Lee Strobel Says God Wants ‘Us To Yield Our Lives To Him’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Author Lee Strobel is sharing his thoughts on why some people struggle with their faith and why God remains “hidden” from us.
“I think there are two [main reasons people struggle to believe in God], and one is kind of new,” Strobel said during an episode of Kirk Cameron’s TAKEAWAYS. “The biggest struggle…is, if there’s a God, if God is real, why is there suffering in the world? The number two objection is kind of new, and that is this: if God is real and He loves us and wants a relationship with us, why does He seem so hidden?”
He continued, “The goal of God is not just to have people agree that He exists. What He wants is for us to yield our lives to Him, to have a relationship with Him, to surrender to Him, to follow Him, to be adopted as His son, as His daughter, and so forth.”
Strobel, a former atheist, explained that, even before he found faith, he believed in things that couldn’t be seen, such as wind, history and love.
“I can’t say that the lack of visual sight demonstrates something cannot exist,” he said.
Strobel also explained why God is “hidden” from us, saying, “He has to keep Himself sufficiently hidden so that those who don’t want to find Him won’t find Him. That respects our freedom of will, that respects our ability to decide whether we’re going to follow Him or not, so God kind of walks that line.”
Strobel explores these questions through his work as a writer and speaker. His latest book, “Is God Real?: Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life,” seeks to answer skeptics’ questions.
“I love doing this project because I think it reflects a real curiosity in our culture about who God is,” he told CBN. “I think it’s incumbent on Christians to…always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have, and to do it gently and respectfully.”
In an interview with Christian Headlines, Strobel called working on the book “life-giving.”
“I was actually going through an era in my life where I was having some depression issues. I don’t know why; I just felt very down,” he explained. “I started this project, and it lifted my spirits and reminded me that we serve a very real God.”
Movieguide® previously reported on “Is God Real?”:
Author and preacher Lee Strobel is releasing a new book, “Is God Real?: Exploring the Ultimate Question of Life.”
He shared that the idea for his new book came from his publisher.
“They said, ‘We found that 200 times a second, around the clock, someone on planet Earth is typing into a computer search engine, basically the question: ‘Is God real?” And they said, ‘Why don’t you do a book addressing that?’” Strobel said.
The writer loved the idea and began researching the science, history and philosophy that “points toward the truth of Christianity.”
“When I have a topic I want to research, I look at several things,” Strobel told Christian Headlines. “First, I look at the personal life of my research sources. I want people who are authentic. Secondly, I want scholars. I want experts. Most of the people I interviewed have at least one PhD. I want people who have thought deeply about these issues. I’ll generally read ten books or major articles they’ve published to understand where they’re coming from and who they are. I also want people who can articulate why they believe what they believe, can point to evidence and not just opinions, and back up their assertions with scholarly data.”
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