should convince the most skeptical of skeptics

From a practical standpoint it seems to me that there are two types of people in the world: those who admit that they have or have had doubts about Jesus and the claims that He made about Himself, and those who are lying about never having had a single moment of doubt. Let’s face it, some of those claims are pretty outrageous.

                John S. Dickerson is one of those who had doubts, and so he set out to see for himself what was really true about Jesus.  As an investigative reporter, he is well qualified to look at these claims, and then decide for himself about the validity of the claims.  The result of that investigation is his latest book Jesus Skeptic: A Journalist Explores the Credibility and Impact of Christianity (Baker Books, 2019). Spoiler alert:  Dickerson is now serving as Lead Pastor at Connection Pointe Christian Church in Indianapolis. This skeptic investigator found enough evidence to convince him that Jesus existed, and that his impact on the world continues even today, 2000 years later.

                I particularly enjoyed his comments on Jesus’ continuing influence. Most people are forgotten within just a short time after their death. Sure sometimes we still study them in history books, but a decade after leaving school, even if we still recognize the name, we don’t often remember what they were famous for. But Christians, taking on the mantle of Christ, have been preeminent in the fields of science, medicine, education, and even instrumental in bringing about the end of slavery.

                There are close to 500 endnotes, which normally would scare me, but they are not long detailed, explanations of a single point. When Dickerson cites the ‘primary evidence’ he wants to make sure that the reader can go check it out for himself. This book is fairly easy to read, and is full of fascinating facts about Jesus and the impact He had and, still today, has on the world.

                There’s enough here to convince even the most skeptical of skeptics. A must read, and must share book.

                I received a copy of this book as a member of the publisher’s blogger’s program; thoughts are my own, and there was no expectation or requirement that I would post a positive review.

4.5/5