The Case for Christ, based on the true story of a former journalist and atheist who set out to disprove the resurrection of Christ – and was converted in the process – opens tonight in theaters nationwide.
Newsmax.com is reporting on the movie, rated PG, which is based on the book, The Case for Christ.
The story documents the quest of former Chicago Tribune legal editor Lee Strobel’s investigation into the authenticity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ which was prompted by his wife’s decision to convert to Christianity. Strobel, who is played by Mike Vogel, said he “decided to . . . use my journalism and legal training and investigate the resurrection of Jesus, because I figured if I could disprove that, then the whole thing collapses.”
Instead, he came to “quite a different conclusion” after uncovering factual evidence of the resurrection. In the end, Strobel is not only converted himself, but leaves his career to become a pastor.
“A lot of faith-based films tend to be, if we’re honest, a little cringeworthy, a little cheesy,” Strobel said. “And there’s none of that in this movie. This is a movie that is so well done from a production standpoint, the acting, the script, that we really are convinced that Christians will go to it, they’ll be encouraged . . . to come and see this story about a marriage, a love story, about a father-son story, and be drawn into the evidence.”
Pastor Lee Strobel
The evidence is powerful enough to convince even the most skeptical to believe that the resurrection was an actual historical event.
But it’s also a deeply personal story.
“It’s a little disconcerting because it’s my story, and it’s not a pretty story at some points,” Strobel admitted. “A lot of our private arguments that we had about faith, they’re very personal, they’re now on the big screen.
“But we felt like there’s a lot of people who are curious about faith and wonder whether there’s any real evidence that God exists and that Jesus is who he claimed to be, and we thought, you know, if it can help people come to some resolution of that or begin their own investigation, then it’s worth kind of putting ourselves out there that way.”
Strobel admits to being “bullish on Christianity” because what he’s seen from the pulpit these last few decades.
“More and more people growing weary of our materialistic and celebrity-saturated culture and instead finding exhilaration in Jesus,” Strobel told Fox News. “The proliferation of ministries that help the hurting, feed the hungry, and replace despair with hope. Addicts rescued. Broken families put back together. Racial reconciliation. Selflessness displacing self-interest. While some churches are closing, many of those with a relevant and biblically faithful message aren’t just growing — they’re burgeoning.”
At the same time, more and more people are being exposed to the stark differences between the world’s religions which is destroying the once-popular notion that they all basically teach the same thing.
“Let me share a little secret. In our increasingly chaotic world, the Christian message of truth and grace continues to resonate among people who are tired of the shifting sands of post-modern relativism.”
As a result, he’s convinced that the notion of Christianity as a dying religion is just plain wrong.
Check your local listings for show times in your area.
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