As part of the CANA Film Festival 2018, The Case for Christ, directed by Jonathan M. Gunn, and based on the true conversion story of atheist Lee Strobel to Christianity, was screened at CANA as part of its Pre-Film Festival Screening. By the most serendipitous of events, I was on site and on scene on the 4th of August 2018.

The film features Lee Strobel, who has won an award for being a wonderful, investigative journalist at the Chicago Tribune. To celebrate, Lee and his wife Leslie, take their child to a diner. At dinner, however, the child chokes on a gumball. Coincidentally, Alfie, a nurse at Mercy Hospital is on scene and saves the child. This kickstarts Leslie’s journey into Christianity as she meets with Alfie, who in turn takes her to a service at her church.

Leslie’s newfound faith in Christ throws Lee off-balance as it goes against everything that he believes in or does not believe in as an atheist. Using his legal and journalistic training, Lee embarks on a mission to debunk and tear down the case for Christianity in a bid to save his

wife and his crumbling marriage. However, as he excavates the truth by consulting with archaeologists, medical doctors, historians, psychologists, and textual evidence, he realises that the evidence for Christ and the reality of Christ is overwhelming and he eventually finds his way to conversion.

As I watched the screening, Hebrews 11: 1 “Faith is the realisation of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” kept coming up and what moved me was how Leslie as Lee’s spouse never gave up on Lee, despite being subject to all manners of verbal hurts and taunts by Lee. It was the prayer of Leslie that eventually led Lee to softening his heart to being receptive to what God had to say to him. She, as a real, tangible person, became a witness and a means of real evidence for the case of Christ for Lee. As a person, who is made up of matter and life, I have the potential to become either a witness and the evidence for Christ, or to be a counter-witness and a counter-evidence for Christ.

It also came to pass that there is truly never any coincidences when it comes to God. Oftentimes, we are perplexed and befuddled by particular events and situations in our lives. We may even question why we had to meet certain people along the course of our journey. However, God has a plan which is greater than what we could ever imagine. Such was the case with Alfie, who initially wanted to dine at another restaurant with a husband, but for some strange reason, was compelled to eat at that particular diner where Lee and Leslie were.

The film provided much food for thought and I would like you to invite you to watch this film with your family. Where in our lives have we been called forth to be the evidence for Christ? Have we noticed where the fingerprints of God are? Like Forensic Science, do we have the right tools to find the fingerprints and the evidence for God in our lives?

By Brian Bartholomew Tan

*The Case for Christ is available on DVD at CANA.