While non-denominational, New Testament Christians find no Biblical authority to observe Easter as a religious holiday, we do firmly believe in what it is intended to represent—the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Of course, the real question is, did Jesus of Nazareth actually rise from the dead? The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity. Christianity is the only “world religion” which claims that its founder returned from the grave—and then offers any genuine evidence that such an event occurred! But, how credible is the evidence for--and against--the resurrection? Author Lee Strobel, a graduate of Yale Law School, award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, and a spiritual skeptic until 1981, focuses his skills as a legal journalist on these most important questions.

Drawing on expert testimony first shared in his blockbuster book The Case for Christ, Strobel examines The Medical Evidence--was Jesus' death a sham and his resurrection a hoax? He looks at The Evidence of the Missing Body--was Jesus' body really absent from his tomb? And he considers The Evidence of Appearances--was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross? Maintaining the same style he used in The Case for the Creator and The Case for Faith, Strobel interviews several well-respected experts on the resurrection, including Alexander Metherell, M.D.; William Lane Craig, Ph. D.; and Gary Habermas, Ph. D., and challenges them with some of the most common and most difficult objections to the resurrection. Is the claim that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead a superstitious myth or a life-changing reality?

The book affirms that Christ really did die on the cross, and not just faint from exhaustion; that He experienced a bodily, and not just a spiritual, resurrection; and that He was seen alive after his death. The reader can hear the evidence and reach his own verdict. There are many interesting details. For example, the very first witnesses to the resurrection were women, yet the testimony of women was considered practically worthless in the first century, and women were not even allowed to testify in legal courts. Not only would the Bible writers have no incentive to put this detail in if the account were not true, they almost certainly would have left it out if it didn't actually occur. Critics, especially unbelieving atheists, may complain, carp, and cavil about Strobel’s work, but that is about all they can do. They cannot truly answer it.

This was an interesting read. Lee was a journalist for the Chicago Tribune with journalism and law degrees. He was an atheist. His wife converted to Christianity … and he decided to investigate Christianity in the same way that he would any other journalistic piece of work. He spoke to leading experts in various fields about crucifixion and resurrection. The purpose of the research was to debunk his wife’s new belief system. The proof that he was presented with convinced him of the reality of Jesus and he became a Christian himself.

I am already a Christian myself so the book only verified some of the things that I already knew. I did like Lee Strobel’s way of methodically looking at each aspect of the core basis of the Christian faith … the book isn’t fussy or bogged down in unnecessary long explanations. Instead the language is simple and to the point. He took his questions to the experts and let them explain their beliefs and evidence. The evidence, in my opinion, is irrefutable but as I have already stated, I am already a Christian.

A lot of the information presented in the book I already knew. However, some of the medical aspects were new to me and I found it interesting (if somewhat distressing in places). The medical side of the crucifixion was examined and discussed. A very detailed description of each stage of the process proves that it could not have been survived and the talk of Jesus actually swooning on the cross and being taken down (believed dead) is debunked. Valid points are made about society at that time, about women and class.

One point that I thought was well made was that of the Disciples after Jesus had left them. They spent the rest of their lives proclaiming that the man that they knew was the Son of God. Now, if Jesus had really been mortal and died on the cross, they would have known that they were wrong about Him. The normal response to this would have been for them to try to take up the threads of their previous lives and forget that they had ever met Him. Instead they allowed themselves to live the rest of their lives in poverty, being beaten and tortured in the name of Jesus. It would seem a high price to pay for a lie.

This is ninety pages of quick and dirty apologetics, arguing from a historical and anthropological standpoint the crucifixion and death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.

All in ninety pages

I haven't spent much time on the argument against Easter. Weirdly, it just didn't occur to me. After reading, although I'm far from a historical/ theological expert, I now know what to say when the phrase "Christian mythology" is used.

This is a book I would give to a nonbeliever who needs to hear a rationale for Christ. It's concrete. There isn't much in the way of smoke and mirrors.

Really though, it still boils down to faith. Even with the evidence, one has to be willing to consider the universe is far bigger than what we can see and that God walked the Earth in the form of a man, only to die and excruciating death, resurrect, and ascend into the heavens. I'm convinced God set it up that way because if we can prove everything, where does faith fit?

Jonathan Roberts gave The Case for Easter 4 out of 5 stars This is a short little book. It is a collection of some content found in Strobel’s earlier Case books. Still good stuff

This easy to read booklet is a perfect tool to help people understand the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a journalist, Strobel investigates three critical questions around the resurrection:
1. What is the medical evidence of the death of Jesus?
2. Is there evidence that Jesus' body was missing from his tomb?
3. Was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross?

Each question is carefully researched and answered--so even the skeptic would marvel at the answers and research.

This booklet is a quick read yet fascinating and recommended.

A compact apologetic for the resurrection from an evidential perspective.

The format of the book mirrors the gospel proclamation of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Concerning His death, medical evidence is put forward to demonstrate that He really did die.

Concerning His burial, historical arguments are put forward for the empty tomb. Concerning His resurrection, historical arguments are put forward that Jesus really did make post-mortem bodily appearances.

This little book is helpful throughout and written in a winsome manner. It is directed to both the believer and the skeptic and served as useful refresher.

A good quick introduction to the debate surrounding Christ's resurrection. I thought Strobel could've gone a little deeper before deciding a question was resolved, but then again, some of these questions really are more about personal objections to the ramifications of a risen Lord than actual disagreement with the historicity of the event. In that respect, there is no amount of proof that would ever be adequate to consider these questions resolved for some people. Nevertheless, he did give references in the form of endnotes for many statements if one desires to dig deeper, as well as a list of "further reading" at the end.

At under 100 pages, including notes, it was a quick read that I could finish on one leg of a cross-country flight. There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter for group discussion or personal reflection and application. I don't know how many churches would actually take the beneficial step of encouraging their members to discuss a book like this and learn that history actually supports their beliefs, but the questions are still good for the individual reader to think through and personalize the issues. The style is easygoing and personable, and makes a good starting point for further research.

In keeping an open mind, I came across this book. However, its arguments were utterly unconvincing and extremely presumptuous. That is, it presumes that the Gospels are accurate and reliable - something for which there is little evidence. Furthermore, it suggests that the Gospels are independent, whereas in actual fact, there's very little evidence to suggest that they are. Indeed, Matthew and Luke could well have had Mark's Gospel right in front of them when writing theirs. Not only that, but it fails to debunk the clincher for skeptics like myself: the fact that the accounts of Jesus' resurrection and indeed Jesus himself were written long after Jesus had died.

In this book, the people that Strobel interviews attempt to posit that they were written a mere few years after Jesus' death. This is doubtful, but even if we grant them this, a lot can change in a story in a few years. Bear in mind that this is illiterate ancient Palestine we're talking about here. They didn't have the internet, and a lot of the stories would have been passed on by word of mouth. In a 'mere' few years, a lot could certainly have changed. It did, however, convince me that, if Jesus existed, he did die.

This was a very good and thorough book without being to scholarly or preachy. It is matter of fact. It is a first person account of what happened to him.

Lee Strobel at the time was an investigative journalist and his wife became a Christian, so he decided to investigate the claims of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and see if he could get his wife out of this cult called Christianity.

He interviewed a forensic pathologist, a physician and former research scientist, a former divinity school teacher who debated atheists about the resurrection, and a professor and chairman of the Department of Philosophy and Theology at a university.

He did a thorough investigation. He investigated whether Jesus was killed or could have just fainted. He checked whether Joseph of Arimathea, whose tomb Jesus was laid in, was a hoax. He investigated whether Jesus really rose from the dead. What about the soldiers? Whether people really saw Jesus after his resurrection or whether Jesus' body was just dead and stolen.

Then the author gave his conclusions.

I would be interested what an atheist who seriously read the book thought of it.

I enjoyed this simple, straightforward account of the historical basis for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people believe that Christianity is a blind faith. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. If one wants to object to the historical validity of the New testament accounts, then they must also object to the the validity of most history, as the Bible has gone through the same litmus test, and has been one of the most scrutinized texts of all the time.

For the reviewers on here that question this, I would recommend reading The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by John Macdowell, which is a much more detailed account of the historical evidence for the Bible's validity. However, if one is looking for something easier to read and decipher, then The Case for Easter is a good, simple description of the evidence backing up Scripture.