Evidence That Demands a Verdict

This is a huge book! I really like it but I also find it a tough read as it is quite academic in style and unless you want to go to the bottom of the nitty gritty on all possible fronts, you may find this reading tiresome. However, if you want to explore the claims (and there are many covered in the book) that are often made against the Bible and all surrounding aspects, this is your in-depth read! I also like the fact that all the different issues and aspects studied in this book are treated in a very orderly fashion, so one can use this book as a quick reference on a given specific issue . This is not a book exciting the imagination or that you can read in-between, rather, it requires focus and thinking but if you want to be proficient or have a super-good reference book, this is it!

Not sure what to make of this book. Yes, it is huge, 800 pages, and already the binding is showing signs of failing. 80 pages of introductions must be a record in itself. Did it really need to be so big? I have only so far read a couple of sections. I read the section on the crucifixion and resurrection to see how his views compared with the classic Who Moved the Stone. I came away not knowing any better. Largely consisting of various quotes from people I had never heard of and attempts to dismiss them all, but little original thought. Then I thought I would look at a few more topics from the Bible and realised it was virtually impossible just to dig in at random. The so called 'subject' index has no mention of the Nativity, Noah's Ark, the Ten Commandments or even Feeding the Five Thousand. No doubt all of those are discussed within its many pages but the index was no help. I see there is a section on the virgin birth, will read when I have time.For all its rave reviews I somewhat feel it misses the point. Nobody is going to sit down and read all 800 pages from start to finish and although it clearly has some useful content finding it is hard. Hardly light reading either. If the aim is to convince sceptics that there is a Lord they are the least likely to read and digest. I expect my copy will sit on my bookshelf unread.

I've only flicked through a few pages since my copy arrived but this looks set to be an outstanding book. Josh and Sean have given the church an incredibly detailed resource for defending the key beliefs of Christianity.I think the biggest strength of the book is that it's virtually an encyclopedia of primary source quotations from a huge range of authors and scholars, both Christian and non-Christian. This means the book provides an easy way to access a vast amount of scholarship in one place and at a fraction of the price.The new edition also means the book is up to date with the latest scholarship. There's also a new prologue on a Theistic Universe which briefly covers the latest debates on topics like consciousness, determinism, multiverse theories and morality. Plus a new appendix responding to Bart Ehrman's recent attacks on the bible.All in all this is simply an essential book for every Christian.

A classic that just got better

Great material. Extremely accurate. Very thought provoking.