‘Considering the Evidence’ from a Trial Lawyer’s Perspective

By Tom Campisi

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2^nd Timothy 2:15).

With his new book, trial attorney Dan Buttafuoco is helping Christians to be confident that they can, indeed, handle the truth. Consider the Evidence: A Trial Lawyer Examines Eyewitness Testimony in Defense of the Reliability of the New Testament is a resource that will equip the believer, especially those with a hunger for apologetics and a heart for evangelism. The book also provides numerous thought-provoking arguments and facts for seekers and skeptics.

“The Bible is not just a collection of stories; it’s also a historical document,” writes Buttafuoco, who has tried hundreds of jury and non-jury trials over the course of a 35-year career representing injury and malpractice victims. “We can use the Bible’s depiction of history to examine whether the claims made in regard to our souls are true. If those claims are provably false, we need not worry about this subject at all. If they are true, we need to pay careful attention to what the Bible says.”

Buttafuoco is the founder and president of the Historical Bible Society, a Long Island-based not-for-profit organization that collects, displays, and preserves rare and ancient Bibles. For many years, he has lectured at various schools, institutions, and churches of all denominations, including the Billy Graham Library and Moody Theological Seminary.

Consider the Evidence captures the spirit of those lectures and expounds on truths that make the case that “the Bible is the most important book ever written.” At the heart of the book, are five reasons that seek to prove that the Bible is, in fact, the Word of God.

The first reason, “The Bible Has Transformed the World,” states how the first book ever published has impacted culture in numerous, far-reaching ways, including language, art, architecture, and morality.

“Because the Bible records the truth about God, the people of the world are constantly adapting their lives to conform to this truth once they discover it. That changes culture, because truth changes the way people live, one person at a time,” Buttafuoco writes.

Reason number two testifies that “People Have Died for This Book, Because It Contains the Truth.”

Using his vast experience with cross-examination in the court room, Buttafuoco notes how witnesses often “crumple like a cheap suit” after a few tough questions; Yet, the disciples of Christ testified to the truth despite facing torture and execution (with the exception of John the Apostle, who lived in exile on the Island of Patmos).

“The disciples all went to their deaths and suffered great persecution while proclaiming, ‘We have seen the risen Christ’…That underscores the truthfulness of their witness. They clung to their testimony right up to death.”

The final reason in Consider the Evidence serves as “An Introduction to The Most Important Person in History.” In this chapter, Buttafuoco again uses a poignant courtroom example, writing how “Christian sources aren’t the only ones which recognize the fact that Jesus claimed to be God.”

He notes a principle that gives strong weight to any evidence supporting your case that comes from your adversaries.

“Your adversary is not likely to say or write anything that helps your case against him unless it’s true,” he says.

Another key argument focuses on the prophecies fulfilled in detail by Jesus.

Buttafuoco challenges readers to review Isaiah 52:13-53:12 “and ask yourself a question: ‘Who is this passage of the Bible referring to?”

Written in a conversational style, Consider the Evidence contains several moments of truth like this one. And Buttafuoco’s hope for skeptics is that they experience genuine come to Jesus moments. He even references the great C.S. Lewis quote, which demands a response that Jesus was either “Lord, lunatic, or liar.”

With an array of historical documentation, Bible verses, and personal testimonies, Buttafuoco is seeking to put the Bible into perspective for readers and  cause them “to consider the words on its pages with grave seriousness.”

“This short book explains why Christians believe the Bible is the truth, why we believe that it is the literal and actual Word of God,” he writes.

With Consider the Evidence, Buttafuoco makes a compelling case.

Consider the Evidence ($15.99, paperback, 9780997387742) is available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and HistoricalBibleSociety.org.