Prolific Bible Teacher Ravi Zacharias Dies at 74 From Cancer
By Tess Farrand, Associate Content Editor
Ravi Zacharias, a prolific Bible teacher, evangelist and apologist, died at age 74 from cancer on May 19, 2020, just two short months after his diagnosis. Just last week, his family stated that there were no other viable options for treatment.
Dr. Ted Baehr notes, “Ravi was not only a personal friend for many years, but his great apologetic ministry to intellectuals was in many ways similar to our ministry to the Entertainment Industry: considered, solid and good news. I have many funny stories of conversations with Ravi when I was speaking at his weekend events, but will take them with me to heaven to laugh with Ravi about at Jesus’ banquet table.”
Zacharias was on Movieguide®’s Board of Reference. On several occasions, he asked Dr. Ted Baehr to speak, and he himself spoke several times at Movieguide®’s Faith Promise banquet in Atlanta where he lived with his wife, Margie.
Zacharias is survived by Margie and their three children, Sarah, Naomi and Nathan.
“My dad’s humility, grace, tenderness for people, and above all love for the Lord are forever imprinted on my mind, my heart, and my life. His love for our family will be impossible to replace until we join him in heaven one day,” said Sarah Zacharias Davis of her late father.
Zacharias’s global ministry, RZIM, shared more about his life:
Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias was born in Madras, now Chennai, in 1946, in the shadow of the resting place of the apostle Thomas, known to the world as the “Doubter” but to Zacharias as the “Great Questioner.” Zacharias’s affinity with Thomas meant he was always more interested in the questioner than the question itself. His mother, Isabella, was a teacher. His father, Oscar, who was studying labor relations at the University of Nottingham in England when Zacharias was born, rose through the ranks of the Indian civil service throughout Zacharias’s adolescence.
An unremarkable student, Zacharias was more interested in cricket than books, until his encounter with the Gospel in that hospital bed. Nevertheless, a bold, radical faith ran in his genes. In the Indian state of Kerala, his paternal great-grandfather and grandfather produced the 20th century’s first Malayalam-English dictionary. This dictionary served as the cornerstone of the first Malayalam translation of the Bible. Further back, Zacharias’s great-great-great-grandmother shocked her Nambudiri family, the highest caste of the Hindu priesthood, by converting to Christianity. With conversion came a new surname, Zacharias, and a new path that started her descendants on a road to the Christian faith.
Zacharias saw the Lord’s hand at work in his family’s tapestry, and he infused RZIM with the same transgenerational and transcultural heart for the Gospel. He created a ministry that transcended his personality, where every speaker, whatever their background, presented the truth in the context of the contemporary. Zacharias believed if you achieved that, your message would always be necessary. Thirty-six years since its establishment, the ministry still bears the name chosen for Zacharias’s ancestor. However, where once there was a single speaker, now there are nearly 100 gifted speakers who on any given night can be found sharing the Gospel at events across the globe; where once it was run from Zacharias’s home, now the ministry has a presence in 15 countries on five continents.
Zacharias was a man of deep scriptural awareness and frequently posted about the eternal hope believers have in Christ. He also authored over 20 books, including Why Jesus? and Jesus Among Secular Gods.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day…”
—2 Corinthians 4:16
— Ravi Zacharias (@RaviZacharias) May 15, 2020
RZIM stated how Zacharias’s ministry and beliefs will echo the hope of eternity with Christ.
It was his third visit to Angola [Prison] and, such is his deep connection, the inmates have made Zacharias the coffin in which he will be buried. As he writes in Seeing Jesus from the East, “These prisoners know that this world is not their home and that no coffin could ever be their final destination. Jesus assured us of that.”
Like him, Zacharias’s children are strong forces in the Kingdom of God.
Sarah Zacharias Davis is the CEO of RZIM, while Naomi serves as the Director of Wellspring International. Their brother, Nathan, serves as Creative Director for Media for RZIM.
Naomi posted an encouraging IGTV video just last week of one of Zacharias’s favorite hymns, “How Great Thou Art,” while he was undergoing treatment in Houston, TX.
Many in the Christian community continue to post touching tributes of Zacharias’s legacy on social media.
Jesus’s words in the Gospel of John 11 provide a source of comfort in the wake of this deep loss:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Please join Movieguide® in prayer for Zacharias’s family.
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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