Lee Strobel


Lee Patrick Strobel is an American Christian author and a former investigative journalist. He has written several books, including four which received ECPA Christian Book Awards and a series which addresses challenges to the veracity of Christianity. He also hosted a television program called Faith Under Fire on PAX TV and runs a video apologetics web site. Strobel has been interviewed on numerous national television programs, including ABC's 20/20, Fox News, and CNN.

Life and career

Strobel was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He received a journalism degree from University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School, becoming a journalist for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers for 14 years. In 1980, the UPI Illinois Editors Association newspaper award program gave him a first place for public service for his coverage of the Pinto crash trial of Ford Motor in Winamac, Indiana. Strobel later became assistant managing editor of the Daily Herald, before leaving journalism in 1987.
Strobel was an atheist when he began investigating the biblical claims about Christ after his wife's conversion. Prompted by the results of his investigation, he became a Christian at the age of 29.
Strobel was a teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, from 1987 to 2000, before shifting his focus to writing and producing his TV show, Faith Under Fire. He continues to speak periodically at churches and has been a board member of the Willow Creek Association. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Southern Evangelical Seminary in recognition of his contributions to Christian apologetics.
Strobel and his wife Leslie have two children and several grandchildren. His daughter Alison is a novelist, and his son Kyle is an Assistant Professor of Spiritual Theology and Formation at the Talbot School of Theology.

Selected works

''The Case for Christ''

The Case for Christ book summarizes Lee's interviews with thirteen evangelical Christian scholars—Craig Blomberg, Bruce Metzger, Edwin Yamauchi, John McRay, Gregory Boyd, Ben Witherington III, Gary Collins, D. A. Carson, Louis Lapides, Alexander Metherell, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, and J. P. Moreland—in which they defend their views regarding the historical reliability of the New Testament. Strobel's personal experience while encountering these scholars and their beliefs was portrayed in the 2017 drama film of the same name.

''The Case for Faith''

In his book The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity, Strobel replies to doubts about Christianity, including the problem of evil, the contradiction between miracles and science, whether God is worthy of worship if he kills innocent children, whether Jesus is the only way to God, and the church's history of oppression and violence.

''The Case for a Creator''

The Case for a Creator consists of interviews with intelligent design advocates and Christian apologists who argue for the existence of a creator. Some of these advocates include William Lane Craig, Robin Collins, Jay Richards, J.P. Moreland, and several other advocates.

''The Case for the Real Jesus''

The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ presents a number of counter-arguments to challenges to the evangelical Christian view. Strobel addresses differences between the portrayal of Jesus in the non-canonical gospels versus the four canonical gospels, whether the church has changed this depiction over time, new explanations that challenge Jesus' resurrection, the proposed origins of the Jesus story in pagan religions, whether Jesus fulfills messianic prophecies, and whether contemporary people should have the freedom to believe what they want about Jesus.

''The Case for Christianity Answer Book''

The Case for Christianity Answer Book uses a question-and-answer format to address typical questions concerning Christianity, including the internal consistency of the Bible, intersections between religion and science, the problem of evil and the resurrection of Jesus.

Other books

Strobel says that he wrote Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary to help advance lay people's understanding of Christianity and to increase the effectiveness of evangelistic efforts, and says the book includes insights drawn from his own experiences as a former atheist as to why people avoid Christianity.
Experiencing the Passion of Jesus was co-written with Garry Poole as a discussion guide for Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. Strobel and Poole also co-authored Exploring the Da Vinci Code.

"The Case for..." series

Strobel appeared in the 2016 film God's Not Dead 2.
A film entitled The Case for Christ, based on Strobel's book, had its theatrical release in April 2017. The film was directed by Jonathan M. Gunn and is about an atheist reporter who tries to prove Christianity to be a cult. The film was produced by Triple Horse Studios and distributed by Pure Flix Entertainment.