More Than a Carpenter
by Josh McDowell
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Book Reviews of More Than a Carpenter
Book Review: A Decent Introduction
Summary: 3 Stars
Having finished Josh McDowell's short book, I'm left with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I believe that the book encompassed enough topics to be considered a fair introduction into the arena of modern Christian apologetics. On the other hand, I was often times annoyed at McDowell's writing style (a topic I'll explain in more detail later). Overall, I suppose three stars for this book is an accurate representation of how I would feel recommending it to somebody.
As I mentioned, the topic areas in this book are numerous--most of which, however, attempt to establish the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth and his divinity. The author goes into detail laying out the case by explaining how Jesus claimed to be God and, borrowing from C.S. Lewis, how this made him "Lord, Liar, or Lunatic." Many authors have disputed Lewis' trichotomy, yet although it might not be able to be taken at face value, it does make one think about the life Jesus led (if indeed he was a real historical human being). McDowell goes on to lay out his case that the gospel records are reliable, though (as we would expect of a Christian apologist) he has not revealed any of the weaknesses of the case.
He argues for the resurrection of Jesus--mostly with the question "who would die for a lie?" However, he tries to make this case appear stronger than it really is. Bart D. Ehrman, a popular Biblical scholar, called Christian apologist and philosopher William Lane Craig out on this argument when they debated. Ehrman said: "And an earlier point that Bill made was that the disciples were all willing to die for their faith. I didn't hear one piece of evidence for that. I hear that claim a lot, but having read every Christian source from the first five hundred years of Christianity, I'd like him to tell us what the piece of evidence is that the disciples died for their belief in the resurrection." It seems that Christian apologists like McDowell just take it for granted, but the critical reader will wonder where the evidence is as well.
Finally, McDowell argues that people's lives were changed by Jesus--which further corroborates his claim to be divine. After all, Saul was avidly against the Christians but he converted after a religious experience. The author also goes into detail describing his own conversion, and how it changed his life. It should be noted, however, that a changed life does not necessitate the truth of the gospel accounts. The fact that the author's life changed when he accepted Jesus as his savior shows the power of our beliefs, not the truth of the divinity of Jesus.
One of the trouble areas I found in this book is with the author trying to argue that Jesus was divine based on prophecies that he fulfilled. As with anybody who has looked into this issue at any depth, this particular chapter left me unconvinced. Not only that, McDowell's argument was disingenuous, since the "prophecies" that he used can easily be explained away by anybody who has studied Biblical history or Biblical criticism. In order to conserve space, I won't get into the particulars here, but it should be sufficient to say that I don't believe any critical thinkers will be convinced when they read this chapter.
Overall, I thought there was wonderful introductory material in this book for a beginner. However, as I mentioned before, the writing style was annoying. I'm convinced that McDowell didn't write 30-35% of this book, since he so often quotes long passages from other authors as well as from scripture. One tendency he has, in particular, is to introduce an issue and to relegate the explanation to a quotation from somebody else who has already written about it. Therefore, we have virtually entire paragraphs (often times more than one in a row) which were written by various other Christian authors. This, to me, suggested that McDowell was too lazy to take the time and write the book himself. It also suggested to me that McDowell was attempting to build his case as convincingly as he could by appealing to the readers' senses of awe--that is, when they see how many scholars believe in the valid historicity of the gospels (or whatever else), they would be more inclined to believe. This tactic, however, fails to get down to the main issues, and it is for this reason in particular that I decided to give "More Than A Carpenter" three stars. I recommend this book to you if you're looking for introductory material, but I hope you won't fall for the things I've warned you of here.
Book Review: This book gets life-changing RESULTS!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you want someone to really understand why they can actually believe in the Bible and the message that it contains (the Gospel of Jesus), my experience has been that getting them to read this book is one of the best ways.While in the US Air Force, I was stationed on Guam, where a friend of mine had a copy of this book, which he had borrowed from a friend. He explained a little about it and told me he really enjoyed reading it. He said that his own faith was greatly increased. I thought that sounded pretty good, so I asked him to let me borrow it. I did, it was awesome, my own faith grew tremendously,and I couldn't help but to tell another friend of mine all about it. So, this next friend borrowed it, he thought it was great, it made a great impression on him (he was a newborn Christian, at the time, and 12 years later he still has a very close walk with the Lord), and then a friend of his borrowed it! So, finally we had to get the book passed back up the food chain, from friend to friend to friend to friend to friend, just to get it back into the hands of the original owner (I can only assume that he hadn't borrowed it, too). That was around 1989 or 1990.
12 years later, I was thinking about how great of an impact that little paperback book had on me and was telling my wife how grateful I was to have ever come across it. She decided to buy 18 copies of it for me, for Christmas. So I gave copies to some family members and friends from work.
A recent incident was a few months ago. One night as I was leaving work, I decided to give a copy to a guy who is a supervisor (not mine), but because the lights were being turned out and everyone was expected to leave for the night, I didn't have time to write a note to him explaining where the book came from and why (like I wanted to), so I just left it on his desk. The next day he was sent to a different floor of the building, so I didn't see him again until 3 weeks later, when I was also moved to the same floor. When we first saw each other, I had forgotten all about giving him the book. I noticed that he was far more chipper than in the past and he had a plastic Jesus on top of his computer monitor. Here was a guy who, not too long before, I'd seen wearing a Metallica t-shirt and sometimes could get edgy over seemingly trivial things. A couple of minutes later, I remembered leaving that book and went and told him that I was the one who left it and explained how I didn't have time to leave a note. At first his eyes got big, which made me think for a second that he was angry with me; but then his face really lit up with happiness and surpise (that it was me). He said, "That was the best little book I have ever read in my life!" He couldn't stop thanking me and said that his whole life has changed and that book had a lot to do with it. Since the last time I had seen him, he had been baptized and even married! He said that he now attends church services 3 times a week, too. He thought for sure that either his wife or one of her friends had left it for him to find. But, of course, she insisted that she did NOT! So, finally the mystery was solved for him. Now, I can't wait to buy some more to give away, as I believe the Lord leads me to do so. I already have a few more people in mind that I think would really like it and benefit from it.
The book is easy to read and understand, not too long, and just gets right to the point. The point being that Jesus claimed to be More than a carpenter. He dogmatically claimed to be God. Either he was lying, was delusional, or else he was telling the truth. Only one of those 3 options allows for one to say that he was a great teacher. So, if someone wants to say that they don't believe that Jesus is God, then they should not also say that he was great teacher (as a lot of people do).
It's explained that the odds of one person fulfilling all of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah to come, as Jesus did, is so mathematically improbable, that it is obvious that Jesus IS who he said that he is (It would require a whole lot MORE faith, and of the BLIND variety, to believe other-wise, after learning this). McDowell has a mathematician to give an example of what the odds are of one person fulfulling them all. The example given is something like, if you filled the entire state of Texas with coins 8 feet deep and only 1 had a special mark, Jesus would have had to have picked that 1, on the 1st try.
I think this book is kind of like NIKE shoes. JUST READ IT! :-)
Book Review: Fails to attain its objective...
Summary: 1 Stars
I realise that I am a minority in reading this book, because most of the reviewers reading this book were Christian or at least had Christian sympathies. I, on the other hand, am a somewhat-believer turned sceptic, so, assumably, this book was written with me in mind. A well-meaning uncle bought this book for me in an attempt to "save" me from the annals of my heathendom, and being the loving nephew that I am, I agreed at least to read it and provide my critique of it. Having also been forced to read an article from McDowell lately, I noticed a common thread in his arguments. Please read my critique before criticising or flaming.
McDowell sets forth the belief that there is NO MIDDLE GROUND in the belief in Jesus. Either you believe who he said he was, or you don't. His "trilemma" - lunatic, liar, or Lord. This, on the surface, sounds somewhat convincing. No one wants to think that a moral teacher like Jesus was a lunatic or a liar, right? So therefore he must be Lord. This is, however, a profound logical fallacy, known as the FALSE DILEMMA. A false dilemma is where you present a finite number of options, where all but one are unappealing, or you attempt to prove the other ones as absurd. Therefore, the most appealing one, or the one upon which no refutation is attempted must be true. However, I would like to add a fourth "L" to McDowell's Jesus problem that most sceptics would agree on--LEGEND. There may or may not have been an historical Jesus. "He" was more than likely an amalgamation of myths, legends, and several prominent figures. Morally, Jesus added nothing much new to the ethics of the world (except the promising idea of Hell)...some of the things he says are good, some are not. Like any legendary figure, some things apply, some do not. It is unreasonable, then, for McDowell's trilemma to be applied in an attempt to present a logically cogent argument, as I am assuming he is trying to do.
This brings me to the next logical fallacy that McDowell commits. He also makes extensive use of begging the question, or circular reasoning. This is a little more subtle. Basically, he already is running under the assumption that his conclusion is true, and uses the premises to support this. His conclusion is that Jesus is Lord. His premises are that Jesus was not a Liar; Jesus was not a Lunatic; and, most importantly; The Bible is true. His first two premises he quickly dismisses, as stated earlier. The third premis is the real argument. The Bible says that Jesus is Lord. Therefore, Jesus is Lord because the Bible says so. If you do not accept the Bible as an historical account of anything that happened, then McDowell's ENTIRE argument falls away, leaving nothing behind but ad hominem attacks and excessive appeals to pathos. Ultimately, I rated McDowell's book one star because it failed to do what it set out to do: provide irrefutable evidence that Jesus was who he said he was, and convert a sceptic to a believer. This book would work on people who are unsure of what they believe and have sympathies towards Christianity, as I suspect were McDowell's feelings during his conversion. This book will also incite deep feelings of passion for those who already believe in the Christ. However, this book will not work for any halfway decent critical thinker who is sceptical of the Christian worldview because they feel it is absurd, not because they simply feel it inconvenient.
Book Review: BOOK'S ARGUMENTS ARE ILLOGICAL
Summary: 1 Stars
Josh McDowell's "More Than A Carpenter" is out-dated, inaccurate, illogical, and irrational. His book was written more than 20 years ago and many of his sources were 60-100 years old even then! A great deal of excellent research has been done since then by such serious scholars as E.P Sanders, Robin Lane Fox, and Robert Funk. By quoting fellow believers Mr McDowell is merely, as they say, "Preaching to the choir." McDowell asks "Are The Biblical Records Reliable?" Most scholars believe the the Gospels were written 40-70 years after Jesus died. According to the Jesus Seminar they were pious fictions by unknown authors; the names were merely attributed to them at a later date. The Gospels were not eyewitness accounts but second hand, hearsay at best. The Gospel writers combed the Scriptures looking for messianci prophesies. They then created stories about Jesus which would fulfill, what they believed, were prophesies. In some cases they mis-translated or misinterpreted them. The answer to McDowell's question is that the Gospels are not reliable. The Jesus Seminar also concluded that Jesus did not actually say 82% of the words attributed to him.
Mr. McDowell also asks "Who Would Die For A Lie?" The answer is millions of people throughout history have died for all sorts of spurious reasons. Heaven's Gate is a recent example. Just because someone is willing to die for a certain belief does not make it true or factual. Furthermore archaeology has not proved the Bible, especially not the New Testament.
The question is asked "Did You Hear What Happened To Saul?" Saul or Paul had a "vision" or hallucination which may have been an epileptic fit. It is important to note that Paul never even knew Jesus. He freely admits his knowledge of Jesus cam only from his vision. Furthermore the disciples who had personally known and followed Jesus fiercely rejected Paul, criticized him for preaching falsely, and thought he was out of his mi!nd. Paul's experience and conversion are therefore no proof for the author's arguments. Paul's statements are unreliable and of no use.
With regard to the trials of Jesus, no disciples were present so how could they know what was said. Furthermore there were no witnesses to the Resurrection. The accounts of finding the empty tomb were both varied and contradictory. And why did a number of his own disciples not recognize Jesus afterward and fail to believe he had come back from the dead.? Again, someone having a vision is no proof.
Many scholars believed Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah. Later followers wanted to believe Jesus had been the Messiah rather than admit his mission had failed. The later Church creatively changed or misinterpreted the messages of Jesus. In a number of statements Jesus said his teachings were not meant for the Gentiles, but only for the Jews. Jesus was neither Lord, liar, nor lunatic.
In summary Josh McDowell's arguments are weak, out-dated, insupported, unproven, and illogical. The search for the historical Jesus is a fascinating one but "More Than A Carpenter" is not worth reading. The same mistakes were made in the author's more in-depth "Evidence That Demands An Answer."Book Review: An excellent introduction
Summary: 5 Stars
Although I doubt that this book will convince hardened skeptics, I found it a good introduction to apologetics, especially regarding Jesus' claims. He introduces several of the primary arguments for Jesus' claims, such as the "liar-lunatic-Lord" tautology (which refutes the argument that Jesus was simply a prophet, moral teacher, or a good man, but was not the Son of God; although Josh McDowell uses this argument fairly regularly, it is not unique to him and appeared in various forms in earlier apologists such as C. S. Lewis. I like McDowell's presentation of it though, and I think he provides a clear and irrefutible argument against the "good man" argument). He provides basic arguments for Jesus' claims, His Resurrection, and for the reliability of Scriptures. For example, in defense of the Resurrection, he makes the excellent point that, if Jesus did not really rise from the dead, then why did the Apostles preach that He did? If it wasn't true, then why didn't the religious leaders simply parade Jesus' body through the streets to prove that He was still dead? And why would so many people suffer and die for something they KNEW to be a lie, particularly considering how little personal gain they got in return?
Again, though, this book is simply an introduction. I would recommend it to any Christian who has not studied apologetics much. This book will build your faith and help you defend it. The Bible clearly teaches us of the importance of at least a basic knowledge of apologetics. Peter commands us in 1 Peter 3:15-16: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed." There is evidence of the Apostle Paul practicing apologetics (cf. Acts 17:3, 18:28, 19:8-9, etc.). Contrary to popular opinion, apologetics does not mean to "apologize for" Christianity, but rather derives from a Greek word meaning approximately to give a defense for something. In summary, then, I would recommend this to all Christians, especially if they have had little apologetics background. Although this book will not provide as thorough of a defense as some of his other books, it is nonetheless an excellent introduction. Ultimately, it will build your faith by showing that our faith is NOT blind, nor should it be; there is good reason to trust the Bible.
I would also recommend this as a witnessing tool. It is a great summary of the evidence for Jesus for non-Christians. Although it may not be thorough enough to convince the hardened skeptic (and ultimately, only the Holy Spirit can bring someone to true repentance), it may cause them to investigate the claims of Christianity further or more seriously.
I would also recommend this for "seekers" - if you are trying to decide whether or not to become a Christian, this is a great book for you.