More Than A Carpenter Report

John McDowell was a Christian whose main motive was to help the Christians understand Christ more through writing the books. Most cases, questions engulf the Christians, but there is no one to answer them. Therefore, it was essential for the John McDowell and his son to write the book that acted as a pillar among the Christians and also encourages them.
In the first chapter, John McDowell explains on his background and how the thirst to know Christ increased in his teenage years. He went to schools and churches to discover more about both the Christians and the Christ (McDowell, 2009). It became easy for John McDowell to relate well with the church schedules where at times he would go there the whole day due to his strong Christian background. However, the knowledge about Christ was not forthcoming, and this prompted him to search for other alternatives and get the information he required. To get more help from the professors, he quit his church and joined a school.
When in the student leadership, John always the conversations with his fellow student leaders and one day a topic related to God was brought up. The students regarded the Christians as weak humans who only relied on the invisible being. The students had the perception that Christianity was only for the weak and the poor in the society and not for the learned people (McDowell, 2009). However, he faced a lot of rejection and stereotyping from other students due to his association with God’s word and his bagging of the lecturers to know Christ. The non-Christians would always intimidate him by always warning him not to mention Jesus in the conversations.
Conversely, due to the perception he had towards Christianity, he thought that the religion was for the ugly people who had nothing to show in the societies. However, a girl in the university proved her wrong because she was a Christian and at the same time very beautiful, something that John McDowell acknowledges. However, the girl also helped him discover more about Christians. The failures to find an answer to Jesus led him to disowning Jesus (McDowell, 2009). Nonetheless, the other students tested him and told him to table evidence that Jesus was indeed living.
For this reason, he conducted a lot of research about God, and it brought him to the Bible. Through the Bible readings, he also discovered that Jesus performed a lot of miracles while in the mission on earth. For this reason, he regarded Him as, “more than a carpenter.” Therefore, his research significantly helped him because he discovered many things about God, which the professors had not answered. He admitted to that Jesus transformed lives to upright, and it drew more people to the religion because they would experience total transformation.
Therefore, after gathering total evidence from the readings and the Bible, John McDowell and his son argued that atheists should also present their case to show that Jesus never existed. In most cases, atheists argued that both the Christ and the Bible were all myth because they were invisible. However, to prove that Jesus indeed existed, John McDowell cited the case where the martyrs died for proclaiming Jesus’ name. It showed that Jesus indeed existed because no one would volunteer to die through persecution on something that never existed (McDowell, 2009). Therefore, it was essential for Christ to die and rise to prove to people that He was the powerful one and that He cared about His followers.
The Saul’s transformation was also evidence that indeed Jesus existed. It also showed that God was in control and that He protected His people. John McDowell argued that God made Saul bling while on his way to Damascus. It showed that God would never allow the persecution of the Christians. On the other hand, Saul also regained sight back, and it showed that God was a merciful God, who allowed the transformation of the people. Saul also changed his name to Saul to show that he had totally transformed. It also showed that he was a Christ’s follower.
In the end, John McDowell acknowledges that his knowing of Christ totally transformed him. Jesus’ prophecies that came to pass also depicted that indeed Jesus rose from the dead because the prophecies came to pass. For this reason, the teachings from the Bible led him to abandoning drinking and sexual abuse. He attributed his change to Christianity that guided him on how to behave, and what ways were pure before Jesus’ eyes (McDowell, 2009). By accepting Jesus Christ and getting saved, John McDowell changed his evil ways and became a good father to his son.
In conclusion, John McDowell believed that Jesus existed and that atheists should also start believing the same because they had produced no evidence that Jesus was a myth. Backing research with the evidence makes it more reliable. Therefore, the evidence cited in the Bible showed that Jesus true and He existed among those who acknowledged Him.

References

McDowell, J., & McDowell, S. (2009). More than a carpenter. Carol Stream, Ill: Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc.