Ravi + Me Several years ago Ravi Zacharias and I were on the same program. Ravi accepted an invitation to speak at Cincinnati Christian University on April 29, 2014. He spoke twice, once in morning chapel and once for an evening banquet. About three weeks before the event, the school president, David Faust, sent me a request that said, in part, “As part of the program prior to Ravi’s speech in the evening, I would like to interview you briefly about the ongoing relevance of apologetics, especially as it relates to our work at CCU. . . . If you like, I can send you a short list of two or three interview questions to think about ahead of time.” I replied that I would appreciate having the questions ahead of time. Brother Faust sent the questions along with this warning: “We only have a few minutes for the interview, so we will need to keep our
by jack cottrell
comments concise.” What a challenge! Anyway, here are the questions he sent: • Over the last 90 years, our school has used the slogan, “Scholarship in an Atmosphere of Faith.” How do those two factors— scholarship and faith—fit together? • What do you personally consider the most compelling evidences that support faith in Christ and the Bible? • In the midst of a shifting and cynical culture, what advice could you give us about how to defend and explain our Christian faith? I buckled down and studied these questions, and decided how I would answer them. I wrote out some compact replies, and sent them to brother Faust ahead of time for his advice. The following are the answers I sent to him. I thought others might be interested in my brief answers.