Editor's note

MAKING THE CASE

By Kim Porrazzo     6/2/2017

After reading Bishop Robert Barron’s commentary on the film “The Case for Christ,” I went to see the movie. I was intrigued at Bishop Barron’s statement in a video review he did on it: “The story of Christianity is open to the investigation of reason.” It does not rely solely on faith, he said.

That is the premise of the film “The Case for Christ,” an adaptation of the book by the same title that was written years ago. It is based on the investigation of award-winning Chicago Tribune journalist and committed atheist Lee Strobel, who sets out to prove that there is no proof that the Resurrection actually occurred. His ultimate goal was to reclaim his relationship with his wife, a former atheist who discovered Christ and was baptized, challenging their relationship.

As the movie unfolds, Strobel tackles each aspect of the Resurrection, asking many of the same questions I have asked in my own journey of faith, and perhaps you as well.

If no one actually saw the Resurrection, how do we know it occurred?

How did they know that Christ really died on the cross? What if he was still alive when they took him down?

Is it all true?

Using the journalistic skills he used to investigate other stories for the Chicago Tribune, Strobel contacted, interviewed, challenged and debated with a number of experts on the subject.

I won’t spoil the movie by sharing more, but I urge you to see it. Why? Because it provides the talking points we all need to evangelize.

When asked by others who come to you questioning the concept of Christianity, how well prepared are you to respond? It’s easy to bring “faith” into the answer, but that is often too vague an explanation to satisfy someone really seeking the truth. The movie offers you a list of answers to the questions non-believers will ask.

While Catholics tend to lead more by example than by standing on a corner preaching to whomever will listen, we do need to be prepared for the moment when we are asked an even more important question than what we believe: Why do we believe it?

My father once posed this question to me during a discussion about religion: “Could a jury convict you of being a Christian?” In other words, by your actions, by the way you lead your life, could they make the case that you are, in fact, a Christian and could that be proven in a court of law?

Of even more importance, can I make the case for Christ?