Some time ago, I listed the books I would recommend for a basic grasp of Christianity. Among them were a couple of books by former homicide detective J. Warner Wallace – Cold Case Christianity and God’s Crime Scene. Wallace then wrote another book, Forensic Faith, which I found decent, but not nearly as informative as the first two.
Now, Wallace has come out with a new book called, Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible. I’ve been reading it for a bit, and liking it very much. In the book, Wallace is once again using his investigative skills to narrow down the unique existence and nature of Jesus as the most important person in the world’s history. He approaches the case from the cultural, spiritual, and prophetic sides of his part in history, and he explores the writings of the first three centuries of the Common Era (CE) to piece together why Jesus matters.
To tell you the truth, this is as far as I’ve gotten in the book (about a third of the way through), but it’s really hitting all of the points beautifully. And, true to Wallace’s style, he’s setting it against the backdrop of a real case he worked in present day, so you’ve got a bit of the “true crime” genre going for you interspersed throughout the book. I heartily recommend this book, and will certainly add it to my library of the basics. I’m currently reading the kindle version checked out from the library, so it’s easily available if you want to give it a try.
