Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels
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- Create Date：2021-06-10 08:54:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：J. Warner Wallace
- ISBN：1434704696
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Summary
Written by an L。 A。 County homicide detective and former atheist， Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator。
Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence。 In Cold-Case Christianity， J。 Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs。 Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom， Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity。 A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories， Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity。
Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence。 In Cold-Case Christianity， J。 Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs。 Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom， Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity。 A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories， Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity。
Reviews
Bo
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A great study
Susie Bunt
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Really good。 I liked how he looked at Jesus's death & resurrection as a cold case。 Really good。 I liked how he looked at Jesus's death & resurrection as a cold case。 。。。more
Cassie Kelley
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Cold-Case Christianity is a great book that explores the reliability of the four gospels in light of a cold-case detective’s tips and tricks。 Author J。 Warner Wallace is a detective that has worked his fair share of cases， right after they’ve happened as well as well as those that have gone cold。 He uses his experience as a detective to examine the gospels and see if they can stand up to scrutiny。 The first part of the book is Wallace listing and describing ten tips he has for those who wish to Cold-Case Christianity is a great book that explores the reliability of the four gospels in light of a cold-case detective’s tips and tricks。 Author J。 Warner Wallace is a detective that has worked his fair share of cases， right after they’ve happened as well as well as those that have gone cold。 He uses his experience as a detective to examine the gospels and see if they can stand up to scrutiny。 The first part of the book is Wallace listing and describing ten tips he has for those who wish to follow in his footsteps and take a look at the gospels as a detective。 With his bag of tricks， he takes a look at the gospels and asks questions from “Are the gospels real eyewitness testimonies？” to “Are the gospels corroborated by any other sources， Christian or otherwise？” With great detail， he covers the gospels from all angles and then lays out the facts and asks a simple question: If you go in as an unbiased investigator， what is the most reasonable conclusion to the case for Christianity？This book is amazing。 It’s been on my to-read shelf for a while now， and I’m glad I finally read it。 There is so much good information about the gospels， and it’s shown from a perspective few would consider。 This book offers great insight into what it means to “have a reason for the hope that you have” and I would recommend this book to anybody who has ever had any questions about the reliability of the gospels。 The author came to his conclusions despite coming from a skeptical background， so this book is great for skeptics who are unsure and believers who want to defend their faith。 。。。more
Kelly Goodrich
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Fascinating， impactful and worthwhile。 Full of eye opening analogies。 Great foundation for expressing why we should believe the gospels。 Challenges the readers to decide for themselves。Well written and easily followed。 Presented in understandable， bite-sized pieces。
Aaron Battey
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This was a unique apologetics book。 I've never read anything that was strictly about the eyewitness testimony of scripture。 Being a homicide detective， Wallace uses his time and experience in criminal law to explain the commonly accepted procedures and approaches the law system uses to pass a verdict on suspects。 I have personally appealed to the idea of testing the Binle by the same weights and balances that the court systems use， but Wallace took this to another level and that was cool to see。 This was a unique apologetics book。 I've never read anything that was strictly about the eyewitness testimony of scripture。 Being a homicide detective， Wallace uses his time and experience in criminal law to explain the commonly accepted procedures and approaches the law system uses to pass a verdict on suspects。 I have personally appealed to the idea of testing the Binle by the same weights and balances that the court systems use， but Wallace took this to another level and that was cool to see。 Some of the interplay with his career got a bit uninteresting at times， because you want to get down to testing the Bible， but the interplay does prove helpful when it's all said and done。 I thought Wallace's points about circumstantial evidence and testing the motives of the Bible writers were the most helpful points in his book。 He gives some helpful answers to common questions like， "What makes the Bible writers dying for their beliefs any different than Islamic terrorists dying for theirs？" He also has a nice resource list of apologetic books in his appendix for further reading I found very helpful。 There were a couple of points he made about "suspect" passages in the new testament based on textual criticism that I would like to verify and think about， but I'm not sure he is wrong。 。。。more
Josh
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Wallace takes his skills and experience as a homicide detective and uses them as the means to prove the authenticity of the gospel accounts。 The author makes some valuable and challenging arguments and along the way seeks to equip the reader with tools to help defend against the arguments of skeptics。 He uses his own personal testimony of coming to Christ as the groundwork for the book and shares his experiences that shaped his faith along the way。 This book is a worthy read and though he leans Wallace takes his skills and experience as a homicide detective and uses them as the means to prove the authenticity of the gospel accounts。 The author makes some valuable and challenging arguments and along the way seeks to equip the reader with tools to help defend against the arguments of skeptics。 He uses his own personal testimony of coming to Christ as the groundwork for the book and shares his experiences that shaped his faith along the way。 This book is a worthy read and though he leans more toward a textual critic philosophy （see chapter 6）， much of this book was a benefit。 。。。more
William Drehmel
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To let you know up front， I am a Christian。 I found it to be an excellently written book。 It was entertaining， practical and uplifting。 The author was an atheist till age 35， but applied cold case skills （honed as an LA homicide detective） to the gospel claims that Jesus performed miracles and was resurrected supernaturally。 Through his stories as a detective discussed circumstantial evidence accumulation， internally and externally， witness bias， corroboration of testimony etc。 He then used thos To let you know up front， I am a Christian。 I found it to be an excellently written book。 It was entertaining， practical and uplifting。 The author was an atheist till age 35， but applied cold case skills （honed as an LA homicide detective） to the gospel claims that Jesus performed miracles and was resurrected supernaturally。 Through his stories as a detective discussed circumstantial evidence accumulation， internally and externally， witness bias， corroboration of testimony etc。 He then used those principles to prove the gospel writers actually recorded what was seen。 Any non-believer should read this to see why supernatural events should be accepted as plausible。 Any believer should read this to be able to give an account to others of why we believe that Jesus is who the Bible claims Him to be， God incarnate。 。。。more
Vianey Sanchez
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Very helpful！ I was encouraged by the last chapter about being a case-maker。 Definitely whet my appetite for digging more and reading the early Christian writers and leaders。
Audrey
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J。 Wallace does a great job using cold-case techniques to investigate Christianity。 Christianity has a lot of historical eyewitness evidence that can be investigated。 A lot of corroborated evidence， as well。 I like how he adds in personal stories of his cold-case investigations。 He obviously put a lot of thought into his tactics。 Worth reading again。 📚
Kyle Huber
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Fascinating and detailed description of how evidence is compiled and examined to determine reliability in a criminal case。 This in turn is used to demonstrate the reliability of biblical claims
Japie
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Thank you for your study and life into this。 I have learned so much and want to take up the challenge of becomming a better case maker for the gospel of Christ。 May God bless you in every area of your life。
Laura Hinchey
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Very convincing。
Bill Nickless
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A Case For Reasoned FaithI've struggled for years with the idea of blind faith being a prerequisite for salvation。 Here， Wallace follows in the footsteps of William Barclay， arguing that faith is simply believing that what Jesus says is true。 Wallace shows there's no "leaping" required; you can get there through the same sort of abductive reasoning we routinely ask of juries presented with a circumstantial case。 A Case For Reasoned FaithI've struggled for years with the idea of blind faith being a prerequisite for salvation。 Here， Wallace follows in the footsteps of William Barclay， arguing that faith is simply believing that what Jesus says is true。 Wallace shows there's no "leaping" required; you can get there through the same sort of abductive reasoning we routinely ask of juries presented with a circumstantial case。 。。。more
Rachel Grepke
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I had never heard of J。 Warner Wallace until I saw the God's Not Dead movies。 This book takes you through the reliability and trustworthiness of the gospels from a police/interrogation point of view。 While I liked how equated the police stories with the Biblical narrative， I found this book to be a bit almost boring。 Perhaps partially because I have read so many prior books on the similar topic。 This book would be put to best use for a skeptic or someone thinking about the faith。 I had never heard of J。 Warner Wallace until I saw the God's Not Dead movies。 This book takes you through the reliability and trustworthiness of the gospels from a police/interrogation point of view。 While I liked how equated the police stories with the Biblical narrative， I found this book to be a bit almost boring。 Perhaps partially because I have read so many prior books on the similar topic。 This book would be put to best use for a skeptic or someone thinking about the faith。 。。。more
Sara Christians
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Looking at the Gospels from the perspective of true crime is an interesting concept， and I enjoyed that aspect of the book。 Wallace addresses many points that skeptics make to refute biblical claims， and that is very helpful to Christians。 He frames the book frequently as being meant both to strengthen the faith of Christians and to change the mind of skeptics， but in my opinion， this book is far better suited for those that already accept the teachings of Jesus。 I appreciated Wallace's approach Looking at the Gospels from the perspective of true crime is an interesting concept， and I enjoyed that aspect of the book。 Wallace addresses many points that skeptics make to refute biblical claims， and that is very helpful to Christians。 He frames the book frequently as being meant both to strengthen the faith of Christians and to change the mind of skeptics， but in my opinion， this book is far better suited for those that already accept the teachings of Jesus。 I appreciated Wallace's approach to Apologetics， it is very accessible。 The only thing I didn't enjoy were the illustrations， I just didn't feel they were necessary or added to the book。 I also wish he covered more than just the Gospels， but perhaps he does so in his subsequent books 。。。more
Evan
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Written from the perspective of a cold-case detective using his investigative techniques to look into the reliability of the gospels， particularly focusing on the evidence regarding the following: 1） Were the gospel writers present during the first century？ （e。g。 the temple destruction is predicted but is not described in the New Testament， which occurred in AD 70， etc。）2） Were the gospel writers supported by other sources？ （e。g。 archaeology， correct locations， correct names， nonbiblical corrobo Written from the perspective of a cold-case detective using his investigative techniques to look into the reliability of the gospels， particularly focusing on the evidence regarding the following: 1） Were the gospel writers present during the first century？ （e。g。 the temple destruction is predicted but is not described in the New Testament， which occurred in AD 70， etc。）2） Were the gospel writers supported by other sources？ （e。g。 archaeology， correct locations， correct names， nonbiblical corroboration， etc。）3） Were the gospels accurately delivered and preserved？ （e。g。 copying techniques， chain of custody， etc。）4） Were the gospels written with biases/ulterior motives？ （e。g。 examination of whether there could have been motivation by financial gain， sexual lust， or pursuit of power）-What is the most reasonable conclusion after looking at the evidence available for each of these areas？ 。。。more
Xoffelokin
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really good general view of why we can trust the bible， and how our faith has a firm foundation that it's been built upon。 i feel like this would be really good for teens as well。 it was an easy read， with lots of cool and interesting information。 really recommend！ really good general view of why we can trust the bible， and how our faith has a firm foundation that it's been built upon。 i feel like this would be really good for teens as well。 it was an easy read， with lots of cool and interesting information。 really recommend！ 。。。more
Dave Wright
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Good read。
Jon Topping
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It's very clear in its presentation， which I highly value in books。 It also contains a good bit of in-depth research， considering it's more oriented towards a pop-level audience。 The fact that he includes stories from his days as a detective makes it a very entertaining read as well。 It's very clear in its presentation， which I highly value in books。 It also contains a good bit of in-depth research， considering it's more oriented towards a pop-level audience。 The fact that he includes stories from his days as a detective makes it a very entertaining read as well。 。。。more
Mark D。
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I ordered this book to use for a summer camp。 Apologetics seems to be a great topic for a youth summer camp。Wallace teaches the reader the basics detective work。 He uses these basics to help the reader walk through the evidence of the eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus。 He helps us to understand if we should expect the Gospel writers to perfectly agree。 He also helps us to think through what it means to have a reasonable doubt。 He talks us through the difference between what is possible， and what I ordered this book to use for a summer camp。 Apologetics seems to be a great topic for a youth summer camp。Wallace teaches the reader the basics detective work。 He uses these basics to help the reader walk through the evidence of the eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus。 He helps us to understand if we should expect the Gospel writers to perfectly agree。 He also helps us to think through what it means to have a reasonable doubt。 He talks us through the difference between what is possible， and what is the most reasonable。 This process is a tremendous help in determining the veracity of the eyewitnesses。Also， Wallace takes us through a chain of custody of the evidence to help us determine if the eyewitnesses were accurate。 He discusses the evidences both biblical and non-biblical which attest to the accuracy of the witnesses。I could discuss many other aspects of this book， but one final is the use of abductive reasoning。 The author makes this statement， "The explanation is feasible， straightforward， and logical。 It is superior to the alternative explanation。 Once again， it meets the criteria we established for abductive reasoning; we can have confidence that we've arrived at the most reasonable explanation。I can't wait to share this book with others。 。。。more
Lonny Freed
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A homicide detective uses his skills in solving cold case murders to investigate the claims of the the Gospel of Jesus Christ。 Very interestingly presented and reasoned out。 I'm also learning a lot about the skills of a detective and insights on court room trials。 A homicide detective uses his skills in solving cold case murders to investigate the claims of the the Gospel of Jesus Christ。 Very interestingly presented and reasoned out。 I'm also learning a lot about the skills of a detective and insights on court room trials。 。。。more
Samuel
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An excellent case study on the veracity and reliability of the New Testament。 Wallace has a unique viewpoint for understanding proofs because of his background in law enforcement。 This is a good introduction to NT apologetics for those interested。
Rodolfo Bojorquez
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A great book to describe the facts， circumstances， and evidence of the reliability of the Gospels。
Charles Carter
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The concept seems a little rehashed: Detective full of doubts， investigates and then believes。 Strongly reminiscent of Lee Strobel， so long as you swap out detective for journalist。 Even so， this is really good content。 JWW writes really well， appealing to you through his background/training （detective work）， and presents his evidence （or "case"） convincingly。 He covers a lot， sometimes it seems he bites off more than he "should" chew， but he still does it well。 The concept seems a little rehashed: Detective full of doubts， investigates and then believes。 Strongly reminiscent of Lee Strobel， so long as you swap out detective for journalist。 Even so， this is really good content。 JWW writes really well， appealing to you through his background/training （detective work）， and presents his evidence （or "case"） convincingly。 He covers a lot， sometimes it seems he bites off more than he "should" chew， but he still does it well。 。。。more
Lindi Masiero
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Awful。 The author just kept rambling on and I felt like he was rambling about nothing。 I made it halfway through the book before I couldn't take it anymore。 Extremely boring。 Awful。 The author just kept rambling on and I felt like he was rambling about nothing。 I made it halfway through the book before I couldn't take it anymore。 Extremely boring。 。。。more
Cassandra Crosley
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A little hard to get into but gets better toward the end excellent subject but was a little hard to follow due to side stories。
Steliana Nedkova
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Well structured and exhaustive on the topic of basic Christian case making！
Michael T Moos
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Good tool to aid you in your own investigation and discovery of evidences of the claims of Scripture。
Tim Peterson
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This book was super informative and gave lots of good perspectives。
Bob Perry
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