Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend | Ravi Zacharias

Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend | Ravi Zacharias | A good collection of apologetic readings for the Christian faith that covers a myriad of topics

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Beyond Opinion: Li...

	Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend Ravi Zacharias Thomas Nelson, 2008 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 14 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A definitive master work from the world's leading Christian Apologist.

Respected apologist Ravi Zacharias was once sharing his faith with a Hindu when the man asked: "If the Christian faith is truly supernatural, why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians I know?" The question hit hard, and this book is an answer. Its purpose is to equip Christians everywhere to simultaneously defend the faith and be transformed by it into people of compassion.

In addition to writing several chapters himself, Ravi Zacharias brings together many of today's leading apologists and Christian teachers, including Alister McGrath and John Lennox, to address topics present in the very future of worldwide Christianity-from the process of spiritual transformation to the challenges posed by militant atheism and a resurgent Islam. Destined to become a classic, Beyond Opinion is a touchstone that will affect Christians around the world.

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Reaching head and heart

This is a collection of essays by members of the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries team. Except for two Oxford Professors - Alister McGrath and John Lennox - all the other authors are part of RZIM, working fulltime in various places around the globe.

In the fourteen essays contained here the authors seek to connect Christian apologetics with Christian living. Subtitled "Living the Faith We Defend", the heart of this book is to show that good apologetics is not just providing the right answers, but is about living a life that reflects the one we seek to defend.

The authors remind us that we are called to defend the faith, by meeting intellectual and worldview challenges. But we are also to be a living example of the faith, and show the reality of a Christ-transformed life. Providing honest answers to honest questions is obviously what apologetics is all about. But as Zacharias reminds us, "the role of the apologists is to win the person, not just the argument".

The various essays featured here cover many important areas. Some of the major topics covered include postmodernism, atheism, Islam, eastern religions, challenges from youth, challenges from science, the problem of evil and suffering, cross-cultural challenges, and the place of doubt.

One of the chapters by Zacharias, on the church's role in apologetics and the development of the mind, is alone worth the price of the book. The task of getting the church of Jesus Christ to actually use its mind for the glory of God is a most pressing need. Indeed, the title of Zacharias's radio show, "Let My People Think" has to be one of the great challenges facing believers today.

He begins the chapter by reminding us of the need to lead well-rounded apologetic lives: "I have little doubt that the single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been its inability to provide answers, but the failure on our part to live it out."

He mentions a Hindu friend he had known long ago and his objections to the gospel. He felt Christian conversion was just a move to moral reform, without any supernatural element to it. He asked a question which really troubled Zacharias: "If this conversion is truly supernatural, why is it no more evident in the lives of so many Christians?"

Zacharias says Christians must first be willing to grapple with the difficult questions of the sceptics, and work through them ourselves. Then we must internalise the answers and live out these answers before a hurting and hungry world.

But we must not ignore or downplay the many honest questions which sceptics have. It is vital that we interact with them. "There is an exponential growth of knowledge in our time," says Zacharias, "and it is part of our Christian calling to work hard at understanding as much as we can the themes that must be addressed."

Yet this is rarely happening in the church today. Zacharias takes a dim view of the Christian mind. Walk into any Christian bookstore and the great majority of titles are simply fluff and froth, lacking in any theological or intellectual substance.

And in an age of intellectual mushiness, and a war on truth, Christians more than ever need to stand up for Christianity's absolute truth claims. Says Zacharias, "The first and foremost task of the apologist, then, is to stand for truth and to clarify the claims of the gospel."

Other chapters can be mentioned. L.T. Jeyachandran's article on Hinduism, Buddhism and the New Age Movement is a helpful and concise introduction to the Eastern worldview. Danielle DuRant's piece on idolatry and self-deception provides helpful insights and observations.

Taken together, the different parts of this book make for a powerful whole. They deal with intellectual and ideological issues, but also cover them from a personal and practical point of view. This is the way apologetics should be done: reaching both the head and the heart. This book is a most welcome addition to the apologist's library, and deserves a wide reading.

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A good collection of apologetic readings for the Christian faith that covers a myriad of topics

Renowned apologist Ravi Zacharias, president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) and author of THE GRAND WEAVER, offers tools for laypersons to defend their faith in BEYOND OPINION, a collection of essays from various scholars, full-time apologists and staff members of his organization.

Interestingly enough, Zacharias begins his book by offering an "apologetic for apologetics." Christians, he notes, have gotten less interested in defending the faith; "you can't argue anybody into the kingdom" is one rebuttal he says he has heard. But he believes in apologetics and their importance, as well as the hard intellectual work of wrestling with issues and objections surrounding Christianity.

In the book, Zacharias and his contributors attempt to answer these questions: Why doesn't life add up? Why doesn't the pursuit of pleasure add up? Where is it all meant to add up? Big questions, and a lot of ground to cover, but there is plenty here to get you started.

Zacharias divides the book into three components of discipleship: difficult questions posed by skeptics and those from other religions, internalizing the answers (spiritual transformation), and living out answers with compassion for the lost and passion for the gospel.

Given the timeless nature of apologetics, BEYOND OPINION feels contemporary in places, especially in addressing the specific way arguments against Christianity have been framed after 9/11. (This event has changed the way all religion is viewed, some of the authors argue, not just views of Islam). There are plenty of ideas about addressing the concern that the Bible is pro-war and pro-violence. The book also looks at eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age), challenges from science and from youth, the question of evil and suffering, the Trinity, the role of doubt and cross-cultural challenges.

The lineup of contributors are mostly gleaned from RZIM or Oxford University, and include Alister McGrath, a former atheist writing on atheism, and Sam Solomon, an adjunct associate for RZIM who offers a timely look at Islam and its relationship to Christianity. Zacharias takes on one of the more difficult questions in the book, "The Existential Challenges of Evil and Suffering." His response incorporates such ideas about moral order, the need for pain, the importance of the cross, and draws on G.K. Chesterton and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to make his points.

Reader be warned: This is presented as an approach to apologetics "at a popular level," but it still offers plenty to challenge the reader. Some of the contributors are more academic than others; all require focused reading. The various authors work hard to integrate personal anecdotes and stories into their essays, but academic lingo and formatting creeps in ("in conclusion..."). Still, there are rich rewards for those who mine the book for help.

And, as Zacharias admirably reminds readers, apologetics is not just for experts. "Do not underestimate the role you may play in clearing the obstacles in someone's spiritual journey." He also cautions that sometimes "the more sophisticated we get in our study and understanding of apologetics, the more often we miss the moment and the impact."

Zacharias commendably acknowledges that "not everything is argued. Some realities are felt deeply...." He calls for apologetics to respect "the romance of the ride" (borrowing from ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE) while still remembering the nuts and the bolts of faith that keep it running well. He also notes that "apologetics is not to be a single lane approach." In other words, one size doesn't fit all. Hearing from a variety of voices here fits with that intent.

This is a good resource book for Christians who want to be well-equipped with knowledge about their faith and the faith of others, and to think more deeply about arguments and objections against Christianity. It's also a good reminder to "walk the talk" with compassion and love for those to whom we reach out.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

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Another fantastic book by Ravi

This book delivers all that it promises and I recommend it to Christians everywhere to help them in their daily walk in Christ. Ravi Zacharias is one of the best apologists ever and uses his experience and knowledge to help others understand God's purpose for life and His church. I highly recommend this book.

Beyond Opinion

An excellent source of knowledge about how different cultures view Christianity. It also provides the foundation for someone looking to logically defend his or her faith in Christ.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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