A Unique Surprise

Sometimes I feel like I am the most oblivious person.


Last Tuesday I was walking through the halls of Regent's I noticed a giant poster telling me that Ravi Zaharias was in Oxford doing lunch lectures TODAY! and the next two days...I'm not sure how I missed this sign before...there's no telling how long it has been here..and I was dissappointed that I had already missed the first day...but I was certainly going to make time to go on Wednesday.



For those of you who don't know him...and it seems like most people I've asked haven't....



(which, always seems to work out like that- because celebrities that I'm just supposed to know of because I'm a living human somehow I've never heard of...but famous/yet obscure theology guy? sure. got that covered.) -



-anyway, Ravi is a theologian that I was first introduced to through my world history teacher at Oneida Baptist Institute- Mr. Self....since it was a private school, we could read whatever, so Mr. Self chose this book to go alongside our normal readings called "Jesus Among Other Gods"- basically a comparison of the Christian Jesus to the worlds primary worldviews revealing truths of each and why Christianity is both fundamentally different...and correct....



He was in Oxford to speak for a conference for Christian Union whose mission this year is Unique...http://oiccu.org.uk
I won't go into his speech here...unless maybe later I decide to. I really will just recommend that book...or another "Can Man Live Without God"....he just has a very good grasp on competing worldviews that makes it easy to understand the differences between them. I was very excited to hear him though, and I will share one story that impressed me:


He was asked to speak at a United Nations conference on "Navigating the Absolute in a Relativist World"...under the condition that he did not bring religion into it. So he basically strikes a deal saying that he will speak for 25 of the 30 minutes on the topic they ask him to....as long as they give him the remaining 5 minutes to explain why his Jesus fulfills all the areas where people are trying to find an absolute answer...and they agree...



so he names 4 areas 1.evil 2.justice 3. love and 4. forgiveness that the world is seeking absolution on and can't seem to find....especially in something like United Nations where everyone is coming from such starkly different back grounds.....how do you define and evil regime exactly? and how doyou bring violators to justice?


After his speech he follows with the explanation of the Cross, the only event ever where these 4 realities of the world can converge into one....standing in stark contradiction to any other worldview because Jesus offered himself....Ravi said there was "a stillness in the banquet room and not one hostile reaction" to what he had just explained.....


I could go on about that story on a number of levels, but what I admire the most is his courage in witnessing...not necessarily forcing people....but simply taking that opportunity when he saw it arise in a place where it just seems completely out of character to happen...I think it is interesting that among Christians we don't hear enough of these situations...positive experiences of Christians in a political world...even if it doesn't exactly agree...I wish more young people would know of Ravi and his story. When I worked with youth this summer I found that it was so easy for them to just give up for many different reasons and in many different areas, but perhaps if they were presented images as this one- instances of real people immersed in a truly spiritually diverse atmostphere-having the commitment to share Jesus in a nonthreatening way, and it turning out fine, if not even positively. So I was encouraged, a maybe others could be too.

There where some other great truths discussed, and some very heavy topics as well. Some good stuff to process over some time. I wish Mr. Self could have been there to enjoy it with me, and maybe he will make it down to Georgia this summer, where Ravi will be for a little while.

For more info on Ravi and his ministry I highly suggest http://www.rzim.org.

It is funny how you end up crossing paths with unexpected opportunities.....or people for that matter. At the lunch lecture I ran into a girl I met during my library induction over 4 weeks ago now...her name is Michelle and she is visiting this semester from Hong Kong. Her and her fried Donna who was with her at the lecture both go to Wadham College here. So it was nice seeing her again and comparing tutorial experiences. Apparently her tutor has the disease where she can remember peoples facial features. I can't remember what it is called, but Michelle told me that if they are meeting somewhere in public her tutor might look at her and then just turn away- having no clue who she is....that has nothing to do with Ravi or anything. But it is an interesting little story.

This even was in town hall. Here are a few random pictures...it, as is usual for Oxford, was beautiful.