EARLY Access: Shawn Ryan Show #265 Lee Strobel (Audio) (Patreon)

Lee Strobel is an American Christian author, apologist, speaker, and former investigative journalist who transitioned from an atheist investigative journalist into a leading Christian apologist and author, blending rigorous investigative methods with his faith journey to influence millions worldwide.

Born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, Strobel earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School; growing up in a nominally Christian but non-practicing household, he became a committed atheist who viewed Christianity as irrational until 1979, when his wife Leslie’s conversion prompted a nearly two-year personal investigation into the historical evidence for Jesus. On November 8, 1981, at age 29, Strobel became a Christian, an experience he describes as “falling in love with Jesus” while interviewing scholars and examining ancient manuscripts.

A 14-year veteran of The Chicago Tribune, where he served as an award-winning legal editor, Strobel earned Illinois’ highest honors for investigative reporting and public service journalism from United Press International before pivoting full-time to Christian apologetics. He is a New York Times bestselling author of over 40 books and curricula—including the seminal The Case for Christ (1998), which has sold over 5 million copies—with total sales exceeding 18 million copies translated into 40 languages. His “Case for…” series, along with titles like The Case for Faith, The Case for Miracles, and The Case for Heaven, applies courtroom-style evidence to core doctrines.

Strobel currently serves as Founding Director of the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christian University. He is described by The Washington Post as “one of the evangelical community’s most popular apologists.” He has received multiple Gold Medallion Awards and the 2023 Pillar Award for History from the Museum of the Bible. Married to Leslie since 1973, Strobel is father to daughter Alison (novelist and homeschooling expert) and son Kyle (professor of spiritual theology at Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology), and he continues to equip believers worldwide with intellectual tools to defend and share their faith effectively.