Ravi Zacharias

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Ravi Zacharias 2004

Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias (born March 26, 1946 in Madras , India - † May 19, 2020 in Atlanta , USA) was an evangelical Canadian-American apologist , author and founder of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), a missionary society with branches on all continents.

Life

Zacharias' parents converted to the Christian faith through the preaching of a Swiss missionary. Ravi Zacharias therefore grew up in a Christian environment. At the age of twenty he enrolled at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Canada . He completed his studies as a master's degree . Zacharias had several honorary doctorates and dealt with comparative religious studies , cults and philosophy. After initial contact with Islam, he finally became a professed Christian. He has traveled to around 50 countries and has given lectures at Harvard University , Princeton University and the University of Oxford , among others . He also spoke weekly on the radio show "Let My People Think", which was heard in around 30 countries. In 1984 he founded the “Zacharias International Ministries” with 16 offices worldwide. 80 of the approximately 200 employees are speakers.

Zacharias lived in Atlanta (USA), was married with three children.

In March 2020 it was announced that Ravi Zacharias suffered from aggressive bone cancer . He died of it just two months later.

criticism

Zacharias was awarded several honorary doctorates, but he had not obtained a regular doctorate. In the German as well as in the English-speaking area, the two are clearly differentiated and labeled accordingly. Even so, Ravi was sometimes referred to simply as “Dr. Ravi Zacharias ”, which gave a misleading impression.

Others

  • Zacharias traveled around 250 days a year and visited around 15 to 17 countries during this period.
  • Zacharias did not belong to any particular denomination. His organization RZIM, however, is a registered member of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, an evangelical church organization with Presbyterian roots that is close to the sanctification movement .
  • Ravi Zacharias followed the so-called Billy Graham rule, according to which married men should not be alone in a room with another woman. The Billy Graham Rule was created in 1947 as a response to scandals in the Christian area, to protect against abuse of power by (spiritual) leaders, in particular against related sexual abuse.
  • Zacharias was the mentor and nominal uncle of Nabeel Qureshi, a well-known preacher who converted from Islam to Christianity. Qureshi died after a long illness at the age of only 34 in September 2017. Zacharias gave the funeral speech at the funeral service.
  • His favorite singer was Jim Reeves .

Publications

  • Can you live without God? Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 2005, ISBN 3-7655-1358-X (Original title: Can man live without God . Translated by Angela Klein-Esselborn).
  • Believe in miracles again . 1st edition. Free Spirit Verlag, Cologne 2005, ISBN 3-9809836-1-7 (Original title: Recapture the wonder . Translated by Claus-Berndt Seidel).
  • Who Made the Creator? Answers to uncomfortable questions about God and the Christian faith . 1st edition. GerthMedien, Asslar 2005, ISBN 3-89437-062-9 (Original title: Who made god? Translated by Georg Gäbel).
  • Cross and nirvana. Jesus in conversation with Buddha . Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2005, ISBN 978-3-7751-4236-6 (original title: The lotus and the cross . Translated by Doris C. Leisering).
  • Longing of the heart. Feel God's closeness again . Brunnen Verlag, Gießen 2003, ISBN 978-3-7655-1275-9 (Original title: Cries of the heart . Translated by Christian Rendel ).
  • Jesus, the only true God? Christian faith and other religions . Brunnen Verlag, Giessen 2002, ISBN 3-7655-1249-4 (Original title: Jesus among other gods . Translated by Christian Rendel).

literature

  • Steve Baughman: Cover-Up in the Kingdom: Phone Sex, Lies, And God's Great Apologist, Ravi Zacharias , BookBaby, 2018 (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Christianity today / Daniel Silliman: Ravi Zacharias Dies of Cancer. The famous apologist was 74 (May 19, 2020)
  2. ^ Ravi Zacharias: Walking From East to West: God in the Shadows. Zondervan, Grand Rapids 2006. Page: 42-43, 45, 101-105, 170, 163, 173, 178, 185, 192-193, 197-199, 200-201, 203, 205-206. ISBN 0-310-25915-0 .
  3. ↑ Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias died , pro-medienmagazin.de, article from May 20, 2020.
  4. ↑ Sarah Davis: An Update on Ravi Zacharias's Cancer. Retrieved May 4, 2020 .
  5. ↑ An explanation of RZIM, written by Ruth Malhotra: RZIM: Statement on Ravi Zacharias' Biography
  6. ^ West Virginia University, Office of the Provost: The History - The Honorary Degree. September 13, 2016, accessed July 20, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Criticism came e.g. B. by Steve Baughman: The Ravi Zacharias Story
  8. ^ Ravi Zacharias: Remarks delivered by Dr. Ravi Zacharias on the occasion of the 27th Annual International Prayer Breakfast September 18, 2012. In: ce-un.org. Christian Embassy (United Nations), September 18, 2012, accessed June 8, 2018 .
  9. ↑ FAQ . In: RZIM . ( rzim.org [accessed June 8, 2018]).
  10. ^ Ravi Zacharias: Statement on My Federal Lawsuit . In: RZIM . ( rzim.org [accessed June 8, 2018]).
  11. ^ Ravi Zacharias Remembers His Young Protégé, Nabeel Qureshi . In: ChristianityToday.com . ( christianitytoday.com [accessed June 8, 2018]).
  12. ^ Ravi Zacharias: Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows . Zondervan, 2009, ISBN 978-0-310-56604-5 ( google.de [accessed June 8, 2018]).
personal data
SURNAME Zacharias, Ravi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zacharias, Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian-American evangelical apologist and best-selling author
DATE OF BIRTH March 26, 1946
PLACE OF BIRTH Madras , India
DATE OF DEATH 19th May 2020
Place of death Atlanta USA