Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?: A Debate between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan Book

This is a difficult book for me to rate in a way. First it won't be for everybody, second it is limited (necessarily) in what the debate attempts to cover (IE: the "historical" Jesus vs. the "real" Jesus). A great deal of the debate revolves around defining terms as in what is meant by "real" and "historical".

If you are interested in the debate (as I would think most would be but find actually most aren't) then this is an interesting and sometimes more than interesting book.

I find the most absorbing or involving section to be the actual exchanges that make up the central portions of the volume. The opening statements and rebuttals will be fairly predictable to any who are familiar with Dr. Craig and Dr. Crossan. (Many will undoubtedly be at least slightly familiar with Dr. Crossan from his appearances in many "TV" documentaries as each time the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, or some other network does a program on Christianity he shows up as the critic or skeptic of the piece.) The central portion of the book is an extended exchange between the two with questions and interest points raised by Mr. Buckley (William F. Buckley Jr. the moderator who for some reason isn't listed as a "contributor").

The least interesting and (to my mind) least valuable part of the book is the second part which entails responses and attempted exposition. There is even an attempt to "graph" the Gospels and the "Resurrection accounts". Ultimately something that can only mislead rather than elucidate...the events given as separate eye-witness accounts can't logically be "graphed".

So, the statements and discussion is interesting. I like the debate and I think those interested in Christian views and the degrees of belief from the more "secular" to more "traditional" will find this (I would think) a fairly enthralling read. Those who reject Christianity on the other hand will probably not find this such a relevant read...unless they still have an "open mind" on the subject and are not necessarily "set" in a different view.