NCLA Review - In this novella, Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett tackle tough and frequently asked questions about the identity of Jesus. Instead of presenting their arguments in a dry theological text, the authors choose to create a university campus setting in which characters interact through lectures, forums, coffeehouse meetings, and everyday conversation. Because of the novella’s purpose in addressing intellectual issues, the dialogue can seem stilted in a few places, but the power of the message makes up for this rather minor flaw. All of the quotations and facts are very relevant. This book would be a great intellectual introduction for someone who desires to know more about Jesus or Christianity.
Rating: 4—JAN ( )

This is a non-fiction book aimed for the college level person. It is a series of books (small) that are primarily set in a coffee house and have a dialogue pertaining to the title. In this volume, they are debating the historicity of Jesus. Was he a real man? Does history back up his life? There are several 'characters' in various stages of belief. From the strong believer to the atheist and they get together to debate the issues as they see them.
This wasn't exactly what I thought it would be when I started. I actually found myself cheering when the believers were able to bring a point across to the non believers that made them stand up and take notice. There is a lot of historical examples found in this book and it would make for a great go to guide when coming across to skeptics who want to know how Jesus fits into history. It is written simply enough that I believe it would be a great book for even a Jr. High youth group to dive into and learn how to defend their faith without giving up or getting angry. If you are looking for a more in depth analysis of who Jesus is, I would suggest "The Case for Christ", but for a beginning look at dialogue this is an excellent start.
As of this review, there are 2 other books in this series and "Is the Bible True...Really" is actually the first book. The other book is "Did the Resurrection Happen....Really". I am looking forward to January so I can share these books with my daughter's youth group. I hope they will open up a dialogue and dive deeper in their beliefs.
Josh McDowell himself was once a non believer and has since become a well respected author and speaker on the truth behind Jesus and looks to teach youth the the truth.
Dave Sterrett speaks for Probe Ministries and teaches Christ centered living at conferences, schools and churches.
6.5 thumbs up out of 7....pretty close, but I wish there would have been a dictionary for those 'big' words that not all college graduates may even know.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley for an honest review. This review is my own words and thoughts. No other compensation was given. ( )