The Case for Grace, by Lee Strobel

First of all I want to thank Net Galley and Zondervan for making a review copy of the book available to me in advance of it being published. 

In this latest book of his “The Case For” series author Lee Strobel will take us on a tour of God’s Grace by using some scripture but mostly by interviewing several people and allowing us to read their testimonies in this book.

As I started to read I wondered how Strobel would deal with the topic of Grace, I should have known it would be through interviews and then sharing those interviews with the reader. There was not a masterful job of delving into scripture and expositing it to teach about Grace, instead it was a masterful job of journalism / interviewing of people and sharing their case studies that brought us to the truth that God’s Grace is unlimited and available for everyone.

After the first couple of interviews I wondered if Strobel was only going to share with us the “Fantastic” testimonies, those show stoppers that have all the sin and wickedness that we come to expect from a heart stopping testimony.

There is the story of the “Orphan” mixed race Korean child who is abandoned on the streets and left to die, but this child struggles through life until being eventually adopted by Missionaries.

There is the story of the “Addict” who goes from one drunken / drug influence experience to the next and should have died many times over, only to eventually come to Christ.

Those testimonies are good, but I wondered if he would ever touch on the Grace extended to even the “good” kids, those who were not rebellious or evil, but lead normal lives. Well, the very next chapter hit that one out of the park. We meet the College Professor who was the perfect poster child for the Best Student award in every school and the Best Child award from every parent. But that wasn’t enough, he still needed Jesus.

So, in all of these cases plus the five others, including Strobel’s, we are faced with how God’s Grace is sufficient to bring to salvation people who are alienated from God.

So, this is not a major theological study, but instead a great read about the testimonies of people who have hit rock bottom (yes, even the perfect child) and there they found God waiting for them to just acknowledge their sinfulness and their need for Grace.

Finally, there is a discussion guide in the back of the book to help your book club read the chapters and then have some things to talk about in relationship to each of the testimonies shared. It is well written and will be a good discussion guide for any group.

Enjoy!