Strobel: Why 'Expelled' is a Big Deal

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. - Genesis 1:20,21

Here's a reason or two, or three, to see Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. This from Lee Strobel:

The Case for a Creator and Science

I didn't think about God much until I realized that whatever I was doing for 38 years wasn't working. So, discussions about who created the universe or the "Big Bang Theory" or evolution were quite limited for me.

I'll never forget one of the first scientific alignments with the Bible I witnessed after becoming a Christian 9 years ago. I was no longer skeptical of the power of Christ, he was changing my life dramatically...that was proof enough of His existence. Still, He is so gracious by giving us these assuring treats every so often.

A film I saw about archeologists discovering the path of Moses and where, more than likely, the parting of the Red Sea took place was just such a treat.

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. - Exodus 14:21

There it was in so many ways! An opening to the sea between mountains, an elevated underwater "land bridge" or bar from one side to the other, and coral encrusted figures in the shape of chariot wheels.

Yes, God, thank you! Thank you for lifting me out of the ooze and onto the right path! As someone young in my faith, this was exciting stuff!

Now, a movie by Ben Stein about intelligent design is about to open at theaters and I'm looking forward to that smile that comes deep inside myself whenever I know God is patting me on the back or giving me a hug...once again, I'll be reminded about that path...the one that leads to Jesus.

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Ben Stein's Expelled: No Intelligenece Allowed is scheduled to open April 18th. I want to recommend some reading material along the same lines. Author Lee Strobel gave me that "God hug" when I heard him speak. As a former atheist and journalist, I knew Strobel wasn't fooling around when it came to facts about God. He is probably best known for his book, The Case for Christ

Knowing that the topic of our and the planet's origin will be around for awhile, maybe it's time we take a closer look with the help of Strobel's The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God.

This from Amazon.com:

Are Christianity and science incompatible? If there is a God, is he only an impersonal starter force? An introductory high school biology class first propelled Lee Strobel toward a life of atheism. God and science, he reasoned, were mutually exclusive. When the former legal editor of the Chicago Tribune converted to Christianity, he decided to investigate the science he had once accepted as truth. Did science point toward or away from God? As Strobel interviews a variety of scientists on everything from debunking evolutionary icons to the implications of the Big Bang to the existence of the human soul, he builds his case: scientific evidence points toward Intelligent Design.

Although the discussion often veers into the academic, Strobel works hard to make it accessible to those without scientific training. Throughout the book, he salts interview transcript information with interesting personal stories of his own spiritual and scientific quest for knowledge, as well as sometimes over-detailed descriptions of the actual interviews (right down to the type of beverages consumed). Each chapter contains suggestions for further reading on particular issues of science and faith.

Strobel concludes that, when correctly interpreted, science and biblical teaching support each other. He quotes physicist Paul Davies, "...science offers a surer path to God than religion." Open-minded readers will find that this book, and its questions for reflection and group study, invites conversation and investigation.

The Case for a Creator is available at Amazon.com.

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Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.

Celebrating the Case for Easter

The Easter season is upon us and maybe it's time we reflect on what this celebration really is all about. I've selected some tools here to maybe help us along.

It's not enough to just say, "Well, Jesus was this great guy who lived a long time ago." There's more to it than that. Simply put, He died and rose from the dead for our sins. It's His resurrection that's more than just a big deal. It is our hope and our salvation.

So, to sum it up, this is just a blog post you're reading...but, right there, while you're staring at your computer screen, you can pray that He enters you life.

May you find Him now!

Happy Easter!

- Alexander

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Did Jesus of Nazareth really rise from the dead?
Of the many world religions, only one claims that its founder returned from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very cornerstone of Christianity.

But a dead man coming back to life? In our sophisticated age, when myth has given way to science, who can take such a claim seriously? Some argue that Jesus never died on the cross. Conflicting accounts make the empty tomb seem suspect. And post-crucifixion sightings of Jesus have been explained in psychological terms.

How credible is the evidence for-and against-the resurrection? Focusing his award-winning skills as a legal journalist on history's most compelling enigma, Lee Strobel retraces the startling findings that led him from atheism to belief. 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?

The Evidence of the Missing Body-Was Jesus' body really absent from his tomb?

The Evidence of Appearances-Was Jesus seen alive after his death on the cross?

Written in a hard-hitting journalistic style, The Case for Easter probes the core issues of the resurrection. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead: superstitious myth or life-changing reality? The evidence is in. The verdict is up to you.


Also, consider The Case for Easter Book & DVD Set.

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If 9/11 are the numbers of terror and despair, then 3:16 are the numbers of hope. Best-selling author Max Lucado leads readers through a word-by-word study of John 3:16, the passage that he calls the "Hope Diamond" of Scripture. (Amazon.com)

Get 3:16: The Numbers of Hope now!

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Don't pay attention to the critics on this one. The Passion of the Christ is a classic. Mel Gibson's movie focuses on the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life. The film begins in the Garden of Olives where Jesus has gone to pray after the Last Supper. Jesus must resist the temptations of Satan. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Jesus is then arrested and taken within the city walls of Jerusalem where leaders of the Pharisees confront him with accusations of blasphemy and his trial results in a condemnation to death.

The Case for Christ: the Film

Let me ask you this. What if the story of Jesus Christ was picked apart by one of the best crime reporters in the nation? What if that investigative reporter was an atheist who set out to prove Jesus was a myth? And what if that reporter wrote a story about Jesus that was the truth?

You don't have to ponder the questions any longer. It all happened...and the information first became a book, The Case for Christ, and now is a movie available on DVD.

I met Strobel when he was an associate pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. He was a great encourager and a big part of my own spiritual journey. I share this post because it was exciting news for me eight years ago and it is still exciting today!

From Lee Strobel's website bio:

Lee Strobel is an atheist-turned-Christian—once an awardwinning legal editor of The Chicago Tribune, now a New York Times bestselling author of nearly 20 books.

Education and Conversion
Lee was educated at the University of Missouri (Bachelor of Journalism, 1974) and Yale Law School (Master of Studies in Law, 1979). In his 14 years’ writing for The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, he won Illinois' top honors for investigative reporting (which he shared with a team he led) and public service journalism from United Press International.

After nearly two years of investigating evidence of Jesus’ claims, in 1981, Lee became a Christian. He joined the staff of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington IL in 1987 and later became a teaching pastor there. In 2000, he joined Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest CA as a teaching pastor. In mid 2002, he left Saddleback to focus on writing, and he is also a contributing editor and columnist for Outreach magazine.

Works and Appearances
Lee's other books include God's Outrageous Claims, The Case for Christmas, The Case for Easter, What Jesus Would Say, Exploring the Da Vinci Code (co-authored with Garry Poole) and Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage, which he wrote with his wife, Leslie. For two seasons, Lee was executive producer and host of the weekly national network television program Faith Under Fire.

Lee is also co-author of the Becoming a Contagious Christian training curriculum, used around the world; his articles have been published in magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Marriage Partnership, The Christian Research Journal, Guideposts, and Decision. He has appeared on national radio programs such as The Bible Answer Man and Focus on the Family; he also has taught First Amendment law at Roosevelt University.

The Case for Christ DVD Press Release:

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Case for Christ, a riveting quest for the truth about history’s most compelling figure, features New York Times bestselling author Lee Strobel. The Case for Christ inaugurates a new film series based on Strobel’s bestselling, Gold Medallion-winning book of the same name.

With the drama of an investigative journalist on a tense lead, and drawing on his experience as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Strobel interviews experts from science, philosophy, and history. Then, retracing his own spiritual journey, Strobel cross examines the experts: How reliable is the New Testament? Does evidence exist for Jesus outside the Bible? Is there any reason to believe the resurrection was an actual historical event?

The Case for Christ: The Film includes more than an hour of bonus materials: multiple featurettes, musical excerpts, and a collection of study resources complementing the film’s material. Provocative and smart, this unusual DVD stands to transform your views on the past, and the future.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

• “The Uniqueness of Jesus” – scholars discuss why the life, claims, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth are the most unique and important in history.
• “Faith Stories” – scholars and theologians featured in The Case for Christ: The Film iscuss their personal faith and ministries.
• “Prophecies of the Passion” – examines the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death throughout the words of the Old Testament prophets describing details of Christ’s trial, crucifixion, and burial centuries before they occurred.
• Music from The Case for Christ: The Film – excerpts from the digitally mastered soundtrack of the original music score by Mark Edward Lewis
• Reference Library – for interested viewers, a collection of study resources (books and web sites) augmenting material covered in the documentary.
• The Case for the Real Jesus – an introduction to Lee Strobel’s new book
• Lee Strobel Resources – a collection from the works of Lee Strobel.

To purchase the DVD go to Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ DVD at Amazon.com.