A. Lane Miles - The Case For Christ Questions

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Colorado Christian University *

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Philosophy

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Oct 30, 2023

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1. What stood out to you from reading Case for Christ? What stood out to me the most from Case for Christ was the combination of using both experts’ opinions, yet also sometimes Bible verses: looking at the Bible from a historical perspective instead of a religious one. This is something that makes it even more apparent, that even with no faith in Christ, somebody could come to see the truth behind Jesus’ story. Another thing which stood out to me was the information which the book uncovers. I have always had faith in God, yet I was very unaware of how many eyewitnesses there were for the resurrection; how many manuscripts there are that all confirm each other; and how small the church was until the resurrection, after which the Christian church rapidly expanded throughout the Middle East and Europe. (Strobel, 1998) All of this info I feel would be great to support the idea of Christianity in the face of modern-day skepticism. I also found the use of other historians who mentioned Jesus very interesting. I had never heard of Josephus, Tacitus, or Pliny the Younger until I read Case for Christ. (Strobel, 1998) It’s interesting the way the rest of history, outside of the Bible, sees the story and development of Christianity throughout the New Testament period. Overall, the book was a very interesting read, and I would highly recommend it. 2. Did you read anything that is challenging you, or that isn't sitting comfortably with you? Explain. One thing doesn’t sit comfortably with me, not because I believe it is wrong or false, but because it makes it clear how absolutely horrible the death of Jesus was, is the way that The Case for Christ exposes the honest nature of Jesus’ death. Because of a want to shelter children, and ourselves, from the horrible reality of Jesus persecution we have “dumbed down” the death of Jesus and made it more palatable. In The Case for Christ, the horrible nature of His death is laid bare, and explained using science and specifics which I had never heard before. Whether it be the brutal nature of a Roman flogging which I won’t describe here, the excruciating pain which having spikes driven through your wrists and feet would cause, or the slow final

blow which asphyxiation would cause once He was finally left to die on the cross. (Strobel, 1998) This left me feeling both nauseous and ashamed. The level of pain which Jesus endured, which I never understood until now, was so brutal and horrible that it truly makes the sacrifice that Jesus made feel so much more real, and no longer like some sort of story that we recount every Easter. So, while this did make me uncomfortable, it was an eye- opener which I absolutely needed. 3. What pushback do you have for any of the arguments presented by Lee Strobel? I don’t really have any pushback for any of the arguments presented by Lee Strobel. I feel like between his great writing and ability to discern because of his career as a journalist and a lawyer; and the excellent experts which he chose to interview and discuss the Gospel with; Lee Strobel is far more qualified than I ever will be. (Strobel, 1998) Also, ignoring his qualifications, he also never makes any points which I disagree with. I confidently agree with “The Case for Christ.” So, Lee Strobel can sleep soundly knowing that Lane Miles approves of his writing. 4. What tensions exist within your own faith, what are you still working out? How do you sit in this tension and your faith at the same time? The only tension that I can think of that exists between me and my faith is my understanding of the idea of marriage. I understand the purpose of marriage, and the laws that God puts forth about relations between a man and a woman (I get it, no purpling). It is more so the idea of “How much of my fate when it comes to marriage is determined by my actions and who I choose to pursue, and how much of it is determined by God, and thus out of my control?” It’s hard to tell if a certain relationship is just meant to be a friendship, or to be developed into something more. The Bible talks a lot about the importance of marriage, and how one should follow the ideals of Christ when pursuing a wife. It is simply hard to implement these ideas, and to know if a relationship is meant for me to pursue or not. I’d rather God

just tell me so I don’t have to go through all the heartache and mistakes that can come with a dating relationship. I also sometimes get a feeling that I am not meant to be married, because relationships never seem to stay enjoyable once it turns from a friendship into a romantic relationship; yet, I have a lot of very enjoyable friendships with girls that stay fun because I have never pursued the potential of marriage. It is hard to tell if this is the Lord’s way of telling I’m not meant to be married (which also has strong Biblical roots, being that the disciples were praised for their freedom to evangelize without families), or the Lord’s way of saying that I just haven’t found “the one” yet. So, while this is a form of tension that exists within my faith, it does not keep me from believing in the Lord, my need for salvation, or the principles of the Gospel. I mostly just ignore it because I realize that God does have a plan for me, no matter how hard to discern it is. 5. How do we investigate and still acknowledge we can't have answers for everything? Is there room for mystery in our faith-- why or why not? I feel like investigating shows that we have a commitment to our faith and the ideas of Christianity, and that we simply want to know more. So, while answers to the questions we have are nice, whether they be faith-based or history-based, they are not essential to our faith (or at least they shouldn’t be). They key idea of being a Christian is Faith. That implies that we have to put trust in God and the Gospel, without always having answers or proof for every question we may have. Faith is meant to be a commitment, which is why it is so essential that we don’t understand every aspect. It would be incredibly easy to have “faith” in something that is 100% verifiable, thus defeating the purpose of having to have faith. Therefore, I do think that there is room for mystery in our faith. I realize that this is harder for some people to accept than it is for me, but I personally have always sat easy with the idea that Christianity is not certain in a modern, worldly sense. 6. Is resolving all tension within your faith something you should strive for, why or why not?

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I think that there will always be some tension within our faith, because unknowing will always create tension for me, and everybody else on Earth. But tension isn’t not necessarily a bad thing. We need tension in order for many machines and works of engineering to function. Without tension, modern society would collapse (in some ways quite literally). I think that it is good to have goals to strive for within our faith; just maybe not the elimination of all tension within our faith, because that is a goal that I don’t think can be achieved. Also, as I stated in the last question’s answer, I think that tension is a key part of the idea of having faith in something. If we knew all the answers, and thus eliminated tension, then we would also not truly be putting faith in God. Therefore, I don’t think the elimination of all tension within our faith is something we should strive for. 7. What, if any, lingering questions do you have about Christ? I honestly, as I write this, do not think that I have any questions about Christ. Maybe that’s a sign that I’m somewhat naïve, or maybe it’s a sign of strong faith in God. I don’t know, but either way I feel secure in my faith. I don’t have any questions for Christ other than what I already listed in my response to question four.