He began preaching while still in his teens, and in 1974, shortly before the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, he was sent there to minister to the people in the country. He was also sent to Vietnam during the Vietnam War to minister to U.S. soldiers. Biography Zacharias was born near Madras, India and grew up in Delhi. In 1966, he and his family emigrated to Toronto; he is currently based outside Atlanta, Georgia. He holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship. He briefly attended the University of Delhi as a pre-med student before transferring to the Institute of Hotel Management in Delhi. After moving to Canada, he worked in the hotel management business before enrolling in the Ontario Bible College in Toronto. Following that, he completed his Master of Divinity degree at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School near Chicago. He was a visiting scholar at Cambridge University when he wrote his first book, A Shattered Visage: the Real Face of Atheism. Zacharias received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Houghton College, NY, and from Tyndale University College and Seminary (the renamed Ontario Bible College). He also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Asbury College in Kentucky. He is presently a Visiting Professor at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University in Oxford, England (see also: The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Zacharias is a frequent speaker at international conferences for Christian ministers, and has been the keynote speaker for both the National Day of Prayer at Washington, D.C. and the Annual Prayer Breakfast for the United Nations in New York City. He has spoken at the Center for Geopolitical Strategy in Moscow and at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) in the Philippines. He has written several books on Christianity, including Can Man Live Without God? (1994), The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha (2001), "The Lamb and the Führer: Jesus Talks with Hitler" (2005), Light in the Shadow of Jihad (2002) and Sense and Sensuality: Jesus Talks with Oscar Wilde (2002). He is the president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (Official RZIM website), which is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia. RZIM was formed in 1984 in Toronto, Canada and now has offices in India, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Dr. Zacharias holds ministerial papers with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Zacharias regularly speaks at various American and Canadian university campuses, and at events such as the Veritas forum. He is well-known for his question and answer sessions where he fields questions by college students about the Christian faith. He is also frequently invited to speak at international venues including war-torn countries and his native India. On November 14, 2004, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) (note that Mormonism deviates from biblical, historical Christian beliefs and their bible and teachings do not correspond to the canonical Christian bible) (LDS Church) opened its signature pulpit at the Salt Lake Tabernacle, for the first time in over a century, to an outside evangelist. Christian evangelist Dwight L. Moody was the last non-Mormon to speak at the tabernacle. Zacharias addressed some 7,000 lay-persons and scholars from both LDS and Protestant camps with a sermon in an initiatory move towards open dialog between the camps. The sermon was on "Who Is the Truth? Defending Jesus Christ as The Way, The Truth and The Life". In 2003, while Zacharias was ministering in Tirana, Albania, he and his ministry companions were given the honor of examining a handwritten copy of the Greek New Testament by John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople, composed in the 5th century and later excavated in Albania in the 10th century. He noted that the words were lined up remarkably straight, as if produced by computer, and each letter was written in golden ink. He is also the general editor of the latest editions of the Christian apologetics book written by the late Christian apologist/polemicist Walter Ralston Martin, The Kingdom of the Cults (2003), ISBN 0-7642-2821-8, which contains a 66-page chapter on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) (note that Mormonism deviates from biblical, historical Christian beliefs and their bible and teachings do not correspond to the canonical Christian bible). Works - A Shattered Visage: The Real Face of Atheism (1994, 2004)
ISBN 0801065119 - Can Man Live Without God? (1994, 1996)
ISBN 0849939437 - Deliver Us From Evil (1996, 1998)
ISBN 084993950X - Cries of the Heart (1998, 2002)
ISBN 0849943876 - The Merchant and the Thief (1999) (Children’s)
ISBN 0781432960 - The Broken Promise (2000) (Children's)
ISBN 0781434513 - Jesus Among Other Gods (2000, 2002)
ISBN 0849943272 - Jesus Among Other Gods (Youth Edition) (2000)
ISBN 0849942179 - The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha (2001)
ISBN 157673854X - Sense and Sensuality: Jesus Talks with Oscar Wilde (2002)
ISBN 1590520149 - Light in the Shadow of Jihad: The Struggle For Truth (2002)
ISBN 1576739899 - Recapture the Wonder (2003)
ISBN 1591452767 - Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith (2003) (General Editor, with Norman Geisler)
ISBN 0310247101 - The Kingdom of the Cults (2003) (Editor)
ISBN 0764228218 - I, Isaac Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving From Romance to Lasting Love (2004)
ISBN 0849908221 - The Lamb and the Fuhrer: Jesus Talks with Hitler (2005)
ISBN 1590523946 - Walking From East to West: God in the Shadows (With R.S.B. Sawyer) (2006)
ISBN 0310259150 - The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives (2007)
ISBN 0310269520 - Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend (2008)
ISBN 0849919681 - The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists (Forthcoming, May 2008)
ISBN 0310282519 - New Birth or Rebirth: Jesus Talks with Krishna (Forthcoming, June 2008)
ISBN 1590527259 References 1995 Gold Medallion Book Awards Winners - Theology/Doctrine section Christian Bestsellers List, August 2002 Christian Bestsellers List, October 2007 Wycliffe Hall - Dr. Ravi Zacharias RZIM - About Ravi Zacharias a b c Edward Plowman (March 1998). Meet Ravi Zacharias. National and International Religion Report. Evangelicals Now. Retrieved on 2008-03-04. Zacharias, Ravi. Walking From East to West: God in the Shadows (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 170. Ministry Watch - RZIM Newswire, PR. "Future of Truth Conference Explores Biblical Realities, Exposes Theological Heresies to Present a More Convincing Picture of Truth in Today's Society; Conference Will Feature Trusted Theologians Ravi Zacharias, William Lane Craig, Phillip Johnson, Erwin Lutzer, Emir Caner and Frank Peretti at The Moody Church in Chicago.", PR Newswire Association LLC, 2004-07-15. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. Chang, Pauline J. "Thousands Flock to Anaheim for Largest Christian Communications Convention", The Christian Post, 2005-02-13. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. (Past event) The National Conference on Christian Apologetics. Apologetics Index. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. Vu, Michelle. "MissionFest Opens Asking 'What Does it Mean to be Human?'", The Christian Post, 2007-03-02. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. Duin, Julia. "Christian worldview; Theologian-author Zacharias decries media double-standard.", The Washington Times, 2003-07-04. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. "Ravi Zacharias: Defender of the FAITH; Alpharetta minister takes the Gospel to intellectuals. He vows Christianity can withstand toughest philosophical attack.", The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution, 1997-03-01. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. (01 1996) "NEWS: Truth Makes a Comeback in University Settings". Christianity Today Magazine 40 (1). Retrieved on 2008-02-18. “While certain speakers such as Zacharias, sociologist Os Guinness, law professor Phillip Johnson, and philosopher Eleanor Stump have made repeat appearances, the actual presentation differs from school to school.” Parker, Pearman. "Celebrated evangelist attracts thousands", redandblack.com, The Red and Black Publishing Company Inc., 2007-09-28. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. Schwartz, Karen. "U. Michigan: U. Michigan speaker discusses American culture's ties to religion.", The America's Intelligence Wire, Financial Times Ltd., 2003-02-04. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. Colella, Kristin. "Author shares insight on faith", Daily Collegian online, Collegian Inc., 2005-02-17. Retrieved on 2008-02-18. National Day of Prayer Task Force - Dr. Ravi Zacharias Bio Moore, Carrie A. "Evangelical preaches at Salt Lake Tabernacle", Deseret Morning News, deseretnews.com, 2004-11-15. Retrieved on 2008-02-15. Key, Lindsay. "Virginia Tech audience hears Christian speaker", The Roanoke Times, roanoke.com, 2007-10-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-15. |