2017
"I
encourage someone if they're going to invite [a non-believer] to say, 'You might
like this one character. He's a little bit like you, he's a
skeptic...over-the-top atheist, kind of a militant, hostile atheist, and I think
you might get a kick out of his story and how it affected his life and his
family,'" Strobel told The Gospel
Herald during a sit-down interview in Orlando, Florida. "And then offer
to buy the popcorn, offer to buy the ticket, but also offer to buy a cup of
coffee afterwards and sit down, and then have a conversation about what you just
saw. That may be the most significant moment of the evening."
Strobel added that a number of non-Christians had already screened "The
Case for Christ" film, which hits theaters April 7 - and they loved it.
"It's been kind of pre-tested; people appreciate it regardless of where
they're coming from spiritually," he said.
"The
Case for Christ" movie, based on Lee Strobel's book of the same name, tells of
his journey as an atheist who used his skills as an award-winning investigative
journalist to try and disprove Christianity after his wife, Leslie, embraces the
faith. After a two-year investigation, however, he, too, becomes a believer in
Christ.
"As someone who likes to see people come to faith in Christ - I realized
that some people won't read a 300-page book, some people won't go to church, but
most people will come to a movie," Strobel said. "This message of hope and
grace, this love story and this story of a father-son relationship, of a
mystery, of a big city newspaper, of a spiritual investigation - we thought
maybe it would intrigue people, and through that, they might be exposed to some
of the evidence for the truth of Christianity."
The
film, written by Brian Bird ("When Calls the Heart," "Touched by An Angel"),
also explores the struggles Lee and Leslie Strobel faced as her growing faith
collided with his antagonism toward Christianity and alcoholism.
Leslie Strobel told GH that she hopes the film encourages a Christian
who may be married to a non-believer to understand that they're not alone - and
that there is hope.
"I remember feeling very alone as a new Christian," she said. "Not
having that joy to share with my husband, and yet having been able to share
everything else with him, now I'm just in this new relationship with him that's
changed. I think that is a common feeling for women that are in that relational
limbo."
She added, "To be able to go to a movie and see...someone that went
through this...and how they navigated it, I believe it might give some
encouragement and hope to someone."
Skeptics
and "honest, intellectual seekers of truth", screenwriter Brian Bird said, can't
ignore the story portrayed in "The Case for Christ" film.
"You can watch it and reject if you want, but if you're being honest
about trying to understand what makes this universe tick, you have to at least
consider this evidence," he explained. "And then, we'll see what happens, like
with Lee. I think...a lot of people will watch this movie and it's gonna cause
some cravings in them that stir up some soul cravings."
He added that friendship is key, as effective evangelism often takes
place after trustworthy relationships have been built.
"I think it's incumbent on all of us who understand what the cure is, to
make it relational at that point," Bird said. "A movie is itself... not going to
do the whole thing. But, a movie and then a friendship is dynamite. People who
may not feel that great or understand how to understand their own faith - this
becomes a powerful help for them to be able to explain to their friends, 'This
is what I believe.'"
From the makers of "God's not Dead," Pure Flix and Triple Horse Studios
"The Case for Christ" stars Mike Vogel ("The Help"), Erika Christensen
("Parenthood"), Academy Award-winner Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde"), Academy
Award nominee Robert Forster ("Jackie Brown"), L. Scott Caldwell ("Lost") and
Frankie Faison ("The Wire"). CP.
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