The Case for Christ

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1

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YOUNG MAN:
I'm starting my own paper.

I'll show you how it works.

[]

Go faster!

Whoo!

(laughing)

MAN:
I'll get a job.

We'll buy a house.

Couple of kids.

Don't worry.

I got it all worked out.

MAN 2:

Ladies and gentlemen,

please welcome

the newest and youngest

addition to the Tribune team,

Lee Strobel.

(muffled cheers)

It is my distinct pleasure

to honor one of our own

for his nationally acclaimed

Ford Pinto investigative series.

Lee, your work has given justice

to families across the country

and peeled back

a corporate cover-up.

So I present you with

the Len H. Small Memorial Award

for community service

journalism.

And congratulations

on your promotion

- to Legal Affairs editor!

- (cheering, applause)

LEE:

Thank you, Mr. Cook,

for the award,

for the promotion.

Um... (clears throat)

mostly for the promotion.

- Uh... (chuckles)

- You're welcome.

The only way to truth

is through facts.

Facts are our greatest weapon

against superstition,

against ignorance

and against tyranny.

Now, I learned those words

from my mentor,

- Mr. Ray Nelson, everybody.

- Thank you.

Let's let him hear it, huh?

Huh? His ego needs it.

Bring it on.

- That's enough.

- (light laughter)

LEE:

Now, you all know Ray.

He's a legend in the business.

But, to me, Ray, you've been

more like a father, so...

thank you.

- Thank you. Thank you, son.

- (light laughter)

Most importantly, uh,

I owe this honor

to my beautiful and very patient

and very pregnant wife, uh...

and to my favorite

little lady, Alison.

I love you both more

than you'll ever know.

- GROUP:
Aw...

- Yes, sweetie?

ALISON (whispering):

Now can we eat?

(Lee laughs)

- "Now can we eat, Daddy?"

- GROUP:
Yes!

- Yes!

- I'll drink to that.

- MAN:
Cheers!

- Thank you.

[]

- LEE:
What's next?

- LESLIE:
I got "pasta."

LEE:

Ooh. Well, then.

Of course, she finds the

biggest word on here, right?

"Asparagus"?

Wow, that is a big word.

Not for a girl

who's lost a tooth.

- Oh, okay.

- LEE:
Oh, big girl.

LESLIE:

I'm still impressed.

A big girl who didn't

eat her dinner.

- I'm full.

- LESLIE:
You're full?

- LEE:
ls that right?

- Yeah.

LESLIE:

Are you gonna tell me

you're hungry when we get home?

All right,

I'm gonna give you dessert

if you eat one more noodle.

- That was easy.

- See?

Just have to bribe her

a little bit.

- Chew it up.

- LESLIE:
Mm-hmm.

(makes slurping sound)

We done?

- Show me done. -There's still

spaghetti in there.

- LESLIE:
Swallow that.

- (laughing)

LEE:

Take this. Go.

- (laughing)

- LESLIE:
Good work.

LESLIE:
You know, I'm feeling

pretty good about myself.

- LEE:
Yeah?

- LESLIE:
Mm-hmm.

LEE:

How is that?

I am married

to a published author.

(Lee chuckles)

That's very impressive.

- Mm-hmm. Isn't it?

- Mm-hmm.

I'm proud of you.

- Thank you.

- Mm-hmm.

- I love you.

- I love you.

You and only you.

- LEE:
Mm-hmm?

- LESLIE:
Sweetie?

Ali, what is it, baby?

- Are you choking?

- I think she's choking.

- Ali, come on, cough.

- Hey, sweetie,

just breathe for Mommy, okay?

- Ali? Please, Lee. -Everybody,

please, just give her...

- give her some space.

- Lee, do something, Lee.

- LESLIE:
Ali, I'm right here.

Okay, -Come on, honey, come on.

- Baby, it's gonna be okay.

- Can somebody help us, please?!

- Call an ambulance!

- (indistinct chatter)

- It's okay, baby. I'm right here.

- Look at Daddy, okay?

Okay, breathe for me.

You're gonna be all right.

(stammers) Baby, I'm

right here. I don't know...

I don't know what...

I don't know what to...

- I love you, sweetheart. Just...

- She can't breathe!

- Hand her to me. Quick, quick.

I'm a nurse. -Ali, please!

- Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick.

- Okay, just stay calm.

Come on.

Come on, Ali, cough for me.

- Cough, honey.

- She can't breathe, Lee!

She can't...

[]

- (coughs)

- LESLIE:
Sweetie.

- WOMAN:
Cough, baby. Cough, baby.

- Sweetie? Okay...

- (Alison coughs)

- LESLIE:
Okay...

- (murmuring)

- (coughs)

- Just breathe, okay?

- WOMAN:
She's coughing.

- She's fine now. She's fine.

- Okay?

- LESLIE:
Okay, just breathe.

- LEE:
Thank you so much.

Thank you, thank you.

- I don't know how to thank you.

- Come here, baby. Come here.

- Thank you so much.

- You don't have to thank me.

I'm a nurse at Mercy Hospital.

She's gonna be fine now.

We're so lucky.

Well, it's not luck.

It's Jesus.

My husband and I were on our way

to another restaurant tonight.

Something told me

I needed to be here.

Wow. Thank you.

Um, Leslie.

Alfie. Alfie Davis.

I'm not gonna forget you.

ALFIE:

God bless you.

(Lee sighs)

Just keeping it

interesting, huh?

You keep drinking that.

(insects trilling)

ALISON:
I can still

have candy, though, right?

LESLIE (chuckling):

We'll have to see about that.

You get some sleep now,

all right, missy?

- Mom?

- Hmm?

Who's Jesus?

Jesus was a man... great man...

And... you know,

we've talked about God, right?

Honey, you know

how Mommy and Daddy

read you stories at night...

You know, the fairy tales

that you like?

So, believing in God

is kind of like that...

It's really nice stories.

But we are atheists.

Atheists don't believe in God.

What do they believe?

Uh, they believe in what's real,

in what we can see,

what we can touch.

Like What?

Oh... like this.

- (Lee grunting playfully)

- (Alison laughing)

(Lee chuckles)

Well, I guess

I'm an atheist, too.

LEE (chuckles):

Get some sleep, booger, okay?

Here's Beary.

There you go.

Fudge Pop.

All right, sleep good.

I love you.

Daddy?

- Yes, love?

- Good night.

(chuckles)

Good night, baby.

LESLIE:

I thought we said we weren't

gonna force anything on her.

She asked.

Right, so as long as

it's what we believe.

Ugh. Are-are we really gonna

go around on this again, Les?

I guess so.

Babe, I...

I am grateful for what

that woman did tonight...

Obviously...

But it was...

it's a coincidence.

It didn't mean anything.

How can you say that?

She was going

to another restaurant,

and something

made her come to ours.

You think that means nothing?

I know it means nothing.

Can I tell you what it means?

It means that we

would've lost Alison.

If that woman hadn't been

there, we would've lost her.

Our whole world

would've changed forever.

I... Yes, but it didn't.

Okay?

We're all okay.

Everyone's okay.

[]

(indistinct conversations)

There you go. I got ya. Whoa.

Hey, chief.

I could've edited three pieces

with my red pencil

in the time it takes me

to do one piece

on this ridiculous thing.

LEE:

My new book.

Just picked these up

from the mailroom.

Wanted you to be

the first to see it.

Hmm.

Hey, there was a cop shooting

this weekend.

Englewood. Officer survived.

See what you can get me

on the shooter, James Hicks.

No, that's cop beat.

I'm Legal Affairs now.

Why don't you give that

to Monroe?

(chuckles)

Now, you may be

a golden boy

to the suits upstairs,

but to me you're still just

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