Ask Lee... About Faith and Truth

By Lee Strobel
9.27.06

Thanks to everyone who submitted a question! CLICK HERE to pose a question for a future newsletter. Though we can’t answer them all, we’ll select the ones that seem to have the broadest appeal – or are the most intriguing!

Q. Very interesting that your newsletter tries to explain the concepts of religion. The only problem with the explanations are they are conjecture, not fact. No one in the world knows whether any religion is fact/real. And if you dig down deep, neither do you. You believe, but do you know for a fact? By the way, I’m an agnostic, because I do not know. Have a good day! - Bob

A. Thanks for your note, Bob! I’m really glad you’ve been reading my newsletter. Like you, I was once a skeptic who doubted there were any facts to back up the Christian faith. But I’ve changed my mind. Here’s why.

Lee Strobel's Testimony: From Atheist to Believer (2:22)

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Christianity is a historical religion. In other words, it makes claims that certain things happened in the past - specifically, that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and thereby authenticated his claim to being the unique Son of God.

How do we know anything happened in the past? We can’t use experimental science; we can’t put history in a test tube. But we can examine historical documents and determine whether they’re reliable. When we do that, we find clear and compelling evidence that Jesus was put to death by crucifixion, yet his tomb was empty that first Easter morning and hundreds of people - including skeptics whose lives were changed 180 degrees - encountered the risen Jesus. My book The Case for Christ sets forth the specific evidence I found convincing.

Do we know 100 percent that the resurrecion occurred? Well, we don’t know 100 percent that anything happened in history. We don’t know 100 percent that the world wasn’t created five minutes ago with a false appearance of age, filled with people who have phony memories in their heads. (Just try to disprove that!)

Is There Proof for the Historical Jesus? (6:30) Mike Licona

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But we make major decisions about our lives all the time with less than 100 percent certainty. We assess the evidence and make a reasoned judgment. For instance, we go to Starbucks and buy a cup of coffee. Are we 100 percent sure it’s not poisoned? No, it could be poisoned. But we quickly look at all the evidence: Starbucks has an excellent reputation for safe and quality products; nobody has ever been poisoned at a Starbucks before; nobody in Starbucks has a motive to poison us; people all around us are drinking coffee with no ill effects; and the coffee looks and smells normal. So based on the evidence, we take a reasonable step of faith by taking a sip - and we find that the coffee is good.

What is So Unique About Jesus Christ? (5:13)

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In a similar way, I assessed the historical data and found that it pointed compellingly toward the resurrection as being true. Therefore - like with the Starbucks coffee - it was a logical for me to take a reasonable step of faith in the same direction the evidence of history was pointing and receive Jesus as my forgiver and leader. As the Psalmist says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."

Bob, LeeStrobel.com is packed with scores of free video clips that discuss the evidence that supports the claims of Christianity. I invite you to check them out. Do it with an open mind. Borrow The Case for Christ from your local library. Make the investigation of the historical evidence for Jesus a high priority in your life. Please, wait until the facts are in - and then make an informed decision for yourself.