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You Be the Judge
If you could put Jesus Christ on the witness stand, what would you ask Him? What would you ask His followers - Peter, John and Paul, if you were the prosecuting attorney? Creating an opportunity for you to "be the judge", Don Stewart presents witnesses for the defense of Jesus Christ's reality, His death, and incredible resurrection. He insists the Bible is based on factual evidence for accurate transmission of written content, reliability in history, and a unified message. Prophecy fulfilled in detail, witnesses to the resurrection, the personal experience of followers, all add to the credibility of the biblical record. Yet you as the reader need to weigh the evidence, be the judge and the jury. You may be surprised at the verdict.
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September 10, 2024
THE FORMER CALVARY CHAPEL PASTOR'S EARLY (1983) APOLOGETICS BOOK
Don Stewart was a pastor at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, and co-host (with Chuck Smith) of the daily radio show, "Pastor's Perspective." Stewart is perhaps best-known for his series of apologetics books co-written with Josh McDowell (e.g., 'Handbook of Today's Religions,' 'Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith,' 'Reasons,' 'Understanding the Cults,' 'Understanding the Occult,' 'Understanding Non-Christian Religions,' 'Understanding Secular Religions,' etc.). Stewart's Pentecostal-friendly background was an effective complement to McDowell's definitely NON-Pentecostal Campus Crusade orientation. (Stewart raised some eyebrows with a 2011 divorce and remarriage, however.)
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1983 book, "If there really is a God... then a decision about Him is the most important decision you... can ever make... But especially in this case, no decision becomes a decision of rejection through default. If Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be, none of us can afford to ignore His claims or refuse to judge His case. Together in this book we will examine the claims of Jesus Christ and His church... You be the judge." (Pg. 9-10)
When confronted with a Muslim who cited the "Blind Men and the Elephant" analogy, Stewart replied, "Sir, you cannot identify God with an elephant or all men as blind. The Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and other religious groups cannot all be experiencing the same God because their definitions of God are CONTRADICTORY and MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. In Buddhism, God is impersonal. In Christianity, He is personal... The different religions are not compatible, they are mutually exclusive." (Pg. 17)
He argues for the Resurrection on various grounds, including, "Lack of an adequate alternative theory. The lack of a coherent alternative explanation which fits the evidence as well by the enemies of the Christian faith speaks loudly as the positive testimony of the Christians. All theories that have attempted to explain what happened are inadequate at best..." (Pg. 75)
He concludes, "Against a world that sees man as a chance product of evolutionary forces, a cosmic accident, the Bible tells us we have been made in the image and likeness of God. We are not animals. We are personal beings with the capacity for love, free will and interpersonal relationships. We are created to know and love God, to be fulfilled in Him. In today's world people are desperately searching for someone to give them the meaning of life. Jesus Christ is the only one who can give real meaning to death... Because of Jesus' triumph over death... those who love Him need never fear death." (Pg. 111)
This book is a popularly-written (much easier reading than his co-written books with Josh McDowell), yet pithy and engaging apologetics book.
Don Stewart was a pastor at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, and co-host (with Chuck Smith) of the daily radio show, "Pastor's Perspective." Stewart is perhaps best-known for his series of apologetics books co-written with Josh McDowell (e.g., 'Handbook of Today's Religions,' 'Answers to Tough Questions Skeptics Ask About the Christian Faith,' 'Reasons,' 'Understanding the Cults,' 'Understanding the Occult,' 'Understanding Non-Christian Religions,' 'Understanding Secular Religions,' etc.). Stewart's Pentecostal-friendly background was an effective complement to McDowell's definitely NON-Pentecostal Campus Crusade orientation. (Stewart raised some eyebrows with a 2011 divorce and remarriage, however.)
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1983 book, "If there really is a God... then a decision about Him is the most important decision you... can ever make... But especially in this case, no decision becomes a decision of rejection through default. If Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be, none of us can afford to ignore His claims or refuse to judge His case. Together in this book we will examine the claims of Jesus Christ and His church... You be the judge." (Pg. 9-10)
When confronted with a Muslim who cited the "Blind Men and the Elephant" analogy, Stewart replied, "Sir, you cannot identify God with an elephant or all men as blind. The Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and other religious groups cannot all be experiencing the same God because their definitions of God are CONTRADICTORY and MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. In Buddhism, God is impersonal. In Christianity, He is personal... The different religions are not compatible, they are mutually exclusive." (Pg. 17)
He argues for the Resurrection on various grounds, including, "Lack of an adequate alternative theory. The lack of a coherent alternative explanation which fits the evidence as well by the enemies of the Christian faith speaks loudly as the positive testimony of the Christians. All theories that have attempted to explain what happened are inadequate at best..." (Pg. 75)
He concludes, "Against a world that sees man as a chance product of evolutionary forces, a cosmic accident, the Bible tells us we have been made in the image and likeness of God. We are not animals. We are personal beings with the capacity for love, free will and interpersonal relationships. We are created to know and love God, to be fulfilled in Him. In today's world people are desperately searching for someone to give them the meaning of life. Jesus Christ is the only one who can give real meaning to death... Because of Jesus' triumph over death... those who love Him need never fear death." (Pg. 111)
This book is a popularly-written (much easier reading than his co-written books with Josh McDowell), yet pithy and engaging apologetics book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review