The most valuable contribution Lanier, a prominent trial lawyer, makes is in distinguishing between a courtroom, where the truth behind historical or anecdotal claims is sought, and a laboratory, where scientific facts are pursued. One cannot prove the existence of God in a laboratory, much less the historicity of the Gospels, any more than you can scientifically prove that George Washington was the first president of the United States. You don't go to science to learn about history; that's in the liberal arts building across campus. Too many people approach metaphysics as though it can be proven true or false by scientific test, like determining whether a substance is an acid or a base with litmus paper; instead, they should approach the question as if they were sitting on a jury and have to follow the preponderance of the evidence.
Apart from that, the most insightful paragraph I extracted was a quotation from another book: Your God is Too Small by J. B. Phillips:
"Those who are actively, though unconsciously, looking for a father- or mother-substitute can, by constant practice, readily imagine just such a convenient and comfortable god. They may call him 'Jesus' and even write nice little hymns about him, but he is not the Jesus of the Gospels, who certainly would have discouraged any sentimental flying to his bosom and often told men to go out and do most difficult and arduous things."
It brought to mind the words of another great apologist: "He's not a tame Lion."
This is not a bad book, and it's engagingly written. It's just that if you've read any other works of apologetics, there's not really anything new here. If you haven't read any apologetics, this would be a fine place to start.
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