Hollywood knows a cash market when they see one. They have learned that evangelicals will throw lots of money at anything that supports their beliefs and helps indoctrinate others, and so we're seeing these proselytizing flicks regularly.
What makes this one particularly loathsome is that the filmmakers hawk it as being based on the "hard-hitting" journalism of Lee Strobel. Well, they have a funny notion of "hard-hitting," since Strobel's book basically packages the essays of thirteen Christian academics, mostly from theological institutions. That's the sum of his "hard-hitting" research--letting readers be evangelized by believers.
It's not surprising, then, that the product of his work is unconvincing as anything approaching journalism, and that applies equally to the film. If you want an actual investigation into the historical Jesus, read the scholarly, On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt by Richard Carrier. The Kindle version costs about the same as a movie ticket and your intelligence won't be insulted for your trouble.
What makes this one particularly loathsome is that the filmmakers hawk it as being based on the "hard-hitting" journalism of Lee Strobel. Well, they have a funny notion of "hard-hitting," since Strobel's book basically packages the essays of thirteen Christian academics, mostly from theological institutions. That's the sum of his "hard-hitting" research--letting readers be evangelized by believers.
It's not surprising, then, that the product of his work is unconvincing as anything approaching journalism, and that applies equally to the film. If you want an actual investigation into the historical Jesus, read the scholarly, On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt by Richard Carrier. The Kindle version costs about the same as a movie ticket and your intelligence won't be insulted for your trouble.