The captivating narrative of the new movie The Case for Christ is based on the true story of the award-winning journalist and avowed atheist Lee Strobel, and takes place in 1980 when his investigative reporting earned him a promotion to legal editor at the Chicago Tribune. At the same time his career was taking off, his home life became a battle zone when his wife Leslie – who had been an agnostic – found faith in Christ.
Applying his well-honed journalistic and legal skills, Lee set out on a mission to disprove the newfound Christian faith of his wife. The result was unexpected and life-altering.
The movie The Case for Christ opens in theatres April 7th and is a must-see film for everyone who has ever pondered the existence of God, or the evidence related to the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lee, who earned a law degree from Yale Law School, used his legal experience and training as a former courtroom analyst to thoroughly study and build a case to discredit the deity of Jesus. Employing historical, personal, and medical records of evidence of the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, Lee “cross-examined” a dozen leading experts with doctorates from schools such as Cambridge, Princeton, and Brandeis, who are recognized authorities in their fields. His careful research and scrutiny led him to stunning conclusions and results.
Lee Strobel, best-selling author of ‘The Case for Christ.’ Photo Credit: Pure Flix Entertainment
Strobel is the author of over 20 books, including The Case for Christ – winner of the Christian Book Award, and this best-selling book along with its collateral material, has sold over 10 million copies in print. He is also a Professor at Houston Baptist University and a teaching pastor at Woodlands Church in Houston, Texas.
Actors Robert Forster and Cindy Hogan portray Lee’s parents in ‘The Case for Christ’ movie. Photo Credit: © 2017 Pure Flix Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved
Directed by Jonathan M. Gunn (Do You Believe?) with screen adaptation by Brian Bird (When Calls the Heart), producers include: Michael Scott, David A.R. White, Karl Horstmann, and Brittany Lefebvre. The cast stars actor Mike Vogel (The Help) as Lee Strobel, Erika Christensen (Parenthood) as his wife, Leslie, and includes the legendary Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde) as Dr. Roberta Waters, Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) as Walter Strobel, Frankie Faison (The Wire) as Joe Dubois, and L. Scott Caldwell (Lost) as Alfie Davis.
There will be a live special one-night Q & A event on April 6. The backstory of the skeptic and the facts he researched fills movie theaters as The Case for Christ becomes an exclusive cinema event with the movie and a following Q & A with Lee and Leslie Strobel, as well with as principals involved in the production of this project. Tickets for this one-night event are available online at Fathom Events. For a complete list of theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change). In addition to seeing the film and participating in the live Q&A, ticket purchasers will also receive a free download of the first two chapters of The Case for Christ book.
Sonoma Christian Home caught up with Lee and Leslie Strobel to talk about their thrilling journey of bringing Lee’s groundbreaking book to the silver screen. SCH Editor At Large Dr. Diane Howard reports.
SCH: Those who see the Fathom event will receive a free download of the first two chapters of The Case for Christ book. Is this an updated version? If so does it have new features?
Lee: Yes, this Movie Edition of The Case for Christ book is the newly revised updated version of the 1998 classic with more evidence, archaeological findings, and manuscript findings.
Mike Vogel portrays Lee Strobel with Erika Christensen in the role of Lee’s wife, Leslie, in ‘The Case for Christ’ movie. Photo Credit: © 2017 Pure Flix Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved
SCH: Leslie, the movie depicts how you came to believe in Jesus, as you were befriended by a woman who lived out her faith, spoke of it easily, and didn’t force it on anyone. How did she relate to you?
Leslie: Linda, a nurse, was the main link. She was my mentor. She would let me talk and vent, but she guided the conversation away from being against Lee, God, or anyone. She taught me how to tap into God’s power so that I could diffuse tension with love, swallow my pride, and show God’s grace, mercy, and love.
SCH: Leslie, the movie portrays how you effectively prayed for your husband using the verse Ezekiel 36:26, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Can you share with our readers effective prayers for those who struggle with unbelief?
Leslie: I recommend our book Surviving a Spiritual Mismatch in Marriage provides a prayer guide with corresponding Bible verses.
SCH: Leslie, we see in the movie how you were won over by love. Did your Christian mentor Linda model behaviors that draw in and win over unbelievers, in general?
Leslie and Lee: Yes.
SCH: The movie depicted the effective attitudes, prayers, and behaviors of those in Leslie’s church towards Lee before he became a believer. Does Linda’s example and those of her church model effective ways to relate to unbelievers?
Leslie and Lee: Yes.
In his role as Lee Strobel, Mike Vogel demonstrates his relentless pursuit for truth. Photo Credit: © 2017 Pure Flix Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.
SCH: Lee, what have you learned about encouraging the faith of non-believers?
Lee: I think the key…in our culture today is not debate—it’s dialogue. It’s conversations; it’s relationships; it’s doing more listening than talking. It’s sitting down with someone who has different views than we do and having a friendship, having a conversation, and validating them as people made in the image of God and being on a spiritual journey, and allowing them the elbow room to ask questions and to investigate. The personal relational side is most important.
We are in a Golden Era of Christian apologetics, which is having a comeback. There is better scholarship today. Truth is on our side. Truth matters. We live in an age where truth is a little slippery, but we, fortunately, stand on a solid rock. And we can proclaim that in a way that’s winsome and attractive, but still scripturally accurate, and I think there’s a generation out there that wants to have their feet on solid ground.
Apologetics is making a comeback among student ministries…because their atheist friends are raising a lot of questions, and sometimes the churches haven’t done a great job in training us in understanding not just what we believe, but why we believe it.
SCH: Lee, do you think that your negative relationship with your father impacted your prior atheistic beliefs? In your view, how can one’s personal history affect their faith, and how can one overcome it?
Lee: Studies have shown that most of the famous atheists of history: Camus, Sarte, Nietzsche, Freud, Voltaire, Wells, Feuerbach, all had a father that either died when they were young, divorced their mother when they were young, or with whom they had a terrible relationship.” Our view of our earthly father can affect a magnified view of our heavenly father. Imagining what the perfect father is like can help us have a proper view of God. In multi-generational studies of the effect of a father on faith, the key harmful issue has been identified as the coldness and distance of the father. My poor relationship with my father negatively affected me, but I also had personal moral and emotional issues.
SCH: Lee, in your opinion, what is the vital key element that churches need to reach unbelievers?
Lee: A key factor is the senior leadership. The key leaders need to have a heart for the lost. Values are caught not taught.
I pray for pastors virtually every day because I know that apart from the work of God in your heart, it is an impossible job to be a pastor. But with his power and with the Holy Spirit, God is bringing great change into our land and into our hearts.
SCH: How do you think God was pursuing you?
Lee: God provides a specific tether to help us find Him. He meets us where we are. I needed facts and evidence. Leslie needed something different.
SCH: How can the church help the world to see Christians as people who deeply love others?
Lee: The church needs to give loving service paired with the Gospel.
Lee and Leslie Strobel (Vogel and Christensen) marvel at the miracle of God’s majesty in the face of their newborn in ‘The Case for Christ’ movie. Photo Credit: © 2017 Pure Flix Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The dramatic movie The Case for Christ is an effective outreach tool that churches and their members can use to invite friends, family and neighbors to see a powerful portrayal of the Gospel and the evidence for Jesus Christ as the Son of God on the big screen. Research shows that 35% of all people who see a faith-based movie are unchurched, which indicates that thy might find a movie format a safe way to seek answers about faith. Strobel says, “A lot of people won’t read a book, they may not yet come to church, but they’ll go to a movie.”
Strobel’s investigative research provides the strongest evidence to date proving the actual history of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With The Case for Christ movie and apologetic study, moviegoers and churches can help grow the church’s outreach and discipleship. This movie equips believers to fulfill the mandate to “…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” (1 Peter 3:15)
Lee Strobel and Pure Flix Entertainment provide outreach tools and curricula for using this movie during the Easter Season. They present videos on how to invite others to movies and how to talk afterwards. For conversations with those who attend the movie or those who participate in small groups of faith discovery, they suggest common guiding principles.
Lee has said that people want to express their opinions. He suggests that facilitators ask more questions rather than give answers. Following a question, a facilitator can ask “Why do you ask that question?” to get to the heart of the matter for the questioner.
Actress Faye Dunaway portrays Dr. Roberta Waters in new ‘Case For Christ’ Movie. Photo Courtesy of Pure Flix Entertainment.
Strobel has shared that in spiritual discovery groups using this approach, tracked over time, with 1100 in these groups, 80% who stayed with the group became believers.
Strobel says that conversations even in groups are not debates but dialogue. He says that relationships are of first importance. Listening and caring are critical. We need to communicate gently and respectfully.
He says that we can best build the church by letting the world see that we deeply love, rather than standing up for our own rights. We need to be authentic and express love through practical ministries while also sharing Gospel. We need to serve with humility.
Leslie Strobel (Erika Christensen) is baptized in a visible display of her faith. Photo Credit: Pure Flix Entertainment.
Strobel’s recent release, The Case for Grace, just won the 2016 Nonfiction Book of the Year from the EPCA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association). For the last twenty-five years, his life’s work has been to share the evidence that supports the truth and claims of Christianity and to equip believers to share their faith with the people they know and love.
Lee earned his Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri and his Master of Studies in Law at Yale Law School. He was a journalist for fourteen years at The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois’ highest honor for public service journalism from United Press International. He also led a team that won UPI’s top award for investigative reporting in Illinois.
Lee has been a featured guest on national networks including ABC, Fox, Discovery, PBS, and CNN. He was the host of Faith Under Fire, a provocative program that brought together some of the brightest Christians and skeptics to debate issues central to the Christian faith. He also appeared in the feature film, God’s Not Dead 2, as an expert witness for the defense.
As part of his speaking ministry, Lee travels across the country (and sometimes the world) sharing his testimony, encouraging believers, and challenging skeptics. He regularly speaks at conferences, commencements, fundraisers, and other major events.
Strobel studied the historical record for Christ which included evidence from eyewitnesses, documentaries and biographies, corroborating sources, science and more.
He researched the personal profile of Jesus Christ which included identity and psychological evidence, as well as evidence that He fulfilled the attributes of God and matched the description of the prophesied Messiah.
Strobel investigated the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ which included medical evidence, evidence of the missing body, evidence of His appearances after His death, and circumstantial evidence.
Further, Strobel “cross-examined” experts and recognized authorities in their own fields of study related to his research. After compiling and critically examining the evidence for himself, Strobel became a Christian. Surprised and stunned by his findings, he organized the evidence he found into a book he entitled, The Case for Christ. His book won the Gold Medallion Book Award for excellence. Strobel asks each reader to examine the evidence.
Strobel interviewed leading scholars on Evangelicalism and Christianity, offering them an opportunity to defend their views. Contrary to his intent, Strobel’s investigative efforts convinced him of Christianity’s reliability. His book became a worldwide best-seller and launched Strobel in a new direction, that of defending Christianity himself.
Lee Strobel, who set out to disprove Christianity says, “The book The Case for Christ lays out the overwhelming foundation of evidence from which personal faith can rise.” The book and movie, The Case for Christ, takes audiences on a captivating journey from skepticism to belief.
The film based on the book gives the dramatic story behind the story this man with personal animosity for Christianity who used journalistic and legal techniques to evaluate its claims with research and interviews with leading medical, historic, psychological leaders and more.
The film draws on the true story of Lee and Leslie Strobel, whose marriage struggled mightily as her growing faith collided with his determined atheism. The dramatic retelling of their journey offers heart and a human touch on the in-depth research Lee Strobel conducted. The Case for Christ is an engaging story that will inspire everyone who sees it: believers, those who are searching for answers, and even those who are where Lee Strobel once was. You can learn more about the film, watch the trailer, and subscribe for updates at The Case for Christ movie.
Lee Strobel says, “The verse that led me to faith is John 1:12: Believe plus receive equals become.” “It’s not enough just to generally be in agreement with Christian doctrine. I have to receive this free gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased on the cross when he died as our substitute to pay for all of our sin.” John 1:12 (Believe, receive, become)
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