American journalist
Lee Patrick Strobel (born January 25, 1952) is an American
Christian author and a former
investigative journalist .
[1] He has written several books, including four that received
ECPA Christian Book Awards (1994, 1999, 2001, 2005)
[2] and a series which addresses challenges to the veracity of Christianity.
[3] He also hosted a television program called
Faith Under Fire on
PAX TV
[4] and runs a video
apologetics web site.
Early life and education
Strobel was born in
Arlington Heights, Illinois . He received a journalism degree from the
University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from
Yale Law School .
[5]
Career
Lee was 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 (the Len H. Small Memorial award) for his coverage of the
Ford Pinto crash trial involving a class-action lawsuit against the Ford Motor Company in Winamac, Indiana.
[6]
[7] Strobel later became assistant managing editor of the
Daily Herald , before leaving journalism in 1987.
[8]
[9]
Strobel states he was an
atheist when he began investigating the biblical claims about
Jesus Christ after his wife's conversion. Prompted by the results of his investigation, he became a Christian at the age of 29.
[10]
[11]
Ministry
Strobel was teaching pastor of
Willow Creek Community Church in
South Barrington, Illinois , from 1987 to 2000.
[12] In 2000, he became pastor at
Saddleback Church in
Lake Forest, California .
[13] In 2004, he left his post as pastor to host the
Christian apologetics show
Faith Under Fire .
[14]
In 2014, he became a teaching pastor at Woodlands Church in
The Woodlands, Texas , and a professor of Christian thought at
Houston Baptist University .
[15]
Recognition
In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by
Southern Evangelical Seminary in recognition of his contributions to
Christian apologetics .
[16]
Personal life
Strobel and his wife Leslie have two children and several grandchildren. His daughter Alison is a novelist,
[17] and his son Kyle is an Assistant Professor of Spiritual Theology and Formation at the
Talbot School of Theology .
Film
Strobel appeared in the 2016 film
God's Not Dead 2 .
[18]
A film titled
The Case for Christ , based on Strobel's book, had its theatrical release in April 2017.
[19] The film was directed by
Jonathan M. Gunn and is about an atheist reporter who tries to prove Christianity to be a cult.
[20] The film was produced by Triple Horse Studios and distributed by
Pure Flix Entertainment .[
citation needed ]
Bibliography
"The Case for..." series
The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (September 1, 1998),
Zondervan ,
ISBN
0-310-22605-8
The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity (October 1, 2000),
Zondervan ,
ISBN
0-310-22015-7
The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God (2004), Zondervan,
ISBN
0-310-26386-7
The Case for Easter: Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection (2004), Zondervan,
ISBN
0-310-25475-2
The Case for Christmas: A Journalist Investigates the Identity of the Child in the Manger (2005), Zondervan,
ISBN
0-310-25476-0
The Case for the Real Jesus: A Journalist Investigates Current Attacks on the Identity of Christ (September 10, 2007), Zondervan,
ISBN
0-310-24210-X
The Case for Christianity Answer Book (July 1, 2014), Zondervan,
ISBN
0-310-33955-3
The Case for Hope: Looking Ahead with Confidence and Courage (2015), Zondervan,
ISBN
0-310-33957-X
The Case for Grace: A Journalist Explores the Evidence of Transformed Lives (2015), Zondervan,
ISBN
0-310-25923-1
In Defense of Jesus: Investigating Attacks on the Identity of Christ (2016)
The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural (2018)
The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death (2021)
Children's apologetics series
Novels
References
^ Marieann Klett, Leah (December 2016).
"Former Atheist Lee Strobel on 'The Case for Christ' Film and Why He's Encouraged Amid Post-Modern Society (Interview)" . The Gospel Herald . Retrieved March 24, 2017 .
^
"1994 Gold Medallion Book Awards Winners – Missions/Evangelism" . Archived from the original on November 2, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2008 . {{
cite web }}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link ) . ecpa.org
^ Smith, Lisa (September 12, 2007).
"Author digs deeper to defend Christianity" .
Daily Herald . Archived from
the original on September 22, 2007. Retrieved November 5, 2007 .
^ Falsani, Cathleen (October 1, 2004).
"Ex-reporter still asking tough questions on 'Faith Under Fire' " .
Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved November 15, 2007 . [
dead link ]
^ Nancy De Gennaro,
Bestselling ‘Case for Christ’ author to speak at local church , dnj.com, USA, October 23, 2014
^ "Tribune wins 21 awards in UPI contest". Chicago Tribune . May 16, 1980. p. 5.
ProQuest
170148234 .
^ "Tribune Reporter Honored". Chicago Tribune . June 8, 1980. p. b12.
ProQuest
170211586 .
^
Daley, Steve . "
Paper Didn't Trample Privacy With Scoop ",
Chicago Tribune . May 25, 1986. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
^ Swartz, Tracy. "
Former Tribune journalist to premiere his new Christian film in Chicago ",
Chicago Tribune . March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
^
"Lee Strobel Answers Your Questions, Part 1" . Friendly Atheist .
^
"A Case for Grace: Lee Strobel's Story" . LifeWay .
^ Mary Alice Benoit,
WILLOW CREEK PASTOR FOLLOWING HIS CALLING TO CALIFORNIA CONGREGATION , chicagotribune.com, USA, October 15, 1999
^ Elaine Gale,
New Face of Faith , latimes.com, USA, March 12, 2000
^ Hartford Courant,
New show 'Faith Under Fire' debates spirituality , tdn.com, USA, October 2, 2004
^ Allan Turner,
An atheist finds God: Lee Strobel joins Houston church, university , houstonchronicle.com, USA, February 9, 2015
^ Tammy Ayer,
Lee Strobel brings stories of grace to Fort Myers , news-press.com, USA, March 23, 2015
^
About Lee Strobel
Archived October 30, 2007, at the
Wayback Machine . Leestrobel.com. Retrieved on November 14, 2011.
^
" 'God's Not Dead 2' Offers Compelling Arguments for Jesus (Review)" .
The Christian Post . Retrieved November 2016
^
"Ex-Atheist Lee Strobel's Journey From Atheism to Christ Hits Theaters in Spring 2017 (Trailer)" .
The Christian Post . Retrieved November 2016
^ Jeremy Kay (November 3, 2016).
"AFM: Pure Flix launches talks on 'The Case For Christ' " . screendaily.com .
Screen International . Retrieved November 2016
External links
International National Academics Other