Popular Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias passed away on Tuesday morning at his home in Atlanta, following a brief battle with sarcoma. He was 74.
An official statement from RZIM said: "Ravi Zacharias spent the past 48 years commending the Christian faith and addressing life's greatest existential questions of origin, meaning, morality and destiny with eloquence and grace.
"Through his founding and leadership of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), Zacharias launched a global team of nearly 100 Christian scholars and authors who continue to speak, resource, train and address the questions of millions around the world."
"My dad, at 74, has "join[ed] with the triumphant saints that sing [his] Savior's praise," his daughter Sarah Davis, who is also the CEO of RZIM said.
"It was his Savior, Jesus Christ, that my dad always wanted most to talk about," she said.
"Even in his final days, until he lacked the energy and breath to speak, he turned every conversation to Jesus and what the Lord had done. He perpetually marveled that God took a 17-year-old skeptic, defeated in hopelessness and unbelief, and called him into a life of glorious hope and belief in the truth of Scripture—a message he would carry across the globe for 48 years."
Ravi Zacharias Died of Cancer
Earlier this year, doctors discovered a malignant tumor on Zacharias's sacrum as he underwent back surgery. Since March he has been receiving treatment for sarcoma, a type of cancer that starts in tissues like bone or muscle, at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
The RZIM ministry posted an update on May 8 announcing that Zacharias's cancer was untreatable, and he has been sent home to Atlanta to be with his family.
Who is Ravi Zacharias?
Regarded as one of the foremost defenders of Christianity's intellectual credibility, Ravi Zacharias is an Indian-born Canadian-American Christian apologist. Born on 26 March 1946, his family hails from the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. Brother Zach, as he is often referred to as by his close friends is considered one of the great Christian expositors of the 21st century.
Zacharias is survived by his wife of 48 years, Margie; daughters, Sarah and Naomi; son, Nathan; and five grandchildren. Margie and the Zacharias family have asked that in lieu of flowers a donation can be made on the official donation page of RZIM.
Ravi Zacharias's funeral will be held in Atlanta. The details and date of the graveside service will be announced soon. The online streaming of Ravi Zacharias funeral will be available on the RZIM website.
Ravi Zacharias Quotes, Messages
Here are some of the most powerful and life-changing quotes by apologist Ravi Zacharias: