The Case for Christ

"One man's journey to solve the biggest mystery of all times"

2017 1h 52m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 335

Drama

Synopsis

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Based on the true story of an award-winning investigative journalist -- and avowed atheist -- who applies his well-honed journalistic and legal skills to disprove the newfound Christian faith of his wife... with unexpected, life-altering results.

“One man's journey to solve the biggest mystery of all times”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Mike Vogel
Lee Strobel
Erika Christensen
Leslie Strobel
Faye Dunaway
Dr. Roberta Waters
Robert Forster
Walter Strobel
Frankie Faison
Joe Dubois
L. Scott Caldwell
Alfie Davis
Mike Pniewski
Kenny London
Tom Nowicki
Dr. Alexander Metherell

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jon Gunn
Writers: Brian Bird
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Mike Vogel and Erika Christensen and Faye Dunaway carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One man's journey to solve the biggest mystery of all times".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6113488 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jon Gunn directs. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 6.1× over at the box office.
3Released 9 years ago.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Mike Vogel and Erika Christensen and Faye Dunaway carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "One man's journey to solve the biggest mystery of all times".
7IMDB entry: tt6113488 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "based on novel or book", "court case", "christianity", "biography".

The technical file

Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,000,000
Box office: $18,200,000
Return: 607% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Case for Christ (2017)

Also by

Jon Gunn

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Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb280390232022-09-05
★ 1/10
The protagonist of this movie briefly mentions the Jonestown massacre, which is ironic considering he's the one who ends up drinking the proverbial Kool-Aid. The Case for Christ follows the hero as he transitions from a quote-unquote investigative reporter to a Christian pastor — not a big loss to the former profession, since Lee Strobel (Mike Vogel) appears to have graduated from the Geraldo school of journalism, pornstache included. Accordingly, the results of his investigation are as disappointing as the contents of Al Capone's vault. For reasons not worth recounting, Lee’s wife Leslie (Erika Christensen) decides to accept Christ into her heart; the atheist Lee reacts to the news as if she’d just confessed having a lover (indeed, at one point he even accuses her of “cheating on him with Jesus”). Following his mentor's advice, Lee sets out to prove that the Resurrection never happened and thereby discredit Christianity. The rest of the film is an illustration that for those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary, and for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible. I would add that for those watching The Case for Christ, no explanation is provided. In essence, the titular case for Christ is made up of a mixture of ipse dixit, proof by assertion, ad hoc hypothesis, and cherry picking. At no time does Strobel question any of this, and the reason is simple: if he did, the entire house of cards would fall faster than Kabul to the Taliban. “When is enough evidence enough evidence?” someone asks Strobel; the answer, which the film conveniently evades, is: when it comes to anecdotal evidence, never. Worst of all, the real-life Strobel's beliefs are as inconsistent and questionable as his journalism; he is so secretly ashamed of his conversion that, in addition to this film and the book on which it is based, there is a documentary, all with the sole purpose of publicly justifying his decision, which after all is absolutely nobody's business but his own. It’s safe to conclude that just as Strobel blatantly lies to his audience, so does he lies to himself (unless his so-called faith is nothing more than a scam to relieve fools of their money, which seems more likely than anything else).
danamis2026-05-01
★ 9/10
This is one of a few interesting stories about an atheist with investigative or legal skills deciding to prove that the Bible is fake. A book with the same theme, which has been around over 40 years, is "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" by Josh McDowell, of which this movie reminds me. Overall this movie is inspiring. For a low budget production there are a few remarkables: the quality is high, the acting is good, the cast is impressive, and the final product doesn't beat the audience on the head. If you're not atheist you will most likely enjoy this one. If you are atheist, and you decide to watch, I hope you focus on the evidence presented and disregard some of the emotional tugging. In any case, I recommend it.