This is an article I wrote two years ago, but the only thing that’s changed is instead of having raised a few pennies for RZIM, my total is over $81. It’s still one of my favorite podcasts, and they still bring Jesus as Creator into the mix. Just the whole ministry is super careful not to drive away either Christians who think God used evolution and/or millions of years to “create” or those of us who know better!
I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I use GoodSearch to find things on the internet, and now it’s time to tell you who I support with this program! Ravi Zacharias has been preaching and speaking around the world for many years about Jesus, humanity and the need for a Christian worldview to make sense of our lives. When I was about 12, I saw him speak at a church on the north side of Chicago and I’ve been interested in him ever since.
His sermons are one of my favorite things to listen to on iTunes while I do my chores. Dr. Zacharias has an unusual ministry that focuses on the very smart and “wise” people of the world. He speaks and works at Cambridge and Oxford in England. He has spoken to many of the most powerful people in the world, people whom most Christians never have a chance to talk to. He uses some very big words and big ideas, but his whole focus is on pointing people to Jesus Christ and the life and meaning He offers to everyone.
I’ve noticed over the past few months how often the beginning of Genesis comes up in his speeches and I know it’s not an accident. If we let go of God as Creator and Adam and Eve as our first parents, we lose all of the foundation of our worldview. Life becomes just a squishy mess that we can mold however we want to, but that can’t support us in hard times.
The last two weeks the podcast has been a recent speech that Dr. Zacharias gave to a group of young people attending some sort of Bible school (at least that’s the impression I got from his closing comments). It has a lot of big words, but the main ideas he shares I think all of you who are at least 11 or 12 should be able to understand, and all of us who are turning into or already are grown-ups need to hear. They had to split the speech into two parts so here are the links:
Effective Apologetics in the 21st Century (part 1 of 2)
Effective Apologetics in the 21st Century (part 2 of 2)
Let me know what ideas struck you the most!
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence. I Corinthians 23-29