Ravi Zacharias - Deliver Us from Evil: Restoring the Soul in a Disintegrating Culture

PICTURE THIS:

A vast, teeming sea of people stretching as far as the eye can see, boiling, agitated. Most are wearing Walkman headsets and the latest fashions; every person has the most recent issue of USA Today in one hand and a television remote control in the other. Some are quite educated, but still lost. Some are lost, but dont care. All are shouting, chanting, bumping into each other as each tries to march in his own direction, spouting a favorite truism. There is no right or wrong, so no one feels ashamed; all opinions are equal, so no one is allowed to think; religious convictions are private, so they are meaningless in any discussion. Its like a massive tabloid talk show gone berserk.

But there is one figure out there that isnt moving, like a reef standing dry above the crashing surf. The man is dark-skinned and gentle-eyed with a crown of white hair, and he is speaking firmly, steadily, in measured tones to whomever will listen. Its easy to pass him by: he has no traveling band, no loud PA system, no stage smoke or lights, no premium giveaways or easy goodies from God.

All he has is wisdom the kind you have to sit still to receive; the kind you must take in small bites and chew slowly.

But if you truly wish to know, hell tell you how this unruly mob got this way, and suggest the way to find peace and direction again. Hel even show you where the solid rocks are in this ocean so you can stand steady above the tossing waves.

I happen to appreciate his boldly standing there, giving his lectures, writing his books, teaching, debating, getting bumped and jostled like the rest of us but standing steady nevertheless. The media dont provide disclaimers, the politicians dont come with subtitles, opposing opinions dont list their ingredients on the package. But hes been digging into these things for years and hes ready to help us do the same.

People often ask me where I get my ideas and what books I read.

Well, I read novels to learn from the styles and techniques of other fiction writers, but to gain wisdom and insight into our times, I turn often to those who have already hacked a trail through the jungle of ideas: people like C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, Josh McDowell, and someone Ive just recently discovered, Ravi Zacharias.

In Deliver Us from Evil this brilliant thinker writes on a subject that has been the primary theme of my novels: the mystery of evil.

Though he was hard at work on his calling long before I even started mine, and though he paints with a different brush stroke, many of you already know about him and his work. For the newcomers like myself, I can only say welcome and congratulations on your find. The Bible says a gray head is found in the way of wisdom, and I can affirm that his hair is far whiter than mine.

Frank E. Peretti