Lee Strobel's 'The Case for Heaven' hitting big screen in doc featuring Francis Chan, Luis Palau (trailer)
Lee Strobel’s bestselling book The Case for Heaven is hitting the big screen in a documentary in which the apologist explores the evidence for the afterlife alongside notable Christian leaders including Francis Chan, John Burke, Luis Palau and more.
The documentary, titled “The Case for Heaven,” hits theaters this April for three nights only from Monday, April 4, through Wednesday, April 6, at 7 p.m. local time. The film is from Fathom Events and Sandoval Studios and is directed by Mani Sandoval.
In the film, Strobel explores the case for the afterlife and answers some of the most pressing questions about Heaven. The documentary also features interviews with some of today’s most respected Christian leaders who share biblical insights on the afterlife to challenge, encourage and inspire viewers.
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“The pandemic has a lot of people pondering what happens after people close their eyes for the last time in this world,” said Strobel in a statement shared with The Christian Post. “This film provides compelling evidence from both inside and outside the Bible to show that we will, indeed, continue to live on.”
“Heaven, for billions of people around the world, is an awe-inspiring place only fully known once you’re there,” said director Mani Sandoval. “In this film, I believe audiences will experience our most ambitious attempt to sonically, emotionally and cinematically touch Heaven – even if it’s just for a second.”
The forthcoming documentary is based on Strobel’s 2021 book, The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death. In his book, the former atheist uses research on near-death experiences, philosophy and religion to deliver a compelling presentation on the afterlife.
Strobel’s own near-death experience almost a decade ago prompted him to write a book about life after death for this book.
“My wife found me unconscious. I was taken by ambulance to a hospital. I opened my eyes to an emergency room and the doctor said, you’re one step away from a coma, two steps away from dying. And then I fell unconscious again,” Strobel, who also authored The Case for Christ, told CP about his close brush with death.
“I had a condition called hyponatremia, which is a drop in blood sodium level. For a while there, I hovered between life and death until doctors saved me. That was kind of a wake-up call for me. It’s a very clarifying experience to be hovering over that border between life and death. And that’s kind of the seed that ultimately resulted in this book because, as a Christian, I believe if I died, I would go to Heaven to be with God, but I also have a skeptical nature,” he said.
A recent study from Pew Research Center found that nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults say they believe in Heaven. However, roughly six-in-10 American adults (62%) say they believe in Hell — a topic Strobel doesn’t shy away from.
“Well, if Heaven is real, it implies that Hell is real too,” Strobel said. “The same kind of evidence points in both directions. I thought it was important to explore that topic. There’s a lot of aberrant teachings about Hell these days that are increasing in popularity in many churches, so I wanted to deal with those.”
Watch the trailer for “The Case for Heaven” below.
