The Study Room, Christian library, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Atheist: “A person who does not believe in the existence of God.” Christian Apologist: “Someone who defends the Christian Faith from criticism.”

Lee Strobel was an atheist who, through his own investigations and research, became a Christian. His books are an account of his research and evidence proving the Christian faith as real. There are many questions though that we could ask about this man and his work. How did Lee Strobel go from an atheist to a Christian apologist? What is the content of these popular books by this author? How did the life of this one person and his research effect so many people in the world? To answer these questions and to understand what Strobel wrote about, I think it’s best to first look at his life and credentials.

When we think of serving God, we often think of the missionary helping in a third-world country or of the pastor visiting the sick and preaching Sunday morning. Similarly, when examples of great Christian leaders come to mind, we probably picture Billy Graham, D.L. Moody, Amy Carmichael, or Elizabeth Elliot. We imagine those who did BIG things for God; those in the public eye, really. However, consider the following illustration from the Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan (which we have here at The Study Room and is great for lesson or message prep): “In the Louvre, in Paris there is a famous painting by Murillo. It is entitled “The Miracle of San Diego.” A door opens, and two noblemen and a priest enter a kitchen. They are amazed to find that all the kitchen-maids are angels. One is handling a water-pot, another a joint of meat, a third a basket of vegetables, a fourth is tending the fire. The message of the picture is that no labour is common unless we make it so. Jesus Christ Himself toiled in a workshop” (p. 1274). Though this is a simplified understanding of the 17th century painting that completely ignores the levitating monk in the centre, the premise is on point.