More Than a Carpenter

by Josh McDowell

The back cover of this tiny volume calls itself “a hard-headed book for people who are skeptical about Jesus’ deity, his resurrection, his claims on their lives.” The short chapters cover matters such as the reliability of the Biblical record, arguments from the martyrdom of the apostles, and the change in Paul’s life. In short, More Than a Carpenter is a book that explains the rationale in being a follower of Christ by looking at some of the standard arguments for Jesus’ deity, his resurrection, and the like.

I believe that it is a book best suited for beginners in this type of material—either those with sincere, questioning hearts or early teenagers. It is not, most likely, a book that will convince ardent skeptics. One way of describing it might be to call it the “light” version of The Case for Christ, except that McDowell’s volume preceded it by more than 20 years. Overall, it’s a decent little book, but nothing special. If you can find a copy at a used book store for a dollar or two, pick it up and give it to your kids someday. If not, you can pass on this one.