More Than a Carpenter
by Josh McDowell
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Book Reviews of More Than a Carpenter
Book Review: Who is Jesus Christ?
Summary: 5 Stars
Who is Jesus Christ? This short book (written in the early 1970s) serves as an excellent primer for the investigation of just that question. McDowell presents the basic evidence and reasoning behind his belief in Christ as the Son of God. The simplicity and easy-to-read style of this book makes it an excellent choice for someone interested in a quick reminder or overview of the most impressive evidence for belief in Christ. For a more thorough analysis of the evidence you should check out Case for Christ, The by Lee Strobel. That book gets into the real nitty-gritty of all of the evidence presented here but isn't a very easy read (actually it is quite dense).
McDowell relies upon the writings of others for much of this book. He draws from C.S. Lewis (among others) constantly to demonstrate the impressive array of scholars that have become, through their own research, believers in Christ as the Son of God. Much of the meat of this book is taken from studies by others, but that doesn't mean that it is any less true or significant. McDowell's writing style is not overly impressive, but this is an easy book that you won't have trouble reading in less than a day and that others will not find intimidating when you ask them to give it a try.
This is a very powerful book that I highly recommend if you're having doubts about the reality of Christ or if you'd like a reminder as to the evidence of his existence and his claims. It would be a very troubling book for non-believers that think of Christianity as solely based on blind faith. If you can get your atheist or agnostic friends to read this, it will certainly challenge them to think about some of this compelling evidence, and maybe even influence their lives.
Book Review: Further Away From God!
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm not quite convinced that Jesus was "More Than A Carpenter," and after reading this book, I feel that I am even further away from god than I was at the beginning. As I read the first chapter in this book I was already in disbelief, however, I continued reading it so that I couldn't cancel out the possibility that it might be helpful. I felt that Josh McDowell contradicted himself one to many times in this novel pushing me further away from belief. I decided to read this novel thinking it would bring me closer to god being that I believe that religion is important because without faith people go corrupt. McDowell states that he asked all these people certain questions and yet they are conveniently unable to respond back to them. When I was reading I thought to myself how easily I could have responded back to his interrogations. An example was when McDowell stated "How do you test other historical masterpieces (such as the bible) regarding their authenticity?" Along with that question he argued how can one prove that Martin Luther King JR. and George Washington were real? I would argue the point that Martin Luther King JR. and George Washington didn't do anything that another human couldn't have done, however, Jesus supposedly came back from the dead in which no other human has done before. McDowell also didn't contemplate the fact that some people consider the bible as a literary masterpiece rather than a historical one. The only part of this book I found helpful was the last chapter because rather than trying to back up his beliefs with facts he backed them up with his experiences which makes more sense to me. I truly feel that McDowell purposely wrote this book to make people lose faith, bringing himself closer to god. I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone who is trying to become a Christian or a person who already is one.Book Review: Soft Apologetics
Summary: 5 Stars
By "soft," I mean that this book is not a high-pressure, technical mumbo-jumbo theodicy, but a calm, grandfatherly, face to face discussion about why Jesus Christ is different from other men. Mr. McDowell has a very pleasing style that has a soft and gentle touch to what he says, so I don't see how anyone could be offended at this book. After all, tolerance is a two way street. Moreover, tolerance should always be coupled with curiosity. I am willing to give the crackpot and the loudmouth his or her day in court, just out of respect and curiosity for other people's opinions.This book covers the normal apologetic points, such as the "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" syllogism. Mr. McDowell also discusses the scientific data that support the Christian message. Yes, scientific data does support Christianity. He also discusses the higher criticism data, which is the textual integrity of the Bible. Another point is that is fascination is Chapter Five, which shows how the character of the apostles changed after the Resurrection. It is the old "Two Peters Problem": You have the Peter of the Gospels who is rash, brash, and denied knowing the Lord. Then you have the other Peter standing firm before the Sanhedrin, and eventually being crucified for his faith. What caused this radical change, to the point where it looks like that there were two different Peters? Something drastic happened to this man, and what it was, was the Resurrection.
This book is an excellent overview of Christian Apologetics. The arguments are easy to memorize and to articulate. It is also a good read for someone intimidated by the Bible, or who is curious about what we Christians really believe and why.
Book Review: Please please please do not read
Summary: 1 Stars
I am an atheist (especially after this book), but very open to ideas about religion and Christianity. I like reading a GOOD book that can present ideas factually and in a logical sense. This book provides ZERO real evidence or even any good arguments. The trilemma of Jesus, whether he is a liar, lunatic, or lord is ridiculous. If you can't see the problem with an argument like that, then you already have some issues (hint: there might be 4 options, or 5...or maybe 6! How about a MYTH, a LEGEND! or a mouse!! still an option i suppose). what I was curious in was the proof on how the bible was correct. He seems to want to prove everything through Bible scriptures (like many other Christian books), or through theology professors (obviously they will back up what he is saying). Who says the bible is correct?! The way he goes about proving it is if there are many manuscripts, eyewitnesses, and if people believe it then it must be TRUE! Well you can say that about any religious equivalent to the bible-they will ALL pass this test; so that means every religion is true-SWEET! To save time, and $.01 if you decide to buy this book on here, religion boils down to whether or not you can take a leap of faith that the bible is true-from there you can believe in Jesus, etc etc, because you believe the bible. And everyone who is religious, even this author who was trying to prove Christianity wrong (which is impossible, like every religion), either wants or needs religion in there life. There is no proof that God exists (without quoting the bible!), so if you are on the fence, do your research and buy a good book or read good articles, they are out there.Book Review: It accomplishes the goal
Summary: 5 Stars
Is this book an exhaustive defense of the Christian faith? NO! At 128 pages it is a clear and concise argument dealing with many areas where people have doubts. It is an extremely easy read and McDowell is a compelling storyteller. It is a great first step for those who are searching. Yes, the sources sighted are all somewhat old but the truth of those sources has not changed. Some reviewers have attacked their truthfulness of these sources based on the arguments of the Jesus Seminar. It needs to be remembered though that the Jesus seminar is on the Margins of Scholarship and in NO way reflects the views of most the scholarly world.
Also, the Lord, Liar or Lunatic argument needs to be understood in its proper context. As McDowell states at the beginning of that chapter "...skeptics who regard Jesus as just a good moral man or prophet who said a lot of profound things." Of course there are more than 3 options. One can deny that Jesus ever lived or claim that the things written about him are just myths. But, that is not what most people do. They claim that he was just a good person. The Lord, Liar or Lunatic argument is directed towards those people. It is impossible to look at the teachings of Christ and conclude that he is anything other than the Lord, a Liar or a Lunatic. For those who deny the historicity of Jesus there are other chapters. :)
This is a great starting place for people who are searching for the truth with an open mind and for those who need to strengthen their intellectual understanding of their faith. But, for those who are looking for deep arguments look else where since that was not the purpose of this booklet.