Just a few short weeks ago I spoke at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church here in metropolitan Atlanta. It was a privilege to speak on the media's influence in society with actor and director Michael Landon, Jr., and Emmy Award winning journalist Art Franklin. Much can be said about how the Lord can shine through the arts in television and film, even as we navigate through these often distracting and sometimes dangerous mediums.
It is for such a time as this that God has raised RZIM: to clearly articulate and defend the Gospel to those who shape our society. We stand strategically positioned to influence those in government, parliament, business, media, sports, and entertainment. Everyday my staff and I strive to reach more of this hurting and confused world with the beauty and credibility of the Gospel.
As always, I hope you are encouraged by the reports from our regional offices below. We are seeing many come to know the Lord across the world through our media efforts and training of future apologists. Your part in this work both through prayer and kind giving continues to bolster and encourage the RZIM worldwide team.
May the joy of the Lord be your strength.
Ravi
Engaging Today's Culture with RZIM:
- Just Thinking Spring/Summer 2009 (Vol. 18.2)
Just Thinking is a teaching resource of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and exists to engender thoughtful engagement with apologetics, Scripture, and the whole of life.
Inseparable Companions by Danielle DuRant
Of Isms and Rabbit Trails by John Njoroge
Hyperseeing and the Towers of Babel by Jill Carattini
Just Thinking is now available for digital download on Amazon Kindle. If you use a Kindle reader, please search for "Just Thinking RZIM" in Amazon.com's search field or click here for more information. - Summer Offer
The 2009 Summer Offer is now available online. Visit http://store.rzim.org to purchase a book, CD, DVD, and other resources. - Recommended Reading - July
From our online recommended reading list:
Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy: Three Essential Books in One Volume
Few Christians have had a greater impact during the last half of the twentieth century than Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer. A man with a remarkable breadth of cultural interest, penetrating insight into modern life, and a clear sense of spiritual reality, Schaeffer was also a man who cared deeply about people and their search for truth and reality in their lives.
With the publication of this Trilogy, Dr. Schaeffer's three foundational books are available for the first time in one volume. Schaeffer himself considered these three books to be essential to everything he wrote (twenty-three books in all), and it is here especially that we see his ability to understand the deep need of modern man for truth, beauty, and meaning in life.
- New Calendar/Diary Program
Please visit our website at http://www.rzim.org/events to see our new calendar program for every RZIM region. Select your RZIM region of interest to see the event and training schedule for the entire international team.
Where in the World is RZIM? Highlights from across the globe...
UNITED STATES
While in Atlanta, Ravi spoke at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on July 13th addressing the theme, The Media Game...Who's Winning? His talk was followed by a panel Q & A consisting of Ravi Zacharias, Michael Landon, Jr., and Art Franklin. We are thrilled with the positive response we received from the event with around 3,000 people in attendance.
EUROPE
The Zacharias Trust held its annual Summer School on June 28 - July 3 at Queen's College, in Oxford, England. The Summer School is an intense week of training in evangelism and apologetics. The attendees were challenged and inspired by speakers such as Ravi Zacharias, John Lennox, Michael Ramsden, Amy Orr-Ewing, and others.
While in England, Ravi spoke at the UK National Day of Prayer, which was held in Westminster Hall in the Parliament Building. Members of both Houses took part, and some clergy, including the Chaplain to Parliament. The program was quite long, with multiple participants, some reading Scripture, some praying and some "responding." Among them was David Puttnam, the producer of Chariots of Fire and now Lord Puttnam.
CANADA
The Canadian National Prayer Breakfast and other June events in Ottawa exceeded expectations. The Canadian office worked very hard to pull the events together and are in great anticipation of an ongoing relationship between RZIM and "the Hill" (roughly equivalent to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.) that may result from the events. RZIM Canada is very committed to working toward an ongoing impact there and is already laying the groundwork for other itinerants to speak on Parliament Hill.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Last week Prakash Yesudian spoke at the Haggai Institute in Singapore addressing the topic of leadership to their students.
In August, RZIM Singapore is hosting a conference entitled, Called to Engage: Being Salt and Light in the Public Square. It will be a two-day seminar for students with Graduate Christian Fellowship.
INDIA
In July, Prakash Yesudian traveled to the southernmost tip of India to address the Compassion International Partners' biennial conference. He was invited to give three messages to the 150 pastors and church leaders attending. We praise the Lord for the positive response from the participants who are involved in developing thousands of children and youth to be the leaders of society.
June 27-28 - Praise God for the fifty medical students and a few senior doctors who attended the second module organized by the Institute of Medical Mission at the famed Christian Medical College, Vellore. Neil spoke to them five times on "The Life of Jesus Christ." There were many questions after each session and it was very sad to hear that only about five percent of the medical doctors at CMC were evangelical. Neil also spoke at the class prayer of the pre-final students.
MIDDLE EAST
Several members of the RZIM team met with several key people in Cairo to consider further ministry steps into Egypt. Michael Ramsden and D.K. met with many influential church leaders to plan together for possible future opportunities for expanding apologetics in Egypt.
HONG KONG
Grace Lee accompanied 20 other delegates from Hong Kong to attend the Oxford Summer School and their responses to the program have been much more than she could have imagined. Not only was the week a superb opportunity to begin new study groups and enhance friendships but now it seems there is a movement afoot to birth a local Hong Kong apologetics email/online discussion group!
Whatever the result of this tremendous momentum, these individuals are entrepreneurial and eager to further the work that began a couple weeks ago in Oxford. As one delegate friend said to Grace, "We cannot just go back to Hong Kong with all this training and wait until next year to come back. We've got to do something with what we've learned!"
Please know that we are here to serve you in any way that we can. Feel free to contact us by phone at (770) 449-6766 or via our website, www.rzim.org.
God bless you,
