Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message

What is it that makes Jesus radically different from other gods? Ravi Zacharias’ thought-provoking book should be read by those who are wondering why they should accept Christianity over and against any other religion, as well as for Christians who desire to know how to better communicate the truths of the Gospel to those of other faiths. JESUS AMONG OTHER GODS provides an informative overview (but not an exhaustive study) of eastern religions including Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. It will give readers a starting point for engaging those of other faiths, by going deeper into human existential questions. For example, we must consider that every world-view – not just Christianity’s – must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering. As Ravi Zacharias explains, “Either evil categorically does not exist, as the atheist avows, or evil is “not ultimately real evil” as the pantheist claims, or evil is most coherently explained by the Christian view of God and His purposes in creation.” Having argued for the exclusivity of religious truth claims, Zacharias then examines the major world religions, showing how they fail to answer the fundamental questions of life, then presents a strong argument for Christ - He is who He claimed He was - the way, the truth and the life. Only through the acceptance of these exclusive claims could we make sense of life and find salvation. All religions cannot be right, because they fundamentally contradict one another. Some say religions are fundamentally the same but superficially different – that’s false. They may be superficially the same but fundamentally different. As the author states “All religions are not the same. All religions do not point to God. All religions do not say that all religions are the same. At the heart of every religion is an uncompromising commitment to a particular way of defining who God is or is not and accordingly, of defining life’s purposes.” The author’s defense of Christianity is plainly aimed at the Christian reader, but it is so deep and challenging that it compelled me to address many questions that I had never considered before.

Not only did Ravi Zacharias prove that Jesus is the Christ, but that he is the one true God. Read about the importance of Christ's answers at his trial, but indeed how important were his non-answers. I enjoyed the additional sharing by Ravi of his beliefs, all over the world. And, the different ways he found to share these beliefs. If you had the slightest doubts buried away in your self-consciousness this book will open your eyes toward a more complete understanding. One other thing that I enjoyed so much was his worldview on other religions that are becoming so much more a part of our daily awareness. Keep an open mind and enjoy this reading experience...

I have read this book now completely through twice, and Ravi Zacharias has much knowledge and wisdom to share with Christian and skeptic alike. He has pondered and wrestled with the hard questions in his own life and in the life of the skeptic. We suppress or deny the Truth of Jesus at our own peril, for no other religious leader has made the claims that Jesus has made. When you look at the how God has created us in love to respond in love to Him and then to one another, you can see the yearning that God has of us all. Jesus not only has all the Answers; he knows all the questions. If we focus only on pain, or evil, or suffering, we will miss the One who has overcome all of these and Death, as well. In the Bible, God tells us how he made us, how we fell into sin, prophesied that He would send a Saviour into the world, His only begotten Son, telling us where he would be born, how he would die, and that he would be raised in three days, overcoming death itself. God has shown us living evidence in His Son, Jesus, that He knows our past, knows the choices we will make today, and what our future will hold. His closest disciples, after witnessing Jesus' resurrection from the dead, chose to die for the truth that they had seen. All this is strong evidence for the Christian faith, and this book has strengthened my faith in God and Jesus. Whether you are a Christian or a skeptic, I would highly recommend this book. The way Ravi Zacharias brings these issues up for our consideration is with integrity and love, and where each of us will spend eternity is a personal question each of us needs to answer.

The late Ravi Zacharias was a master of articulation—both oral and written. Here he presents Christ, and compares/contrasts him with Buddhism and Hinduism too. Beautifully, and humbly written by a true servant of Christ and GOD. I recommend this book without hesitation of any kind. It is a powerful testimonial.

I've found apologetics fascinating for years, ever since a Sunday school class with a related theme during my senior year of high school. Parts of said class involved watching the video series of Jesus Among Other Gods. Thus, I learned early to respect Ravi Zacharias and was happy to find this book for such a good deal on Kindle. The actual book is much meatier than the video series, of course. That can be a toss-up, as Ravi takes such care in unpacking almost any concept you could think of. At times his writing and introspection are deep and interesting, and lend new facets to the life, unique claims, and saving power of Jesus Christ. At other times however, he probes so deeply into one word or phrase, you feel like you're being lectured in a highly advanced theology course. He tries to break this up with stories or introspection, but doesn't spend a lot of time on them. He also spends a lot of time breaking down arguments against Jesus--such as, was He a liar or lunatic--that are all too familiar to a lot of Christians. Ravi Zacharias is clearly a teacher and theologian at heart, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Be aware though, that you don't sit down to read Jesus Among Other Gods as you would a work of fiction or creative nonfiction, or even a typical Bible study. You need to be prepared for some heavy, and sometimes heavy-handed, theological discussions. If you really like that sort of thing, that's great. If it's not your normal read, I'd advise pacing yourself and taking frequent breaks to digest. However, I can say with confidence every Christian should have this in their library.

In our modern world we are constantly bombarded by the mantra that all religions are the same and that no one of them can be the truth; that the truth is subjective. This book will help solidify the honest believing Christian that the message of Christ and true Christianity is the only hope for mankind. There is no condemnation of others who do not accept the Christian faith, in fact, Mr Zacharias encourages acceptance of all who practice other faiths, while at the same time adhering to the Biblical principal that Christ is truly the only way to God, and therefore the only way to true and lasting peace. Beautifully written and easy to follow with many stories and quotes from other writers, this book should be on every serious Christian's shelf, if only to remind us regularly that, as Christ Himself said, "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me."

The title of this book initially threw me off but as I began to read, I could see that it is vintage Ravi Z. He offers apologetics through a multi cultural perspective but the goal is always the same-to proclaim the historical truth of Christianity. He doesn't ask the reader to believe based on faith alone but through facts about the authenticity of the Bible and the life of Jesus Christ. His personal anecdotes about his relationship with his father and the personal "almost" tragedy that led to his salvation serve to illustrate the state of man's pitiful existence without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.This is an excellent book for Christians in any stage of maturity and a great book for those who may not be Christians and have questions about Jesus Christ.

Once I finished reading Mr. Zacharias' book I was further affirmed in my belief in the uniqueness of Christ. Having grown up in church all the time, sometimes church people get so caught up in the rigamorale of church routines and things of that nature that we lose sight of who Christ was and what we are serving. We concentrate more on the task of going to church, to do church things that we forget that we go to church to worship Christ who has given us freedom. To the unbeliever, the book really contrast various beliefs with the uniqueness of Christ. It outlines what made Jesus who he is so different from all of the other people that make the claim of being God in flesh. And Mr. Zacharias doesn't attack any other religion at all but rather uses examples from their own holy books in contrast. You cannot get the idea that he is attacking and beating down another faith at all. His voice is intelligent and gentle. As a Christian, we can all take a lesson from him. We can discuss the issue of faith without anger but in a platform of listening.