Lee Strobel

Strobel was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He received a journalism degree from University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School, becoming a journalist for the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers for 14 years. In 1980, the UPI Illinois Editors Association newspaper award program gave him a first place for public service (the Len H. Small Memorial award) for his coverage of the Pinto crash trial of Ford Motor in Winamac, Indiana. Strobel later became assistant managing editor of the Daily Herald, before leaving journalism in 1987.

Strobel was a teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, from 1987 to 2000, before shifting his focus to writing and producing his TV show, Faith Under Fire. He continues to speak periodically at churches and has been a board member of the Willow Creek Association. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree by Southern Evangelical Seminary in recognition of his contributions to Christian apologetics.

Strobel appeared in the 2016 film God's Not Dead 2.

The Case for Christ book summarizes Lee's interviews with thirteen evangelical Christian scholars—Craig Blomberg, Bruce Metzger, Edwin Yamauchi, John McRay, Gregory Boyd, Ben Witherington III, Gary Collins, D. A. Carson, Louis Lapides, Alexander Metherell, William Lane Craig, Gary Habermas, and J. P. Moreland—in which they defend their views regarding the historical reliability of the New Testament. Strobel's personal experience while encountering these scholars and their beliefs was portrayed in the 2017 drama film of the same name.

A film entitled The Case for Christ, based on Strobel's book, had its theatrical release in April 2017. The film was directed by Jonathan M. Gunn and is about an atheist reporter who tries to prove Christianity to be a cult. The film was produced by Triple Horse Studios and distributed by Pure Flix Entertainment.