More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell Sean McDowell

The McDowell’s, father and son, have updated the original 1977 version of Josh McDowell’s More Than a Carpenter. They express the desire that “this book will have a transformational impact on a new generation of people on a quest for spiritual clarity.”

Josh gives the account of his search for meaning in Chapter 1, My Story. He said he tried religion, but it didn’t work. Then he tried education. He noticed a group of people on the campus of the university he was attending had a different attitude than the rest. When he asked for the reason, a young woman replied: “Jesus Christ.” He replied, “Oh, for God’s sake, don’t give me that kind of garbage. I’m fed up with religion. I’m fed up with the church. I’m fed up with the Bible. Immediately she shot back, “’I didn’t say religion, I said Jesus Christ!’”

He was challenged to make an intellectual examination of the claims of Christ which led him eventually to believe in and accept Jesus as his God and Savior. In the remaining chapters Josh and Sean relate the results of examining the legal-historical proof regarding Jesus from the reliability of the biblical record and from secular sources.

The last chapter, He Changed My Life, reveals how Josh McDowell’s life was changed through his relationship with the resurrected, living Christ. In his conclusion he states, “But in spite of the firmness of the facts and the authenticity of the experience, Christianity is not something you can shove down anyone’s throat…what you do is up to you.”

The book is only about 179 pages long and takes very little time to read. If you are a Christian who never really investigated the solid facts about Jesus, and your doubts are hindering your spiritual growth, this book may help strengthen your faith. The book will also make a great gift to someone who is searching and asking questions.