Ravi Zacharias: Global Ministry and Intellectual Evangelism
After launching a full-scale gospel ministry through RZIM, Ravi Zacharias faced unprecedented demand for his lectures worldwide. While he could not accept every invitation, he strategically prioritized engagements, traveling more than 300 days each year for over three decades. Even in his seventies, when he reduced travel to focus on writing, he still spent over 200 days on the road in 2019, covering more than four million miles.
Ravi’s ministry, aimed at “thinking people,” is reflected in RZIM’s mission statement:
“Helping Thinkers Believe. Helping Believers Think.”
Similarly, his radio program, Let My People Think, now broadcast weekly on over 2,000 stations in 32 countries, echoes this ethos. Unlike radio, Ravi avoided television, citing the danger it posed to the integrity of gospel ministry:
“Even if one’s inner life is troubled, the television camera can tempt anyone to create a flashy show and appear flawless. I want to protect myself from such temptations.”
Ravi authored over 30 books, translated into numerous languages, and read by millions. Beyond global university lectures, he addressed national leaders at prestigious forums, including the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast, the Moscow International Strategic Studies Institute, and the United Nations.
During his four UN lectures, one theme stands out. The most recent request was for a presentation on “Navigating Absolutes in a Relativistic World.” Given the diverse religious backgrounds of the 200+ ambassadors attending, Ravi was asked to avoid using overtly Christian language. He respectfully requested only a brief Christian perspective at the conclusion of his talk. The essence of his message was as follows:
Even in a world where values are increasingly relativized, people seek absolute answers regarding evil, justice, love, and forgiveness. Human life is defined by conflicts surrounding these four realities. Among all philosophies and religions, only the cross of Jesus Christ unites these four principles. Only the gospel offers the ultimate absolute answers that today’s relativistic world truly seeks.
Following his lecture, ambassadors from multiple nations sought personal conversation with Ravi. Several from Muslim and Hindu backgrounds remarked that his message provided exactly what they had been searching for. One Muslim ambassador reflected:
“Pastor Ravi, I was initially frustrated when my foreign ministry assigned me as a UN ambassador rather than a top-ranking national diplomat. Today, for the first time in my life, I have seen the light of truth. I am grateful to be here at the UN, and my life will never be the same.”