More Than a Carpenter

by Josh D. McDowell

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Religion, Theology, Christian Living, Christianity

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Price Simmons]

Going to try to be more active on this wonderful app.

This book will solidify and back your faith through some of the best historical and evidential research I’ve ever heard. Shuts down and proves the opposite of every argument against Jesus that one could think of. So cool.

[Carlo Salinas]

This is the first book of the year for me so not on a great start but God did something big with the timing. I’ve been really hard on myself for how long it took me to read such a little book but Gods timing is perfect. Venture has been connecting with a student who is not a believer and has a lot of questions about Christianity. I decided today that I was going to sit outside on campus and finish the book once and for all. As soon as I finished I saw the same guy who we’ve been connecting with and I offered him the book and he took it. Praying the Lord would use this book in miraculous ways. Would give this book more than 5 stars, maybe 7.

[Chloe Roberts]

I think it is always so fascinating to read a book written by someone who doubting the truth of the gospel and went seeking answers later in life for themselves! He makes so many scriptural and physical connections to the life of Jesus and the reality of all that he has done which was a really unique perspective for me to read from. I really loved it and loved the way it pushed me to think about my own faith and trust!

[Maimee Henderson]

This book held so much valuable information, especially through the scope of apologetics with historical backings. I love Mere Christianity for its clear defense of morals and ethics as a pointing to our Creator. This book takes the stance of Biblical accounts being proven through testing, historical evidence and logic. I know this will be a book I return to again and again. So good, highly recommend!

[Caleb Nowlan]

Debated between a 4 and a 5, so let’s call it a 4.5. A great resource for Apologetics minus a couple arguments here and there that aren’t as strong as the others.

[Sarah Vigue]

3 stars

[Nichole]

I read this with my 16-year-old daughter and we had amazing discussions throughout!

[Isaac Moss]

Personally, I would give this book five stars because there were numerous points I drew from the text that seemed to apply to me specifically and points that showed what could be done to help certain shortcomings I deal with in my dedication to the Lord. The reason for the four star is due to the literary side of the book; the evidences used to support the main ideas are repetitive. While repetition is good, it is also nice to see a collection of different ideas and conclusions that support the bigger picture of each chapter rather than, for example, quoting a multitude of high ranking professors and theologians that are saying the same thing to prove a point. Other than that, this was a really good book that I recommend to everyone, especially those who are struggling in their faith.

[Lukas Torres]

Second book with Gianna, absolutely incredible, thank you Turner

This is just everything you need to ground yourself in your faith and then everything you would need as a skeptic. Everyone owes it to themselves to properly look into the Gospels and the history and evidence of Christ before making the decision to accept Him as Lord and Savior or not

“If you trust Christ, start watching your attitudes and actions, because Jesus Christ is in the business of changing lives. He changed mine, and He can change yours”

[Daniel]

A short and accessible book that treats various objections to Christianity in simple language with numerous citations to other apologists, Bible scholars, and some critics. This would be a good quick reference book for various apologetic topics.

The final chapter is a personal testimony that finishes with a literary altar call. The reader gets to hear about some of the fruit of faith in the life of the author, which is good, but here the author shows a distinctly non-sacramental and decision-based theology that makes this chapter the weakest in the book.

[Mads]

A very clear, concise book on apologetics. A little confusing or slow at times but overall very factual and inspiring!

[Priscila Allbutt]

Solid book, easy to read, but still full of so much truth and evidence for Jesus Christ that it could change your life.

[Nicole Cardoso]

Quick listen on audiobook! Found this to be a really refreshing and a great guide to all the evidence that exists in support of Jesus’ life!

[Heather]

Succinct, without being aggressive. There is an attitude of genuine curiosity and compassion that unfortunately is quite rare in apologetic writing. Grateful this book has stood the test of time!

[Preston Milligan]

Very solid, easy read. So many great points in apologetics and ends with breaking down salvation. Highly recommend.

[Scott]

A really great succinct apologetic for Jesus and the resurrection. Highly recommend.

[Kate Medne]

Great read for the lent! I highly recommend this book for everyone, it is easy to read and there is something for everybody to discover.

[Annabell Hanson]

Everyone should listen/ read this

[Nehemiah R. Williams]

1 of the best books I've ever read. 2 trusted apologetics experts refuting numerous claims against the historical facts of Christianity.

[Leah Goebel]

Practical and easy read

[Joeri]

Claiming there is sufficient and even overwhelming proof for the existence and resurrection of Jesus, both when applying probability theory and historical references, I was wondering what sources the author must then mean, which therefore left all arguments in the book opaque to me, which is unfortunate if one wants to gain objective knowledge on the historical Jesus and when one has an open agnostic mind.

The only direct citations regarded ancient authors like Tacitus (56-120 n.Chr.), Flavius Josephus (37-100 n.Chr.), Suetonius (69-122 n.Chr.) and Lucianus van Samosata (125-180 n.Chr.).

Sure, they might proof the existence of Jesus as historical figure, but a divine one? I don't know.


Then he names some archeological findings of inscriptions and manuscripts, Pontius Pilatus inscription, and the locations in the gospels and finally the sheer number of manuscripts and the short period of time between Jesus' life and their appearance.

Then we have some familiar arguments like Fine-Tuning Argument, complexity in biology, and the language of God of Francis Collins, Antony Flew and Newton.

Finally, the probability argument: there are so many profecies that were fulfilled in Jesus life, that it is highly probable that they are true.

This is related to Peter W. Stoners argument that goes: Stoner calculated the probability that one person could fulfill just eight of the Messianic prophecies to be 1 in 10^17 (a 1 followed by 17 zeros). According to him, this demonstrates the improbability of coincidence and points to divine orchestration.

For illustration, Stoner compared this probability to marking one silver dollar among 10^17 others and scattering them across the state of Texas, covering the entire area two feet deep. If a blindfolded person were to walk across the state and pick up the marked silver dollar on their first try, the odds would be the same as one person fulfilling these eight prophecies by chance.

While these calculations are popular in apologetic circles, they have also been criticized for methodological shortcoming, namely:

Selection Bias: Choosing only certain prophecies while ignoring others that are more ambiguous.
Independence Assumption: Treating prophecies as unrelated events, whereas they might be interconnected.
Validity of Interpretation: Assuming the chosen prophecies are universally recognized as referring to Jesus, which is disputed among scholars.

For the first time in a while a more comprehensive review, leaving me with the question: help an agnostic brother out on this matter.

[Jasmine Pope]

When the philosophy professor got up to speak, he was quite nervous. He couldn’t refute the evidence for the resurrection so he attacked the apostle Paul’s radical conversion to Christianity. He used the argument that ‘people can often become so psychologically involved in what they’re combatting that they end up embracing it.’ My friend smiled gently and responded, ‘you’d better be careful sir, or you’re liable to become a Christian.’

This book basically used the scientific method and logic and history and philosophy to prove Jesus is who the Bible says he is. It was incredible but also way above what I need or want…. I guess I’m more one of those that just believes because I feel it and have seen what He’s done for me.

It’s nice to know logic, thought, and science matches up with what I believe though 😆. This is a good book for someone who prefers the intellectual side of “religion” or just wants to learn more. It’s, obviously, also good for someone who disagrees with Christianity or doubts it or is angry about it and maybe also reads things like Friedrich Nietzsche (which I have also read ha). I’m curious how non-believers would perceive it.

The authors’ writing style also felt very authentic and humble which is unique (especially compared to other thinkers) and makes it non-combative to read.

[Jack Gehling]

Personal Rating: 6.5/10

Genre: Christian

Review:
This book is written by a former atheist who initially tried to disprove Christianity. Through his own research, he ended up proving the existence of Christ and became a believer. I first heard about this book on TikTok and from my old high school theology teacher. Although this book presents strong evidence, it was information I had already learned during my 12 years of Catholic education, including an apologetics class. If you are already well-versed in Christian apologetics, I wouldn't recommend this book for anything more than a review. However, if you are not a Christian or are looking to solidify your faith, I would strongly recommend this book.

Lessons Learned:
Roughly 270 prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, credibility of the bible, Saul's conversion story.

Who Should Read It: Anybody seeking evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ.

[Tyler Storey]

A life changing exposé! With a most excellent use of Logos, Ethos, and finally Pathos. This little novella, written by a man hellbent on proving Christianity a hoax, has argued with most definitive proof, why and how Jesus Christ changes the lives of not only the author himself, but quite possibly the reader as well. With major points being more eloquently written than I have been able to articulate in my many years of inner turmoil.
With literal dozens of sourced excerpts coming from decades if not centuries of lifelong studies from experts across the world and their times. Additionally, the author (and his son) give the reader every opportunity to make their own interpretations and conclusions based on the facts presented. For anyone on the fence, or seemingly already standing firm on one side of it, I cannot recommend this enough. Simply superb.

[Lanny]

One of my kids wanted to more about the proofs for Scripture's inherency so I chose this book to get us started. I read the majority of it aloud to a group of middle school kids. Overall it met our needs very nicely. I purposefully saved it for the spring semester so we could get even more hyped up about Easter. That plan worked perfectly. We read about empty tomb conspiracies the week before Easter.
There were some stylistic things that weren't my favorite but it was a fairly basic, readable book that met our needs.

I just want to take a moment to say this is exactly why I love homeschooling. I love getting to read and discuss things with my children that meet their needs and satisfies their curiosity. And I love that my kids want to know worthwhile things. To be a homeschool mom is to be a curator.

[Don D’Arcangelo-McDonald]

This book was miraculous. I was given this book on the PED walkway at the University of Tennessee on a beautiful day as I walked with my friend Nicholas from DSP. The Lord placed this book in my path. It is such a confirming and powerful book that ever confirms the validity of Jesus Christ and how he lived on Earth. This was the first nonfiction Christian book I have ever read, and it was so amazing. If you are struggling, questioning, or wondering about faith, I highly recommend reading this book. In the future, I would love to return to this book to truly read up on the academics he cites and highlight more terms I have read. This was a perfect read, and I will recommend this book to whoever asks!

[Trish Boese]

5* This little book on Christian theology strengthened my faith. Everyone should read it if they can. “If one discards the Bible as unreliable historically, then he or she must discard all the literature of antiquity. No other document has as much evidence to confirm its reliability.”

'I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.

[SOMDReigel]

A copy of More Than a Carpenter was in a Welcome Bag from a church we visited in our new home state. My husband read it then handed it to me and said I needed to read it. I’m the reader of the family and I don’t know if I have ever seen my husband read a book outside of work-related material. I admit my lack of knowledge of Christianity. This book changed that for me. A wonderful guide that presents the historical evidence that supports Jesus’ life; both from written and oral form. I liked the “What do you think” questions. There are a few “dry” spots but overall I found the book very clear and concise. I’m sure I (we) will reread in the future.

[Brian Foster]

Saved by Grace in December of 2022 and a faithful daily reader of God’s truth every day since…I have been challenged this year by hosting an atheist foreign exchange student from Serbia. He is here, by God’s will, to be expose to the gospel of Jesus Christ as lived out in my families daily life. God is also using this time to strengthen my faith…which “More Than a Carpenter” has done over the past few days.

What a great and inspiring read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for historical, prophetic, archaeological, and/or testimonial evidence that supports Biblical truth.

[Kawai Markham]

I was raised in the church, but only gave my life to the LORD in 2023. Although I never doubted that Jesus, God the Son, really lived a human life, I never had evidence based reasons for my belief. I also believe that after reading this it has helped answer some questions I have heard many people ask of the Christian faith, God, and Jesus. It gives me more confidence and solid reasons to support my faith even from a worldly perspective. I would recommend every Christian, especially new believers to read this book. I would even recommend this for skeptics as well.