to skeptics, believers, and anyone who's ever gone through (or is going through) periods of doubt and disillusionment, Lee turns his critical mind and expert interview skills to perennial questions such as:
-If God is real, why is there so much suffering?
-How do we know which God is real?
-If God is real, why does he seem so hidden?
-How do recent scientific findings support the claim that God is real?
-If God is real, what difference does it make?
Here are the chapter titles–with the experts he interviews:
1. The Cosmos Requires a Creator–Interview w/ Dr William Lane Craig (author of 30+ books, named one of the world’s fifty most influential philosophers & spoke at the world’s most influential universities).
2. The Universe Needs a Fine-Tuner–Interview w/ Michael G. Strauss (PhD in Experimental High Energy Physics at UCLA, wrote 900+ scholarly articles on elementary particle physics & performs research at Switzerland’s CERN’s Large Hadron Collider on the quark).
3. Our DNA Demands a Designer–Interview w/ Stephen C. Meyer (PhD from Cambridge w/ a dissertation that analyzed the scientific and methodological issues in origin-of-life biology & one of the most compelling voices in the intelligent design movement.
4. Easter Showed THat Jesus IS God–Interview w/ Michael Licona (PhD on the resurrection from the U of Pretoria in South Africa, wrote The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (w/ one of the world’s leading resurrection authority, Gary Habermas) & has debated some of the most intense skeptics in the world).
5. Experiencing God–Interview w/ Douglas Groothuis (PhD in Philosophy at Oregon, who debated atheists & has written a slew of scholarly & popular articles, writing sixteen books).
6. Which God is Real?--Interview w/ Chad V. Meister (PhD from Marquette, visiting research scholar at the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, wrote twenty books & developed the apologetics pyramid).
7. Challenge #1: If God is Real, Why is There Suffering?--Interview w/ Peter John Kreeft (PhD from Fordham & written eighty books).
8. Challenge #2: If God is Real, Why is He So Hidden?--Interview w/ Kenneth Richard Samples (MA from Biola, worked w/ legendary countercult apologist Walter Martin & came to Christ from reading Mere Christianity by CS Lewis and responding to a God-given dream).
9. Conclusion: Your Encounter with the Real God.
Is God Real? is a life-changing exploration of the inquiry at the center of our being. There are a LOT of helpful details in this book that is not only helpful personally, but as a resource to those around us who have genuine questions.
August 19, 2025
This book goes through the various points that argue for the existence of the Christian God. From who caused the beginning of the universe through what we accept as the origin of our cosmos, the big bang. Then, how we arrived to have life in the universe and the extraordinary odds of it ever occurring through the perfect conditions required. Next, was how human life originated from the pool of life that populated the Earth through DNA and our genes.
These three above points are very convincing for me, however I am still unsure if I should apply my faith into the Christian worldview. I have personal views that don't necessarily align with the dogma of the Christian church. I also feel like it somewhat arrogant to say that our western God is the one and only true truth, while the rest of the world is wrong. But, maybe there will be a time that defense erodes away.
Either way, reading this book made me interested into diving deeper into the topics that I find most convincing and continue to explore them on my own through more readings. As of right now and for a while already, I believe in some kind of God. I just don't know if it aligns with the Christian God. I need more time and experience with Christianity before I can decide.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
I do have a unique experience that opens me up to some power greater than me. When I was a Catholic and going through confirmation I had to choose a saint. I decided to pick one that closely resembled an old friend of mine from elementary school. His name was Nicholar, so I decided to go with Saint Nicholas. The day I confirmed my Saint name, my parents were driving me home and I had a personal feeling that I would meet/run into my friend. So I told my parents i wanted ice cream as a way to get me to go to the store. They took me to a store they normally wouldn't go too.
When inside, I looked around the whole store expecting to run into him there. We got ice cream and chips then went to the check-out aisle. I remember thinking maybe it was just a false feeling/thought that I had and that I was foolish for believing in it. But in the exact same check out aisle we lined up at, there ahead of me was my old friend Nicholar. I had run into him just as the thought/feeling had told me.
These three above points are very convincing for me, however I am still unsure if I should apply my faith into the Christian worldview. I have personal views that don't necessarily align with the dogma of the Christian church. I also feel like it somewhat arrogant to say that our western God is the one and only true truth, while the rest of the world is wrong. But, maybe there will be a time that defense erodes away.
Either way, reading this book made me interested into diving deeper into the topics that I find most convincing and continue to explore them on my own through more readings. As of right now and for a while already, I believe in some kind of God. I just don't know if it aligns with the Christian God. I need more time and experience with Christianity before I can decide.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
I do have a unique experience that opens me up to some power greater than me. When I was a Catholic and going through confirmation I had to choose a saint. I decided to pick one that closely resembled an old friend of mine from elementary school. His name was Nicholar, so I decided to go with Saint Nicholas. The day I confirmed my Saint name, my parents were driving me home and I had a personal feeling that I would meet/run into my friend. So I told my parents i wanted ice cream as a way to get me to go to the store. They took me to a store they normally wouldn't go too.
When inside, I looked around the whole store expecting to run into him there. We got ice cream and chips then went to the check-out aisle. I remember thinking maybe it was just a false feeling/thought that I had and that I was foolish for believing in it. But in the exact same check out aisle we lined up at, there ahead of me was my old friend Nicholar. I had run into him just as the thought/feeling had told me.
December 29, 2023
The Evidence and the Objections
Some years ago, after exploring some secular and thoroughly unconvincing books against the Christian arguments for God, I came upon the series of “The Case for . . . “ books on Christian apologetics by former atheist and journalist Lee Strobel. Suddenly the mysteries and doubts began to clear, and I embarked on a journey of learning and sanctification. Strobel’s analytical and thorough approach to Christian theology opened the door to a rewarding lifelong endeavor to learn more and more of this essential topic. It comforts and informs.
Once again, Lee Strobel examines a fundamental issue of worldview in his signature journalistic style with “Is God Real? Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life.” In a summary of eight interviews with notable Christian thinkers, Strobel takes a structured approach to both the evidence and perplexing common obstacles for this ultimate and universal question which must be answered by everyone. For many, the answer will be to ignore the question, which in fact is to answer it in the negative, to deny the reality of God, or certainly the God of Christianity. The implications of such an attitude are great. The question cannot be escaped or ignored. Each of us will encounter the answer, and Strobel gives an excellent overview of major considerations, both evidential and difficult to reconcile. It is not a comprehensive apologetic, but rather an excellent introduction and overview, and Strobel offers a topic-by-topic list of more in-depth resources for those inspired to dig deeper. The excellent book offers both the inquisitive and the convinced a wealth of information. It should be read by the unfamiliar and the committed believer, serving as both an introduction and a refresher.
Some years ago, after exploring some secular and thoroughly unconvincing books against the Christian arguments for God, I came upon the series of “The Case for . . . “ books on Christian apologetics by former atheist and journalist Lee Strobel. Suddenly the mysteries and doubts began to clear, and I embarked on a journey of learning and sanctification. Strobel’s analytical and thorough approach to Christian theology opened the door to a rewarding lifelong endeavor to learn more and more of this essential topic. It comforts and informs.
Once again, Lee Strobel examines a fundamental issue of worldview in his signature journalistic style with “Is God Real? Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life.” In a summary of eight interviews with notable Christian thinkers, Strobel takes a structured approach to both the evidence and perplexing common obstacles for this ultimate and universal question which must be answered by everyone. For many, the answer will be to ignore the question, which in fact is to answer it in the negative, to deny the reality of God, or certainly the God of Christianity. The implications of such an attitude are great. The question cannot be escaped or ignored. Each of us will encounter the answer, and Strobel gives an excellent overview of major considerations, both evidential and difficult to reconcile. It is not a comprehensive apologetic, but rather an excellent introduction and overview, and Strobel offers a topic-by-topic list of more in-depth resources for those inspired to dig deeper. The excellent book offers both the inquisitive and the convinced a wealth of information. It should be read by the unfamiliar and the committed believer, serving as both an introduction and a refresher.
January 23, 2025
Writing style was really difficult, which made the content have to stand up even more to warrant a good review. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
A few key problems I found include:
1. While Strobel quoted several people who are skeptics or atheists, he did not actually interview anyone who was not a believer in Christianity. Clear bias toward an end conclusion as a result of this.
2. There was a section that talked through objections, one of which was the question of "is God good". This was woefully supported and very little analyzed. Didn't touch on the 25M or so people acknowledged in the Bible who were killed as a direct result of God's wrath/instruction. It didn't touch on the act of sending dead people to a place of eternal torture can be seen as a just punishment for living an ordinary human life. It didn't delve into all of the things which were not mentioned in the 10 commandments which are clearly immoral (slavery, rape, incest, racism, etc...).
3. The 'analysis' of Christian God vs other religions was also very weak. It was clear they were operating with the presupposition that the Hebrew God was the real one, so everything else had to stand up to it, vs against an objective measure. Also the convenient use of Occam's Razor (when not applied anywhere else in the text) was off-putting.
4. It was regularly claimed that there was overwhelming evidence of Jesus's resurrection. However, looking at other sources, the historical evidence is minimal, and the evidence that Jesus actually existed as a major teacher is even less.
There are more problems with the book, but altogether, this was an unconvincing read with clear bias toward a conclusion and a difficult writing style.
A few key problems I found include:
1. While Strobel quoted several people who are skeptics or atheists, he did not actually interview anyone who was not a believer in Christianity. Clear bias toward an end conclusion as a result of this.
2. There was a section that talked through objections, one of which was the question of "is God good". This was woefully supported and very little analyzed. Didn't touch on the 25M or so people acknowledged in the Bible who were killed as a direct result of God's wrath/instruction. It didn't touch on the act of sending dead people to a place of eternal torture can be seen as a just punishment for living an ordinary human life. It didn't delve into all of the things which were not mentioned in the 10 commandments which are clearly immoral (slavery, rape, incest, racism, etc...).
3. The 'analysis' of Christian God vs other religions was also very weak. It was clear they were operating with the presupposition that the Hebrew God was the real one, so everything else had to stand up to it, vs against an objective measure. Also the convenient use of Occam's Razor (when not applied anywhere else in the text) was off-putting.
4. It was regularly claimed that there was overwhelming evidence of Jesus's resurrection. However, looking at other sources, the historical evidence is minimal, and the evidence that Jesus actually existed as a major teacher is even less.
There are more problems with the book, but altogether, this was an unconvincing read with clear bias toward a conclusion and a difficult writing style.
June 22, 2024
My favorite chapters were of suffering and why god would be hidden if he exists. Lee creates a wonderful case and shares christian philosophy to be probably the most plausible of evidence and theory. I’ve always found the greatest gift is the mystery, and all the mysteries. I love every second of every day trying to uncover the all and wonderful being. But the chapter on suffering…that was a precious new understanding for me. Ive always felt pain and pleasure live on a spectrum together, you cant have one without the other. The world is full of the wildest highs and joys, and the most tragic and disgusting of horrors. I never thought of how god might feel. To watch us with all this crazy knowledge pull each other limb from limb on our darkest days…we are going to sin with all the knowledge and freedom. And without freedom, we’d just be robots or prisoners. How lame it could be. How hollow it could be. And instead of making himself known and demanding obedience and correcting our problems for us…he suffers the most of all. To love is to suffer. I have many questions and found this book fantastic. I thought i was a pantheist…but this has changed my view.
December 20, 2024
Let me just say that I was thoroughly impressed by this book. The book is incredibly accessible, breaking down complex topics like the creation and fine-tuning of the universe into easily understandable concepts. Strobel’s ability to simplify such profound ideas made it an eye-opening read, especially when discussing the staggering odds against the existence of life on Earth by chance.
The historical insights about the disciples and their unwavering faith were compelling, raising thought-provoking questions about the credibility of their testimonies. I appreciated how Strobel tackled the issue of evil and its relation to the existence of God.
While I wished for an archaeology section to further bolster the arguments, I understand that might stray from the book’s primary focus. Overall, it was a faith-boosting read, rich with scientific facts and historical evidence, making it perfect for those interested in apologetics, questioning their faith, or exploring belief, in general. I highly recommend it!
The historical insights about the disciples and their unwavering faith were compelling, raising thought-provoking questions about the credibility of their testimonies. I appreciated how Strobel tackled the issue of evil and its relation to the existence of God.
While I wished for an archaeology section to further bolster the arguments, I understand that might stray from the book’s primary focus. Overall, it was a faith-boosting read, rich with scientific facts and historical evidence, making it perfect for those interested in apologetics, questioning their faith, or exploring belief, in general. I highly recommend it!
January 24, 2025
Lee Strobel Is Great
Lee Strobel is a passionate and articulate defender of the faith. This book draws some material from his previous works and, combined with new content, is a ‘one-size-fits-all’ exploration of the impact on humanity if God, as the book title asks, is indeed real.
Strobel covers an awful lot of ground; he interviews scientists in fields as diverse as cosmology, physics, and mathematics. He interviews philosophers and historians. He runs the gamut from probing his subjects about the moral and universal implications of God to pondering the atheist viewpoints and whether there’s any validity to their assertions.
As a Catholic, this book provides me the warmth and comfort of knowing scientists are incentivized to put on record their belief in God and that he created the universe. This is a well-written and thoughtful book that deserves to be read, it contains much to ponder upon.
Lee Strobel is a passionate and articulate defender of the faith. This book draws some material from his previous works and, combined with new content, is a ‘one-size-fits-all’ exploration of the impact on humanity if God, as the book title asks, is indeed real.
Strobel covers an awful lot of ground; he interviews scientists in fields as diverse as cosmology, physics, and mathematics. He interviews philosophers and historians. He runs the gamut from probing his subjects about the moral and universal implications of God to pondering the atheist viewpoints and whether there’s any validity to their assertions.
As a Catholic, this book provides me the warmth and comfort of knowing scientists are incentivized to put on record their belief in God and that he created the universe. This is a well-written and thoughtful book that deserves to be read, it contains much to ponder upon.
July 25, 2025
"Is God Real?" earns a glowing 9.6 out of 10 for its masterful blend of intellectual rigor and heartfelt testimony, offering one of the most compelling explorations of faith in modern Christian literature. Lee Strobel weaves together personal stories, philosophical reasoning, and scientific insight in a way that’s accessible, respectful, and deeply moving—never preachy, always thought-provoking. Through interviews with brilliant thinkers and everyday believers alike, the book engages readers on emotional and rational levels, tackling life’s hardest questions—suffering, doubt, hiddenness of God—with grace and clarity. Whether you're a devout Christian, a questioning skeptic, or somewhere in between, this book invites you to listen, reflect, and maybe even believe again. Strobel doesn’t just argue for God—he reminds us why faith matters, and why hope still has a place in a fractured world.
January 15, 2025
Lee Strobel puts on his investigative journalist hat and looks into evidence for and against there being a divine being and which God is most likely to be the true God.
As usual, Strobel has done an impeccable job finding and interviewing experts and putting together the arguments for and against in easy to read summaries (sometimes challenging when you are interviewing astrophysicists and such). A faith-building read for Christians and thought-provoking read for those who are not.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Historic deaths do come up in a couple of the topics looked at, none are super gorily described.
Ethnic diversity: Most of the interviewees are white American or British men.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: Some of the scientists include theories in their postulating, but they usually clarify.
As usual, Strobel has done an impeccable job finding and interviewing experts and putting together the arguments for and against in easy to read summaries (sometimes challenging when you are interviewing astrophysicists and such). A faith-building read for Christians and thought-provoking read for those who are not.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Historic deaths do come up in a couple of the topics looked at, none are super gorily described.
Ethnic diversity: Most of the interviewees are white American or British men.
LGBTQ+ content: None
Other: Some of the scientists include theories in their postulating, but they usually clarify.
May 21, 2025
A must read
If you want to have answers about some of the difficult questions here’s a good starting point.
For me, two of the arguments/answers of the existence of God in this book are the Fine Tune of the Universe and the human DNA. Those answers blown my mind. The chapter 8, is the best way to finish this book. That chapter motivated me to pray more and to trust more in God. What a awesome God!
The way that the author choose to present this book it’s great! I encourage you to read it, and take your time. Go trough the chapters and ideas trying to digest what the author share. Maybe you have doubts or maybe you have questions, either way just reading with open mind and humble heart and willing to be teach by scholars who wants you to know the truth about the existence of God.
If you want to have answers about some of the difficult questions here’s a good starting point.
For me, two of the arguments/answers of the existence of God in this book are the Fine Tune of the Universe and the human DNA. Those answers blown my mind. The chapter 8, is the best way to finish this book. That chapter motivated me to pray more and to trust more in God. What a awesome God!
The way that the author choose to present this book it’s great! I encourage you to read it, and take your time. Go trough the chapters and ideas trying to digest what the author share. Maybe you have doubts or maybe you have questions, either way just reading with open mind and humble heart and willing to be teach by scholars who wants you to know the truth about the existence of God.
June 20, 2025
I always enjoy a good book on apologetics. Strobel to me does an exceptional job of taking complicated scientific and philosophical arguments and making them readable. This book is broad in nature looking at:
1- The cosmos and the case for a creator. If there is a big bang , a beginning, there must be something that put the big band into motion and something outside of time and space.
2- The delicate fine tuning of the universe seems to indicate an intelligent designer
3- DNA is a language- and demands a designer
4- Experiences of the divine
5- Looking at different religious views of God
6- The Problem of Suffering and Theodicy- and reconciling that with an all powerful, all knowing, and all loving God.
7- Why does it seem like God is so hidden- a question I had not considered and a real challenge to many who want to believe in God.
5 stars.
1- The cosmos and the case for a creator. If there is a big bang , a beginning, there must be something that put the big band into motion and something outside of time and space.
2- The delicate fine tuning of the universe seems to indicate an intelligent designer
3- DNA is a language- and demands a designer
4- Experiences of the divine
5- Looking at different religious views of God
6- The Problem of Suffering and Theodicy- and reconciling that with an all powerful, all knowing, and all loving God.
7- Why does it seem like God is so hidden- a question I had not considered and a real challenge to many who want to believe in God.
5 stars.
December 5, 2023
Yes, God is real, says Strobel, and his name is Jesus. Any other name or concept of God is false. After his first book "The Case for Christ," Lee Strobel has written several sequels, all starting with "The Case For..." This book is yet another in a seemingly endless Jesus-obsessed books. This really is getting tiresome, like listening to a stuck record. In this book he recruits Christian Cosmologists and quotes them, a different one in each chapter. A person can either be a Christian or a Cosmologist in the true scientific sense, and if one is both in their personal life, fine. But you can't be both in academic and professional life. If as a Cosmologist you go around claiming that yes, the Big Bang happened 13.8 billion years ago, but it was the Biblical God that did it, you are just making a fool of yourself.
August 9, 2024
Different than expected but highly engaging and easy to read. This book is basically a transcript of several interviews held by Strobel with experts in different fields speaking through common objections against and evidence for the existence of God. This format was not my favorite, but I think it did the job well. Using the interview format made the subject material more relatable.
This is a quick read that will help anyone on their journey of faith whether they are seeking God or deepening their position of faith. It also helps clarify and simplify complex issues.
What it really boils down to is this: The evidence for God is overwhelming. However, faith in God is still faith. Not everything can be perfectly answered, but there is more than enough real, substantial evidence to show that it is most reasonable to believe that God is real. The question remaining is: what will you do about it?
This is a quick read that will help anyone on their journey of faith whether they are seeking God or deepening their position of faith. It also helps clarify and simplify complex issues.
What it really boils down to is this: The evidence for God is overwhelming. However, faith in God is still faith. Not everything can be perfectly answered, but there is more than enough real, substantial evidence to show that it is most reasonable to believe that God is real. The question remaining is: what will you do about it?
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