Ravi Zacharias
A great hero of the faith passed into eternity this week.
Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020) was born in Chennai, India. (At that time, the city
was known as Madras). May 19 will go down as his last day on earth, and his first day to dwell in the New Jerusalem.
Not often, these days does a Christian’s name appear on the
small print running across the bottom of our TV sets, but last Tuesday, we
read, “Well-known Christian evangelist Ravi Zacharias died in Atlanta, Georgia,
from complications associated with cancer.”
Why would his name be written down
during a time when Covid-19 has captured every hour and every minute of our
attention?
Born into a Christian home, and having attended a Christian
church, he claims not to have heard the Christian Gospel. Instead, he
participated in endless Hindu events, festivals, and musical concerts. He was
quoted as saying, “I attended more Hindu festivals and celebrations than I did
Christian ones.”
He was doing poorly at school and had low marks, thus
bringing shame upon his family. His family took him to a Youth for Christ rally and emotionally driven, but not repentant, he made a half-decision to follow the Lord. Desperate because of the shame coming upon his family as his marks became worse, he took poison to kill himself. A Youth for Christ worker showed him a verse that changed his life. "Because I live, you also will live". (John 14:19) He prayed and made a promise that if he was healed, he would leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of the truth.
The pursuit of truth is what made him known worldwide. His preaching took him to 70 countries. His bibliography on Wikipedia gives the names of his 33 books. Having made a decision to study in Canada, he completed his Bachelor of Theology degree at Ontario Bible College, now Tyndale Theological College and Seminary, in Toronto, in 1972. He also earned top marks at Trinity Divinity Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois, and graduated with a Masters Degree in Theology in 1976. He was honored with ten honorary doctorates. When criticized in the West for his web sites calling him Dr., he said that in India it was common to do so when granted an honorary doctorate, but he had all references cleared of this title.
He founded Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in 1984. Thus began a singular approach to apologetics. He had already been carrying on an itinerant ministry, first in Viet Nam to US soldiers and Viet Cong prisoners. He spoke to students at the Lenin Military Academy in Moscow in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Columbia, in 1993, his message was to the members of the judiciary. He spoke to countless thousands of university students, usually engaging in question and answer sessions. Often, these lasted late into the night.
What made Ravi Zacharias' arguments so compelling was a focus on four elements of truth and reality: origin, meaning of life, morality, and destiny. He said he wanted "to make thinking people believe, and believing people think." Each of these four topics are of intense interest to young people, so he was in constant demand to speak at universities and conferences.
The number of organizations and events he initiated or participated in is nothing short of amazing. In 1983, he was the keynote speaker at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association First International Consultation for Itinerant Evangelists. At Harvard University, it was at Veritas Forum. He was a beloved speaker at Urbana Conferences. The list of engagements for each year takes pages to read.
Unlike many evangelists who sought to diminish the arguments of the message, he sought to understand the reason for the question being important to the disgruntled, or non-believer.
Ravi was married to his wife Margie and they had recently celebrated their 48th anniversary. Their three children continue his ministry.
For a complete version of Ravi Zacharias' obituary, including the organizations he founded, and the ongoing status of his staff and work, go to:
https://www.rzim.ca/read/obituary-ravi-zacharias
No comments:
Post a Comment