Ravi Zacharias facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ravi Zacharias
|
|
|---|---|
Zacharias in 2015
|
|
| Born |
Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias
26 March 1946 |
| Died | 19 May 2020 (aged 74) |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | Trinity International University |
| Occupation | Christian apologist, founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries |
| Era | 21st-century philosophy |
| Spouse(s) |
Margaret Reynolds
(m. 1972) |
| Children | 3 |
| Scientific career | |
| Influences | Norman Geisler, G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, Malcolm Muggeridge, John Polkinghorne, Billy Graham |
| Influenced | Nabeel Qureshi, Lee Strobel, Frank Turek, Tim Tebow, Alisa Childers |
Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias (born March 26, 1946 – died May 19, 2020) was a Christian speaker and writer. He was born in India and later became a citizen of Canada and the United States. He started an organization called Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).
For over 40 years, Zacharias focused on Christian apologetics. This means he worked to explain and defend the Christian faith using logic and reason. He wrote more than 30 books about Christianity. He also hosted radio shows called Let My People Think and Just Thinking. He was a minister in the Christian and Missionary Alliance church.
Early Life and Education
Ravi Zacharias was born on March 26, 1946, in Madras, India. He grew up in Delhi. He could speak Hindi very well.
When he was young, he was in the hospital. A Christian worker brought him a Bible and asked his mother to read from the book of John, chapter 14. Zacharias said that a verse, John 14:19, really spoke to him: "Because I live, you also will live." He felt this verse offered him hope for a new way of life. He decided to dedicate his life to Christ. He prayed, "Jesus, if you are the one who gives life as it is meant to be, I want it. Please get me out of this hospital bed well, and I promise I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth."
In 1966, Zacharias and his family moved to Canada. He earned his first degree from Ontario Bible College in 1972. This school is now called Tyndale University. He then earned a master's degree from Trinity International University in 1976. In 1990, he also studied at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, a theological school in England.
Career
Ministry Work
In 1971, Zacharias spent the summer in South Vietnam. He spoke to U.S. soldiers and even to prisoners there. After college, he became a traveling minister for the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) in Canada. In 1974, the C&MA sent him to Cambodia, but he had to leave soon after because of political changes. He became an ordained minister in 1980. From 1980 to 1984, he taught at Alliance Theological Seminary.
In 1983, Zacharias spoke at a big conference in Amsterdam. This conference was for traveling Christian speakers. After that, he spent a summer speaking in India. He realized there was a great need to explain Christianity in a logical way. In August 1984, he started Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) in Canada. The goal was to reach people who had many questions about faith. Later, the main office moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.
In 1989, after the Berlin Wall fell, Zacharias spoke in Moscow. He talked to students and political leaders. This was one of many times he spoke to important people around the world. For example, in 1993, he spoke to judges in Colombia about the importance of having strong moral values.
The next year, Zacharias wrote his first book, A Shattered Visage: The Real Face of Atheism. In 1992, he spoke at his first Veritas Forum at Harvard University. He often spoke at these forums, giving talks and answering questions from students at many universities. These included the University of Georgia, the University of Michigan, and Penn State.
Zacharias was a popular speaker at many Christian events. In 2007, he spoke to students and the community in Blacksburg, Virginia. This was after the sad events of the Virginia Tech massacre. He talked about why bad things happen and how people suffer. He also spoke at events like the National Day of Prayer in Washington, D.C. and the Annual Prayer Breakfast at the United Nations.
In 2006, Ravi Zacharias helped create the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) in England.
His View of the World
Zacharias believed that a good way of looking at the world, or a worldview, should answer four main questions:
- Where did we come from? (our origin)
- What is the purpose of life? (our meaning of life)
- What is right and wrong? (our morality)
- What happens after we die? (our destiny)
He said that while many religions claim to have the truth, the Christian faith is special because it can answer all four of these questions. He often talked about how the Christian worldview makes sense and can stand up to tough questions. Zacharias thought that when defending Christianity, you need to use logic, show how it makes life meaningful, and explain why it helps us know right from wrong. He focused on how Christianity answers life's big questions. He also believed that in today's world, where we see so many images, it's important to still use deep thinking to understand truth.
Personal Life
On May 7, 1972, Zacharias married Margaret "Margie" Reynolds. They met through their church's youth group. They had three children: Sarah, Nathan, and Naomi. He lived in Atlanta, Georgia.
In March 2020, Zacharias shared that he had a type of cancer called sarcoma. He passed away from this cancer at his home in Atlanta on May 19, 2020, at the age of 74. After he died, many well-known Christians shared how much he had influenced them.
People like the White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence shared their sadness after Zacharias's death.
See also
In Spanish: Ravi Zacharias para niños
