Evidence for Christianity

by Josh McDowell

Whether debating Marxists, college professors, or Islamic apologists, Josh McDowell's hallmark has always been to walk boldly into enemy territory and speak truth. This book is based on the expectation that, with a growing number of adults becoming increasingly skeptical toward Christianity, there is a need for a solid body of persuasive evidence to be presented to them. This is a sourcebook for doubting seekers as well as current believers who need persuasive information to share with friends. Evidence for Christianity is McDowell's compelling answer to the hard questions so many Christians are afraid to discuss.

Genres: Religion, Christianity, Christian, Faith, Theology, Nonfiction, Ancient History

743 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Josh McDowell is a bestselling Christian apologist, evangelist, and author of over 150 books, including Evidence That Demands a Verdict and More Than a Carpenter. Once an agnostic, he converted to Christianity while investigating its historical claims. He went on to earn degrees from Wheaton College and Talbot Theological Seminary. For decades, McDowell has been a prominent speaker with Campus Crusade for Christ, addressing issues of faith, character, and youth culture worldwide. His work emphasizes historical and legal evidence for Christianity and tackles challenges posed by skepticism and non-Christian beliefs. He lives in California with his wife, Dottie, and is the father of four children, including fellow apologist Sean McDowell.

Reviews

[Travis Swart · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I haven't read this book completely cover to cover, it has been a fantastic resource for many areas of Christian apologetics (defense of the faith). Even though the book in and of itself is not technically academic in nature, the amount of topics and sources is substantial. If someone wants to really dig into the truth behind the Bible, this book will provide mounds of evidence for a curious skeptic or seeker.

For my part, this book introduced me to the various 1st/2nd century non-biblical sources which reveal facts about Jesus and early Christianity. I had no idea that all the key facts and beliefs about Jesus could be found in parallel secular sources without ever referencing the Gospels. This spoke to me in a powerful way and ultimately inspired me to write my book, From Prophecy Into History: Proof of God's Hand on the Bible. These sources form the backbone of my keynote chapter in which I show how several lines of Messianic prophecy from the Old Testament find fulfillment in all these sources outside the Bible. The skeptic can no longer say that the Gospel authors simply wrote their accounts in such a way that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies--these outside sources prove otherwise. I will say that it would have been beneficial for Josh McDowell to include a little more academic critique of these sources, as a skeptic will undoubtedly question their reliability.

Overall, this book accomplishes its mission in defending the Christian faith in many ways. It looks at archaeology, form criticism, prophecy, evidence for Jesus' resurrection, and many more subjects. It's a must have for anyone researching the truth behind Christianity, so long as you don't let the number of pages scare you.

[Nate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horribly researched, use of circular logic, omissions and/or misstatements of fact, etc, etc. Many sources are either not present, not reliable, or biased. Need I go on?

I've written better things when I was a freshman in college. Anyone that calls this "scholarly," "concrete," or anything of the sort is either stupid or biased themselves. It's obvious on the subtitle ("evidences" is not even a word!) and throughout the text that this book didn't go through a rigorous editing process. On page 30, the author references the wrong part of his own book ("part 2" instead of part 3). The Documentary Hypothesis is explained wrong, and key facts of its formulation and history are either missing or misstated (Chapter 13). These example are only a few of the plethora I could cite.

In conclusion, if you value elevated discourse on theology and/or metaphysical studies, do not give this book a second glance. I wouldn't even use it for toilet paper.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, it is long, but if you can get through it all, you'll have an education on apologetics that will last a life time. Josh McDowell's outline of this book is splendid, moving from one point to the next and then tying it all back in. He seemingly proves that atheism is bred by ignorance or stubbornness to the facts.

This is an all out, unabridged, case for the deity of Christ with no challenge unmet.

Merged review:

I know it's 400 pages, so when I say it's a great introduction to apologetics some might give me funny looks. This is a really great introduction to the physical historical evidence of the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. This is the best resource I have in that area and he gives tons of books for further indepth studies. As much information is given in the book, it really only scratches the surface, but don't let that deter you, no where else can you find this amount of combined research in one book!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A phenomenal compendium of every reason why people should trust the Bible's reliability. It would probably be a good deal shorter if it didn't spend so much time quoting other authorities, however. The actual evidence makes up probably 20% of the book; explaining what it means is the other 80%. You can discard the latter, but it's hard to object to the former without succumbing to general philosophical skepticism.

[Myles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you are interested in apologetics; or just want a foundation for your faith.

[Don]

Bought in Harrisburg Dec. 2023

[Kevin M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for Bible Study and Discussions