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Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible
Can the truth about Jesus be uncovered--even without a body or a crime scene? Join cold-case detective and bestselling author J. Warner Wallace as he investigates Jesus using an innovative and unique approach he employs to solve real missing person murder cases.
In Person of Interest, Wallace carefully sifts through the evidence from history alone, without relying on the New Testament. You'll understand like never before how Jesus, the most significant person in history, changed the world.
Features:
Join a cold-case detective as he uncovers the truth about Jesus using the same approach he employs to solve real murder cases
Marvel at the way Jesus changed the world as you investigate why Jesus still matters today
Learn how to use an innovative and unique "fuse and fallout" investigative strategy that you can also use to examine other claims of history
Explore and learn how to respond to common objections to Christianity
Detective J. Warner Wallace listened to a pastor talk about Jesus and wondered why anyone would think Jesus was a person of interest.
Wallace was skeptical of the Bible, but he’d investigated several no-body homicide cases in which there was no crime scene, no physical evidence, and no victim's body. Could the historical life and actions of Jesus be investigated in the same way?
In Person of Interest, Wallace describes his own personal investigative journey from atheism to Christianity as he carefully considers the evidence. Creative, compelling, and fully illustrated, Person of Interest will strengthen the faith of believers while engaging those who are skeptical and distrusting of the New Testament.
In Person of Interest, Wallace carefully sifts through the evidence from history alone, without relying on the New Testament. You'll understand like never before how Jesus, the most significant person in history, changed the world.
Features:
Join a cold-case detective as he uncovers the truth about Jesus using the same approach he employs to solve real murder cases
Marvel at the way Jesus changed the world as you investigate why Jesus still matters today
Learn how to use an innovative and unique "fuse and fallout" investigative strategy that you can also use to examine other claims of history
Explore and learn how to respond to common objections to Christianity
Detective J. Warner Wallace listened to a pastor talk about Jesus and wondered why anyone would think Jesus was a person of interest.
Wallace was skeptical of the Bible, but he’d investigated several no-body homicide cases in which there was no crime scene, no physical evidence, and no victim's body. Could the historical life and actions of Jesus be investigated in the same way?
In Person of Interest, Wallace describes his own personal investigative journey from atheism to Christianity as he carefully considers the evidence. Creative, compelling, and fully illustrated, Person of Interest will strengthen the faith of believers while engaging those who are skeptical and distrusting of the New Testament.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
638 people are currently reading
2526 people want to read
About the author
J. Warner Wallace
34 books689 followersJ. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker and best-selling author. He continues to consult on cold-case investigations while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is also an adjunct professor of apologetics at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University) and Southern Evangelical Seminary, and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. J. Warner became a Christ-follower at the age of thirty-five after investigating the claims of the New Testament gospels using his skill set as a detective. He eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Gateway Seminary.
J. Warner has appeared on television and radio, explaining the role that evidence plays in the Christian definition of “faith” and defending the historicity of Jesus, the reliability of the Bible and the truth of the Christian worldview. Jim also speaks at churches, retreats and camps as he seeks to help people become confident Christian case makers. J. Warner’s book, Cold-Case Christianity, provides readers with ten principles of cold case investigations and utilizes these principles to examine the reliability of the gospel eyewitness accounts. In God’s Crime Scene, he investigates eight pieces of evidence in the universe to make the case for God’s existence. In Forensic Faith, J. Warner makes the case for a more reasonable, evidential Christian faith.
J. Warner’s professional investigative work has received national recognition; his cases have been featured more than any other detective on NBC’s Dateline, and his work has also appeared on CourtTV and Fox News. He also appears on television as an investigative consultant (most recently on truTV) and had a role in God’s Not Dead 2, making the case for the historicity of Jesus. J. Warner was awarded the Police and Fire Medal of Valor “Sustained Superiority” Award for his continuing work on cold-case homicides, and the CopsWest Award after solving a 1979 murder. Relying on over two decades of investigative experience, J. Warner provides his readers and audiences with the tools they will need to investigate the claims of Christianity and make a convincing case for the truth of the Christian worldview.
J. Warner has appeared on television and radio, explaining the role that evidence plays in the Christian definition of “faith” and defending the historicity of Jesus, the reliability of the Bible and the truth of the Christian worldview. Jim also speaks at churches, retreats and camps as he seeks to help people become confident Christian case makers. J. Warner’s book, Cold-Case Christianity, provides readers with ten principles of cold case investigations and utilizes these principles to examine the reliability of the gospel eyewitness accounts. In God’s Crime Scene, he investigates eight pieces of evidence in the universe to make the case for God’s existence. In Forensic Faith, J. Warner makes the case for a more reasonable, evidential Christian faith.
J. Warner’s professional investigative work has received national recognition; his cases have been featured more than any other detective on NBC’s Dateline, and his work has also appeared on CourtTV and Fox News. He also appears on television as an investigative consultant (most recently on truTV) and had a role in God’s Not Dead 2, making the case for the historicity of Jesus. J. Warner was awarded the Police and Fire Medal of Valor “Sustained Superiority” Award for his continuing work on cold-case homicides, and the CopsWest Award after solving a 1979 murder. Relying on over two decades of investigative experience, J. Warner provides his readers and audiences with the tools they will need to investigate the claims of Christianity and make a convincing case for the truth of the Christian worldview.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
September 4, 2021
This was a fantastic read. Simple and easy to comprehend as well as engaging this is a phenomenal book for someone to read that wants to dip their foot into the vast world of presenting the Christian case and also for the trained apologist to have some better tactics for having practical conversations.
August 23, 2021
Mind blowing!!! Eye opening. Heart moving! I learned a lot and highly recommend!!!
December 15, 2021
(ARC Review)
I’ve been working in Christian apologetics for many years now, and I’m familiar with most popular apologetics books and authors. And of all I’ve read so far, this is the book I didn’t know I needed. This book will easily be one of the most important popular apologetics books published within the last few years, and probably in the top 20 or so this century.
In this one book, Jim covers two disparate lines of study about Jesus: the fuse and the fallout.
For the fuse, he explains why Jesus came when He did. I’ve encountered this question many times and never seen such a clear, understandable, and comprehensive answer as this. Jim addresses that one line from multiple angles, including the development of language, culture, society, and theology before Jesus.
For the fallout, he demonstrates how Jesus has impacted culture outside of strictly religious aspects. Again, he approaches this one line from multiple different angles: art, music, education, science, and more. And, while I haven’t seen as many questions about this, I know this is an incredibly important line, and we need to pay it more attention.
This book is now one of my most common book recommendations, next to classics like Tactics by Greg Koukl and How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart.
If you are interested in Christianity or the history of religion, you need to read this book. It doesn’t matter whether you are Christian or atheist, Muslim or Buddhist; you need to make this a priority to read.
If you are a Christian apologist, you need to add this to your library as soon as possible. This book will be invaluable in your ministry!
I’ve been working in Christian apologetics for many years now, and I’m familiar with most popular apologetics books and authors. And of all I’ve read so far, this is the book I didn’t know I needed. This book will easily be one of the most important popular apologetics books published within the last few years, and probably in the top 20 or so this century.
In this one book, Jim covers two disparate lines of study about Jesus: the fuse and the fallout.
For the fuse, he explains why Jesus came when He did. I’ve encountered this question many times and never seen such a clear, understandable, and comprehensive answer as this. Jim addresses that one line from multiple angles, including the development of language, culture, society, and theology before Jesus.
For the fallout, he demonstrates how Jesus has impacted culture outside of strictly religious aspects. Again, he approaches this one line from multiple different angles: art, music, education, science, and more. And, while I haven’t seen as many questions about this, I know this is an incredibly important line, and we need to pay it more attention.
This book is now one of my most common book recommendations, next to classics like Tactics by Greg Koukl and How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Fee and Stuart.
If you are interested in Christianity or the history of religion, you need to read this book. It doesn’t matter whether you are Christian or atheist, Muslim or Buddhist; you need to make this a priority to read.
If you are a Christian apologist, you need to add this to your library as soon as possible. This book will be invaluable in your ministry!
August 31, 2021
“Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible” is a feast for the mind and the soul! J. Warner Wallace has penned a doozy of a book and created first-rate artwork! I really enjoy books that start off at a run, and I clicked with this book right away. Wallace parallels “a past case” with his own investigation of the truth about Jesus Christ. The way he presents Tammy’s disappearance case put me in the exact headspace to examine the clues from history, science, music, literature, education, science and art to make the case for the importance and impact of Jesus Christ. The author skillfully bounces back and forth between these two cases as he moves forward in presenting the evidence gathered in each investigation.
My mind was frequently blown as I was drawn to moments of worship of a meticulous God Who perfectly wove the fabric of time and circumstances to usher in the very moment the Messiah would appear! In the first couple of chapters, the author lays out how language and writing and transportation advanced through history to the point of Jesus’ time on earth with such precision to allow the message of the Gospel to be spread to the ends of the earth!
As the book progressed, I became grateful that, in this time of “cancel culture,” the Savior of the world can never be canceled because of His influence on so many different aspects of culture! Even if every Christian Bible were destroyed, we would be able to re-create the life of Jesus, His miracles, His death and His resurrection through His influence. “Person of Interest” has grown my faith and equipped me to support my beliefs using resources other than Scripture!
But wait, there’s more! After devouring this book, although I am inspired to go back and re-read Wallace’s other books to see if I glean more from them the second time around, I don’t think I’ll have time to do that! There are so many other things to read! The collection of resources in the Case Notes at the end of this book is (almost) worth the entire cost of this surprisingly small work and earns the book prime real estate on my keeper shelf! The Case Notes are meaty and point the reader to the author’s sources so you can verify what he’s written! Don’t take his word for it. Look it up for yourself!
My mind was frequently blown as I was drawn to moments of worship of a meticulous God Who perfectly wove the fabric of time and circumstances to usher in the very moment the Messiah would appear! In the first couple of chapters, the author lays out how language and writing and transportation advanced through history to the point of Jesus’ time on earth with such precision to allow the message of the Gospel to be spread to the ends of the earth!
As the book progressed, I became grateful that, in this time of “cancel culture,” the Savior of the world can never be canceled because of His influence on so many different aspects of culture! Even if every Christian Bible were destroyed, we would be able to re-create the life of Jesus, His miracles, His death and His resurrection through His influence. “Person of Interest” has grown my faith and equipped me to support my beliefs using resources other than Scripture!
But wait, there’s more! After devouring this book, although I am inspired to go back and re-read Wallace’s other books to see if I glean more from them the second time around, I don’t think I’ll have time to do that! There are so many other things to read! The collection of resources in the Case Notes at the end of this book is (almost) worth the entire cost of this surprisingly small work and earns the book prime real estate on my keeper shelf! The Case Notes are meaty and point the reader to the author’s sources so you can verify what he’s written! Don’t take his word for it. Look it up for yourself!
September 30, 2021
Who are the greatest living influencers today and frankly, who cares? Let's talk in terms of numbers.
On TikTok, professional dancer Charli D'Amelio has over 125 million followers.
On Twitter, former US president Barack Obama has over 130 million followers.
On Instagram, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has a whopping 349.7 million followers!
Cristiano is also the most followed public figure on Facebook, then it's Mr Bean with 128 million people interested in the funny antics of this fictional character!
This just goes to show that just because someone is popular doesn't mean they have to be a real person.
Talking about fictional characters, I used to think Jesus was the equivalent to Mr Bean popularity. He said and did things that were legendary in both senses of the word. Feeding the five thousand or raising a person from the dead were cool but he probably didn't even exist and the whole story about his life was probably exaggerated for entertainment.
I'm not the only one who has thought this. Many people today believe that Jesus either didn't exist or he probably was just a nice guy that had his ideas inflated into a fairytale to control the masses.
That's why Jim Warner Wallace's latest book, Person of Interest is the kind of work I would have appreciated having when I was an atheist investigating who Jesus was.
As a former police detective who's had extensive experience solving cold-case murders where there's no body to examine except a trail of clues, Jim's book is an investigation into what we can know about Jesus and the impact he's had on world history using the same detective methods and without using the New Testament Bible.
Like the aftermath of a bomb where each piece of left-over shrapnel tells us something about who set it off and what led to the crime in first place, Jim takes his own story of investigating the real life murder case of Tammy Hayes and weaves his own journey as a skeptic, studying the impact Jesus had on the world we live in today. He traces back to each clue (known as 'the fuse') and connects them altogether in order to make a final case ('the fallout') for the Person of Interest at the centre of the crime.
In Person of Interest, Jim's main argument is that if Jesus was really God with skin on who actually came into this world as a real person, then we would expect the colossal impact that he has had on science, education, literature, art, architecture, music and the cultural values we treasure today.
If Jesus was who he claimed to be, then we would expect Jesus to have split the calendar in two from Before the Common Era (BCE) to after the Common Era (CE). We would expect that God would make himself known by being at the centre of world history itself, being more famous than every person who's ever lived.
If Jesus had Instagram, he'd have 2.3 billion followers. That would make him the biggest influencer alive today.
Whilst having a large amount of followers doesn't mean what a public figure does is always good or true, someone's popularity shows that there's something about this person that people are drawn to, want to become more like and that they have a powerful message that shapes the culture around them. This, Jim argues, is why Jesus matters in a world that rejects the Bible.
His life affects the very fabric of society - even if we don't follow or believe his teachings ourselves.
This is something we need to sit up and listen to because if Jesus is central to everything we value in society, then in Jim's mind, it follows that we need to further investigate the claim that Jesus may truly be God in the flesh. And if that's true, this would mean Jesus has to be at the centre of our lives too.
If, like me, you had no background in who Jesus is, Person of Interest is a fantastic overview of how his influence affects every day things you didn't even know!
Before I read this book, I knew there were a few scientists who followed Jesus but I didn't realise how many scientific discoveries were birthed out of that belief. Jim lists the hundreds of new theories that he believes wouldn't have come about if Jesus wasn't the catalyst behind the investigation.
To name a few, the fathers of galactic astronomy, big bang cosmology, bacteriology, x-rays, the electrical battery and computer science all founded and led the sciences. This matters because a lot of people think that Jesus hindered scientific discoveries but the reality is much more eye-opening, it is surprising to think that a lot of what we know today about physics, chemistry and biology wouldn't have advanced as quickly if Jesus had not been at the centre of the scientific revolution.
Jim writes,
"That's right, men and women who founded the disciplines of physics and chemistry, biology and cosmology, evolutionary genetics and quantum mechanics also believed that Jesus performed miracles and rose from the grave. They were certain that the supernatural author of the laws they had studied had the power to intervene in the natural world and that he had done so in the person of interest known as Jesus of Nazareth.
As George Ellis, an astrophysicist who collaborated on the Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems, once wrote, "God's nature is revealed most perfectly in the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, who was sent by God to reveal the divine nature, summarised in 'God is Love'.
Jesus matters to the history of science. At some point, I found myself asking, "If I trust scientists as much as I claim, why am I unwilling to take seriously what the world's foremost scientists have to say about Jesus?"
There's also a fascinating chapter on how Jesus impacted education. It turns out that the top 15 universities in the world including Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, Harvard and Princeton were all founded upon the teachings of Jesus.
Even if you destroyed all the Bibles in the world, you could find out the story of Jesus' life through the images on university chapels and halls. What's the point that Jim tries to make? It's that making Jesus and his principles the centre of learning, advanced education throughout the world. Millions of people would not know how to read, write, develop human rights and set up the laws of our justice system without attending kindergartens and colleges that were founded on Jesus' teachings.
Jim is also trained in architectural design so I like how he draws all these illustrations of his findings!
This is what makes Person of Interest even more unique and a great communication tool for all types of people. Each picture is like an atlas where you can see the scale of the point he makes. He zooms in with one drawing and then pans out so you can see the bigger picture. That's what makes the book so appealing to visual learners like myself and those who also love narrative and facts - they're all connected into one book in a way that the message stays with you long after you put the book down.
A highlight of the book is a series of illustrations picturing every artist and art era that points back to Jesus. I was amazed to learn that Jesus had such an inescapable impact on the world of arts and architecture. So much so, that most well-known artistic creations, techniques and stories central to the development of art history, would not have been the same unless Jesus existed.
''If Mark's gospel, along with every episode it described, was destroyed, it could be reconstructed from the earliest art (most originating from late antiquity to the Middle Ages, and all well before the Renaissance period).
Every important detail about the life and ministry of Jesus - as described in the gospel of Mark - has also been painted or sculpted by inspired artists in the earliest centuries of the Common Era.
This is also true of the other gospels. Artists looked to every chapter of every gospel for inspiration.
Even if all the New Testament manuscripts were gone, the story of Jesus would remain, unless of course, you were willing and able to destroy two thousand years of art.
That's what it would take to erase the evidence of Jesus' life and ministry. That's how much Jesus has mattered to artists."
One of the strongest chapters in Person of Interest is about how Jesus fulfills every expectation and longing in all the major world religions.
''His influence on spiritual seekers and religious thinkers is so overwhelming that every major world religion either mentions or merges him into their theological system. From the scriptures of non-Christian religions and their leaders' statements, the life of Jesus could be reconstructed, even without access to the New Testament.''
Jim's analysis of comparative religion makes a strong case that Jesus is a Person of Interest even outside of Christianity. From Buddha to Deepak Chopra, no-one can deny that Jesus holds a unique position as a religious figure who did more to influence other religions than they have influenced Jesus.
Whilst there are lots of strong evidences that connect Person of Interest's fuse, I think there are some weak chapters that weaken his argument. Jim tries to make a case on how Jesus had to arrive at the particular time in history that he did because of certain factors in history and technology. He calls it 'the red zone'. I didn't find this convincing because you had to make a lot of presuppositions to lead to that point. I think you could equally make a case for any time in history to be the best one for Jesus to arrive at.
For example, many skeptics could rightfully say, 'wouldn't the 21st century be the best time for Jesus to be born into? We have cameras to capture more visual evidence of miracles and could use computers to translate his words quicker than writing what Jesus said by hand?'
I think Jim tries too hard to make Jesus the centre of history in this respect when it is unnecessary. I think he could have just left the evidences of the cultural fallout rather than being too specific on Jesus having to be born at a particular time. When Jim also goes into detail about the book of Daniel and the prophetic dates, I felt this was going too much into the kind of case you'd find in a Watchtower magazine, whilst fulfilled prophecy is a very powerful evidence for the Bible being a supernatural book, I think Jim relies too much on the presuppositions of a prophecy that isn't completely agreed on by most mainstream scholars.
Person of Interest would be a stronger book without any appeal to the Hebrew Bible, but if Jim had to choose evidence from Jewish texts, I think there are many stronger case for prophecies about Jesus found in Isaiah, Zechariah and the Psalms that he could have focused on instead of the weaker case in Daniel that requires a lot of assumptions about dates.
Overall, from beginning to end, Person of Interest is a gripping book that helps you explore the evidence for Jesus through the eyes of a cold-case detective. Its unique and visual approach is nothing like you'll ever read this year! Whilst the jump from popularity to truth claim could be a stretch for many skeptical readers, I think Jim provides a compelling case that in the crime scene of life, Jesus is an unavoidable figure whose impact on our lives today can't be explained away through a simple naturalistic explanation, he truly is the Person of Interest at the centre of world history and what it means to be human.
On TikTok, professional dancer Charli D'Amelio has over 125 million followers.
On Twitter, former US president Barack Obama has over 130 million followers.
On Instagram, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has a whopping 349.7 million followers!
Cristiano is also the most followed public figure on Facebook, then it's Mr Bean with 128 million people interested in the funny antics of this fictional character!
This just goes to show that just because someone is popular doesn't mean they have to be a real person.
Talking about fictional characters, I used to think Jesus was the equivalent to Mr Bean popularity. He said and did things that were legendary in both senses of the word. Feeding the five thousand or raising a person from the dead were cool but he probably didn't even exist and the whole story about his life was probably exaggerated for entertainment.
I'm not the only one who has thought this. Many people today believe that Jesus either didn't exist or he probably was just a nice guy that had his ideas inflated into a fairytale to control the masses.
That's why Jim Warner Wallace's latest book, Person of Interest is the kind of work I would have appreciated having when I was an atheist investigating who Jesus was.
As a former police detective who's had extensive experience solving cold-case murders where there's no body to examine except a trail of clues, Jim's book is an investigation into what we can know about Jesus and the impact he's had on world history using the same detective methods and without using the New Testament Bible.
Like the aftermath of a bomb where each piece of left-over shrapnel tells us something about who set it off and what led to the crime in first place, Jim takes his own story of investigating the real life murder case of Tammy Hayes and weaves his own journey as a skeptic, studying the impact Jesus had on the world we live in today. He traces back to each clue (known as 'the fuse') and connects them altogether in order to make a final case ('the fallout') for the Person of Interest at the centre of the crime.
In Person of Interest, Jim's main argument is that if Jesus was really God with skin on who actually came into this world as a real person, then we would expect the colossal impact that he has had on science, education, literature, art, architecture, music and the cultural values we treasure today.
If Jesus was who he claimed to be, then we would expect Jesus to have split the calendar in two from Before the Common Era (BCE) to after the Common Era (CE). We would expect that God would make himself known by being at the centre of world history itself, being more famous than every person who's ever lived.
If Jesus had Instagram, he'd have 2.3 billion followers. That would make him the biggest influencer alive today.
Whilst having a large amount of followers doesn't mean what a public figure does is always good or true, someone's popularity shows that there's something about this person that people are drawn to, want to become more like and that they have a powerful message that shapes the culture around them. This, Jim argues, is why Jesus matters in a world that rejects the Bible.
His life affects the very fabric of society - even if we don't follow or believe his teachings ourselves.
This is something we need to sit up and listen to because if Jesus is central to everything we value in society, then in Jim's mind, it follows that we need to further investigate the claim that Jesus may truly be God in the flesh. And if that's true, this would mean Jesus has to be at the centre of our lives too.
If, like me, you had no background in who Jesus is, Person of Interest is a fantastic overview of how his influence affects every day things you didn't even know!
Before I read this book, I knew there were a few scientists who followed Jesus but I didn't realise how many scientific discoveries were birthed out of that belief. Jim lists the hundreds of new theories that he believes wouldn't have come about if Jesus wasn't the catalyst behind the investigation.
To name a few, the fathers of galactic astronomy, big bang cosmology, bacteriology, x-rays, the electrical battery and computer science all founded and led the sciences. This matters because a lot of people think that Jesus hindered scientific discoveries but the reality is much more eye-opening, it is surprising to think that a lot of what we know today about physics, chemistry and biology wouldn't have advanced as quickly if Jesus had not been at the centre of the scientific revolution.
Jim writes,
"That's right, men and women who founded the disciplines of physics and chemistry, biology and cosmology, evolutionary genetics and quantum mechanics also believed that Jesus performed miracles and rose from the grave. They were certain that the supernatural author of the laws they had studied had the power to intervene in the natural world and that he had done so in the person of interest known as Jesus of Nazareth.
As George Ellis, an astrophysicist who collaborated on the Hawking-Penrose singularity theorems, once wrote, "God's nature is revealed most perfectly in the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, who was sent by God to reveal the divine nature, summarised in 'God is Love'.
Jesus matters to the history of science. At some point, I found myself asking, "If I trust scientists as much as I claim, why am I unwilling to take seriously what the world's foremost scientists have to say about Jesus?"
There's also a fascinating chapter on how Jesus impacted education. It turns out that the top 15 universities in the world including Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, Harvard and Princeton were all founded upon the teachings of Jesus.
Even if you destroyed all the Bibles in the world, you could find out the story of Jesus' life through the images on university chapels and halls. What's the point that Jim tries to make? It's that making Jesus and his principles the centre of learning, advanced education throughout the world. Millions of people would not know how to read, write, develop human rights and set up the laws of our justice system without attending kindergartens and colleges that were founded on Jesus' teachings.
Jim is also trained in architectural design so I like how he draws all these illustrations of his findings!
This is what makes Person of Interest even more unique and a great communication tool for all types of people. Each picture is like an atlas where you can see the scale of the point he makes. He zooms in with one drawing and then pans out so you can see the bigger picture. That's what makes the book so appealing to visual learners like myself and those who also love narrative and facts - they're all connected into one book in a way that the message stays with you long after you put the book down.
A highlight of the book is a series of illustrations picturing every artist and art era that points back to Jesus. I was amazed to learn that Jesus had such an inescapable impact on the world of arts and architecture. So much so, that most well-known artistic creations, techniques and stories central to the development of art history, would not have been the same unless Jesus existed.
''If Mark's gospel, along with every episode it described, was destroyed, it could be reconstructed from the earliest art (most originating from late antiquity to the Middle Ages, and all well before the Renaissance period).
Every important detail about the life and ministry of Jesus - as described in the gospel of Mark - has also been painted or sculpted by inspired artists in the earliest centuries of the Common Era.
This is also true of the other gospels. Artists looked to every chapter of every gospel for inspiration.
Even if all the New Testament manuscripts were gone, the story of Jesus would remain, unless of course, you were willing and able to destroy two thousand years of art.
That's what it would take to erase the evidence of Jesus' life and ministry. That's how much Jesus has mattered to artists."
One of the strongest chapters in Person of Interest is about how Jesus fulfills every expectation and longing in all the major world religions.
''His influence on spiritual seekers and religious thinkers is so overwhelming that every major world religion either mentions or merges him into their theological system. From the scriptures of non-Christian religions and their leaders' statements, the life of Jesus could be reconstructed, even without access to the New Testament.''
Jim's analysis of comparative religion makes a strong case that Jesus is a Person of Interest even outside of Christianity. From Buddha to Deepak Chopra, no-one can deny that Jesus holds a unique position as a religious figure who did more to influence other religions than they have influenced Jesus.
Whilst there are lots of strong evidences that connect Person of Interest's fuse, I think there are some weak chapters that weaken his argument. Jim tries to make a case on how Jesus had to arrive at the particular time in history that he did because of certain factors in history and technology. He calls it 'the red zone'. I didn't find this convincing because you had to make a lot of presuppositions to lead to that point. I think you could equally make a case for any time in history to be the best one for Jesus to arrive at.
For example, many skeptics could rightfully say, 'wouldn't the 21st century be the best time for Jesus to be born into? We have cameras to capture more visual evidence of miracles and could use computers to translate his words quicker than writing what Jesus said by hand?'
I think Jim tries too hard to make Jesus the centre of history in this respect when it is unnecessary. I think he could have just left the evidences of the cultural fallout rather than being too specific on Jesus having to be born at a particular time. When Jim also goes into detail about the book of Daniel and the prophetic dates, I felt this was going too much into the kind of case you'd find in a Watchtower magazine, whilst fulfilled prophecy is a very powerful evidence for the Bible being a supernatural book, I think Jim relies too much on the presuppositions of a prophecy that isn't completely agreed on by most mainstream scholars.
Person of Interest would be a stronger book without any appeal to the Hebrew Bible, but if Jim had to choose evidence from Jewish texts, I think there are many stronger case for prophecies about Jesus found in Isaiah, Zechariah and the Psalms that he could have focused on instead of the weaker case in Daniel that requires a lot of assumptions about dates.
Overall, from beginning to end, Person of Interest is a gripping book that helps you explore the evidence for Jesus through the eyes of a cold-case detective. Its unique and visual approach is nothing like you'll ever read this year! Whilst the jump from popularity to truth claim could be a stretch for many skeptical readers, I think Jim provides a compelling case that in the crime scene of life, Jesus is an unavoidable figure whose impact on our lives today can't be explained away through a simple naturalistic explanation, he truly is the Person of Interest at the centre of world history and what it means to be human.
February 12, 2025
Erste Hälfte 5 Sterne, zweite Hälfte 3 Sterne.
September 17, 2024
Excellent and accessible!
This is a very readable and accessible evaluation of the historical evidence for Jesus being unique in history, and gives support for His claims of divinity.
This is a very readable and accessible evaluation of the historical evidence for Jesus being unique in history, and gives support for His claims of divinity.
April 22, 2022
Ever since Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ, apologetic via non-theologians have become increasingly in vogue. Strobel used his journalistic experience to investigate the claims of Scripture, treating the life and resurrection of Jesus like any other piece of investigative journalism. J. Warner Wallace has taken up that tradition, looking at pretty much the same things through the lens of a cold-case detective. Cold Case Christianity released in 2013 and, much like Strobel’s work, launched a whole career and set of books.
The latest of his books is Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible. Filled with illustrations, diagrams, and compelling prose, Wallace overlays the narrative of one of his cold cases onto this examination of the life of Jesus, showing how cold case techniques can help readers assess the historicity of Jesus. While much of what Wallace covers isn’t new, his perspective makes it a refreshing and interesting read even for those of us who know the biblical material.
The two central themes that Wallace develops is the fuse and the fallout. The fuse is the build-up to the explosion. Why did Jesus come when he did? What about the first century AD made it the “fullness of time,” as Scripture puts it? Person of Interest does what good detective work is going to do: it establishes a timeline. From the development of language, culture, society, and theology, Wallace makes a cogent case for why Israel in the first century was a prime place for the good news of Jesus to spread worldwide.
Second, he addresses the fallout—or how Jesus impacted culture outside of religion. He covers education, music, art, science, pretty much anything you can think of, Person of Interest shows how it was influenced by the life of Jesus and the spread of Christianity.
Person of Interest also does another thing that all good detectives do: It interviews people. While keeping the information on a layperson level, Wallace also manages to insert a fair amount of robust research. He also includes a fair amount of information that I haven’t seen in traditional apologetics before. In particular, he has a chapter on how the ministry of Jesus was a catalyst for an educational revolution, as Christian communities founded catechetical schools. This isn’t so much apologetics as it is contextual history to understand the influence Christianity has had on society.
I would say that it’s important to note that popularity and influence does not equate with historicity—or with theological truth. A lot of fictional figures have been quite influential and a lot of historical figures have made massive changes to society without being moral or theologically correct. The case for Jesus’s influence as indicative of his historicity is something to think about, but more in terms of how wide-ranging that influence as been and not as something that bolsters his historicity (which isn’t really something any serious secular scholars deny, anyway).
Maybe the most important chapter is where Person of Interest shows how Jesus has become a part of several other world religions. There’s something so pure and truthful about Jesus that every religion seems to want a piece of him. I think all of this is particularly useful to know and understand as a point of evangelism and as a way of understanding how Jesus is viewed outside of Christian tradition. Too often, Christian apologetics gets locked into the Christian/atheist duality and doesn’t address the questions and perspectives brought by other religions.
The last thing that I’ll say is that this is a weighty manuscript. It’s a big book. I’d advocate taking your time to read through it and allow yourself to process the information slowly. Information overload can be a reality! Person of Interest offers a panoramic perspective on apologetics that has been missing from the literature for some time. While I think some elements may be overplayed or simplified, overall Wallace offers an enthusiastic, creative work that helps readers understand the person and influence of Jesus.
The latest of his books is Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World That Rejects the Bible. Filled with illustrations, diagrams, and compelling prose, Wallace overlays the narrative of one of his cold cases onto this examination of the life of Jesus, showing how cold case techniques can help readers assess the historicity of Jesus. While much of what Wallace covers isn’t new, his perspective makes it a refreshing and interesting read even for those of us who know the biblical material.
The two central themes that Wallace develops is the fuse and the fallout. The fuse is the build-up to the explosion. Why did Jesus come when he did? What about the first century AD made it the “fullness of time,” as Scripture puts it? Person of Interest does what good detective work is going to do: it establishes a timeline. From the development of language, culture, society, and theology, Wallace makes a cogent case for why Israel in the first century was a prime place for the good news of Jesus to spread worldwide.
Second, he addresses the fallout—or how Jesus impacted culture outside of religion. He covers education, music, art, science, pretty much anything you can think of, Person of Interest shows how it was influenced by the life of Jesus and the spread of Christianity.
Person of Interest also does another thing that all good detectives do: It interviews people. While keeping the information on a layperson level, Wallace also manages to insert a fair amount of robust research. He also includes a fair amount of information that I haven’t seen in traditional apologetics before. In particular, he has a chapter on how the ministry of Jesus was a catalyst for an educational revolution, as Christian communities founded catechetical schools. This isn’t so much apologetics as it is contextual history to understand the influence Christianity has had on society.
I would say that it’s important to note that popularity and influence does not equate with historicity—or with theological truth. A lot of fictional figures have been quite influential and a lot of historical figures have made massive changes to society without being moral or theologically correct. The case for Jesus’s influence as indicative of his historicity is something to think about, but more in terms of how wide-ranging that influence as been and not as something that bolsters his historicity (which isn’t really something any serious secular scholars deny, anyway).
Maybe the most important chapter is where Person of Interest shows how Jesus has become a part of several other world religions. There’s something so pure and truthful about Jesus that every religion seems to want a piece of him. I think all of this is particularly useful to know and understand as a point of evangelism and as a way of understanding how Jesus is viewed outside of Christian tradition. Too often, Christian apologetics gets locked into the Christian/atheist duality and doesn’t address the questions and perspectives brought by other religions.
The last thing that I’ll say is that this is a weighty manuscript. It’s a big book. I’d advocate taking your time to read through it and allow yourself to process the information slowly. Information overload can be a reality! Person of Interest offers a panoramic perspective on apologetics that has been missing from the literature for some time. While I think some elements may be overplayed or simplified, overall Wallace offers an enthusiastic, creative work that helps readers understand the person and influence of Jesus.
September 17, 2021
J. Warner Wallace’s new book is an outstanding piece of scholarship that is authoritative while still being both accessible and unpretentious. "Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible" describes a parallel search for a present-day cold case murder suspect and the search for the truth about Jesus of Nazareth. Both cases involved situations in which no physical dead body was available for examination, and in which minimal forensic direct evidence was present. In spite of this lack of a body, (spoiler alert) in both cases the evidence is strong. In the case of Jesus, Wallace uses multiple non-Christian historians and multiple examples of changes in human history, culture, religious tradition, the arts, and education that were directly attributable to the life of Jesus.
The book includes excellent original diagrams, charts, and illustrations to parallel both investigations. It is well outlined and easy to follow. Wallace is an excellent storyteller and an experienced detective, as well as an accomplished artist. He brings all of these talents together to make his case, and it is compelling. I strongly recommend this book.
Rick Townsend, PhD
The book includes excellent original diagrams, charts, and illustrations to parallel both investigations. It is well outlined and easy to follow. Wallace is an excellent storyteller and an experienced detective, as well as an accomplished artist. He brings all of these talents together to make his case, and it is compelling. I strongly recommend this book.
Rick Townsend, PhD
September 15, 2021
I love books that make me think, that challenge longstanding perspectives, and even let me feel like I've put in a fair bit of effort to reach the conclusion. That doesn't mean Person of Interest is a "difficult" read in any way. It follows smoothly from start to finish, building from strong premises to its powerful conclusions.
Even as someone who has grown up in the faith and church community, this book provided a fresh and surprising perspective of the person of Jesus and the undeniable impact He made on the world, both before and after the incarnation. It helped me appreciate the timely wisdom of God even more and recognize how much we overlook massive amount of interconnected details that have cumulative significance, and this book does an excellent job of showing the breadth and depth of Jesus' historical influence.
This is a greatly entertaining, informative, and persuasive book that is a welcome addition to any apologetics library as well as being highly provocative for believing and unbelieving readers alike who are willing to flex some mental and spiritual muscles.
Even as someone who has grown up in the faith and church community, this book provided a fresh and surprising perspective of the person of Jesus and the undeniable impact He made on the world, both before and after the incarnation. It helped me appreciate the timely wisdom of God even more and recognize how much we overlook massive amount of interconnected details that have cumulative significance, and this book does an excellent job of showing the breadth and depth of Jesus' historical influence.
This is a greatly entertaining, informative, and persuasive book that is a welcome addition to any apologetics library as well as being highly provocative for believing and unbelieving readers alike who are willing to flex some mental and spiritual muscles.
October 15, 2021
Just finished this.... fantastic read! Loved it. I had no idea about so much of this history! Well-research by a former atheist who set out to understand the influence of Jesus in the world... without reading the Bible as a reference! He digs into every type of record of Jesus except the Gospels. Note: J. Warner Wallace was still an atheist while he researched. But that changed. He gives the reader every reason to believe in Jesus as the True God and Savior.
Wallace covers a lot of ground in the book, listing out both ancient (BC/BCE) and modern-day philosophers, scientists, artists, authors, writers, famous people of other religions... you name it! All these people have the commonality of belief in Messiah Jesus, and/or they have been influenced by Him in their thought and world-view. It is absolutely fascinating what you will learn. I especially like the treatment of scientists throughout history that were believers: the more they learned, the more they believed.
As Wallace says in his conclusion: "Jesus doesn't matter because He influenced the world; Jesus influenced the world BECAUSE HE Matters." Too true, and after 2000 years, we still worship Him. Of course we do!!
Wallace covers a lot of ground in the book, listing out both ancient (BC/BCE) and modern-day philosophers, scientists, artists, authors, writers, famous people of other religions... you name it! All these people have the commonality of belief in Messiah Jesus, and/or they have been influenced by Him in their thought and world-view. It is absolutely fascinating what you will learn. I especially like the treatment of scientists throughout history that were believers: the more they learned, the more they believed.
As Wallace says in his conclusion: "Jesus doesn't matter because He influenced the world; Jesus influenced the world BECAUSE HE Matters." Too true, and after 2000 years, we still worship Him. Of course we do!!
September 16, 2021
I’ve read many books about Christian apologetics over the last 50 years. My initial reaction to reading "Person of Interest" was This is a fantastic book! As a former homicide detective, J. Warner Wallace uses his skills to gather evidence from sources outside the New Testament, in his search to find out just who the person of Jesus really was in a new and unique way. He examines recorded history going back 1,000’s of years before the arrival of Jesus, explains the uniqueness of the time period of Jesus’ birth, and the significant impact on world events the life of Jesus had after his death and resurrection. The illustrations alone are worth purchasing the book. Drawn by the author himself, they provide added understanding to Jesus' role in the timeline of history that words alone cannot convey. No other person in history has had a world wide impact like Jesus has. Whether you are a Christian, or just a person who is curious, this is a wonderful book. You will discover in new ways, or perhaps for the first time, why Jesus still matters today.
September 19, 2024
I did not think at all that I would ever read a book that simplifies how Christianity is so important to the world like that book. At first I thought the book would be boring and of no point but after reading the first chapter, I got engaged and gripped not only by the info that the author is showing but by his writing style, using of infographs to simplify every detail in each section and as I am a photographic memory person, this helped me to remember the main points of each section. The way he gets to the point for every debatable question is so intriguing, by using the fuse and fallout to solve any case he is investigating. It is shown to be also accurate when used for investigating Christianity and its effect on the world. It is highly recommended for every christian to read this book to be aware of the historical events that took place and paved the way before the appearance of Jesus Christ. As a result of the author massive investigation, it ended that he became a christian after 18 years of athiesm.
April 9, 2024
In this excellent apologetics book, Wallace investigates the coming of Christ as he would conduct a coldcase murder investigation. He actually peppers his writing with an actual coldcase he worked in California to show the parallels in his casework. He argues that if Jesus is indeed God there should be a fuse that led up to his coming and a fallout that occurred after his death. So he explores the times leading up to the birth of Christ and then presents its impact upon the common era. It's insane actually, but why wouldn't it be. Excellent read.
April 2, 2025
The amount of research that went into this book is just amazing.
I learned a lot of things that I hadn't noticed before like how Christianity allowed for the sciences to flourish because natural phenomena weren't interpreted anymore as something inexplicable that Zeus or one of the gods was doing, how followers of Christ were the first to teach the visually impaired and establish what is now modern school systems. How the life of Christ and the writings of the New Testament could be almost completely reconstructed from the quotations of writers from various disciplines. How a detective thinks about a case and constructs his arguments in a logical sequence even of many years have passed since the event itself took place.
I would have preferred to read more personal stories about all those amazing Christians though instead of getting a helicopter view of their collective achievements and contributions. Reading statistics and generalized statements that include all Christians contributing to a certain field can sometimes be a bit boring. However, I understand that this was necessary for the purpose of the book as it assesses the impact of Jesus and his followers on the world throughout the past two millennia and adding the personal stories of even a few of these people would have made the book much much longer.
I learned a lot of things that I hadn't noticed before like how Christianity allowed for the sciences to flourish because natural phenomena weren't interpreted anymore as something inexplicable that Zeus or one of the gods was doing, how followers of Christ were the first to teach the visually impaired and establish what is now modern school systems. How the life of Christ and the writings of the New Testament could be almost completely reconstructed from the quotations of writers from various disciplines. How a detective thinks about a case and constructs his arguments in a logical sequence even of many years have passed since the event itself took place.
I would have preferred to read more personal stories about all those amazing Christians though instead of getting a helicopter view of their collective achievements and contributions. Reading statistics and generalized statements that include all Christians contributing to a certain field can sometimes be a bit boring. However, I understand that this was necessary for the purpose of the book as it assesses the impact of Jesus and his followers on the world throughout the past two millennia and adding the personal stories of even a few of these people would have made the book much much longer.
December 14, 2023
Concise, readable, well-written, informative, impactful, and brilliantly illustrated. Will definitely be one of my top recommendations.
March 24, 2024
An interesting take in the apologetics realm. Wallace traces the influence of Jesus on the last 2,000 years and identifies him as a unique individual in history.
The parallel cold case he discusses throughout the book was sometimes more interesting than the apologetics stuff.
Overall a solid book.
The parallel cold case he discusses throughout the book was sometimes more interesting than the apologetics stuff.
Overall a solid book.
May 1, 2024
I love J Warner Wallace’s use of his detective skills to evaluate the claim that Jesus was who he said he was. This book takes a different spin than the typical apologetics book. Here, Wallace looks at all the different things in culture, education, technology, science, music, etc that have hinged upon the life of Christ. It’s a fascinating aspect to look at.
September 15, 2021
Person Of Interest is a fascinating read. J Warner Wallace takes us through his research into showing Jesus as the world's most interesting Person Of Interest.
He goes through secular sources to show us the impact of Jesus in all areas of life, music, literature, science, historical events. And he does this without using the New Testament as evidence.
One I f the most fascinating things the author shows us, is how Jesus not only fulfilled Hebrew Scriptures Prophecy, but why He came when He did.
His notes and research are extensive, not just telling us these things about Jesus, but the research he didand recording his research, so the reader can do their own investigation.
As a Christian, I see all these claims made by other Christians and the apologists, those who contend for the faith, for evidence on Jesus and His life, but always left with wondering how they know all the information and where they get it.
J Warner Wallace shows us where and how he was able to come to his cobblestones in his investigation of Jesus. You can share with Believers and non and give them good, solid information.
I love this about the book.
You don't have to take notes, just highlight the places of points you want to share or research. The book is written and flows in a very interesting and engaging way.
Trust me, Believer or not, you will be glad you read this.
I highly, highly recommend Person Of Interest. Worth every penny, especially for the believer who shares their faith with facts.
He goes through secular sources to show us the impact of Jesus in all areas of life, music, literature, science, historical events. And he does this without using the New Testament as evidence.
One I f the most fascinating things the author shows us, is how Jesus not only fulfilled Hebrew Scriptures Prophecy, but why He came when He did.
His notes and research are extensive, not just telling us these things about Jesus, but the research he didand recording his research, so the reader can do their own investigation.
As a Christian, I see all these claims made by other Christians and the apologists, those who contend for the faith, for evidence on Jesus and His life, but always left with wondering how they know all the information and where they get it.
J Warner Wallace shows us where and how he was able to come to his cobblestones in his investigation of Jesus. You can share with Believers and non and give them good, solid information.
I love this about the book.
You don't have to take notes, just highlight the places of points you want to share or research. The book is written and flows in a very interesting and engaging way.
Trust me, Believer or not, you will be glad you read this.
I highly, highly recommend Person Of Interest. Worth every penny, especially for the believer who shares their faith with facts.
September 16, 2021
I pre-ordered the book and had an advanced digital copy. I rarely read e-books, I'm just more of a physical copy type of person. Helps me to relax and get into the book better. However with this book? I just got into it and finished it in a few days. It is an easy, engaging and simple read.
This books makes several interesting points. Why did Jesus arrive when he did? What was his impact on the world? What does history tells us about Jesus? All this without relying on the bible.
I learned things I didn't know and some things I hadn't even thought about.
This book doesn't make things complicated, J. Warner Wallace did a lot of research and spent time on writing what he found out clear to the reader. I even know because I had the opportunity to read through his case notes. Trust me, he did his research.
The writing gets broken up to give you a rest from just reading to give you visual representation of what information is being relayed. An area where Wallace once again spent time on creating the images himself. Once again for the reader to know he didn't slack off but put time on making sure the information was relayed for them.
The book also doesn't just focus on the fuse of Jesus but gives you another story to follow long which is part crime drama part personal testimony. Which was a joy to read also.
So overall I really enjoyed this book and I think plenty of other people will too. It is open to people from all walks to know that whether you believe Jesus was a deity or not.... He did make an impact on the world you can't deny.
This books makes several interesting points. Why did Jesus arrive when he did? What was his impact on the world? What does history tells us about Jesus? All this without relying on the bible.
I learned things I didn't know and some things I hadn't even thought about.
This book doesn't make things complicated, J. Warner Wallace did a lot of research and spent time on writing what he found out clear to the reader. I even know because I had the opportunity to read through his case notes. Trust me, he did his research.
The writing gets broken up to give you a rest from just reading to give you visual representation of what information is being relayed. An area where Wallace once again spent time on creating the images himself. Once again for the reader to know he didn't slack off but put time on making sure the information was relayed for them.
The book also doesn't just focus on the fuse of Jesus but gives you another story to follow long which is part crime drama part personal testimony. Which was a joy to read also.
So overall I really enjoyed this book and I think plenty of other people will too. It is open to people from all walks to know that whether you believe Jesus was a deity or not.... He did make an impact on the world you can't deny.
December 31, 2021
What does a top tier cold case detective think about the veracity of Christianity? In this book by Jim Warner Wallace he presents to readers his apologetics for the Christian faith but with a unique approach using the methods and analogy of a detective investigating a missing person murder case. An atheist turned Christian Jim Warner Wallace’s background as a police officer, detective, architect and artist is all brought to bear in this book as he presents something that is compelling both intellectually and also hard to put down in terms of human interests. If you have read other books by Jim Warner Wallace before be assured this is not another book that rehashes things he’s previously said and wrote; in fact I was stunned at how incredibly comprehensive and fresh this book was and I was very impressed with his materials from start to finish.
The book consists of ten chapters and a postscript. Wallace has appeared more on NBC dateline than any other detective and in this book he uses a real life cold case murder investigation that he conducted in which the victim’s body was missing and unavailable and yet there’s good reasons to believe there was a murder. Wallace explains how a murder often is similar to a bomb explosion in that there’s a timefuse leading up to the murder and the aftermath of a murder that’s a lot of effects and “debris” as the murder’s fall-out. Using this template Wallace argues why he knows Jesus came on earth to die for our sins but examining the fuse that led to Jesus’ appearance in history at the moment that He did and also the fallout with the impact Jesus left in history across various spheres of life. Chapter one explains all this with the chapter being titled “The Fuse and the Fallout.” Here Wallace explains that we can reconstruct Jesus without the New Testament. Chapters two through four looks at the different “fuse” of why Jesus’ appearance happened the time that it did with chapter two looking at the cultural fuse, chapter three the spiritual fuse and chapter four the prophetic fuse. I am thoroughly blown away with these three chapters and these three chapters alone are worth buying the book. Chapters five is titled “In the fullness of t Time” and is about Jesus’ arrival. Chapters six through ten is about the fallout after Jesus’ arrival that demonstrate Jesus’ coming and also His significance. These chapters include looking at literary historical sources on Jesus outside the New Testament such as early Christian sources, sympathetic non-Christians and hostile non-Christians. There’s also the impact Jesus made in the sphere of music, education, science and also other religions.
There’s so much I learned from this book. I’ve always heard the early Christian church fathers’ writing alone quotes so much from the New Testament one can reconstruct its teachings even if the New Testament manuscripts were to be nonexistent today; Wallace gives the hard date on this where as an example 87.3% of Mark is quoted within by church fathers within the first three hundred years of Christian history, and 86.0% of Luke, and 97.8% of John respectively. I also thought this wasn’t your typical evidential apologetics’ book for Warner Wallace at times in this book read like Schaeffer’s look at Christianity’s impact on culture; only difference is I felt Wallace’s argument was tighter and argues in a new direction of how what we see in music, education, science with their innovators and pioneers in their belief in Christianity wasn’t only just beneficial for civilization but they held beliefs that agree with the Gospels. I rejoice to see Wallace being aware of worldviews and presuppositions (presuppositions in the sense of not assumptions but beliefs that are foundational for human intelligibility and meaningfulness). There’s a sense I really applaud the author for his book bringing to bear various disciplines from Classical history, Old Testament studies, the humanities, history of science, comparative religion, etc. The amount of footnotes in this book was a treasure trove for further research, citation of primary sources and also further observations and arguments, in addition to links to Wallace’s site where one can get more information and also see pictures in the book in bigger appearances.
The book is physically bigger than other books Wallace wrote; I mean that in terms of width and length. This at first threw me off but when I read it and saw the book’s numerous illustrations that visually drives the point home I realized the publishers blessed us with something that allows readers to see the pictures more better than if the book was a traditional size. Again the amount of illustrations in this book illustrated by the author is incredible, I don’t think he’s illustrated as much as in his other books and they are extremely helpful.
As usual as one expect from J Warner Wallace his illustrations from the world of crime solving provides us practical examples of his methodology that is easy to understand and also interesting to the readers. Wallace is also a great story teller!
I’m grateful that J. Warner Wallace published this book. What a gift this is for Christian apologetics and also what a gift J. Warner Wallace himself is for the Church today. I enjoyed this book so much I purchased a copy as a Christmas gift for someone who works in forensics science and investigation. I recommend this!
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by the author without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
The book consists of ten chapters and a postscript. Wallace has appeared more on NBC dateline than any other detective and in this book he uses a real life cold case murder investigation that he conducted in which the victim’s body was missing and unavailable and yet there’s good reasons to believe there was a murder. Wallace explains how a murder often is similar to a bomb explosion in that there’s a timefuse leading up to the murder and the aftermath of a murder that’s a lot of effects and “debris” as the murder’s fall-out. Using this template Wallace argues why he knows Jesus came on earth to die for our sins but examining the fuse that led to Jesus’ appearance in history at the moment that He did and also the fallout with the impact Jesus left in history across various spheres of life. Chapter one explains all this with the chapter being titled “The Fuse and the Fallout.” Here Wallace explains that we can reconstruct Jesus without the New Testament. Chapters two through four looks at the different “fuse” of why Jesus’ appearance happened the time that it did with chapter two looking at the cultural fuse, chapter three the spiritual fuse and chapter four the prophetic fuse. I am thoroughly blown away with these three chapters and these three chapters alone are worth buying the book. Chapters five is titled “In the fullness of t Time” and is about Jesus’ arrival. Chapters six through ten is about the fallout after Jesus’ arrival that demonstrate Jesus’ coming and also His significance. These chapters include looking at literary historical sources on Jesus outside the New Testament such as early Christian sources, sympathetic non-Christians and hostile non-Christians. There’s also the impact Jesus made in the sphere of music, education, science and also other religions.
There’s so much I learned from this book. I’ve always heard the early Christian church fathers’ writing alone quotes so much from the New Testament one can reconstruct its teachings even if the New Testament manuscripts were to be nonexistent today; Wallace gives the hard date on this where as an example 87.3% of Mark is quoted within by church fathers within the first three hundred years of Christian history, and 86.0% of Luke, and 97.8% of John respectively. I also thought this wasn’t your typical evidential apologetics’ book for Warner Wallace at times in this book read like Schaeffer’s look at Christianity’s impact on culture; only difference is I felt Wallace’s argument was tighter and argues in a new direction of how what we see in music, education, science with their innovators and pioneers in their belief in Christianity wasn’t only just beneficial for civilization but they held beliefs that agree with the Gospels. I rejoice to see Wallace being aware of worldviews and presuppositions (presuppositions in the sense of not assumptions but beliefs that are foundational for human intelligibility and meaningfulness). There’s a sense I really applaud the author for his book bringing to bear various disciplines from Classical history, Old Testament studies, the humanities, history of science, comparative religion, etc. The amount of footnotes in this book was a treasure trove for further research, citation of primary sources and also further observations and arguments, in addition to links to Wallace’s site where one can get more information and also see pictures in the book in bigger appearances.
The book is physically bigger than other books Wallace wrote; I mean that in terms of width and length. This at first threw me off but when I read it and saw the book’s numerous illustrations that visually drives the point home I realized the publishers blessed us with something that allows readers to see the pictures more better than if the book was a traditional size. Again the amount of illustrations in this book illustrated by the author is incredible, I don’t think he’s illustrated as much as in his other books and they are extremely helpful.
As usual as one expect from J Warner Wallace his illustrations from the world of crime solving provides us practical examples of his methodology that is easy to understand and also interesting to the readers. Wallace is also a great story teller!
I’m grateful that J. Warner Wallace published this book. What a gift this is for Christian apologetics and also what a gift J. Warner Wallace himself is for the Church today. I enjoyed this book so much I purchased a copy as a Christmas gift for someone who works in forensics science and investigation. I recommend this!
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by the author without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
November 12, 2021
J. Warner Wallace excels at looking at Christian beliefs through the eyes of a police detective. Instead of using one or two pieces of evidence, he shows that there are multiple lines of evidence that identify Jesus as a "person of interest." I also appreciate that he tackle the Jesus Myth Theory.
September 20, 2021
Why did our calendar change about the same time of Jesus’ appearance? Are the two related? What was so significant about this man named Jesus? How did he impact history? Does he still matter today? These are all questions J. Warner Wallaces investigates in this book. He's a cold case homicide detective, and uses tactics from his criminal cases to investigate Jesus.
“Jesus was born in a tiny, irrelevant town in the Roman Empire and raised in another small village. He had to walk from one place to the next, and as an adult he never traveled more than two hundred miles from the town where he was born. He had none of the resources people use today to make an impact: no social media platform, no podcast audience, no clever videos, and no website. He didn’t even have the resources people used in the first century to make an impact: he never held a political office, never ruled a nation, never led an army, and never authored a book…Yet this is the man who changed history, inaugurated the Common Era, and forever transformed the most important and revered aspects of human culture. How is it possible that a single man – a man like Jesus – could have this impact?” (From "Person of Interest")
This book is thorough and thoughtful...like none of the other books I have read about Jesus or the Bible. If you don't believe the Bible, that's okay. The author admits he was skeptical of Jesus, too. Definitely a fascinating read and one I'll likely re-read!
“Jesus was born in a tiny, irrelevant town in the Roman Empire and raised in another small village. He had to walk from one place to the next, and as an adult he never traveled more than two hundred miles from the town where he was born. He had none of the resources people use today to make an impact: no social media platform, no podcast audience, no clever videos, and no website. He didn’t even have the resources people used in the first century to make an impact: he never held a political office, never ruled a nation, never led an army, and never authored a book…Yet this is the man who changed history, inaugurated the Common Era, and forever transformed the most important and revered aspects of human culture. How is it possible that a single man – a man like Jesus – could have this impact?” (From "Person of Interest")
This book is thorough and thoughtful...like none of the other books I have read about Jesus or the Bible. If you don't believe the Bible, that's okay. The author admits he was skeptical of Jesus, too. Definitely a fascinating read and one I'll likely re-read!
May 28, 2022
Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible J. Warner Wallace's latest book, Person of Interest, is an engaging, concise, and information filled defense of Christianity. Throughout ten chapters and a postscript, Jim outlines a cold case involving the disappearance of Tammy Hayes and his investigation into finding the truth of Christianity. As each chapter unfolds, Jim unravels new details of both the Hayes case and a new part of his investigation into Christianity.
Concerning the investigation into the fuse that lead to Jesus and the fallout that befell history after His resurrection, Jim explains different areas of art, music, writings, and architecture that were created by the followers of Jesus throughout the years. Each aspect has many elements that enhance its truthfulness.
The last chapter Jesus, the One and Only?, shows that many older religions modified their details to include Jesus into their faith. By mentioning Jesus, they proclaim the truth about Jesus even if they individually distort His person and teaching. They recognized the truth that resided in Jesus and they hijacked (in a way) Him to give themselves a bit of authority.
Concerning the investigation into the fuse that lead to Jesus and the fallout that befell history after His resurrection, Jim explains different areas of art, music, writings, and architecture that were created by the followers of Jesus throughout the years. Each aspect has many elements that enhance its truthfulness.
The last chapter Jesus, the One and Only?, shows that many older religions modified their details to include Jesus into their faith. By mentioning Jesus, they proclaim the truth about Jesus even if they individually distort His person and teaching. They recognized the truth that resided in Jesus and they hijacked (in a way) Him to give themselves a bit of authority.
September 16, 2021
"Jesus followers led the modern education revolution, and they did so because they wished to advance the values of their Master." (J. Warner Wallace) The evidence gathered that supports this as well as how Jesus followers influenced art, music, and yes even science, is indisputable; and I would say mindboggling. Our across the Atlantic English brethren's word would be "gobsmacked!" The more one digs deeper the more depths there are to discover! Jesus matters! I just finished reading an advance copy, and I believe this book should be required reading. Your perspective won't be the same. It'll be like those memes we often see on Facebook where once you've seen it you can't unsee it! Please! Read this book and share it with your friends and family.
September 19, 2021
This book feels like Jim’s Magnum Opus. He has put all of the investigative and illustrative genius into how he looked at the person of Jesus. I won’t give any spoilers since the book comes out very soon, but suffice it to say, paying for this book is just a small thimble full of value for all of the research that he and his team has done. What a great set of fact put together. Just the Case Notes alone are worth the price of admission but you get all of his research.
If I was his jury, I have been convinced after the chapter with all the other religions modifying their beliefs to make room for Jesus and His impact.
Get the book, if you have time to get to pre-order, do it. Jim’s making lots of free information available.
If I was his jury, I have been convinced after the chapter with all the other religions modifying their beliefs to make room for Jesus and His impact.
Get the book, if you have time to get to pre-order, do it. Jim’s making lots of free information available.
May 18, 2023
I think I’d give this a 3.5 if doing so was a possibility!
I enjoyed reading this & I especially liked the chapters about how Christianity influenced (and influences) the development of modern science in a drastic way. There is also a great chapter on how Jesus influenced the other major religions. I was less impacted by the sections on music/art/architecture, but I can see how some people would be in awe of those chapters.
The fuse/fallout bomb analogy also didn’t work for me 100% of the time, and sometimes I couldn’t follow the numerous pictures/diagrams. That being said, I would still recommend it to a skeptic and am glad it was recommended to me, for I did take some great stuff out of it!
I enjoyed reading this & I especially liked the chapters about how Christianity influenced (and influences) the development of modern science in a drastic way. There is also a great chapter on how Jesus influenced the other major religions. I was less impacted by the sections on music/art/architecture, but I can see how some people would be in awe of those chapters.
The fuse/fallout bomb analogy also didn’t work for me 100% of the time, and sometimes I couldn’t follow the numerous pictures/diagrams. That being said, I would still recommend it to a skeptic and am glad it was recommended to me, for I did take some great stuff out of it!
May 3, 2022
Interesting perspective and well structured. It reminded me somewhat of A Case for Christ but took a pretty different approach so the reader would find both books insightful without too much redundancy. Like Strobel, the author takes an intensity to his investigation of Jesus that few do but more (all?) ought. I’d recommend this in particular to seekers who are agnostic or seeking but skeptical; definitely a good book for current Christians as well.
April 3, 2025
6/5 Highly Highly Recommend Christians and Non-Christians to read this book. As a Christian, this book has given me great information that I can use to lead unbelievers to Christ. Wallace really does show why Jesus still matters in a world that rejects the Bible and how Jesus has impacted many different aspects of our world from music to education to religion to the arts to the sciences and more and he lays them all out in this book! Thank you J. Warner Wallace!
April 8, 2022
I'm a follower of Christ and this book blew me away with indisputable facts and is presented in a way that reaches right into your soul! It is a tremendous
anchor for the apologetics to use as a reference when sharing Christ. I am now slowly re-reading this eye opening, jaw dropping book to a hardend non believer who will not listen to the Bible.. I pray that God will open his eyes. 🙏
anchor for the apologetics to use as a reference when sharing Christ. I am now slowly re-reading this eye opening, jaw dropping book to a hardend non believer who will not listen to the Bible.. I pray that God will open his eyes. 🙏
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