by Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale
Our world today resembles Israel’s moral landscape in the book of Judges – in those days having no king, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6). We should be dismayed that we can no longer pride ourselves as being different or superior to them. By refusing to acknowledge Jesus as King, we lose our true north on what is good, beautiful and true. We become self-referencing definers of good and evil that we were never designed to be.
In Jesus Among Secular Gods, authors Ravi Zacharias and Vince Vitale assert that when many are shunning religion and characterise belief in God as irrelevant, they are making gods out of contemporary ideologies and arguments that favour their moral preferences and life choices. As a result, worldviews that posit a supernatural reality, an objective morality, or a personal God we can know for eternity, are losing their significance and influence in the public square. This book is a written response to these challenges that secularisation presents to the Christian faith.
This book was an interesting read for me as these two apologists exchange their thoughts and reflections. With Zacharias’ skillful command in employing the works of philosophers and great thinkers of the past to illuminate Jesus’ truth claims, I found myself better appreciating the rich heritage of the discussion on the existence of a supreme God. Alongside his writings, I too enjoyed how Vitale carefully selects testimonies and analogies drawn from his own experiences to clearly articulate biblical truths in a relatable and easy manner for new readers.
They provide useful insights for me to prepare a better response to challenges that some of my friends have such as, “There is no God”, “Science has already disproved God”, “We have no need for God”, “True for you, not for me” and “There are many paths to God”. I was led to closely examine how ultimately these ideologies alone, apart from God, will fail us should we depend on them for guidance and direction in life. They, at best, only reflect a partial truth, but we need more – we need an objective complete truth that we can trust and hold fast to as an anchor for our soul.
We need Truth personified and only our Lord Jesus Christ, standing tall above other gods, proclaims that He is (John 14:6). The book concludes with an exhortation for us as Christians to be lovers of truth and to ready ourselves with a counter-cultural response to why we choose to follow Him in a world that seeks to devalue such a commitment.
I recommend this book to any reader who seeks an answer so that they can, with steadfast confidence and deepest conviction, build their life upon – a truth worth living for (John 8:32).
Bryan Au
Treasure Trove Reader
