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Z A C H A R I A S T R U S T

Michael writes

Evangelism and Apologetics

Introduction to RZIM Zacharias Trust

Meet the team

T H E Z A C H A R I A S T R U S T M A G A Z I N E

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THIS ISSUE...

Welcome to the fi rst

issue of Pulse, the new

apologetics magazine

published by the

Zacharias Trust.

It will include articles

on Christian evangelism

and apologetics,

book reviews, testimonies,

training news and more.

Michael writes… 4-5

Introduction to RZIM Zacharias Trust 6-7

Evangelism and Apologetics 8-9

Amy writes… 10

Book Review 11

Training 12-13

Meet the team 14-15

Meet the Associates 16

Training 1,000 European Evangelists 16

Our work around the world 17

The Beginnings of RZIM 18-19

Wellspring International 19

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michael

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Today, however, some of the bestselling books in the world centre on whether or not God exists and recent global events have put God fi rmly back on the agenda. The whole world is talking about God, and the debate focuses on two key questions: does God exist and, if so, what is he like?

This debate provides Christians with an amazing opportunity! It also presents a challenge: are we prepared to engage with people? Are we equipped to do so? The Bible tells us that we should be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have. We are also told to do this with gentleness and respect. Our world is increasingly understood in relational terms and a key part of any relationship is communication. The Zacharias Trust exists to communicate the gospel eff ectively and to engage meaningfully with others, as well as to equip others to do so.

Your support has already enabled us to address meetings organised by the UN, NATO and parliamentary groups across Europe, as well as spending time with professionals, academics and students. We aim to present the gospel in a compelling way and to equip Christians to regain their public voice in an increasingly privatised world.

Our hope is that we can help

to serve you, as you seek to

serve him.

Since Nietzsche, various scholars have argued that people would, in time, simply stop thinking about God – no one would be interested anymore.

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Z A C H A R I A S T R U S T

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The Zacharias Trust was founded

in 1997 as the European offi ce

of Ravi Zacharias International

Ministries (RZIM). Our mandate

is to engage people’s hearts and

minds for Christ in an increasingly

secular Europe. Working alongside

the church, the Trust seeks to

address the many objections and

questions about Christianity so

that lives can be transformed

and renewed through the

gospel message.

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introductionto RZIM Zacharias Trust

There are many diff erent reasons why people choose to reject the Christian message. Some have a negative perception of what Christianity is all about, disagreeing with certain parts of Christian teaching, for example. Others have intellectual concerns, such as questioning the Bible’s authority or seeing faith as being incompatible with reason. For others still, Christianity is simply an irrelevance – something that provides comfort for those who need it, but ultimately with nothing to say to society today.

Evangelism – focusing on the sceptic and infl uencers of contemporary culture

Apologetics – addressing the questions and issues arising today

Training – equipping others to communicate the gospel

We seek to reach all those who are sceptical about the gospel and to address heartfelt objections and concerns about Christianity in a manner that is relevant to contemporary society. We aim to presentthe truth of the gospel in three ways:

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evangelism

The Zacharias Trust is primarily an evangelistic organisation and we are passionate about seeing people come to Christ. We aim to address people’s heartfelt issues and concerns about Christianity so that they are able to see the Cross, clearly and unhindered.

We speak in many diff erent settings from small business dinners and university forums to parliaments and multinational organisations. Wherever possible, we work in partnership with others

to ensure that the necessary follow up and discipleship takes place.

We long to see God’s message spread to all nations and particularly to those places where Christianity is either marginalised or actively persecuted.

“The church meetings were exciting… at the end of one, dozens of people came to Christ and many tears were shed. Firstly, a middle-aged lady came to Christ amidst fl oods of tears, then a prostitute standing next to her. A drug dealer was next in line and he was followed by a businessman. On the last

Sunday, one of the church leaders came and said that not only did people come to Christ in the actual meeting, but after the meeting people came up wondering if it was too late to give their lives to Christ!” “Then, something amazing happened. About 500 kids and adults began crying as the Holy Spirit convicted them. Some were weeping so hard their whole bodies were shaking! The organisers were so overwhelmed by the response, they could not cope with the numbers. They apologised from the stage… God is sovereign in evangelism!”

evangelism

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apologetics

Apologetics is a word often misunderstood, as if it means ‘apologising’ for one’s faith. The word, however, derives its meaning from the Greek apologia, meaning a ‘reasoned defence’.

In the Bible, apologetics is synonymous with evangelism:

But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer [apologia] to everyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with

gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

Today, the need for sound apologetics has arguably never been greater. Authors such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens continue to top the bestseller lists and are already infl uencing a whole new generation of thinkers to reject God ‘out of hand.’

The Zacharias Trust exists to defend the Christian faith against such attack, on both a popular and an academic level, off ering a counterclaim to modern-day secularism. We seek to engage the cultural infl uencers of our society and to challenge them through the credibility of the gospel.

and apologetics

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I began working for the Zacharias Trust in the

late 1990s. At that time apologetics was viewed

by many in the European church as a distant,

introspective academic off -shoot of theology,

something with which normal Christians would

have little to do.

Our passion could not be further from this. We wholeheartedly believe that apologetics and evangelism belong fi rmly together and that every member of every church can and should be involved in these exciting pursuits. Put simply, apologetics is the ability to talk to non-Christian friends, colleagues and family members about Christ in a convincing and meaningful way, so that they come to a point of decision for themselves. To that end – as well as doing apologetics on the front line ourselves – we have put on countless training events and spoken at many churches and conferences, helping equip Christians to think and speak clearly about their faith. In all of our training we try to come alongside the church and seek to give away what God has entrusted to us.

Apologetics is very much on the agenda for many churches again today. The rise of rampant secularism, together with other challenges facing us as Christians in Europe, has caused us to start asking questions ourselves, as well as trying to answer the challenges and objections of sceptics. As the Zacharias Trust, we are seeking to help meet this need for answers and a fresh confi dence in the truth. Your support is enabling us to do this.

Look out for our upcoming training days. If you are interested in reaching out to people who don’t share your beliefs, we would love to meet you and support you in speaking more eff ectively for Christ in a meaningful, compassionate and thoughtful way.

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Apologetics is often viewed as an academic discipline that is only for those capable of grasping complex intellectual argument. In Beyond Opinion, Ravi Zacharias shatters this

illusion by reminding readers that all Christians are required to give an answer for the hope that they have. Quoting C.S. Lewis, he points out that it is not a question of whether you use an apologetic in answering someone’s question, but whether the apologetic you use is a good one.

With this in mind, Beyond Opinion is designed to provide the average believer with practical and grounded advice in how to respond to many of the most important challenges faced by Christians today. Individual chapters are written by members of the RZIM global team (including Michael Ramsden, Amy Orr-Ewing, John Lennox and Alister McGrath), who lend their considerable expertise to a whole range of issues, from postmodern attacks on the Bible and the claim that science is incompatible with faith, to the challenges posed by a resurgent Islam or militant atheism.

Yet perhaps the book’s main strength is that Zacharias stresses that all intellectual knowledge is meaningless if it is not accompanied by an authentic spiritual transformation. He argues that evangelism is relational and that others will not be convinced of the message if there is no discernable diff erence in the life of the messenger. In this sense, Beyond Opinion acts as a trumpet call for all Christians, as it shows that apologetics is about winning people rather than arguments and that this can only happen when we fully engage both heart and mind for Christ.

Simon Wenham

Simon is the Events Manager at the Zacharias Trust

“Th e best book of its kind in print” (NORMAN GEISLER, APOLOGIST,

SOUTHERN EVANGELICAL SEMINARY, CHARLOTTE)

To purchase this book, or to see our

range of other resources on off er,

please refer to the insert in the

middle of this magazine.

BOOK REVIEW

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“I feel challenged, fed and equipped to go back… I’ve never experienced anything like it, even at Bible college. A unique and utterly vital ministry.”

“Tremendous! Th e most enriching teaching experience of my Christian walk of twenty years!”

“Outstanding! Crystal-clear, accessible for all, compelling delivery and excellent application at the personal level. Quite simply some of the fi nest teaching I have ever heard!”

“I’ve been to many apologetics conferences, but this is the fi rst one that has ever so engaged my heart as well as my mind. Th anks so much!”

An important part of the Zacharias Trust’s vision is to train

Christians in eff ective and practical ways to communicate

their faith. Our training has helped to equip many Christians

across Europe to share the good news of Christ.

Zacharias Trust Training We run a number of events and courses designed to help people

engage in a conversational style of apologetics. The training aims to

help Christians interact more confi dently with those around them and

to provide a framework by which they can start to address the issues

being raised. The training is ideal for anyone wanting to become a

more dynamic witness for Christ.

Oxford Summer SchoolThe Oxford Summer School is a one-week intensive training course in

evangelism and apologetics.

Held in one of the colleges of Oxford University, the course follows a

particular theme each year and is taught by various members of the

RZIM global team. It is an exciting opportunity to be taught by some

of the world’s leading apologists in such an inspiring environment.

The programme also provides a good introduction to the type of

teaching we off er at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.

The European Leadership ForumThe European Leadership Forum (ELF) is an event organised by a

group of leading evangelical organisations. It gathers church leaders,

evangelists, theologians, scientists and professionals from across the

continent for fellowship, teaching and networking. In addition to being

represented on the steering group, the Zacharias Trust is responsible

for the evangelism seminars at the forum.

The event provides an opportunity to link up with other like-minded

individuals and organisations throughout the continent. It is an

important part of our strategic goal to identify and train 1,000

European evangelists over a ten-year period. The forum is also a

catalyst for many of our seminars and training events in Europe.

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For further details on our courses or for a copy of our

prospectus visit www.theocca.org or fi ll in the response

form in the middle of this magazine.

The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics

Academic Excellence – Eff ective Evangelism

The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) is a

partnership between Wycliff e Hall, a permanent private hall of

Oxford University, and RZIM.

The OCCA provides cutting-edge training for those with a passion

to make Christ known. The teaching faculty comprises some of the

world’s leading apologists and the students are provided with an

unparalleled opportunity to be stretched, envisioned and equipped.

The courses on off er are:

One Year Certifi cate in Christian ApologeticsThis course is designed for those who wish to dedicate a whole year

immersing themselves in evangelism and apologetics. The emphasis

of the course is upon training in practical evangelism and, as well as

in-depth teaching in apologetics, students are given the opportunity

to use what they have learned in real ministry settings. An integral

part of the course is the close mentoring of our students to equip them

according to their specifi c gifting.

Eight Week Business Programme

This course is designed for those who wish to dedicate themselves to

an intensive period of apologetics. It covers teaching in evangelism,

apologetics, Biblical studies and workplace evangelism. Students

attend both the annual Oxford Summer School and the European

Leadership Forum.

“My year in the OCCA course proved to be pivotal in my life. Th e formal teaching enlarged my understanding of the gospel and transformed my views on evangelism, and the ample opportunity for participating in mission and Alpha courses gave me much needed practical experience. Th is space for learning, refl ecting and doing proved vital in my discerning process, as I transition from a career in law towards vocational evangelistic ministry.”

“I know I will look back on this time as one of the most enriching times of my life. I was surrounded with a wealth of brilliant lecturers and taught how to engage with the issues of life. Th ere is an added depth in my relationship with God, as well as a passion to engage with those who do not know Christ.”

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Michael Ramsden

has been European Director

of the Zacharias Trust since

its foundation in 1997. He

is also joint Director of the

Oxford Centre for Christian

Apologetics and Lecturer

in Christian Apologetics at

Wycliff e Hall, Oxford. Michael was brought up in the Middle East and later moved to England where he worked for the Lord Chancellor’s department investing funds. While doing research at Sheffi eld University, he taught Moral Philosophy and lectured for the International Seminar on Jurisprudence and Human Rights in Strasbourg. Michael speaks to a wide variety of audiences worldwide and is involved in a number of initiatives to equip and train emerging leaders and evangelists throughout Europe. He has contributed to the books Preach the Word! and Beyond Opinion. He is married to Anne and they live in Oxford with their three children.

Amy Orr-Ewing

is Training Director of the

Zacharias Trust and Director

of Programmes for the Oxford

Centre for Christian Apologetics.

She gained a fi rst class degree in Theology at Christ Church, Oxford University, before receiving a Masters degree in Theology at King’s College, London. Amy has co-authored Holy Warriors: A Fresh Look at the Face of Extreme Islam and Deep Church and has contributed to the books God and the Generations, Worth Knowing: Wisdom for Women, and Beyond Opinion. Her book, Why Trust the Bible? was shortlisted for the 2006 UK Christian Book Awards, and But Is It Real? was released in the summer of 2008. Amy speaks and lectures on Christian apologetics worldwide. She is married to Frog, who is a vicar in the Church of England, and they live in London with their twin boys.

Ravi Zacharias

is President of RZIM and Senior

Research Fellow at Wycliff e Hall,

Oxford. He received his Masters of Divinity from Trinity International University in Deerfi eld, Illinois, and has been honoured by the conferring of a Doctor of Divinity degree from both Houghton College and Tyndale College and Seminary, Toronto, and a Doctor of Laws degree from Asbury College, Kentucky. Dr Zacharias has spoken in over 50 countries and in numerous universities, such as Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford. He has addressed the writers of the Peace Accord in South Africa, the Centre for Geopolitical Strategy in Moscow and has also spoken at the annual prayer breakfast at the United Nations in New York. Dr Zacharias has written many books, including the Gold Medallion winner, Can Man Live Without God. His weekly radio programme, Let My People Think, is broadcast over 1,500 stations worldwide. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Margie.

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Alister McGrath

is Professor of Theology,

Ministry and Education,

and Director of the Centre for

Theology, Religion and Culture

at King’s College, London, and

President of the Oxford Centre

for Christian Apologetics.

He was formerly Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. He holds fi rst class honours degrees in both Chemistry and Theology from Oxford University and was awarded an Oxford DPhil for his research in the natural sciences. Professor McGrath has written a number of important works on reformation history and theology, and on the development prospects for evangelicalism. His many writings include his acclaimed book on apologetics, Bridge Building, and his internationally popular Christian Theology: An Introduction. He has a special interest in atheism and has written Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes and the Meaning of Life, The Dawkins Delusion and The Twilight of Atheism. Alister and his wife Joanna live near Oxford.

John Lennox

is Reader in Mathematics

at Oxford University, Fellow

in Mathematics and the

Philosophy of Science at

Green College, Oxford and

joint Director of the Oxford

Centre for Christian Apologetics. He studied at Cambridge, from which he holds the degrees of MA and PhD, and was subsequently Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of Wales where he was awarded a DSc degree. He also holds an MA in Bioethics. Dr Lennox is interested in the interface of science, philosophy and theology and has lectured and written many articles and several books on mathematics and on Christian apologetics, particularly on the science-religion debate. Titles include God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? and Christianity: Opium or Truth? (co-authored with David Gooding). John and his wife Sally live near Oxford.

Michael Green

is Chaplain for the Oxford

Centre for Christian Apologetics.

He was for many years a Senior Research Fellow at Wycliff e Hall where he taught Evangelism, Apologetics and New Testament Studies. Most recently, he has been helping to grow a start-up Anglican Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, training in evangelism for the Anglican Communion Network in the USA. His previous experience includes being Principal of St John’s College, Nottingham; Rector of St Aldate’s Church, Oxford; Professor of Evangelism at Regent College, Vancouver and Advisor to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York on Evangelism. His recently published works include The Books the Church Suppressed, a repudiation of the Coptic Gospels on which the Da Vinci Code relied, I’d Like to Believe, But…, In Search of Spirituality and You Can’t be Serious! Michael and his wife Rosemary are based in Oxford.

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The

Zacharias

Trust has

identifi ed

a number

of key

individuals

throughout

Europe who

are gifted

evangelists

and share

our vision.

Zacharias Trust Associates

Our team of associates support us in speaking engagements

and training events as well as being involved in their own

ministries. We are helping to mentor, train and encourage them

so that they become more eff ective apologists and evangelists.

They are an important part of our wider aim to train 1,000

European evangelists throughout Europe (see below).

Our associates include: Raphael Anzenberger (France), Vlad Criznic (Romania), Sharon Dirckx (UK), Andre Furmanov (Russia), Philip

Lindholm (UK), Alex McLellan (UK), Michelle Tepper (UK), Andrew

Nedelchev (Bulgaria), Tom Price (UK), Wendy Quay (UK), Jiří Unger

(Czech Republic), Will van der Hart (UK) and Tanya Yeghnazar (UK).

We will be featuring the work of a number of our associates in subsequent issues of Pulse.

Training 1,000 European Evangelists

Without God: Where is Europe Heading?

In February of 2008, Michael Ramsden spoke on this topic to a large assembly of European politicians at a forum in Brussels. The event was part of the wider and ongoing debate about what role religion should play in the European Union, especially as the continent is becoming more (demographically) Islamic. Christianity, by contrast, is becoming increasingly marginalised and is seen by some as being a relic of ‘old Europe’, with little to say to a modern and largely secular continent.

One of our strategic aims is to raise up 1,000 European evangelists to take the gospel to all parts of the continent. We are in partnership with a number of diff erent organisations who share this same desire, and our team speaks widely across Europe preaching the gospel and training others to be evangelists. We long to see the continent emerge from the shadows and once again be illuminated by the light of Christ.

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Our work

around the world . . .The Zacharias Trust believes

in the Great Commission

to proclaim the truth

of the gospel to all

parts of the earth.

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries has offi ces in the following places:

HEAD OFFICE

Atlanta, USA

CANADIAN OFFICE

Toronto, Canada

EUROPEAN OFFICE

Oxford, UK

MIDDLE EAST OFFICE

Abu Dhabi, UAE

INDIAN HEAD OFFICE

Chennai, India

ASIA PACIFIC OFFICE

Singapore

HONG KONG OFFICE

Hong Kong

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Meet the founder of RZIM

Ravi Zacharias

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Ravi’s own journey has

been one of remarkable

transformation from a

turbulent childhood in Asia to

becoming one of the world’s

best-known apologists.

Born in India in the 1940s, Ravi’s religious upbringing was an eclectic blend of both spirituality and superstition. Although his parents were nominally Christian, they did not have a personal faith in Christ and their routine involved attending the temple during festive occasions as well as consulting palmists from time to time.

As he grew up, Ravi felt a growing sense of emptiness in his life, which culminated in an attempt to take his own life at the age of 17. Ravi was fortunate to survive, and as he slowly recovered in hospital, he experienced a radical transformation that would dramatically alter the course of his life. After his mother was given a Bible, she read to him from John’s gospel and he was stunned by the words: ‘Because I live you also will live’. After meditating over these words he decided to commit his life to Christ and soon became gripped by a newfound hunger to discover the truth – a desire that would sustain him throughout his

life. He felt a burning need to learn more about God and, when he returned to full health, he began to immerse himself in studying the gospel.

His family emigrated to Canada in 1966 and, after attending college and seminary, Ravi became an itinerant preacher and a seminary lecturer. Evangelism was Ravi’s driving passion, and as he spoke in many diff erent settings, he began to realise the desperate need for a ministry that was able to proclaim the gospel eff ectively in a cynical world. In particular, he desired to reach the happy thinking sceptic and to help them address their objections about Christianity so that they could see the cross, clearly and unhindered. In 1984, this ministry became a reality when a Christian couple, who shared this same vision, off ered to provide the means to establish Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). From this initial leap of faith, the organisation has now grown to become a truly global ministry. This development has been possible because of the generosity of our worldwide supporters, a community of believers united with the same desire to see the world transformed by the love of God.

For more on Ravi Zacharias’

story, please read his

autobiography Walking from East to West: God in the Shadows

gs of RZIM

Wellspring InternationalPractical Apologetics

“Love is the most powerful apologetic. It is the essential component in reaching the whole person in a fragmented world. The need is vast, but it is also imperative that we be willing to follow the example of Jesus and meet the need.” (Ravi Zacharias)

Wellspring International was established in 2004 as a practical expression of what RZIM preaches and defends. The vision behind this humanitarian arm of our ministry is to identify and fund individuals in need, as well as existing organisations that are helping those at risk in their communities, specifi cally women and children. Wellspring is involved in numerous projects worldwide and these range from caring for HIV/AIDS orphans in South Africa and supporting a drug-rehabilitation programme in Indonesia to providing a home for the destitute in Southern India and working on an initiative to improve schools in Uganda. One hundred percent of donations given to RZIM and designated for Wellspring are distributed to projects overseas that we have researched and vetted.

For further details see

www.wellspringinternational.org

RZIM Zacharias Trust

97a St Aldate’s

Oxford

OX1 1BT

T: +44 (0)1865 203951

F: +44 (0)1865 203950

offi ce@zactrust.org

www.zactrust.org

The RZIM Zacharias Trust is the European offi ce of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee and Registered in England and Wales.

Company No. 3449676. Charity No. 1067314

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