UPDATE: Congratulations to the winners in our “The Case for Christ” DVD contest! They are Collette Kaye and Brittany Bruning.
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This past Tuesday saw the DVD release of the feature film “The Case for Christ,” which earned an A+ Cinema score, along with positive reviews from religious leaders (Cardinals Wuerl and Chaput) and a secular publication like “Variety,” which said, “The movie likely will impress even dedicated nonbelievers with its willingness to place as much emphasis on empirical evidence as on blind faith.”
Now is your chance to WIN A FREE DVD copy of “The Case for Christ.” Just email your name to radio@christophers.org – or leave a comment on The Christophers’ Facebook post linking to this article – and you’ll be entered to win. Your entry must be in by midnight Sunday August 20, 2017.
For more on the movie, here is my review:
“If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”
That journalistic maxim hangs prominently in the Chicago Tribune office where reporter Lee Strobel works, and it captures his “just the facts, ma’am” approach to life. If he can’t see it, touch it, taste, it hear it, or smell it, it’s not real.
This approach, of course, doesn’t leave room for an invisible God – and, at the beginning of “The Case for Christ,” both Lee and his wife Leslie are firmly in the atheist camp. Well, Leslie isn’t as firm as Lee thinks.
When a nurse saves the Strobel’s daughter after she chokes on a piece of candy in a restaurant, the nurse attributes her presence to Jesus guiding her there. Lee writes it off as coincidence, but Leslie isn’t so sure. Motherhood has prompted her to rethink her views on God.
As Leslie moves further into a life of belief in Christianity, her once-strong marriage faces major stumbling blocks because of Lee’s resentment of her faith. He even comes to see Jesus as “the other man” in their marriage.
The only solution, Lee believes, is to put his investigative reporter skills to work and disprove Christianity so he can win his wife back.
That investigation is at the heart of “The Case for Christ,” which is based on the best-selling book by Lee about his conversion experience.
When I first heard that the book was being adapted into a film, I wasn’t sure how the screenwriter would pull it off because the book consists of many interviews with Bible experts talking about historical facts. It’s a fascinating read, but not exactly the stuff great visual entertainment is made of.
However, screenwriter Brian Bird – a Christopher Award winner for his Hallmark Channel series “When Calls the Heart” – does a masterful job weaving together the elements of religious exploration with the very human story of Lee and Leslie’s relationship, making the film relatable and relevant on numerous levels.
The film’s other strengths are its lead actors. Mike Vogel brings a Mike Stivic vibe to Lee, playing him as an intelligent and likable skeptic who loves his wife and daughter more than anything in the world. The thought of losing them leads him to a soul-crushing desperation to confirm the worldview which he’s always followed.
Erika Christensen embodies the confusion, struggles, and joys of a new believer who finds herself at odds with her husband. She prays for him to find his way to faith as well, but she never becomes an overbearing, Bible thumper. Instead, she remains humble, patient, and loving.
Both spouses pursue the ultimate truth in different ways. For Lee, it’s an intellectual exercise; for Leslie, it’s experiential. In the end, though, both approaches merge to form a whole – as it should be for all believers.
In conclusion, “The Case for Christ” is a two-fold success. It provides you with facts that will give you a stronger grounding in your faith, while also telling a true story about love – both human and divine – that conquers all.
Again, please enter for your chance to win a DVD copy by emailing your name to radio@christophers.org – or by leaving a comment on our Facebook post linking to this article.
Here is the movie’s trailer:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ocy7oX1DRE&w=560&h=315]
RELATED: Screenwriter Brian Bird discusses “The Case for Christ” and “When Calls the Heart”
