HELPING THE THINKER BELIEVE MAGAZINE AND THE BELIEVER THINK 2019

Th e art of conversation: how do I share my faith? PAGE 33

Responding to objections: ‘I can’t take the Bible seriously

because…’ PAGE 8

IF PROFIT IS EVANGELISM AND THE DEALING FINDING BEAUTY RZIM’S NEW EVERYTHING, WHY HARDEST QUESTION WITH IN THE MIDST OFFICE IN FRANCE BOTHER WITH ETHICS? FOR CHRISTIANS DOUBT OF WEEPING PAGE 31 PAGE 12 PAGE 4 PAGE 6 PAGE 17 “Confi dence in the truth of the Gospel is what lays an even stronger desire to share the Gospel confi dently.” (MICHAEL RAMSDEN)

Confi dence in the truth p2 Evangelism and the hardest question for Christians p4

EDITOR Simon Wenham Research Coordinator In this issue: EDITORIAL TEAM Nancy Giff ord Global Media Director David Lloyd Director of Communications and Development WHO WE ARE ENGAGING CULTURE Rio Summers Executive Assistant to Andy Moore

EMEA SPEAKING TEAM OCCA FELLOWS 2 Confi dence in the truth 4 Evangelism and the hardest (UK-based unless stated) (UK-based unless stated) Sam Allberry David Bennett Sharing Christ in contested places question for Christians Andrew Ashraf (Egypt) Gareth Black Michael Ramsden Is Christianity really relevant today? Max Baker-Hytch Mike Day (South Africa) Lara Buchanan Madeline Jackson Interview with Alanzo Paul Vlad Criznic (Romania) Gerson Mercadal (Spain) 3 How you can help Sharon Dirckx Calum Miller Simon Edwards Alanzo Paul Supporting our evangelism around 6 Dealing with doubt Senem Ekener (Turkey) Mari Ovsepyan the region Should uncertainty destroy our faith? Hossam Garas (Egypt) Luna (Wei) Wang David Lloyd Julia Garschagen Gernot Zeilinger (Austria) Martin Smith (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) Os Guinness (UK and USA) Christian Hofreiter OCCA ADJUNCTS 8 Responding to objections: (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) Ibrahim Baidoo (Ghana) ‘I can’t take the Bible seriously John Lennox Raymond Bukenya (Uganda) Mahlatse Mashua David Fraser (South Africa) because…’ (South Africa) Hassan John (Nigeria) Kosta Milkov (Macedonia) Can we trust the New Testament’s account Racheal Mutesi (Uganda) Andy Moore Gideon Odoma (Nigeria) of Jesus? Amy Orr-Ewing Justice Okoronkwo (Nigeria) Frog Orr-Ewing Simon Wenham Paulson Tumutegyereize Tom Price (Uganda) Michael Ramsden 12 If profi t is everything, why Maher Samuel (Egypt) Keith Small OCCA ASSOCIATES bother with ethics? Tanya Walker Callom Harkrader What space is there for morality in business? Andy Wickham (Spain) Ben Thomas Yousef Yacoub (Egypt) Andrew Turnbull Simon Edwards Ravi Zacharias (USA)

COVER PHOTO Michael Ramsden©John Cairns PHOTOGRAPHERS johncairns.co.uk, alexbakerphotography.com, hazelthompson.com, ciaramenzies.com, Nancy Giff ord, Ciara Menzies, Kieran Dodds NOUN PROJECT Prayer by Sergey Demushkin, Book by joe pictos, Carabiner, Binoculars & Map by Artem Kovyazin, PROOFREADER Emily Oakley DESIGNER karensawrey.com PRINTER veritecm.com

RZIM Zacharias Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales. Company No. 3449676. Charity No. 1067314. Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) was founded by Ravi Zacharias in 1984 and now comprises a global team of itinerant speakers with offi ces around the world. Welcome to the Zacharias Trust Magazine

REBOOT report p20 The art of conversation p33

Th e Zacharias Trust is part of a global organisation REACHING OUT EQUIPPING YOU (RZIM) that seeks to reach those who have objections about the Christian faith. 17 Finding beauty in the midst of 33 Th e art of conversation: how do Our vision involves a fi ve- weeping: Wellspring International I share my faith? Can light be found in the darkest of places? Making your everyday communication fold thrust of evangelism, Naomi Zacharias more eff ective apologetics, spiritual

18 Festival of Th ought 2019 38 Beliefmapping disciplines, training and Find out more about our initiative to reach Using worldview questionnaires for evangelism humanitarian support. the business world for Christ 41 Recommended resources Th is magazine showcases 20 REBOOT report The latest apologetics material from our team the work of RZIM Youth apologetics events around the globe in Europe, the Middle East 22 Meet our OCCA Fellows, and Africa. Associates and Adjuncts Pray for our regional team

24 OCCA: Communicating Christ in our culture What kind of evangelism does our training help with?

27 Global gospel: EMEA region Ministry reports from our worldwide team

31 Global gospel: France on focus Is Christianity dead in the French-speaking world? Interview with Raphael Anzenberger

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that you have…” (1 PETER 3:15)

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 1 WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

Threatening graffi ti left by the insurgents

“Confi dence in the truth of the Gospel is what lays an even stronger desire to share the Gospel confi dently.”

Michael Ramsden

Confi dence in the truth

A number of evangelists in RZIM’s global team faithfully serve in parts of the world where Christians face the ever-present threat of violence. In this report, Michael Ramsden describes his visit to Jos in Nigeria, where large numbers of believers have been killed by groups including the terrorist organisation Boko Haram.

t was an absolutely pleasure to spend a few days in Jos with three country that is split between the predominately Muslim north and Iof our African team. By the time we left, we felt privileged to have the Christian south. Th is is not only felt, but is visibly obvious, with been there. Many of the Christian leaders we ministered to asked dozens and dozens of military and police check points. When we for prayer, as they struggled with the reality of enduring and brutal landed, we had to wait for daylight before even attempting our car opposition to the Gospel with little support and protection. What journey and Hassan, one of our OCCA Adjuncts, pointed out parts was their primary prayer request? Th at the Lord might fi ll their of local towns, which, if we entered, we would never come out of. lives with love for those who were seeking to end theirs. And yet, as we arrived, at the invitation of the Archbishop, we Sadly, the challenges in and around Jos, made famous by the were greeted with such joy and warmth. Th e beauty of their witness kidnapping of 276 school children a while ago, continue to overfl ow was both encouraging and infectious. Th ere’s something wonderful into violence. A few days before we arrived, a village church was about experiencing the heart of a vibrant, worshipping community, attacked and destroyed, leaving a large number dead, injured made even more moving by its challenging environs. and homeless. Shortly after we left, more villages were targeted, Yet at every event we spoke at, the question of violence was resulting in over 200 dead (see further update). Our team there inevitably raised. When the opportunity was given to ask questions really do need your ongoing prayers. Th ere is great tension within a at two university forums, so many cards were fi lled out, it felt like

2 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO you could measure the thickness of the pile in feet, rather than HOW YOU CAN HELP inches. Many of them related to the question of whether someone has the right to defend loved ones, and what that defence should look like. Almost a hundred gave their lives to Christ across the two The Zacharias Trust continues to grow signifi cantly, evenings, and many more asked for follow-up. not just with its UK work, but right across Europe, While there, we had the further privilege of meeting with those who would seek to justify violence against the Christian the Middle East and Africa. We have indigenous community. It is at times like these that we are so appreciative speakers now based on the African continent in of your prayers for wisdom and protection. When we left several countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, hours later, one of our team stood outside afterwards and simply said, ‘Wow!’. As far as he knew, that was the fi rst time the Gospel Uganda and Ghana (see page 22). We have a further had been openly discussed in that setting. His joy was wonderful seven speakers faithfully sharing and defending to behold, and all the more striking given that a few minutes later the gospel in the Middle East. In Europe, we have we stood in the ruins of his church, which had been destroyed by the very same group. Some of the rubble had been pushed aside, evangelist-apologists in countries ranging from to make room for a simple wooden altar and plastic chairs, so that Austria, Germany and Switzerland, through to Spain, it was now a place of Christian worship again. We prayed together Romania and Macedonia – and, as of this year, a that not only would the church be rebuilt, but that accommodation for the nearby university would be built there too, so that those speaker in France, who also has a passion to reach who came to know Christ while studying could then be trained in French-speaking Africa (see page 31). apologetics and sent from that place to take the Good News into the tough places that surrounded them. All this is in addition to our speaking team in North People sometimes question the need for apologetics in settings America and Asia, giving a total of around eighty such as these – the assumption being that other needs simply make apologetics unnecessary. However, the response from those on the speakers around the globe – compared to nine a ground demonstrate that this couldn’t be further from the truth. decade ago. And each year, through our Oxford Confi dence in the truth of the Gospel is what lays an even stronger Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA), we are desire to share the Gospel confi dently. Th ose we met specifi cally asked me to pass on their deepest thanks to all who enable us to do raising up about twenty new evangelist-apologists the work we do. Without you, none of this would be possible. Th e through the one-year programme, battles that we are facing in this world are real, both physically and some of whom go on to join our team. spiritually. Th e need for your prayers and support is so desperately needed, and your partnership is a deep encouragement to us. You can see our OCCA Fellows, Adjuncts and Associates on pages 22-3. Michael Ramsden INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR

@RamsdenMichael All this could not happen without the support of so many people around the globe, people such as you. Do please pray for us. As you will FURTHER UPDATE read from Michael’s message, we work across FROM NIGERIA many countries, cultures and worldviews – and our heart is always to communicate the beauty and credibility of the gospel. Within two weeks of Michael Ramsden’s visit there were four further attacks around Jos, the worst of which involved eleven villages being targeted causing over 200 deaths and more than fi fty injuries. In 2018 alone, If that’s your passion too, do connect with us approximately 6,000 Christians have been killed, including and please consider supporting us fi nancially: church leaders, like Pastor Michael and his wife, and Pastor you can give online at Emmanuel. A further 3,000 people have been displaced www.zachariastrust.org/donate by the violence and are now living in refugee camps in the surrounding area. David Lloyd The local clergy all have bounties on their heads from DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT Boko Haram, so please do pray for the situation, which has escalated in recent months.

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 3 ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS Evangelism and the hardest question for Christians: An Interview with Alanzo Paul We caught up with OCCA Fellow, Alanzo Paul, to talk about evangelism, the place of Christianity in society today and what he considers to be the hardest question for the believer.

Simon Wenham: Th ank you for joining us. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?

Alanzo Paul: My name is Alanzo Julian Paul. I’m a fourth generation Canadian and my wife and I are entrepreneurs with a global men’s grooming brand. Presently, I am studying theology at Alanzo Paul the University of Oxford.

How did you become a Christian and did it involve your intellect?

It did. We didn’t grow up in a Christian home. We were nominally Catholic at most. Nine years ago, when I was 21, my life was at its darkest point. My sister, who had recently started to attend church, invited me to come along. I wanted nothing to do with a place that would make me feel worse than I already felt about myself. However, she eventually persuaded me to give it a try. When I went, I heard this message about the historical Jesus of Nazareth, who claimed to be God in the fl esh, and I felt like I had been lied to my whole life. Th ere is a common misconception that you need to ‘park your brain’, when entering a church, but far from encouraging readers to absorb it uncritically, the Bible invites and challenges readers to engage with, process, and test the claims it asserts. Th e more I investigated who Jesus was, the more convinced I became that what he claimed was true. So, part of it was intellectual, but it was also very much a transformation of heart too.

What do you think the strongest arguments for Christian belief are?

I think of it in terms of a cumulative case, rather than any single argument. First, for monotheism in general, I think the fi ne-tuning argument is formidable. Second, for Christianity specifi cally, I fi nd the data surrounding the person of Jesus to be exceedingly compelling. Th ere is an astonishing amount of empirical evidence to support the existence and the broad outline of the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Last, there is the transformation of heart experienced by myself and millions of Christians over two millennia. Th is

4 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS

inward change doesn’t necessarily make Christianity true, but it is become more Christian. Th ose who follow Christ do this through what one should expect if it is true. So these points all convince me the gospel, prayer, worship and community. Also, I contend, that Christianity is reasonable and rational. that one must question the authenticity of those who claim to be Christian and yet conduct themselves in ways that are not aligned Is it possible to reason someone into Christianity? with Jesus. It’s worth bearing in mind that one can claim to be something without actually being it. Yes and no (a classic Oxford response). I don’t think you can fully take someone from atheism to Christianity by purely providing a But wouldn’t becoming more Christian put us more at odds rational case for it, because we’re not purely logical beings, as we with modern society? have a sentient side to us too. We can logically know that diet and exercise is good for optimal health, but that doesn’t mean we do No, I don’t think so. Th ere is nothing problematic about Jesus’ it – something more is required. As an apologist, I endeavour to teaching of loving God, your neighbour, and even your enemies. If demonstrate that Christianity is both logical and beautiful. Indeed, anything, I contend that this sort of love is desperately needed in helping to remove intellectual barriers and misconceptions is our hostile world. He taught that all people, regardless of race, sex signifi cant, but it is for the ultimate end of enabling people to gaze or social status, have been made in the very image of God. People unhindered upon Jesus. I personally have a deep conviction that are exceedingly valuable in God’s sight. Jesus, who lived in fi rst it is Jesus alone who is able to save and speak the tender mercies century Palestine, was in an alien world compared to our western necessary to transform a person’s heart. civilisation and yet, when no one else would, he radically included the marginalised and cared for the hurting. Ultimately he then Do you have any examples of people changing their mind demonstrated God’s love through the supreme act of the cross. about Christianity? What would you say to someone who has no interest I know a PhD student here in Oxford who was sceptical of the in Christianity? Christian faith. Over the course of a year, I helped to remove some of the intellectual barriers he had, by carefully explaining the You should take the claims of Christianity seriously, because if it Christian worldview and showing him who the person of Jesus is true then it impacts every aspect of your life and, indeed, the is. He came to realise that the Christian worldview is both logical world. It impacts your identity, purpose, morality and your views and existentially relevant to the struggles he was personally on death, justice, human worth, and so forth. More than that, if it experiencing. He eventually became a follower of Christ Jesus and is true, then regardless of your social status or level of affl uence, is now serving at a local church here in Oxford. He was someone you’re missing out. Th e author, C. S. Lewis, famously said that those who was, and still is, very concerned about social justice and he now in our modern society are too easily pleased. He used the analogy describes himself as ‘a refugee in the shelter of God’s mercy.’ of ignorant children who are content with making mud pies in the slum and can’t even imagine a holiday by the sea. No matter how Do you appreciate why people have objections successful you are, Christianity claims there’s infi nitely more on about Christianity? the table. A dynamic relationship with the creator and author of life is available and through this one can obtain everything that Absolutely! In my experience, the misconceptions that people have the human heart desperately longs for: truth, love, peace, hope and about Christianity give birth to the objections that we face. I can ultimate satisfaction. sympathise, because I wouldn’t believe in the God many people think is out there! However, the more I think through faith and What do you expect to happen when you do evangelism? analyse the data, the more persuaded I become that it is true. My heart breaks because the picture some people have of God is My expectations are high. I expect to be questioned and I expect horribly wrong and I’m thankful that I get to be part of the RZIM to be challenged. However, I also expect Christ to reveal Himself family that helps people to see clearly who He truly is. during that time. Th ere is nothing about the gospel to be ashamed of, because it is the power of God. We can be completely confi dent What’s the hardest que stion to answer as a Christian? and transparent with our faith, as it can withstand the scrutiny of critical thinking. It is also life transforming, as it brings personal Th e biggest objection against Christianity, as a whole, is the joy and peace to all who believe. Th is, of course, is a result of Christian. Th e Christian worldview claims there is a God who has the cross of Jesus Christ, which is paramount for salvation and, the capacity to transform our hearts from one of self-assertion subsequently, evangelism. God demonstrated His love for us, in to one that is self-sacrifi cial. Yet, we all know some who claim to that, while we were still far off , Christ died for us. Th e cross means be Christians, who are hypocritical, bigoted and judgmental. Th is that our God is a God of justice, forgiveness, and love. For God so is lamentable. Gandhi famously once said, ‘I like your Christ, I loved you and I, that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes just don’t like your Christian’. I agree with those who raise this in Him will have everlasting life. It is this goodness that brings objection, as the lives of those who follow Jesus and his teaching transformation. Th us, I count it a privilege, that I get to help people should be diff erent. cast their gaze and minds upon the Way, the Truth, and the Life, who loved us and gave Himself for us. What is the solution to this problem?

Th e answer is similar to that which Martin Luther King said when For further information about the OCCA Fellows, see page 22. he experienced hostility. He said that Christians didn’t need to For more information about the reliability of the Bible, see page 8. become less Christian to become less problematic, they need to

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 5 Dealing with doubt

Many Christians are uncertain about aspects of their faith. In this article, Martin Smith looks at the diff erent types of doubt and how to try to satisfy our need for answers.

oubt (of the kind I’m writing about) is a felt lack of more than you should. Dassurance about a belief you care about. If you are a A desire for assurance works in a similar way. You Christian, doubts about whether God is there, whether fi nd yourself seeking arguments that God exists, that the Bible can be trusted and whether you are saved the Bible is reliable and some guarantee that you are can be very painful. I’ve experienced doubt in various saved. Th e problem could be that you do, in fact, need forms, since my very fi rst moments as a Christian. Here such assurance (or ‘food’) – that’s option 1. But the is a quick distillation of how I think doubt works and problem could be that your appetite for assurance how you might progress with it. is overblown – that’s option 2. Maybe you have a Above: Martin Dunkley Smith suffi cient degree of evidence and support for your Top: Photo by Emily Mortimer A felt lack of assurance has basically two sources: beliefs (‘food in your belly’), but you keep craving more. on Unsplash • 1. Your beliefs presently don’t have the degree of Most of us initially think that our doubt is option 1. support that they ought to have and you rightly After all, when you are hungry, it just seems to you that desire that they have that proper degree of support you need more food! But often, when we learn more about ourselves, we realise that we fall into option 2. • 2. Your beliefs presently do have the degree of We have an over-infl ated hunger for assurance. (It’s support that they ought to have and you wrongly also possible to be both – you might have an infl ated desire that they have a higher degree of support appetite for assurance and yet not have even received a Suppose you feel hungry. Th e problem could be that basic portion of it.) you need more food. Or the problem could be that your appetite is too large. Perhaps your body has enough Plain intellectual doubt food, but because you are used to overeating, your body Let’s call option 1 plain intellectual doubt. It’s like is not satisfi ed by a normal portion of food – you want ordinary, normal hunger. You have a warranted desire

6 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS

“I’ve for food – for greater support for your beliefs. If this is epistemology. A helpful introduction to these issues, the kind of doubt you’re dealing with, it gets resolved requiring no background in philosophy at all, is Esther experienced in one of two ways. Either you end up getting that Meek’s Longing to Know: Th e Philosophy of Knowledge for doubt in support or you abandon the beliefs. Th is one is quite Ordinary People. simple, really. If you have plain intellectual doubt Over-infl ated emotional doubt various forms, about whether the New Testament is reliable, well, you In my experience, this is the most common kind confront the issue and you try to fi gure out whether it is since my very of doubt Christians struggle with. As the hunger or not. Th e complicated part of plain intellectual doubt metaphor suggests, the problem here is an emotional fi rst moments comes when you wonder how this sort of examination desire for assurance that won’t be satisfi ed by healthy of the evidence sits with having faith? Is there some as a Christian” portions of assurance. If you end up fretting about mere confl ict here? Th at’s a worthwhile question. Another possibilities, this can be a sign of over-infl ated emotional question worth asking, which many doubters neglect, doubt: ‘All my friends say I am very devoted, but what is: suppose I abandoned this particular belief I am if they don’t know the real me? What if I’m not really doubting, would I then have to abandon Christianity as a saved?’ If you notice that very few people worry about whole? Too many Christians bundle all of their religious the sorts of things you do, or to the extent you do, that beliefs into one tightly connected package. Should one can be a sign that unruly emotions are running amok. piece of the package get broken, it would all get broken, Gary Habermas has helpful discussions about this kind they think. Granted, for some issues this would be true. of doubt in his books Th e Th omas Factor and Dealing with If you conclude that God doesn’t exist, there really isn’t Doubt (both free to download from his website). any Christianity worth salvaging after that. But what What do you do about this kind of doubt? Well, it’s if you ended up changing your interpretation of how complicated. In essence, this is an anxiety problem. Not you understand a part of scripture? Would the whole that everyone who struggles with such doubt is clinically thing go out the window? Th at should be less obvious. anxious. You can have struggles with anxiety that are In other words, don’t make more hang on your doubt not extreme enough to count as an anxiety disorder, than need be. but even so, how best to deal with them is a matter Gregory Boyd’s book, Benefi t of the Doubt, does of debate. For what it’s worth, here’s what I’ve found an excellent job of showing that biblical faith is helpful from personal experience. compatible with testing the evidence and showing What do you do if your appetite for food is over- that Christianity does not need to be so brittle infl ated and you want to bring it back to healthy levels? that it collapses with every shift in our thought. I’d You steadily decrease your diet, so that you get used to recommend it as the fi rst stop for the person with plain being satisfi ed with smaller portions. Of course, you intellectual doubt. will often feel hungry as you do this. Your body might Moving on, let’s call option 2 over-infl ated doubt. It be crying out for unhealthy portions, but by slowly can actually be further subdivided: denying your desires satisfaction, they steadily weaken. Over-infl ated intellectual doubt Th at is, you need to develop a tolerance for a certain Th e metaphor I have been using of over-infl ated degree of hunger for a while. Th e same goes with the hunger suggests that over-infl ated doubt is primarily craving for assurance. You learn to tolerate a feeling of driven by emotional desire. I will get to that kind of uncertainty and so eventually to bring your desire for over-infl ated doubt below. It is important to note, certainty and assurance down to more realistic levels. however, that over-infl ated desire can also be driven by Rather than trying to satisfy your desires for assurance intellectual convictions. – which is often fruitless, given how unrealistic the Suppose you believe that the only kind of evidence desire can be – you just allow them to sit there until that counts is scientifi c evidence. You seek assurance they fade. Th is is something you can practice. When you that God exists, but when people off er you philosophical feel that craving for assurance, you can stop, breathe arguments, you dismiss them. You seek assurance slowly, and pay attention to what that craving feels like. that the New Testament is reliable, but when people You will be tempted to start reviewing the evidence off er you historical evidence, you dismiss it: ‘Only and analysing the arguments, so you can get rid of scientifi c evidence will satisfy me.’ It’s not hard to that uncomfortable feeling, but when you notice your see that you would have over-infl ated, unquenchable thoughts heading that way, gently return your attention doubt with this sort of scientistic belief. Philosophical to the feeling of the craving. By embracing the feeling and historical evidence is perfectly legitimate, but you in this way, you learn to live with it, and its power over won’t accept it. What you need is to change your belief you will diminish. about what counts as evidence – or what counts as Doubt is an ordinary part of living in a world of rational, acceptable and plausible. Of course, if you are a complexity and ambiguity, but it can itself be complex. Christian, scientism probably isn’t tripping you up, but By understanding its sources, we can learn to live more there are other views with overly stringent criteria for wisely. evidence that can derail you. Th is gets you into philosophical territory about the Martin Dunkley Smith nature of evidence, knowledge and rationality – that OCCA DOCTORAL FELLOW is, it gets you into the branch of philosophy known as

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 7 Responding to objections: ‘I can’t take the Bible seriously because…’

8 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS

Th e Bible is one of the best- selling books of all time, but its

authority rests on the central Photo by Tanner Mardis on Unsplash claims that it makes about the Mark, a companion of Peter and of Paul, and of Luke’s to Luke, Paul’s companion. If you wanted to invent an life of Jesus. In this article, author for these important records, you would surely go for people more directly linked to Jesus, such as Peter. Simon Wenham examines fi ve Luke’s identifi cation is confi rmed in the book of Acts, as in his description of Paul’s journeys, the narrative of the strongest arguments drops into the fi rst person, where it says ‘we’ travelled to certain locations. It shows that he was around in the against the reliability of the church in the 50s AD, including in Jerusalem, mingling with people like James, the brother of Jesus. So he had every opportunity to do careful research into the New Testament and what stories of Jesus, which is exactly what he claims to have done in the important opening of his gospel. Christians can say in response. One fi nal observation is that it is wrong to consider that there was a ‘gap’ between the events of Jesus’ lifetime and the writing of the gospels. During those Objection 1. It was written decades years, the fi rst Christians were criss-crossing the after Jesus’ death (and we don’t even know Graeco-Roman world telling people about Jesus who some of the authors were) and inviting them to believe in him. Th ere is strong evidence in Paul’s letters, many of which we can date Jesus is thought to have been killed around 31AD, very accurately, that there was a deliberate passing on but scholars generally believe that Mark’s gospel was of the stories of Jesus in this period (an oral tradition). the earliest account of his life, probably written around So Paul can say to the Christians of Corinth in Greece, 50-70AD, followed later in the fi rst century by the other ‘I passed on to you what I also received...that Christ gospels. Most of Paul’s letters are thought to predate died for our sins...that he was buried, that he was raised the gospels with the fi rst probably being written around on the third day…’ Whilst modern commentators may 50AD (either 1 Th essalonians or Galatians). think of oral tradition as unreliable, in the time of Sceptical scholars argue that during the gap between Jesus – and, indeed, in cultures today where people the events and the writing of the accounts, the story don’t have books or electronic media – memorization was greatly embellished with the original human Jesus was and is amazingly accurate. Recalling something like being transformed, over time, into the divine Jesus of a gospel would have been relatively straightforward. So later Christian orthodoxy. Th e gospels that we have do it’s important to stress that not only were the writers not give us an accurate picture of the original Jesus, intelligent and literate, they were also drawing on good nor were they written by eyewitnesses or people close tradition. to the events, as Christians claim. Th ey are anonymous As for the view that the story in the gospels is documents that have mistakenly been attributed to highly embellished, the very early records that we have apostles and colleagues. describe Jesus as Lord, risen from the dead. It was not an ordinary human who inspired the fi rst Christians What do Christians say in response? to go around the world proclaiming him at the cost of Th e New Testament has been minutely and critically their lives, but someone or something far greater and scrutinized in recent centuries and the resulting more exciting. academic consensus is that all of the documents were written within a hundred years of Jesus’ life. If it is Objection 2. It is full of mistakes and the right that some of them date from around 50AD, then accounts don’t even agree with each other many eyewitnesses with fi rst-hand knowledge of the Critics argue that there are discrepancies in the story of Jesus would still have been around. Even if the gospels, not only in the detail of some of the narratives, earliest gospels do not tell us who the authors were, but also in the overall chronology of key events, like the it is highly likely that they would have been known post-resurrection appearances. Th ere are also historical by those who circulated them in the fi rst century, as inaccuracies, such as Luke’s claim that Quirinius was many fi gures in the early church are mentioned in the Governor at the time of Herod, when in reality, he accounts. Furthermore, there is a very good case for held the post (and conducted his census) after Herod’s accepting the earliest ascription of Mark’s gospel to Photo by Giammarco Boscaro on Unsplash death. >

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 9 ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS

“People’s doubts are understandable, but the New Testament provides a What do Christians say in response? Th e diff erences between the gospel accounts have description of long been recognized by scholars and a vast amount what happened has been written on how and why this is the case. Some attempts to harmonize the accounts have been better that is much than others, but the overall diff erences should not just Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash more plausible be seen as a negative. In fact, having diff erent witnesses is important, as in a court of law. If all the witnesses than the said exactly the same thing, then we might well suspect provided a wealth of information about the religious alternatives. ” that they had colluded, but if they came at things from climate of the time, as well as some of the individuals diff erent angles, then their combined testimony is all mentioned in the Bible, ranging from the Pharisees and the stronger. Scholars believe that the gospel writers Herod, to Pilate and John the Baptist. had some common sources, but there is also plenty of Th ere are also other types of external source evidence that their accounts are often independent, so that corroborate details within the Bible, including we have ‘multiple attestation’ of the events. archaeological fi nds. In 2005, for example, workers You would also expect diff erences, because the in Jerusalem accidentally unearthed the steps to the gospels are not simple uninterpreted records of Pool of Siloam (John 9:7). Th e many other discoveries Jesus, but they went through a process of selection, include an inscription referring to Pilate, as well translation and interpretation. Even so, the most as an ossuary that may even contain the bones of important thing to remember is that they agree on Caiaphas, the High Priest at the time of Jesus. Th ere the key events relating to Jesus. As for the question is also geographical evidence that fi ts what the Bible about Quirinius, there is no agreement on the apparent describes. A good example is the Parable of the Good discrepancy, but the fact that Luke mentions him at Samaritan, which would have made immediate sense to all shows that he was interested in historical events. the audience, as the steep seventeen-mile road between Furthermore, other information he has given has been Jericho (over 250m below sea level) and Jerusalem substantiated, such as his description of Gallio as the (over 500m above sea level) was well known for being Governor of Corinth, as confi rmed by an inscription dangerous. Similarly, a seemingly incidental detail like found in the Greek city of Delphi. Jesus asking Philip where to get bread in the account of the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:5) makes sense, when Objection 3. Th ere are no external we discover elsewhere that they were near Bethsaida records to corroborate it (Luke 9:10), Philip’s home (John 1:44). Also, why would Another point against the accuracy of the gospels is a gospel writer include information like Simon of that there is a lack of external sources to corroborate Cyrene being the father of Rufus and Alexander (Mark what they record. After all, we are talking about a man 15:21), unless they were people known at the time? who supposedly claimed to be God, attracted huge Furthermore, as you would expect, the New Testament crowds and did many miraculous things. Should we shows that Jesus spoke Aramaic, the local language not expect to fi nd many more records about Jesus from (Mark 5:41). the Roman and Jewish authorities – or anyone for that matter? Objection 4. Th ey are highly biased documents (that were only selected by the What do Christians say in response? church later on) Th at argument may sound persuasive, but an Even if the sources match the general context we ignorance of ancient history can lead to unrealistic know about, the New Testament records are, at the very expectations about the sources you expect to fi nd. least, highly biased accounts, produced by people with Christianity emerged from a relatively small religious an obvious agenda. Th ey were not written by impartial community in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire and reliable witnesses, but by fervent religious and it was only once the church grew to a substantial followers, who were trying to convince others. What’s size (after Jesus’ death) that it received much wider more, the books of the Bible weren’t even offi cially attention. Nevertheless, there is external evidence declared to be authoritative until a church council in of interest. Josephus, a Jewish-Roman historian the fourth century, when some parts of scripture were (37-c.100AD), is a highly signifi cant witness. Although chosen, whilst others – that gave a very diff erent view his reference to Jesus may have been altered, he of what happened – were rejected and then supressed.

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What do Christians say in response? to Jesus being offi cially declared to be God, during the In one sense all records are ‘biased’, because they Council of Nicaea in 325AD. are written for a particular reason and from a certain perspective. In the case of the New Testament, there is What do Christians say in response? no doubt that the authors were enthusiastic believers, It is right to be cautious of miraculous claims, but who wanted to persuade others. But if someone it is wrong to dismiss them without weighing up the ardently believes something, it does not follow that evidence honestly. History may not be able to tell us they will, therefore, distort the truth. On the contrary, whether something had a supernatural cause, but it the strength of their feeling is likely to be a refl ection can help us assess whether it is likely to have occurred. of the degree to which they believe it to be true, as well To dismiss the fi rst Christians as ancient people who as the importance they attach to it. Furthermore, the believed anything and everything is insulting and gospels contain various things that the writers might completely unsatisfactory. Th ey knew as well as we have been expected to hush up, such as the very blunt do that executed people remain dead. Th e idea that a portrayal of the disciples’ failures, like Peter disowning hallucination persuaded them otherwise or indeed that Jesus. Th ere are other signs of authenticity too, like they perpetrated a giant fraud is not persuasive. Th e the portrayal of women as the fi rst witnesses to Jesus’ much simpler and straightforward explanation is that Above: Simon Wenham resurrection – not something likely to be invented those who claimed to have seen Jesus after his death in a male-dominated culture. It is a mistake – and had, indeed, done so. rather insulting – to imagine that all people in Jesus’ Th e claimed parallels with pagan mythology are time were naïve or uncritical. Paul is an interesting unimpressive. Th e gospels are in most respects very case, as he once opposed the Christian movement and Jewish in nature, although the Christian claims about questioned its claims and yet later argued strongly Jesus – a crucifi ed and risen Messiah – were almost for the resurrection. He was so confi dent of its truth as extraordinary for most Jews as they were for the and importance that he risked his life on numerous pagan world. Th e suspicion must be that much modern occasions to tell others about Jesus. Similarly, it is scepticism arises out of a questionable naturalistic unlikely that early believers would have been prepared philosophy, rather than out of serious study of the to face persecution for something they had knowingly New Testament. Th is applies to the extreme argument made up. of some that Jesus never actually existed. Despite the Nor is it correct to say that in the fourth century popularity of this view online, and the attractions the church arbitrarily picked certain documents of a giant Christian conspiracy, it is wholly unlikely. for the ‘offi cial’ Bible that suited its own version of Th e sceptical scholar Bart Ehrman is right that, ‘for accounts, whilst suppressing those that gave a diff erent anyone to whom both evidence and the past matter, impression. By that point there were other documents a dispassionate consideration of the case makes it quite around that purported to record information about plain: Jesus did exist.’ Jesus, but few, if any, are nearly as early as the ‘canonical’ gospels, and they do not add anything Conclusion signifi cant to our historical understanding of Jesus. It is clear from the evidence that something incredible Th ey do not demonstrate knowledge of fi rst century happened in fi rst century Palestine that not only led the Palestine, but rather the speculative ideas of later fi rst believers to claim that Jesus was alive, but also, Christian (or pseudo-Christian) sects, such as the ultimately, gave rise to the global Christian movement. Further resources on the so-called ‘gnostics’. So the church had solid reasons for Th is world-changing history does demand some kind topic include F. F. Bruce’s using certain documents and excluding others from its of explanation. People’s doubts are understandable, Th e New Testament canon of recognized books. but the New Testament provides a description of Documents, Richard what happened that is much more plausible than the Bauckham’s Jesus and Objection 5. Miracles don’t happen alternatives. Furthermore, the writers do not just the Eyewitnesses, David A fi nal objection is that the New Testament is give us a historically credible picture of Jesus, as a Wenham’s From Gospel untrustworthy, because it records the miraculous. divine Lord, but they also speak of his ongoing power to Good News, the Whilst that sort of thing may have been persuasive to to transform people’s lives today. If you are open- Investigating the New primitive people, such detail has the opposite eff ect on minded and intellectually honest, you have to admit Testament series, Amy us today. Indeed, the original Jesus was turned into the that this and the other claims in the New Testament Orr-Ewing’s Why Trust mythological divine fi gure whom we now fi nd in the are worth investigating carefully, as there is nothing the Bible?, Michael Bird’s gospels. His fi rst followers may have had some sort of to lose from doing so, but there is potentially so much How God Became Jesus, hallucinatory experiences and, although they initially to gain. Indeed, by looking at the evidence, you might Gary Habermas’ Th e understood his ‘resurrection’ in purely spiritual terms, well experience for yourself, like the early believers and Case for the Resurrection, over time, the early church used increasingly exalted countless others throughout history, a life-changing John Dickson’s Is Jesus terms (borrowed from pagan religions) to describe transformation that comes from encountering the History?, N. T. Wright’s their former leader, until they came to view him as truth and reality of the risen Jesus. Th e New Testament for divine. A fi ctional empty tomb was then invented to Everyone, and Bruce try to bolster this claim and further developments in Simon Wenham Metzger’s Th e Canon of Christology and incarnational theology eventually led RESEARCH COORDINATOR (with thanks to David Wenham for his advice) the New Testament.

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 11 ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS

If profi t is everything, why bother with ethics? We live in an age where corporations wield immense power and infl uence over us. Simon Edwards explores the question of whether businesses should be ethical, given that their primary objective is usually to make money.

12 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS

workers and evading taxes. Sometimes these practices “We want to even lead to high-profi le scandals, like the VW be able to look emissions fraud or the sensational collapse of Enron, resulting in vast social, fi nancial and legal costs – not to at ourselves mention impacting the lives of thousands of people. in the mirror Evaluating ethics each day and So why bother with ethics or integrity, if profi t is see a good king? Th e short answer is that if you neglect virtues like honesty, integrity and fair dealing, then eventually person staring everybody loses, because good business is built on back at us, but trust. Professor Chris Bones of the Manchester Business School points out that not only is the we also want ethical behaviour of companies and employees under to do whatever greater scrutiny than ever before, but there is also far more knowledge in the public arena. Th is can have a will help us get reputational impact on fi rms, as many are now graded ahead in life.” online according to a range of ethical criteria. Th is is one of a number of reasons why ethically-minded businesses outperform competitors by an average of 500 percent.

Th e truth about dishonesty Yet, if that’s the case, why is there any unethical behaviour at all and how can it be addressed? Th ese are some of the questions addressed by Dan Ariely, Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Economics at Duke University, in his book Th e Honest Truth About Dishonesty. He concludes that we all cheat, which is why it is so diffi cult to address, and most of it is actually made up of diff erent and subtle kinds of dishonest acts that each of us practice on a regular basis. One of the many case studies he mentions was the mystery surrounding a gift shop in Washington DC’s Arts Centre which was found to be losing $150,000 a year. As payments were made into a cash box, rather than a register, the fi rst assumption was that someone was stealing. However, after fi ring the person they thought was responsible, the losses continued until they eventually discovered that the problem was not just one thief, but many well-meaning volunteers each ‘borrowing’ small amounts of money over the course of the year, but somehow never getting around to Photo by Volkan Olmez on Unsplash returning it. In other words, cheating in business is not just done by a few bad apples who spoil it for everyone else, it is In March 2018, the Australian cricket team were a much more widespread phenomenon. Ariely explains the subject of a major ball-tampering scandal that led that the crux of the issue is that humans live with two to some of the leading players being banned from the opposing fundamental motivations: the desire to see team. Like many Australians, I found myself feeling ourselves as good, honest and upright, and the desire hugely disappointed about the whole aff air. Th ere may to gain the benefi ts that could come from cheating. In be nothing new about cheating in sport, but when it other words, we want to be able to look at ourselves in happens in the ‘gentleman’s game’, it seems like a real the mirror each day and see a good person staring back punch in the guts to all things good and noble. Yet at us, but we also want to do whatever will help us get whilst we may not like dishonesty, we have to admit ahead in life. that we often commend people for having a ‘winning at all costs’ mentality. Defending the indefensible? Nor is this something just confi ned to sports, as So how do we handle these confl icting desires? We we can see it in the business world too, from cutting do so through a process of rationalisation – essentially, corners on safety and cheating customers, to exploiting we lie to ourselves. One psychological experiment that >

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day, it won’t be profi table either for the corporation, because good ethics promotes good business and vice versa, or them personally, because they may be fi red, for example. However, what would be the motivation for an employee to act ethically, if they could advance their career more quickly or make more money by taking a moral shortcut? Above: Simon Edwards Surprisingly, this is a question that business ethics demonstrated this involved placing a six-pack of coke Above right: courses and codes of conduct rarely seem to examine. and several $1 bills into a fridge used by students. PURPLEANVIL@iStock Th e Greek philosopher Plato addressed this topic By the end of the day, every can of coke was taken, through a conversation between his teacher, Socrates, whereas the money remained untouched. Why? Th e who was concerned about justice, and Th rasymachus, answer is that taking cash was blatantly going against a radical sceptic who, like many people today, didn’t what peoples’ consciences told them, whilst they were believe in any objective moral law. Th e latter argued able to rationalise that consuming drinks wasn’t really that justice is just a mask for power and that ethical stealing. It’s amazing how good we are at deceiving standards are not real, as they are simply artifi cially ourselves. Ariely calls this capacity for self-deception invented rules. On that basis, the end always justifi es ‘cognitive fl exibility’, and it’s this that enables people the means, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t to cheat, whilst still convincing themselves they are cheat, as it does sometimes help us get to a goal. good people. Th rasymachus’ point was later reinforced by an appeal to the ancient myth of Gyges. He was a poor shepherd Deepening dishonesty who found a magic ring that made him invisible, which A further problem with cheating is that even the enabled him to kill the King, marry the Queen and smallest acts of dishonesty breed more deceit. One rule the kingdom. And the question is put to Socrates: experiment that showed this involved a maths test who wouldn’t do the same thing as Gyges, if they had where participants were allowed to mark their own the power? papers before being paid according to the number of How would you respond to that question? Why not answers they claimed to have got right. Th e results lie, cheat and steal, if you knew you would get away with showed that in a group where a fake participant was it and end up with everything you want? Admittedly, clearly seen to cheat at an early point and be rewarded if everyone cheated in business, there would be for it, there was twice as much deception from the serious problems, but suppose you are the only one. others, when compared with a group where such an act What is there to hold you back? Nothing at all, if the had not been witnessed. Th is susceptibility to being only argument against being unethical is that it’s not infl uenced by others is why Ariely suggests businesses profi table, because in this case it would be profi table. shouldn’t tolerate even small indiscretions, because it In the current intellectual and cultural climate, there’s lowers the bar for everyone. not much we can say in response to Th rasymachus’ challenge and that’s because, having largely rejected Ill-gotten gains God or the idea of anything transcendent in life, we’ve If we are going to successfully tackle the problem lost any solid grounding for morality. As Dostoevsky of cheating in business (or any other area of life) – famously put it in one of his novels, ‘If God is dead, all which we’ve identifi ed is more subtle, contagious, is permitted’. and widespread than most people imagine – we need A pragmatic argument like ‘good ethics promotes to think carefully about the question of ‘why?’. Why good business’ only provides a reason for people to be shouldn’t we cheat? Th e standard answer currently ethical when it is advantageous, but it doesn’t provide a given to employees in a fi rm is that, at the end of the

14 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG ENGAGING CULTURE: HELPING THOSE WITH OBJECTIONS

reason to be so when it is disadvantageous. So it doesn’t in life, and therefore to any solid foundation for the “Admittedly, provide a solution to the problem of cheating ethical standards we are trying to live up to. Without if everyone in business. that solid foundation, fi nding a good reason not to give up on being good – if lying and cheating gets us what cheated in Searching for an answer we want – becomes highly problematic. business, If we want to fi nd a cure or a solution to the problem So if we want to be leaders, when it comes to the of cheating in business – which we’ve identifi ed is not question of ethics in the workplace, we need to be able there would just down to a few bad apples, but to all of us – three to speak about the question of purpose. Why are we be serious things are needed: here in the fi rst place? Th is is an important question, not just for businesses, but for everyone personally, problems, but • A good reason to be good because everything else fl ows from there. • Help to be good suppose you • Grace when we fall 2. Help to be good are the only And I want to suggest that the only place in which Secondly, as we’ve seen, we all need help to be one. What is these three things can all be found is in Christianity – good, because we are all susceptible to the temptation in Jesus Christ. of cheating, or taking a moral shortcut, even when there to hold we have the best of intentions. Andrew Carnegie, you back? 1. A good reason to be good who became one of the wealthiest men in the early When ethics is taught today, most of it is about how twentieth century, was someone who tried to maintain Nothing at to apply certain principles to diff erent situations, rather his integrity by vowing to give up business in his all, if the only than discussing the foundations behind the principles. thirties, so that he would not get caught up in what he In other words, people are educated about how to called ‘the debasing idolatry of amassing power and argument be ethical, but not why. Th at means that the most wealth’. Yet, when the time came to it, he was unwilling against being fundamental question is often not being addressed: to stop and unfortunately some of the degrading eff ects where do these moral values come from? he feared eventually worked themselves out in his unethical is Oxford don, C. S. Lewis, argued that for ethics to be life. Even though he became a great philanthropist, that it’s not eff ective, it needs to operate on three levels, which he who built thousands of libraries, many of his own illustrated by describing three ships. Level one is about employees complained bitterly about their poor working profi table.” making sure the ships don’t bump into each other: the conditions and housing, which led to many of them social ethics involving rules about how to get along dying prematurely. with each other. Level two is about how the individual A question that Jesus once asked goes right to the ships can stay afl oat: the personal ethics relating to heart of the issue for us here: ‘What good is it for character and virtue. Lastly, level three is about the someone to gain the whole world, yet lose their soul?’ most fundamental question of them all: why are the It’s possible to gain everything in life that you thought ships in the sea in the fi rst place? What’s their mission would make you special, but in the process lose the or purpose? one thing in life which really does make you special: Let’s assume, for example, as Socrates did, that your soul. getting rich is not the main purpose of life, because Most of us don’t intentionally jump off the moral money is meant to be a means, not an end. On that edge, like Gyges, the shepherd, but instead, most slip basis, if you decide your main goal in life is to become downhill bit, by bit, by bit. Th e fi rst time we cheat a wealthy through business, it makes little moral little, the conscience is very loud. Th e second time, it is diff erence if you do so by being ethical or unethical, still loud, but not as loud. By the third, fourth and fi fth because one is being good for a bad reason and the time, it gets easier and easier, even if we begin to cheat other is being bad for a bad reason. By contrast, living a in bigger and bigger ways. We become a bit like Frodo good life is about being good for a good reason. in Th e Lord of the Rings, who slowly succumbs to the evil And it is God who gives us a good reason for being power of the ring and in the end, is only saved by an good, and it relates to the question of what we were unlikely act of divine providence. made for (our purpose). According to Christianity, our So how do we fi ght cheating and corruption in happiness is linked to being good, because in being business and in society, if much of the problem is not good we are helping to fulfi l our ultimate purpose, out there, but inside of us? Th at’s the real challenge we which is to love and be loved. Love is the highest face. If the heart of the human problem is the problem form of goodness and, being made in the image of of the human heart, how do we heal ourselves? How do a relational God who loves, we fi nd our ultimate we get out of this pattern of rationalisation and self- happiness in loving relationship with God and deception? with others. Written centuries before modern psychology, the By contrast, if you believe, as many modern Bible also speaks about this inner confl ict of desires in intellectuals do today, that we live in a godless universe, the human psyche (or soul). In one of his letters, Paul and that we are solely the by-product of blind and shares about how he had thought of himself as a moral indiff erent physical forces acting on mindless atoms, it man, but had been willing to do anything in order to makes it impossible to point to any ultimate purpose get ahead, including destroying the lives of others. Even >

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see this so clearly in an encounter between him and a tax-collector called Zacchaeus, who was at the top of his profession and had made himself very wealthy in the process. Th ere must have been something missing in his life, because he went to great lengths to catch a glimpse of Jesus and even climbed a sycamore tree to see over the crowd. But Jesus didn’t just see Zacchaeus, he already knew him and, in a dramatic moment of encounter, he called his name and told him to come down immediately. Zacchaeus did not put it off , but he humbled himself and obeyed. Jesus then came into his home and into his heart. Th e result was a total transformation of his life and he vowed to give half of his possessions to the poor and to pay back those he had cheated (four times as much as he had taken). Zacchaeus’ heart was healed and he was no longer orientated towards the question of ‘how much can I get?’, but ‘how much can I give?’ Th ere is a proverb in the Bible that says, ‘Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death’. Zacchaeus’ name meant ‘righteous Simon Edwards one’, but he was anything but that. Instead, it was the only one who has ever truly lived up to that name, who “Whether we after his life had changed, he wrote very personally helped Zacchaeus discover who he actually was, who cheat small about his ongoing struggles: ‘When I want to do good, he was created to be and what his purpose in life really I don’t, and when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway… was. Jesus saved him. Zacchaeus didn’t earn it, but or whether the trouble is: sin still has me in its evil grasp’. And it was a gift of grace, when he opened his heart to Jesus. we cheat big, then he goes on to say, ‘Who will free me from this slavery to this deadly lower nature? Th ank God! It has Conclusion we all need an been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.’ Ethical instruction and codes of conduct are hugely act of grace. Th at was Paul’s experience – Jesus had set him free. He valuable and important, as they remind all of us of what couldn’t get himself out of the loop, but God could. If is right and wrong, which makes a massive diff erence. And we fi nd the problem is on the inside, we need someone from the Th ey can help us to stem the tide of unethical practice it in Jesus.” outside who can operate on the inside of us. Only God and corruption, by making it harder to rationalize and can do that and he opened Paul’s heart to grace. Paul self-deceive. Nevertheless, the deepest transformation had been a driven person who was intent on succeeding does not just come from conformity to an external at any cost, but by encountering Christ, he discovered set of ethical rules, or from fear of the negative the purpose of a human life is not about winning – it is consequences of being found out. As important as a privilege and an opportunity to love and be loved. these are, they are no substitute for what Jesus is Yet living a life of love, which involves, among other off ering, which is for all our lives to be redeemed and things, honesty, integrity, and fair dealing, is not easy. transformed, from the inside out. We can take morality seriously and yet time-and-time In Jesus Christ, Zacchaeus discovered a reason to again, we can fi nd ourselves unable to live up to our be good, help to be good, and grace in his failings. own standards, let alone God’s. Th at’s why we also need We may never have cheated in life or in business as grace when we fall. spectacularly as Zacchaeus ever did, or maybe we have, but whichever the case, are not all of us in need of these 3. Grace when we fall three things as well? Th ere’s an old story about two pastors who were going to visit someone whose wife had left him, after Simon Edwards she caught him cheating on her. As they were on their UK DIRECTOR OF ZACHARIAS TRUST way to counsel him, the older pastor said to the younger @simon_a_edwards pastor, ‘Do you think you could ever do something like that?’, to which the younger pastor responded, ‘No, there’s no way I could ever do something like that’. Th e FESTIVAL OF THOUGHT older pastor said, ‘Well, you better go home then. I will take care of this one alone.’ We are so fallible as human For more information about the Zacharias beings, as even the most well-intentioned of us can fall. Trust’s work in reaching the business world, Th e less we realise this, the more susceptible we are. see the article about the Festival of Thought Whether we cheat small or whether we cheat big, on page 18. Above: Simon Edwards we all need an act of grace. And we fi nd it in Jesus. We

16 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG REACHING OUT

Gawrav@iStock Finding beauty in the midst of weeping

t is easy to focus on the harm one person can do, but “Any fool can for people without alternative care. I hope I will not Iforget the impact for good one can have too. I was be happy. forget my fi rst few visits there: the cement steps recently preparing a short presentation for a non-profi t outside the door lined with patients waiting to be seen; organization of high school and college students who It takes a sweltering heat and sweat dripping into fresh wounds are committed to supporting global economies. Simple man with real as they were bandaged; treatment rooms partitioned Charity began in a Georgia-based high school with a off with white curtains; the new, raw injury of a victim handful of senior high school students committed to heart to make bearing fresh agony through clenched teeth; the dark, raising funds to support those aff ected by poverty. beauty out vacant eyes of a young man who had tried to end his Th ey ran a car wash, yard sales, poetry slams, nights own life; the quiet countenance of a woman wounded of worship and a chilli dinner. Th ey held a battle of the of the stuff at the violent hand of her husband, standing with bands, organized a 5K race and designed T-shirts to that makes her small daughter who was burned, as she lunged to market. And during that fi rst year, these impassioned protect her mother. students raised over $60,000. Th ey inspired a us weep.” Th e current waiting list of patients requiring surgery movement and Simple Charity chapters now exist in is over 300 names, and they silently call upon us with (CLIVE BARKER) high schools and universities around the US. urgency. It is our hope and prayer that together we can A few months ago, a chapter at Duke University answer and make their noble dream a reality through a raised funds to support Wellspring International’s new 14,000 square foot facility. As Clive Barker says, initiative to build a $1m surgical burn treatment ‘Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to facility in Southeast Asia. In this haven, men, women, make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.’ and children who cannot aff ord medical assistance So we continue this journey. Th e students at Simple receive treatment, restorative surgeries and physical Charity remind me what can be accomplished with therapy. commitment and faith, with real heart. And should Th e majority of patients are women. While the causes a handful of people be inspired by their example, a of injury include accidents and suicide attempts, the burn treatment centre stands in the future – a space primary one is domestic violence. In this particular part for healing, built upon the words of a man who carried of the world, an estimated 25,000 women are victims your suff ering and mine. A Saviour who changed your each year of the illegal practice of bride burning, when a story and mine, and calls us to refl ect the heart of the young woman is set on fi re if her family has not off ered potter who is ultimately able to make beauty from all the desired dowry. About 8,000 of these die – a violent that makes us weep. end to the life of a woman, almost every hour. Simple Charity is responding to this issue not found Naomi Zacharias in many headlines. It is one that calls upon the values DIRECTOR, WELLSPRING INTERNATIONAL in our faith, and what is good in humanity, to respond to such suff ering, recognizing that every individual Wellspring International is the humanitarian arm of RZIM carries the image of a holy God. Th e extraordinary NGO (established in 2004). For further information, see that Wellspring International assists provides medical www.wellspringinternational.org care, therapeutic services, and reconstructive surgeries Above: Naomi Zacharias

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 17 REACHING OUT

Festival of Th ought Th e Festival of Th ought is an evangelistic initiative to reach those in the business world. In this article, Andy Moore describes the 2018 event in the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town.

‘I’ve been angry at God for twenty years, but I’d like of University of Cape Town, Wits University and “It is now to come back to him today’, said the Sales Director Stellenbosch University, whilst North-West University of a large industrial company, just before we prayed in Potchefstroom hosted Professor John Lennox for a a tried together at the end of an event at Festival of Th ought standalone event attended by close to 3,500 students. and tested South Africa. At a showcase event in Cape Town, Manny Lambert – Th is was one of our biggest highlights of the year a.k.a. ‘Da Truth’ – a Christian rap-artist who performed concept that so far. Th e joyous moment of one man coming back before Ravi Zacharias took the platform described it has been to God was one of many other instances of the light as ‘a world of ideas being exchanged’, whilst Director of Christ breaking through into Boardrooms across of RZIM South Africa, Mahlatse Mashua, highlighted described Pretoria, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Stellenbosch. the depth into which Festival of Th ought was inviting as a ‘powerful God was on the move, as business people across four of South Africans ‘to think about the social narrative and South Africa’s major cities were given an opportunity to how the Gospel makes a diff erence’. Other highlights of and poignant consider life’s biggest questions from the perspective of the week included an evening reception for Cape Town’s response the Christian worldview in April 2018. elite business people, at which Michael Ramsden spoke, I was working for one of the major fi nancial and a Women’s Summit, hosted in Johannesburg, where to the institutions that partnered with the Zacharias Trust, Amy Orr-Ewing and Tanya Walker spoke. Lusanda needs of the when the fi rst Festival of Th ought was held in Canary Mashua, who gave a profound artistic performance Wharf (London) in 2015. It is now a tried and tested that evening, presented Christ not only as the one who marketplace’.” concept that has been described as a ‘powerful and ‘affi rms our place in history, but our place in his heart’. poignant response to the needs of the marketplace’. It Would you join us in giving thanks and praise to has grown into a unique ministry that creates space God for his incredible faithfulness and moving in and opportunity for the corporate community of a power during Festival of Th ought South Africa? Stories particular city to gather around the questions of our continue to emerge of lives changed by Christ and of time, place and culture. It is a chance for business the encouragement given to many local ministries and people to think about the questions of meaning and churches that have been galvanised in enthusiasm for purpose they often wrestle with and to encounter the the Gospel. Pray for church leaders in Stellenbosch, person of Jesus Christ through that lens. who commented that this was the most signifi cant Th e story of Festival of Th ought South Africa was evangelistic eff ort they had ever done together and remarkable. At such an exciting point in the nation’s for the numerous seekers’ courses ongoing across history – the optimism of Cyril Ramaphosa coming the country (for those who want to continue the to power, the controversy of protest movements like conversation about Jesus). One way to understand #rhodesmustfall – it was an immense privilege to have culture is as a series of conversations and what better eighteen of our African and global-based team invited way to infl uence society than through conversations to address audiences at more than 100 events in the about Jesus? space of just one week. Possibly a once-in-a-generation evangelistic eff ort, Festival of Th ought South Africa Andy Moore was expanded to include not just the business CO-LEADER OF FESTIVAL OF THOUGHT AND ZACHARIAS TRUST SPEAKER communities but also missions on the campuses @andykmoore

FESTIVALS There are two Festivals of Thought approaching (with others in the pipeline): OF THOUGHT SINGAPORE: APRIL 2019 ZURICH: SEPTEMBER 2019 For more information on the programmes, and for sample talks by the team, IN 2019 check out our website at www.festivalofthought.buzz.

18 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG REACHING OUT

Above left & right: John Lennox Above centre: Michael Ramsden Right: Photo by Karen Lau on Unsplash

Below left: Hassan John (left) Below right: Photo by Andy Moore Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

Michael Ramsden

Ravi Zacharias

John Lennox

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 19 REACHING OUT

21 EVENTS IS GOD AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY?*

WHY DOES THE BIBLE ENDORSE SLAVERY? 16 CITIES

9 COUNTRIES [SEPT 2013 - SEPT 2018]

#NOQUESTIONOFFLIMITS

* THE QUESTIONS SHOWN WERE ASKED BY YOUNG PEOPLE AT REBOOT

HOW CAN I GET GOD TO SPEAK TO ME?

WHY DID GOD CREATE US?

WHY IS SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE WRONG?

20 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG REACHING OUT

report

Over the past fi ve years REBOOT, RZIM’s fast-paced, interactive and dynamic day of apologetics for young people has gained traction in many diff erent parts of the globe.

hether in Spain, South Africa, for the fi rst time. Th e packed-out venue at the end of the event, as around 200 WSingapore, or Canada, young people produced a buzzing atmosphere, partly young people responded to the invitation have fl ocked to REBOOT events with a thanks to Warner Miller, a professional to come forward for prayer, some doing so desire to really engage with their faith, to actor from Brooklyn and OCCA alumnus, for the very fi rst time. Gerson Mercadal, think about their doubts, and connect with who ably hosted the event (see page 24). Coordinator of REBOOT Spain, summed it the truth claims of Jesus Christ. In an age Th ose present not only got to hear wide- up when he said that ‘Many found answers, of fake news, it has been so encouraging to ranging talks, but they were also able to and many have come to know the real Jesus see thousands of teenagers longing to fi nd pose their own personal questions via better’. truth that can withstand rigorous scrutiny their phones. Th e day included Amy Orr- Egypt and give real, lasting meaning to life. Th e Ewing speaking on whether the Bible can It was exciting to see over 400 young ethos and vision of REBOOT is summed up be trusted, David Bennett talking about people attending the fi rst ever REBOOT by the hashtag #noquestionoffl imits, as it sexuality, Madeline Jackson examining Cairo, where they heard talks on ‘Science provides the opportunity for 13-18-year- morality, Alanzo Paul on suff ering, and and faith’, ‘Heaven and hell’, ‘Th e problem olds to explore Christianity in a deeper way Sharon Dirckx exploring the topic of of evil and suff ering’, and ‘Sex and porn’. within an environment where they can be ‘Am I just my brain?’. As well as having Th e number of questions raised after as authentic as possible. Th roughout the Michael Ramsden answering questions, each session showed just how important day, young people are encouraged to text the team was also joined by guest speakers the topics were for their age group. Th e in their own questions and vote for others Ard Louis, Oxford University Professor attentive audience clearly appreciated not through an online platform that is visible of Th eoretical Physics, and Louie Giglio, only the opportunity to be able to ask on a big screen, which keeps the whole from Passion in Atlanta, who addressed questions and have them taken seriously, event buzzing with fresh interaction. God and science, and Jesus’ personal but also to receive answers that were both As REBOOT goes forward, we feel an impact respectively. Many responded to robust and real. At the end, many people increasing responsibility to invite both the message and it has been wonderful came forward to respond to the challenge Christian and non-Christian young to hear the testimonies of how REBOOT of trusting in Christ and living for him. people to investigate the claims of has helped so many of the young people Afterwards, one parent expressed her Christianity. As a generation growing up there, including some who are dealing with great appreciation for the event, because with unprecedented global connectivity, considerable challenges. Th e proceedings of the wonderful impact it had had on her questions surrounding the competing truth were also livestreamed to over 16,000 daughter, who they had been fervently claims of diff erent religions and secular people in the United States and Canada, praying for. Th e daughter had recently humanism are growing. Young people are as well as to a youth event in Jos, Nigeria, had many questions and had not been increasingly seeking answers about identity where fi fty-fi ve people gave their lives to wanting to go to church or hear about God, and true human connection – subjects that the Lord. and, yet, after attending REBOOT, she Instagram and Snapchat cannot answer. Spain hadn’t wanted to leave and described the REBOOT seeks not only to engage the About 700 young people from all over experience as the best day of her life. mind, but to point to and hold up Jesus Spain attended the fi rst ever REBOOT as the one who can answer the deepest Madrid, to refl ect on the ‘big questions’ of longings of the human heart – to be truly life. Th e event featured a whole range of seen, known, to feel valued, loved, to be talks on topical questions, as well as a ‘fi re forgiven, to be given real hope, and to fi nd at will’ question and answer session and genuine meaning and purpose for life. workshops on how to have conversations Each REBOOT has its own fl avour and with friends about Christianity. Many of IN 2019 here are some snapshots of some of the the questions submitted by the teenagers many global events that have occurred There are currently REBOOTs planned related to the topics of relationships and recently: in seven countries, including: identity, and one part of the day featured • Amarillo, Texas: 23 February 2019 London David Bennett addressing the subject of • Belfast, Northern Ireland: 23 March 2019 In September, the largest ever REBOOT homosexuality, which involved him sharing • Seattle, Washington: 13 April 2019 was held in Westminster Central Hall, some of his own experiences as a former For all of the other 2019 REBOOTs, attended by 1,500 teenagers and youth gay rights activist, who encountered Christ. see www.rebootglobal.org. leaders, the majority of whom were there Th e team was blown away by the response

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 21 REACHING OUT

GARETH BLACK OCCA FELLOW LUNA WANG UK ALANZO OCCA FELLOW (P-T) PAUL UK OCCA FELLOW (P-T) ANDREW TURNBULL UK OCCA ASSOCIATE UK/Canada

MARI OVSEPYAN OCCA RESEARCH FELLOW (P-T) UK

CALUM MILLER OCCA RESEARCH FELLOW (P-T) UK

ALEX STARK MATTHEW MITTELBERG OCCA FELLOW OCCA FELLOW UK USA

BEN THOMAS OCCA ASSOCIATE UK

LOUIS PHILLIPS OCCA FELLOW USA

KASEY LEANDER OCCA FELLOW IBRAHIM BAIDOO USA OCCA ADJUNCT Ghana WILL TANT OCCA FELLOW USA

JUSTICE OKORONKWO OCCA ADJUNCT Nigeria

HASSAN JOHN OCCA ADJUNCT Meet our OCCA Nigeria

GIDEON ODOMA OCCA ADJUNCT Fellows, Associates & Adjuncts Nigeria RZIM is a global ministry with offi ces around the world. Th e speaking team is complemented by a large network of OCCA Fellows, Associates and Adjuncts (pictured), who are based in ten diff erent countries from Asia and Africa to North America and Europe. Please pray for them, as they minister in very diff erent settings around the world. You can read more about some of the challenges they face on pages 2 and 27-30.

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ANNA YEARWOOD OCCA ARTIST IN RESIDENCE MADELINE JACKSON UK OCCA FELLOW (P-T) UK

CALLOM HARKRADER OCCA ASSOCIATE UK By ReginaBy Bilan@shutterstock DAVID BENNETT OCCA FELLOW (P-T) UK

GERNOT ZEILINGER OCCA FELLOW Austria

SUM KEONG WONG RACHEAL MUTESI OCCA FELLOW OCCA ADJUNCT Malaysia Uganda

RAYMOND BUKENYA YUTARO KATO OCCA ADJUNCT OCCA FELLOW Uganda Singapore

PAULSON TUMUTEGYEREIZE OCCA ADJUNCT Uganda

KEY OCCA FELLOW: An OCCA graduate employed on an intensive two-year structured development and ministry programme, which involves proactively developing new relationships and evangelistic

DAVID FRASER opportunities (P-T) = PART TIME OCCA ADJUNCT South Africa OCCA ADJUNCT: An OCCA graduate who works up to 30 days a year MIKE DAY OCCA FELLOW for RZIM on an ad hoc basis South Africa OCCA ASSOCIATE: An OCCA graduate who regularly comes alongside RZIM in ministry

For more stories about the impact of OCCA, see pages 24-6 GLOBAL OFFICE

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 23 REACHING OUT

Communicating Christ in our Culture

Tanya Walker explains the vision behind the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and introduces fi ve former students, who share their experiences of how they have applied their training in diff erent settings.

hilst playing its unique role alongside others on “We are Wthe frontlines of evangelism and apologetics in ‘missionary our day, the OCCA works to identify and mentor the next generation of apologists, who sense a call to make creatives’ Christ known in centres of infl uence. We have the joy, from all over year-on-year, of releasing our graduates as a gift to the global church, as fruitful evangelists. the United WARNER MILLER Th e one-year programme is an intensive multi- States and (CLASS OF 2015) pronged course that integrates training in evangelism, communication skills, pioneering leadership, and we recently My name is Warner Miller and I’m a professional spiritual formation, alongside stretching students lent our voices actor based in New York City, USA. I’m originally from academically, to be able to meaningfully answer Brooklyn, NY, which is where I currently live. Alongside people’s intellectual objections and heartfelt concerns to create the acting, I serve as a youth minister at my church, about the gospel. Students learn from some of the world’s fi rst volunteer with a Christian youth ministry organization leading apologists and Christian thinkers of our time, called Young Life, and frequently partner with a in an interactive context that provides continual urban audio Christian artist collective called Streetlights. We are opportunity to engage not only with insights from the Bible and ‘missionary creatives’ from all over the United States lecture room, but also in practice, through pioneering and we recently lent our voices to create the world’s and creative evangelism across a variety of settings. multimedia fi rst urban audio Bible and multimedia curriculum: Th e OCCA is a global community of scholars from curriculum: the Streetlights Bible App. I also receive speaking diverse backgrounds and cultures consisting of around invitations and panel discussion opportunities all 20 one-year students, 12 Doctoral Fellows, and staff the throughout the US (and once in Uganda!). I get to speak members, each serving the call of God as evangelists Streetlights on topics, ranging from the Gospel and evangelism, and apologists in their own contexts. Th e shared to Christ in culture and the intersection of race and passion of this growing network is to eff ectively Bible App.” religion. I was also the presenter for REBOOT London communicate the hope of the gospel in the spheres in 2018 (see page 21). (WARNER MILLER) of academia, business, politics, media and the arts, I make mention of all of these projects and positions alongside frontline evangelism through the local – working as an artist, minister, speaker and mentor church. – because they have all been directly infl uenced by my Here are some snapshots of how students have done time at OCCA. Th e training I received at OCCA was top that: > notch! Among many other things, OCCA taught me how to: Tanya Walker DEAN OF OCCA • Listen more intently to the questioner

@Tanya_Walker_ • Use the given context (social, cultural, experiential, etc) to relate and communicate Above: Tanya Walker

24 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG REACHING OUT

biblical wisdom and theological truths to “In many Th is summer, I had the opportunity to intern your listeners unique and in the US Senate and House of Representatives in Washington, DC. Th is context is the reason why I • Tell a better story miraculous spent a year with my OCCA family. I felt ready to give an answer for my faith, even when my days felt Th ese areas have greatly aff ected how I teach and ways, the far removed from traditional church doors. Th ere is present. I’ve become a better, more profi cient and Lord led us something special in seeking God while living and eff ective communicator of the Gospel in areas and to working in a city that searches for signifi cance through people who may not otherwise receive such messages. to speakers power, money and infl uence. I have found that God Shortly after returning from OCCA, I began across works powerfully, when we are able to listen during work on a television show for Netfl ix. I felt so much those fast-paced moments of opportunity and are ready better equipped to engage with the questions and diff erent to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ. contentions my castmates had about Christianity. Our fi elds and conversations were always great and never contentious – and that was in no short measure a result of the organizations training at OCCA. in California, from university

professors to CALLOM HARKRADER anti-human (CLASS OF 2013) traffi cking About a year ago, my minister asked me what CURRIE DICKERSON advocates.” my dream job would be. Without hesitation, I said, (CLASS OF 2017) ‘A church-based evangelist. Doing evangelism and (CURRIE DICKERSON) training the local church in it – ideally at the same A little over two years ago, I made a decision that time – and a little theatre on the side would be great!’ changed my life. At the time, I was working in a press Lo and behold, I am now with Above Bar Church in offi ce for a high-profi le political leader, who was Southampton and I also work with Th e Mark Drama, regularly thrust into the spotlight, not only in my home a 90-minute play of the Gospel of Mark done by state, but also nationally as well. It was during that volunteers around the world. It’s daunting, but I love it! season in my life when God fl ooded my heart with a One of the biggest challenges I face is getting deeper desire to know Him more than I ever had, and to be able conversations going. I am from Virginia in the US to make him known in the political sphere that God where strangers have conversations at the drop of a has called me to. I responded by applying to the Oxford hat. In the south of England it is the opposite. I can do Centre for Christian Apologetics. During that sweet training 24/7 on engaging with tough questions, but and fulfi lling time, I rediscovered what it meant to if the questions are not even getting asked, what is the share my faith and became more certain of that calling point? than ever before. And yet, God is defi nitely working! Recently I Following my studies at OCCA, I decided to continue helped lead an Alpha course where two women became my education by pursuing a graduate degree in public Christians. One was a university student with lots of policy at Pepperdine University, before returning to big questions and the other was older and had a tough the workforce and the political arena. Last spring, I life. I love how the gospel is for both of them! had a vision to bring to the students a taste of what I deeply appreciate the preparation OCCA gave I experienced at OCCA by conducting, with the help me for the life I now live. I applied to OCCA never of others, a week of lunchtime apologetics talks. God even dreaming I would get in. I was young and provided in every situation, and we were able to cover wanted to grow in sharing about Jesus articulately many signifi cant and impactful topics, such as ‘Did and persuasively in an antagonistic and apathetic Jesus really exist?’, ‘Is Christianity intolerant?’, ‘Why environment. OCCA did just that. > would a loving God allow suff ering?’ and ‘Does science disprove God?’ In many unique and miraculous ways, “I deeply the Lord led us to speakers across diff erent fi elds and appreciate the organizations in California, from university professors to anti-human traffi cking advocates. Th e talks were preparation informative and eff ective, but the discussions following OCCA gave each lunch were even better and often lasted for hours. It was really my experience and training at OCCA me for the life that helped shape my vision and propel me to want I now live.” to see the graduate students at Pepperdine have an opportunity to be challenged in their faith. (CALLOM HARKRADER)

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 25 REACHING OUT

“Th is training has equipped me to use my lectures as

MATHABO BAASE a platform (CLASS OF 2017) to help my I am a lecturer at the faculty of law of the North-West students ask University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. I have the the more privilege of interacting with over 400 students weekly. Th is past week we spoke about whether morality diffi cult and religion infl uence our legal system and whether questions in they ought to. Th is sparked a lively conversation that eventually led to the question for the need for our society.” an objective moral standard. I had the privilege of (MATHABO BAASE) witnessing some lights turn on in class on Wednesday and that made me realise once again that while mission trips are amazing and life altering, we also need hands and feet on site, who will keep the conversation going once the mission trip is over. I feel very privileged to be able to do both and my OCCA training has not only equipped me to be a better pore over almost daily, as I grow stronger and deeper in communicator and academic, but it has also helped me my faith. realise the importance of having the church function When I got back to Iowa, we started a programme as a body. Th is training has equipped me to use my called Crossroad Apologetics. We rented a facility lectures as a platform to help my students ask the more and hosted talks once a month to share what we had diffi cult questions in our society, while also bridging learned. It has been amazing to see the encouragement the intellectual gaps. in the fellowship arise out of a simple discussion. We Over the past two years I’ve been invited to speak at are moving the event to our local university and are local churches, conferences and RZIM Africa mission developing partnerships with CRU (formerly Campus trips. I went to Uganda for a mission in Kampala, Crusade for Christ) and some local churches to take to Nigeria to help with apologetics training at the “Overall, the similar talks to students and faculty. Christian Apologetics Training Institute, and to Durban experience far I enrolled in the OCCA Business Programme so I to give talks at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. would have an answer for those who asked about my exceeded my faith. Not only did I gain the knowledge I sought, but expectations.” my faith grew as well. I have a revitalised desire to read my Bible and spend time in prayer. I am more open to (JEFF JOHNSON) seeing God move in my life. Our God is indeed good!

PROGRAMMES OTHER TRAINING JEFF JOHNSON OFFERED BY OPPORTUNITIES (BUSINESS PROGRAMME CLASS OF 2016) THE OCCA RZIM and the Zacharias Trust I am a fourth-generation owner and operator of a off er other training opportunities, • OCCA One-Year Programme 200,000-square-foot steel fabrication plant in the including training days, an online Midwest with approximately 100 employees. I am • OCCA Programme For curriculum (RZIM Academy) and aff orded the fellowship of other Presidents and CEOs Master’s Students youth apologetics events (REBOOT). in diff erent business groups and organizations. As I • OCCA Doctoral Fellows would share with them the amazing things God has Programme Further details about been doing with my family, my business, and my life, • OCCA Business Programme these can be found on they began to have questions. And I felt more and more the back cover and at compelled to have an answer for them. Further details www.zachariastrust.org. My intention in going to Oxford was to be well can be found at equipped, but I was equipped and then some. Overall, www.theocca.org the experience far exceeded my expectations. I have binders full of notes that now, more than a year later, I

26 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG REACHING OUT Mustello@iStock

Global gospel: the work of the EMEA team

In this article, you can read more about the work of the team in the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), a vibrant part of the world that is home to over two billion people.

“It is an absolute privilege to lead this ZIM has a global team of around eighty speakers, growing team of apologist-evangelists Rwho are dedicated to proclaiming the good news of Jesus in the varied and diverse settings in which based in EMEA, whose minds and hearts they serve. Many of them have been trained at the are on fi re for Christ, as we play our part Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (see page 24), which serves as an important pipeline for growing the in the wider global vision of RZIM.” ministry around the world. Above: Amy Orr-Ewing (AMY ORR-EWING ) AFRICA EMEA Regional Director and Co-Director of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics South Africa @amyorrewing Th e outreach in Africa has been expanding steadily under the leadership of RZIM Africa Director, Mahlatse Mashua, who is based in Cape Town. RZIM now has offi ces in South Africa and Kenya, as well as >

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 27 REACHING OUT

Above: Michael Ramsden Below from left to right: Nathan Betts (right) and translator, Michael Ramsden (left) and Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi (centre-right), Amy Orr-Ewing, Os Guinness, John Njoroge, Luna Wang

Ravi Zacharias and Wassim Sabry (translating)

Ravi Tanya Walker Zacharias

Clockwise from top: Maher Samuel Sharon Dirckx , Wassim Sabry, Ravi Zacharias and the Egyptian team, Sam Allberry, Youssef Yacoub, Amy Orr-Ewing and Racheal Mutesi, John Lennox, Sam Allberry REACHING OUT

adjunct speakers based in Ghana, Uganda, mentoring individuals in schools and Northern Ireland and England). Another Nigeria and South Africa (see page 22). smaller groups. Although there are many has been to engage the business world Th e team in the latter has been building security challenges and travel restrictions, through the Festival of Th ought events, up its relationship within the business Maher Samuel and the wider team have as well as academia through OCCA, community, following on from the success been able to speak in many diff erent lecturing and writing. Th e Zacharias Trust’s of RZIM’s Festival of Th ought that was churches, conferences and meetings, not media team is also continuing to focus held in 2018 (see page 18). Mahlatse and only in Egypt, but also Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, on producing more fi lmed apologetics his wife, Lusanda, have been speaking Jordan, Israel and the UAE. material, as well as documenting the at a number of key conferences, and the activities of the global team around the ministry has also had opportunities to Turkey EMEA region. address a number of private schools and Recent instability in the country has universities. Mahlatse has also been required the team of RZIM Turkey to Germany, Austria and Switzerland involved with producing a number of media explore new avenues for evangelism, whilst Th e RZIM offi ce for the DACH area resources, including ‘Question Reframed’ also trying to respond to the rising demand (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) is videos for God TV, and a series of short for training. Under Country Director, based in Vienna, under the leadership videos on Amos. He has also been involved Senem Ekener, the ministry has been of Christian Hofreiter. His book, Making with numerous training events, including looking to utilise more social media, whilst Sense of Old Testament Genocide (see speaking at an event for 4,000 pastors in also focusing on one-to-one outreach. page 41) has recently been published by the Ivory Coast. Yesua Ozcelik and Senem have also been Oxford University Press, and he is also doing a regular show answering questions contributing a chapter for a book honouring Kenya about Christianity for Radio Sheme, whilst his supervisor Professor John Barton. In Having recently completed his PhD, the latter has also spoken about worldview Switzerland, Heike Breitenstein joined RZIM Kenya’s Director, John Njoroge, has on the TV station Sat 7 Türk. Th e team is the team to oversee the development and been focusing on registering the new offi ce working on a number of other projects, successful launch of the RZIM Academy in Kenya, as well as exploring new ministry including producing the RZIM Academy in the German language (Zacharias opportunities on university campuses and in Turkish, fi lming a series of forty short Akademie). Th e team is also gearing up for in churches. Although travelling around answers for a question and answer feature the Festival of Th ought in Zurich (see page the country remains an on-going challenge, intended for multimedia use, reaching out 18). Christian has been invited to help lead he has been working on initiatives to to Turks around the continent, and writing a national evangelism taskforce for Austria, present the gospel in the media, business Rhema, the ministry’s e-magazine that whilst Julia Garschagen, RZIM’s Cologne- and government settings. As well as doing contains apologetics articles and promotes based itinerant, is co-leading a country- some TV work, he has been working on the work of RZIM. wide youth outreach project in Germany a new online curriculum for the RZIM called JesusHouse, which will culminate in Academy on the topic of ‘What does it mean a series of events in 2020. Christian, Julia to be human?’. He and his wife, Leah, are EUROPE and Heike have been involved in university also involved in running the Valley Light events weeks across the country, some of United Kingdom Home Orphanage, which is an initiative which were organised by Proclama students, Th e UK offi ce not only houses the Oxford supported by Wellspring International (see who are being trained and mentored by the Centre for Christian Apologetics (see page page 17) that they set up near their home RZIM team. Th ey have also been involved 24), but it is also the headquarters for the in Maai Mahiu, about an hour northwest of with a number of other training initiatives EMEA region. Th e global planning for the Nairobi. across the continent and have recently been area, as a whole, is under the leadership joined by OCCA Fellow Gernot Zeilinger of Regional Director, Amy Orr-Ewing, (see page 22). MIDDLE EAST whilst the domestic work is overseen by UK Director, Simon Edwards. Th e team Macedonia Egypt prioritises speaking at evangelistic events Th e Macedonia offi ce, under the RZIM Egypt, under the leadership of and recent highlights include Michael leadership of Kosta Milkov, has continued Country Director, Wassim Sabry, has been Ramsden giving a seminar at the National to work on a number of initiatives to working on a number of initiatives to try to Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast, and impact society through the Balkan meet the huge demand in the region. Th ere a number of itinerants addressing the Institute for Faith and Culture. Th ey have has been a new focus on the use of social Christian Business Men’s Connection’s been seeking to encourage the church at a media, as well as producing more material World Congress in Belfast. Th e Zacharias time of political upheaval and one of their for the upcoming Credologos website. Th e Trust is also involved with a number of on-going projects has been the Oxford ministry is seeking to forge closer ties with training initiatives, including producing Connections programme. Th is initiative the arts and business worlds and is also a range of new apologetics resources (see brings graduates and academics from working on a project to build up a library page 41). One of the specifi c focuses has Oxford University to speak at diff erent of resources. Youth ministry has been been on reaching young people through a institutions and events across the country. emphasised this year, which has included variety of ways, including schools work, Th e team also ran a Summer Academy holding a REBOOT apologetics event, for talks to churches and REBOOT youth exploring Christ and Culture, which was those aged 11-15, as well as training and apologetics events (held in Scotland, covered on national television, and a Bible >

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 29 REACHING OUT

Michael Ramsden

Kosta Milkov

Andy Wickham

Above left: Mahlatse Mashua Above right: John Lennox Far left: Amy Orr-Ewing Left: Lara Buchanan Below left: Vlad Criznic

Julia Garschagen and Literature conference in cooperation as to audiences in Moldova. He has been resources, such as books, videos and social with the Macedonian Academy of Sciences featured in six episodes of a national TV media content. Th e team has participated and Arts, which was covered in Context, series on the resurrection of Jesus, and has in eleven university events weeks in 2018 their review for comparative literature preached six sermons for Credo TV. Vlad and is also exploring new opportunities to and cultural research. Kosta has also had has been involved with apologetics training reach the business world. Th ey have been audiences with the President of Macedonia for pastors, as well as overseeing the continuing to train emerging evangelists and has been interviewed on TV about his translation of John Lennox’s Determined through the Proclama programme. Andy book Life is Beautiful. He has been involved to Believe? and Alister McGrath’s Th e was involved with a large evangelistic event with speaking at a university events week Great Mystery. He also joined an event in Lima, Peru, in conjunction with RZIM in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the team organised by Romanian Without Orphans, Latin America and IFES Peru. Th e team has been working on translating books which is being supported by Wellspring is also working on more Spanish material by C. S. Lewis, Os Guinness and Amy International (see page 17). He is working for the RZIM Academy, has produced Orr-Ewing. towards a number of large events, as well a series of short REBOOT answers for as hosting some OCCA events weeks in young people, and is hoping to reach Romania Timisoara and Cluj. non-Christian audiences with a new round Vlad Criznic, Director of RZIM Romania, of Proclama scripts based on the ‘I am’ recently embarked on an evangelistic Spain statements of Jesus. Th e Forum Apologetica preaching tour of fi ve cities in conjunction Th e Spanish offi ce, run by Director Andy video platform is soon to be launched, and with Revers, a Christian music band. He Wickham, has been focusing on both a new Spanish edition of Ravi Zacharias’ has also spoken to Romanian diaspora direct evangelism and training, through Can Man Live Without God? has been churches in Vienna, London, Stuttgart, events and mentoring, as well as indirect published, along with the freshly translated Brussels, Chicago and San Francisco, as well outreach, in the form of producing more Jesus Among Secular Gods.

30 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG REACHING OUT Global gospel: Focus on France

We caught up with Raphael Anzenberger, our new Director of RZIM France, to hear more about the launching of the ministry, his plans for the future and some of the challenges for the gospel in his country.

Simon Wenham: Welcome to the team! Could you “During start by telling us a bit about your background and my fi ve how/why you became a believer? years in Raphael Anzenberger: I was born in Strasbourg, France in 1972, and I am married to Karen, an the United American from Delaware. We have four children: States, Josiah, Abigail, Lilou and Matthew. At the age of 22, during a camp in Praz-de-Lys, where I was a counsellor, I had two I understood for the fi rst time what it meant to take my encounters faith seriously. Th is experience radically changed my life, and it was there that I decided to consecrate my life that to the Lord’s service. In 1996, after receiving a Master’s signifi cantly degree in Economics, Karen and I, freshly married, left for Chad, where I was the fi nancial director of Bebalem infl uenced Hospital for two years. After a brief stay in France, my vision we then moved to the US for fi ve years, so that I could pursue seminary classes at Columbia International for France.” University. I have since received a Master of Divinity in Leadership for Evangelism and Discipleship, and a Doctor of Ministry in Missiology. I am currently working on a Doctor of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies. During my fi ve years in the United States, I had two encounters that signifi cantly infl uenced my vision for France. Th e fi rst began in 1999 at Michelin Corp, where I worked part-time to fi nance my education and to support my family. French students from France’s ‘Ivy League’ schools spent many months doing internships at Michelin. As I met and shared with them, God gave me a burden for this generation that is searching for the meaning of life. Th e second was with the evangelist Leighton Ford, who spent thirty years traveling the world with Billy Graham, before beginning his own ministry of training and equipping young evangelists. God used Leighton’s programme to confi rm the call for evangelism that he had placed on my life.

What have you been involved with since then?

Upon our return to France in 2004, I met with the steering committee of France Evangelisation (FE) and

shared with them the vision that God had given me: Top left: to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to train a new Photo by Dorian Hurst on Unsplash generation of workers for God – young people who are > Left: Raphael Anzenberger

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 31 REACHING OUT

France has a reputation for being very secular, “...evangelicalism but what has been your experience of the specifi c is the fastest challenges of doing evangelism in the country? growing I believe that France has entered what Bérengère Massignon calls ‘the second era of secularization,’2 religious where the State recognizes its limits and the value of segment in religious and other institutions in civil society. In a sense, France is becoming more religious and more France, with secular at the same time. Th is shift is clearly expressed an average in Emmanuel Macron’s presidency, calling protestants, for instance, to remain the ‘watch of the Republic.’3 In a of one church sense, France is renewing its relationship with religion, planted every after more than a century of profound fracture between secularists and Catholics. Peter Berger was right – ten days” secularization theory has failed to produce secularism. Instead, secularization has produced pluralism, and with it, a new space for religions to express their voice and exercise their faith. For instance, evangelicalism is the fastest growing religious segment in France, with an average of one church planted every ten days. Many journalists have reported on this phenomenon in the recent years. With 2,500 churches, evangelicals have Raphael Anzenberger as many worship places as the Muslims and ordain as many pastors as the Catholic church. Th at said, there are still many segments of society grounded in the faith, and involved in evangelism and without a clear gospel witness, particularly in politics, apologetics. I joined their team of evangelists, and since business, media and the fashion industry. We also September 2005, I have also taken on the position of count very few evangelicals among the elite, which is a CEO for the ministry. During my time at FE, I also trend we hope to reverse with the ministry of RZIM. developed a curriculum to train emerging evangelists, called R2E. One hundred young evangelists have since How can we pray for you? graduated from this programme. In 2006, I co-founded the Global Evangelists Forum, a movement dedicated to We are offi cially launching the ministry in the the revival of the ministry of the evangelist throughout autumn of 2018. We will have an offi ce on the French the world. It is now operating on four continents and Riviera (Nice) to serve the French-speaking world, and we have published many resources to help countries a presence in Paris to reach out to the thinkers. Pray for 1 R. Anzenberger, (re) Discovering the ministry rediscover this beautiful ministry.1 breakthroughs in our evangelism. Pray also for current of the evangelist (Believers Press, 2015). In 2017, my family and I took a sabbatical in the US, work among Muslim intellectuals, which is bearing 2 B. Massignon, where I joined the faculty of Columbia International much fruit. Pray also for our training platform, the ‘Th e EU: Neither God nor Caesar,’ Eurozine University, as Adjunct Professor of Intercultural Academie Zacharias, which we hope to make available (www.eurozine.com/ the-eu-neither-god- Studies, and taught classes on Biblical Th eology of on mobile platforms for our African and Caribbean nor-caesar/, accessed 15 August 2018). Missions and Missions in a Secular Age. constituency. 3 Le Monde, We are excited to launch RZIM in the French- 23 September 2017 (www.lemonde.fr/religions/ You have been connected with the Zacharias speaking world. Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you article/2017/09/23/ macron-attend-beaucoup- Trust for over a decade, so why are you now helping have contacts or ideas as we will be glad to investigate des-protestants_5190108_ 1653130.html, to establish an RZIM offi ce in France? them: [email protected]. accessed 15 August 2018).

Vision is one thing, but timing is another. We have @RaphAnzenberger talked over the years about starting a RZIM offi ce in France to serve the greater French-speaking world. After ten years, the time is now right to launch the FURTHER RESOURCES ministry, with a solid network already in place and Visit the newly launched RZIM France website at great teammates that will join the work. Th e offi ce will serve not only the European French-speaking region www.rzim.fr (France, Belgium, Switzerland), but also French- You can fi nd a number of French apologetics websites listed here: speaking countries around the Mediterranean Sea, the http://apologetix.fr/sites/ regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and the French Antilles. Th at is without forgetting our cousins from Quebec, You can fi nd a list of French apologetics resources here: where many good things are already happening in the http://apologetix.fr/livres/ fi eld of apologetics.

32 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG EQUIPPING YOU

Daniel Rangel, Max Jeganathan and Mike Day Th e art of conversation: how do I share my faith?

Some people think of evangelism as something done by trained public speakers. In this article, Vince Vitale challenges that perception and urges followers to realise the importance of everyday conversations.

I want to off er some refl ections on something that often focus on improving professional skills or learning God zoomed in on in my own life a number of years more about the Bible, but who can say that they are now ago. If you take these pieces of advice seriously, I a signifi cantly better conversationalist than they were a honestly believe it could radically change the depth and few years ago? enjoyment of your conversations about God and the fruitfulness that comes from them. Th at is what I have Caring about conversation found personally and that is my prayer for you. Th ere’s a scene from Pride and Prejudice when Mr Th ere are a couple of reasons why I want to focus in Darcy says, ‘I have not that talent which some possess on conversation. Firstly, all of us will probably be more of conversing easily with strangers’, to which Elizabeth Above: Vince Vitale infl uential in our conversation than in any other type responds, ‘I do not play [the piano] so well as I should of communication. Secondly, we tend to spend almost wish to, but I have always supposed that to be my fault, no time on this, as we don’t see it as important. People because I would not take the trouble of practicing.’ >

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 33 EQUIPPING YOU

Similarly, if we’re not a good conversationalist, we almost always just wing conversation? “Be able tend to see it as just how we are and not as a weakness or something we ought to change. Yet you can fi nd Crafting our conversation to speak some advice for conversation – normally in secular I’d like to share with you a few pieces of advice for competently writing – and it often revolves around being prepared. investing more intentionally in conversation. I have One recommendation, for example, is to read about eight short points that I think can be really practical about the diff erent popular topics, so that you can engage with and powerful, if put into practice. diff erent the interests of people around you. 1. Be Multilingual Th at might seem fake, prescriptive, or disingenuous things that Be able to speak competently about the diff erent to you, but why should it, when many of us spend things that matter most to the people you care about matter most a great deal of time fi nding out about professional and feel called to. Almost two decades ago, I became a sportspeople or celebrities? After all, we generally to the people Christian, and initially it was diffi cult for my family. view research and study as good things, because we I found myself struggling to know how to share my you care about care about the end result. We praise people when they newfound faith with my father. What came next carefully plan for someone’s birthday or going on a date, and feel surprised me! I sensed God prompting me to learn as it shows that they value the other person. So why the language of a New York Yankees fan. So I started called to.” should it be any diff erent with normal conversation? watching the games regularly, and within weeks I was Why should we restrict serious personal investment an even bigger fan than my dad! All of a sudden we had just to special occasions? something to connect about pretty much every day of If I know I’m going to see someone tonight, why the year, and I’d say this was one of the single biggest shouldn’t I take some time to pray about them and factors in my dad becoming more comfortable having to ask God for a good question to ask them or for a spiritual conversations with me and ultimately putting good answer to something they might ask me? I don’t his trust in Christ. see anything artifi cial or disingenuous about that, as What would it look like for us to learn to speak the it shows that I care enough about the person not to language of the specifi c people God is calling us to? Is say just the fi rst thing that happens to jump into my there someone you feel called to relationship with and head. We would never just wing something that was to share God with whom you are struggling to connect important, like a work presentation, so why do we with? What are they interested in? What do they enjoy?

Above: Conversations at REBOOT Edinburgh Right: Andy Moore (left)

gradyreese@iStock

34 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG EQUIPPING YOU

What do they care about? conversations. I have a list of questions that I fi nd help to open up and deepen conversations without being threatening. Jesus then 2. Be a goal-setter fi nds his way into those meaningful conversations quite naturally. When I fl y home to see my family, I set goals to Here are a few questions that I like: have at least one specifi c conversation with each of my family members, and I try to let my wife or a friend • What was the best part of your week? What was the worst part of know what those goals are, so that they can help hold your week? me accountable to them. While I can’t necessarily direct • What’s been on your mind most recently? what the outcome of those conversations will be, I can take responsibility for whether or not they take place. • When was the happiest time in your life? Why? We don’t always like setting goals, because it opens • What are you good at? us up to the possibility of failing, but one of the greatest gifts of being a Christian is that Jesus’ sacrifi ce should • What are your dreams for the future? free us to be willing and unafraid for things not to go as • What were you like as a child? Are you diff erent now? In what ways? we’d hoped, because our identity and value is rooted in God’s grace alone and not in our achievements. • What is your best childhood memory? 3. Be question ready • Whom in your family are you most alike? Whom are you most Good questions are so powerful, as Jesus himself diff erent from? In what ways? showed many times, but most people are pretty terrible • How would your best friends describe you? at asking them. Some of our most common questions, like ‘How are you doing?’, aren’t even real questions at • Who has had the most signifi cant infl uence in your life? Why? all, because they’ve come to mean nothing more than • If there was one law you could make, what would it be? ‘Hello’. Th e reason we so often fi nd it so diffi cult to get from • What would you change about yourself, if you could change shooting the breeze to Jesus is because too often we are one thing? merely shooting the breeze. We wouldn’t fi nd it so • What is the most frustrating thing about religion to you? diffi cult to introduce Jesus into conversation, if we were in the habit of regularly entering into meaningful • Did you grow up in a religious home? [Th is is less threatening than ‘Are you a Christian?’] • Have you had experiences in your life that have made you think there might be a God? [I love this one! Th e stories people will share in response are amazing!] 4. Be response ready While we can open up conversations by enquiring about others, questions asked to us are an absolute gift, because they are an opportunity to share something about who God is and what he has done. Yet our responses can often be as bad as our questions, when we say something like ‘Okay’, ‘Can’t complain’ or ‘Fine’. What questions are you asked most often and how could you respond in ways that allow you to talk about meaningful things generally and Jesus Christ in particular? Here’s an example of one way of responding: Person A: ‘How was your weekend?’ Person B: ‘Not bad, thanks.’ But if you’ve encountered the living God in church on Sunday, saying ‘Not bad, thanks’, isn’t even an honest answer! Th ere’s nothing weird about giving an honest, meaningful answer, which might be something like this: Person A: ‘How was your weekend?’ Person B: ‘Really good actually. On Saturday, we went to the movies, and then, on Sunday, we went to church, which is always a highlight for us. Do you ever go to church?’

Person A: ‘No, I’m not religious.’ Person B: ‘No, I never used to be either, but a friend invited me along a few years ago and I’ve found it incredibly meaningful and a wonderful community to be a part of. It would be great to have you come along sometime.’ >

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 35 EQUIPPING YOU

5. Be testimony ready they would not be ready for such a decision. We’ve Some of the deepest and most meaningful conversations happen also been deceived into thinking that it is up to us to when we personally relate to what others are saying. Sharing the persuade people to make the most important decision faith is very often about fi nding Christ at the intersection between of their life and that God is not involved. Th e reality is our own stories and those of others, but one reason why we often so diff erent, as the Bible doesn’t just say that God ‘…is fi nd evangelism so hard is that we don’t actually know our own not far from any one of us’ (Acts 17:27), but that even stories very well. In churches, people are sometimes encouraged to those who are not Christians yet ‘…what is known to share their testimony, but the truth is that each of us has about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to innumerable testimonies of how God has worked in our lives. them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal I try to identify diff erent themes within which I can understand power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, my testimony, and then I pray and refl ect about how that theme ever since the creation of the world, in the things that has played out in my life and how God has been at work through it. have been made’ (Romans 1:19-20) [emphases added]. Here are some relevant themes: Th at is an incredibly strong statement saying people don’t just know something about God, but deep down Forgiveness, family, suff ering, intellect, relationships, guilt, they know his divine nature. Th at is not to minimize death, fear, dreams, purpose, loneliness, freedom, pride, worry legitimate questions, objections and doubts, but it is and anxiety, shame, frustrations with the church, decisions to say that God has already been revealing himself, about the future, image, identity... through creation, through our conscience, through Th e more themes we can articulate our testimony through the dreams, and in a million other ways. better, as it helps us to appreciate and understand the ways God has Do you believe that about your friends and family? been at work in our lives, as well as helping us be more natural in Do you believe that about the people you meet every connecting with the stories of others. day? Do you believe they already have a seed of the knowledge of God deep down? I think this is one of 6. Be prayer ready the most important questions for us to honestly ask Th e Bible tells us that our prayers are ‘powerful and eff ective.’ ourselves. If you don’t believe this, then you won’t How gracious is our God to set things up so that even when we’re have the confi dence to invite people to Jesus, but if not with someone in person, we can actively bless them by praying you believe what the Bible says is true, then you start for them? Prayer is action at a distance – it’s a superpower! So try to think about how you can remind yourself to pray for others consistently and in a disciplined way. 7. Be good stewards of conversations If we’ve had a good conversation with someone, they may have been vulnerable with us and trusted us with personal information. So we have to be trustworthy and care enough to retain that information, refl ect on it, and pray about it. As long as you are very careful about issues of confi dentiality, it can be helpful to write down the information somewhere safe, so you can remember to pray about it and to ask about it the next time you see the same person. Being good stewards of conversation also requires looking for opportunities to extend the conversation. Just say something like, ‘I really enjoyed that; maybe we can talk more sometime? Do you have an email address I can reach you at?’ or ‘Are you on Facebook?’ People are usually very willing to give Facebook or email addresses. You can then set up a time to continue the conversation, which also gives the other person time to give the topic more thought. 8. Be invitational If you are throwing a party, it doesn’t matter how much you tell people about how great it is going to be and how excited you are, in general, they are not going to show up unless you have actually invited them. It is the same when we talk about God. We may have told a loved one how great God is, shared our testimony, and even answered their objections, but have we actually invited them to come to Christ? I always remember when a student called Natasha was asked why she didn’t become a Christian sooner, and she replied, ‘I think I just needed an invitation.’ Why do we so often not make invitations? I think sometimes Summertime parties ©AleksandarNakic@iStock we are fooled into thinking God is far from certain people and

36 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG EQUIPPING YOU

“...Th e feelings to think that in every single conversation, God could Spirit U-turns – and be invitational. Over time, as you of nerves and bring new life – and that’s when things start to get really build up evidence of God’s faithfulness in blessing your exciting! invitations, the feelings of nerves and discomfort will discomfort A former student of mine got invited to church by become excitement and expectation, as you see God will become a friend who overslept. When he showed up, he heard transform life, after life, after life. the singing and slipped in at the back of the church, Start with the assumption that God is near and excitement heard a sermon from John 15, was pierced to the he is known, because that’s what the Bible says, and and heart, and walked forward to give his life to Christ. be ready and excited to invite people to Jesus. Has God Can you imagine? By the time you call to apologize put someone on your heart? Will you trust Him? He expectation, for oversleeping, your friend tells you he has already wants to use you. Yes, you! Not because you have all as you see become a Christian! God will bless and use your the answers, but because he loves you and he delights invitations, if you are willing to trust him with them. in involving his children in his work. Will you accept God transform that gift? life, after life, Confi dent conversation What would make this article a success? Wouldn’t it Do we have confi dence in the power of the gospel? be a powerful result if everyone who reads this headed after life.” A while back I met a young man at church. He said he back home with an invitation to follow Christ for some was not a Christian, and he asked a tough question person in their life? If we do that, you know what will about hell. I answered it as best as I was able, and I happen? People will become Christians! You will be could see in his eyes that he thought my response made surprised at how many people will say ‘Yes’ to your sense and that a shift was taking place. I hesitated, invitation. If we do that, we will have more brothers and he said ‘Th anks’ and walked away. I thought to and sisters for all eternity. Th at’s what I am praying for . myself, ‘Man, I should have made an invitation’. So I ran after the guy, caught up with him, and I didn’t even Vince Vitale get to fi nish my question, as he said, ‘I really want to DIRECTOR OF THE ZACHARIAS INSTITUTE, USA recommit my life to Jesus!’ Th ose words were literally @VinceRVitale Below: David Bennett (left) on the tip of his tongue! He just needed an invitation! Bottom right: Vince Vitale Trust God with those promptings – I call them Holy

lafl or@iStock

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 37 EQUIPPING YOU

Beliefmapping

We might be tempted to suppose that most people think about the world in a similar way, but, as Tom Price shows, the reality is quite diff erent. In this article, he introduces Beliefmapping and shows how it can be used as a tool for clearer thinking and evangelism. DieterMeyrl@iStock EQUIPPING YOU

Every single human being brings a be explained through natural processes things will be defi nitively addressed in unique way of seeing the world. Various and properties? Is there a God? If there some sort of way? thinkers have produced models of is, is God diff erent or separate from the ‘worldview’ or Weltbild (world picture), universe? Is God an energy or force, or Beliefmapping which have enlarged and enhanced our something else? Learning about beliefmaps helps us understanding of the grid or lens that we to make sense of many complicated see the world through. 2. WHAT IS THE ERROR? philosophies, systems of thinking, My own idea of worldview as a beliefmap Th e second question, which concerns religions and viewpoints, by drilling down integrates, affi rms and builds on the work every system of thinking, is a bit less into those four key questions of life. A of Wittgenstein, Orr, Kuyper, Dooyeweerd, philosophical, but is one that every person powerful and helpful way of doing this is Schaeff er, Guinness, Sire and Zacharias. asks themselves when they watch the news, to use ‘beliefmapping’. It helps to gather A beliefmap approach to worldviews engage with society or experience struggles together the core elements of a belief makes use of the crisp and clean rigour in their own lives: what is it that is wrong system, incorporating the philosophical of Western philosophy, alongside the with the world? and the everyday. Since the questions more personal and existential concerns of What is going on with the people or the that we each wonder about are varied and Continental philosophers. It reframes the planet? Why is there sadness, sorrow and change according to what is happening to questions that previous approaches posed brokenness? What is that about and what us, a beliefmap is able to capture both our and then reimagines them around two is its origin? Has humanity somehow lost practical and refl ective sides accurately. crucial issues: suff ering and the renewed its power or knowledge or potential? Or Th at is why understanding what we think is life. is there something wrong with our own wrong with the world and what we believe A beliefmap is a lens through which we nature that needs to be repaired, changed the solution to be, is placed alongside our view the world and ourselves. We all have or redeemed? Is there such a thing as moral answers to the big questions about the one. But we are not always completely aware brokenness or is there some other kind universe and ultimate reality. of it, even though we are always infl uenced of fl aw? Are we just acting in line with Beliefmapping is an amazing way to by it. A beliefmap is structured around our base instincts and, if so, are we doing it think and talk about what people believe. answers to four questions. too much? It helps people to see the presuppositions, the assumptions, and the underlying beliefs 3. WHAT IS THE ANSWER? that they bring to the way that they see : WHAT IS REALITY? Th e third question that all beliefmaps the world, which includes the way that and perspectives try to say something they respond to questions about purpose, about is: what is the solution to all of this? happiness, and truth, as well as to the : WHAT IS THE ERROR? How do we solve what is wrong with the gospel message. world and its people? Is there a way to be rescued or to self- Th e beliefmapping survey rescue? What do we need to do? What do How does it work? Beliefmapping is : WHAT IS THE ANSWER? we need to engage with? What should you the name of a free one-to-one survey and I do in response to these situations that a Christian believer does with a and challenges? What answers should we nonbeliever. Th ere is a printable paper : WHAT DOES LIFE LOOK LIKE? channel our hope, energy and resources survey, an online system to analyse the into? Is it to be found in technology or results and a response/analysis page, by inventing new technologies? Is it in which provides information about the something that we need to do, fi nd or nonbeliever’s personal beliefmap. Th e 1. WHAT IS REALITY? acquire, or is the answer to be found in person conducting the survey then takes something that comes from outside of the person through their own results. It Th e fi rst question that all beliefmaps, our experience? does all the heavy lifting. You can just have worldviews, religions and ways of great conversations. approaching the world try to answer 4. WHAT DOES LIFE LOOK LIKE? Th e fi rst thing to do is to ask the person concerns the basic nature of reality. Th e fourth question that all of these whether they would like to know what What is really there? Why is there ways of looking at the world are trying to their beliefmap is. Th ey might ask what a something rather than nothing? And what address through their beliefs and ideas is: beliefmap is and you can explain that it is is the nature of the most basic reality? what might life look like in the future, if the underlying or hidden way that we see Is everything really physical? What are we brought these changes in? All of these the world. You could illustrate this idea human beings? Are we just complex diff erent philosophies and religions have with the idea of a lens or pair of glasses biomechanical machines? How can we views about what happens next and what that shape and change what you look at. understand the world? Are there real hope there is (or isn’t) for the future. If they are willing to do the survey, they standards of right and wrong? What is Are we alone in the future or together are then given a printed piece of paper and science actually looking at? How do we with others? Do we lose our individuality a pen (preferably on a clipboard) and use our minds to look at and understand and become one essence, individual or invited to simply answer six questions by the world around us? Is everything really thing? Do we continue to battle onwards putting a tick by as many statements as spiritual in its basic nature? Can everything through suff ering, or is there hope that they agree with. >

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 39 EQUIPPING YOU

Left: Tom Price Far Left: vernonwiley@iStock

Th e survey is then collected back in discussion with them about how relevant pray before, during and after you enter and the answers are processed using the the gospel and Christian perspective is. into these conversations, for boldness, online system. Th e system will provide a Others might say, ‘I need some evidence, protection, opportunity and fruitfulness clear result, for example ‘atheism’, which science, proof or “real world” tangible (Colossians 4:2-6). is indicated by ticking the appropriate stuff .’ Th is is an indicator to pursue place on the response sheet. At that point a conversation with them that starts Next steps the survey is returned and the results are with the truthfulness and evidence for Th e next thing to fi nd out is what the explained to the participant. You might say Christianity. best next step for them might be. Would something like, ‘Let me describe what your You can see how it goes, and you might they like to talk more about this? Try to beliefmap might be and you can tell me then be able to follow things up with the off er a number of options, like meeting whether that’s right or not.’ Th en you can question, ‘Have you thought about what up with you again, coming to an event read or paraphrase the description of that diff erence to your life it might make if God or church, doing a course like Alpha or beliefmap from the response sheet. You can existed?’ Th e vast majority will say, ‘No, I Christianity Explored, or reading or also explain how that beliefmap attempts haven’t’, which might give you an amazing listening to something. to answer the four foundational REAL window of opportunity to naturally and Here are some questions that will help questions. relevantly share the gospel and good news you at this point: with them. • Would you like to have coff ee later on, Opening up conversations Here are some other great questions that or tomorrow so we can talk more? How can you now open up a real you can ask during the conversation: conversation? Firstly, be personable. Get to • Would you like to come to this event/ • What do you think God is like? know them a bit. Ask them their name and church with me? fi nd out a bit about them. • Do you pray/meditate? • Would you like to take away Secondly, ask them about how they • What do you think of Jesus? something to read? came to their overall views on life. You might say, ‘Tell me about what shaped/ • Did this survey help you see how you • Would you mind if I pray for you? led to your beliefs? How have you come view the world (your lens/beliefmap)? • Would you like to know God? to believe what you believe?’ Th ere are • What do you think God thinks/feels all kinds of reasons that they might give: You can fi nd out more about about you? family, friends, culture, religious fears, beliefmapping by visiting the website comfort, psychological factors, evidence • What is the biggest challenge in your www.beliefmapping.com, where you and arguments. You can follow this up with life right now [and, if appropriate, you will fi nd all the information you need to with, ‘What might cause you to change can off er to pray for it]? get started. your beliefs?’ Listen really carefully to their Hopefully you can connect the threads answer. Some people might say, ‘I would Tom Price of the conversation that you have into need it to be more relevant or meaningful SENIOR OCCA TUTOR something that Jesus said or did, so that – for it to change who I am.’ If they give they can begin to see why Jesus is so @abetterhope that kind of answer you could pursue a fascinating and intriguing. Remember to

40 WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG EQUIPPING YOU

Recommended resources OUT NOW:

Being Truly Human: The Limits of Our Worth, A War of Loves: Power, Freedom The Unexpected Story Saving Truth: Finding and Destiny of a Gay Activist Meaning and Clarity in Discovering Jesus a Post-Truth World by John Lennox and David Gooding by David Bennett by Abdu Murray

This is the fi rst in a new six-part series written This autobiographical account from OCCA Fellow, This book seeks to navigate the culture of confusion by John Lennox and David Gooding exploring David Bennett, describes his journey searching we live in, by providing arguments, from a Christian ‘The Quest for Reality and Signifi cance’. It will be for meaning and justice as a gay activist and how perspective, for the foundations of truth and how followed by Finding Ultimate Reality, Questioning his life was transformed by unexpectedly they apply to sexuality, identity, morality and Our Knowledge, Doing What’s Right, Claiming to encountering Christ. spirituality. Answer and Suff ering Life’s Pain.

The Call: Finding and Joseph: A Story of Love, Making Sense of Old Fulfi lling God’s Promise Hate, Slavery, Power Testament Genocide For Your Life and Forgiveness

by Christian Hofreiter by Os Guinness by John Lennox

This academic book sheds new light on the ways in This classic, refl ective work on life’s purpose has been This detailed look at Joseph’s life provides valuable which the Israelite conquest of Canaan has shaped republished in an expanded form to mark its 20th lessons for Christians today. By exploring the major the thoughts and actions of readers through the anniversary. It is designed for all those who desire a themes in the narrative, such as God’s sovereignty, centuries, whilst off ering insights into how to make purposeful, intentional life of faith. suff ering, temptation, forgiveness, and faith, it invites sense of them today. readers to gain a deeper trust of God.

#AskAway

A new weekly apologetics broadcast Have No Fear: Being Salt from RZIM USA. and Light Even When It Is Costly NEW MODULES

by John Lennox #TrendingQuestions RZIM’s online training curriculum is designed Using examples from the Bible and from his to help individuals become better equipped A new live-streamed evening series own life, John Lennox explains practically how to give an answer to anyone who asks them we can winsomely share Jesus with friends, despite from the Zacharias Institute in to give a reason for the hope that they our fears. Atlanta, which explores some of have in Jesus. A number of new modules are the most urgent questions of today. being added, so do look out for them at www.rzimacademy.org

COMING SOON... We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with The Good Book Company to produce a series of apologetics books, the fi rst of which will be Can Science Explain Everything? by John Lennox (out in January 2019). Other authors include Sam Allberry (Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With?), Sharon Dirckx (Am I Just My Brain?) and John Dickson (Is Jesus History?).

Series editor Tim Thornborough explains the vision behind the project: ‘This will be a world-class series of short, accessible, single-issue titles aimed at non-Christians, written by thoughtful, engaged experts. John Lennox’s book is terrifi c, and promises to be the fi rst of many excellent evangelistic resources coming from this partnership’.

ZACHARIAS TRUST MAGAZINE 2019 41 #NOQUESTIONOFFLIMITS

Are you passionate about seeing people come to know Jesus?

The OCCA off ers programmes integrating training REBOOT is a fun and interactive youth event designed to help in evangelism, intellectual engagement, communication young people of any background to investigate the skills, pioneering leadership, and spiritual formation, claims of the Christian faith and to fi nd alongside supporting local outreach (see page 24). answers to the diffi cult questions they face today (see page 20). Come and study with us, and let the adventure begin! WWW.REBOOTGLOBAL.ORG 23 MARCH 2019, BELFAST (See the website for other locations) www.theocca.org

RZIM CONNECT

RZIM Connect is a free online community where The ʻWhy? Seriesʼ is an annual training event that provides answers to some of the most diffi cult people can discuss questions about Christianity topics believers face today, as well as giving practical with each other and members of the RZIM team. guidance for those wanting to communicate their faith more effectively. THE ONLINE HOME FOR THE RZIM FAMILY 18 MAY 2019, LONDON WWW.RZIMCONNECT.ORG WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG/TRAINING-DAY

OXFORD SUMMER SCHOOL The RZIM Academy is an online AVAILABLE The Oxford Summer School is an annual week-long training curriculum designed to IN SPANISH, residential event that helps believers not only share help individuals become better and defend the Christian faith more eff ectively, but FRENCH equipped to give an answer to AND GERMAN also deal with people’s heartfelt objections to the anyone who asks them to give (and other languages soon) gospel. a reason for the hope that they have in Jesus. 14-19 JULY 2019 | MERTON COLLEGE, OXFORD SEE WWW.ZACHARIASTRUST.ORG/SUMMERSCHOOL WWW.RZIMACADEMY.ORG