This week on the Ask Away podcast, Jo and Vince Vitale share reflections on the life of Ravi Zacharias with RZIM president Michael Ramsden. Join us to hear Michael talk about his first impressions of Ravi, their decades of friendship and partnership in the gospel, and Ravi's vision for the future of RZIM.

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Submit a question using our form here or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

This week, as we prepare for the memorial service for Ravi Zacharias, Jo and Vince continue to reflect on the life and legacy of RZIM's founder. At the request of many of our listeners, join us to hear more about Ravi Zacharias as our friend and colleague. In this episode, we share stories and behind-the-scenes reminiscences with Sanj Kalra, Ravi's close friend and travel companion.

A memorial service honoring Ravi's life and legacy will be livestreamed on May 29 at 11:00 a.m. ET. Click here for more information.

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Submit a question using our form here or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

This week, Vince, Jo, and Michael, along with the entire RZIM team and so many of you, are grieving the passing of our founder, mentor, and beloved friend, Ravi Zacharias. Join us on this week's episode of Ask Away as we share personal reflections about the man who meant and continues to mean so much to us, and celebrate the legacy of one who, having spent his life running towards Jesus Christ, has at last arrived in his arms.

To read the announcement of Ravi's passing from RZIM CEO Sarah Davis, click here. If you want to read Ravi's obituary, you can find it here.

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Submit a question using our form here or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

With the world in the midst of a global pandemic that has already claimed more than 150,000 lives, the question of "natural" evil is at the forefront of many people's minds. Why does God allow bad things to happen to innocent people? If God truly exists, why is there evil, and why is there suffering? Isn't He capable of stopping it? In this timely rebroadcast of an episode from November 2017, Vince and Jo discuss the problem of suffering due to "natural" causes, and how we might make sense of this suffering in light of a God who Himself entered into suffering for our sake.

You can read Vince's recent article responding to this issue here.

Questions Asked in This Episode: 1) "People often explain moral evil to be the result of our free will. But if that is the case, then how do you explain natural evil (ex. Earthquakes, tsunamis, and things like that)?"

2) "If God exists, why would He allow things like cancer in children to occur?"

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

Environmentalism and environmental justice are at the forefront of many of our cultural conversations today. Christians are commanded by God to steward the Earth, but faith communities are frequently charged with environmental neglect. Is there a way to reconcile environmental concern with belief in God? If God is going to take care of it all in the end, why should we worry about it? This week, Jo and Vince discuss the biblical logic behind environmental justice as a form of love for God and love for neighbor.

Question Asked in this Episode: "Is there a way to bridge caring for the Earth with a belief in God?"

Check out Nathan Rittenhouse at our recent #TrendingQuestions event on environmental justice.

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

Understanding Scripture and its teachings can often be confusing, and even unsettling. Even when we try to interpret certain stories or letters charitably, we can frequently find ourselves bewildered. How do we deal with these difficult passages? This week, Vince and Jo consider a question about Jesus' interaction with the Canaanite or "Syrophoenician," woman (recorded in Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30), where Christ refers to a suffering woman and the Canaanite people she is part of as "dogs." How can we make sense of such seemingly harsh words and treatment? How do we square this with a Christ we say is full of love for the downtrodden? What is going on in this story? Is Jesus racist?

Question Asked in This Episode: "For quite some time now, I've been developing a workshop that focuses on improving race relations within the church. As the workshop primarily focuses on Scripture in the Bible that deals with how God wants us to think about and to respond to racism, classism, and sexism, among other things, there is one passage that continues to perplex me as I study these topics: In Matthew chapter 15 verses 21-28—the story of the Syrophoenician woman—even though Jesus compliments her amazing faith, at face value it can appear as if he is also insulting and making racial slurs against her when referring to his own people, Israel, as children, and the woman's people as dogs."

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community.

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

Among the many immeasurable attributes of God, Christians speak of God as being "all-loving." Yet oftentimes this raises a fear within us: Does God actually want to love us, or is He just forced to by his character? We often don't feel very lovable; does God feel the same way about us? This week, Jo and Vince discuss why God loves, and how we can be sure God's love isn't due to obligation, but is actually his genuine feeling toward his children. To read the article Jo references in this episode about Bailey's story, go to https://www.rzim.org/read/rzim-global/baileys-story.

Question Asked in This Episode: "Does God love me because He has to? I know that as a child of God He loves me, but does He love me because his character demands it, or does He actually want to love me? I've been thinking a lot about this lately and I can't seem to accept the fact that God loves me because He wants to. Can you help me understand God's love for his children?"

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community.

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

There has been an interesting transition over the last several decades whereby many people seem to reject God not because they don't believe He exists, but rather because they believe that He is cruel and evil, demanding obedience to his tyrannical project. What can we say to someone who believes that God is primarily interested in making his creation toe the line? How do we respond to someone who believes God is saying, "Do things my way or I'll destroy you?" This week Vince and Jo discuss the nature of relationship with God and offer some helpful and gracious ways to question the questioner whose assumptions about God, Heaven, and Hell might not line up with what Scripture teaches and what Christians actually believe.

Question Asked in This Episode: "I am debating with a young person about God. She says if God is real, he is cruel, letting any of his children burn in Hell just because they don't want to do things his way, even if they are a good person. She says it's like a parent that tells his child, 'Do things my way or I'll destroy you.' I don't know how to handle this."

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community.

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

The Bible teaches that God is all-powerful and sovereign over his creation. But the Bible also teaches that prayer is commanded by God and is a tangible way by which we can affect ourselves and creation. How can we hold such seemingly contradictory ideas at the same time? This week, Vince is joined by Kathy Branzell, President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, to discuss some of the practical realities of prayer in the midst of trials. What do we do when prayer seems hopeless?

Question Asked in This Episode: "A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at age 24, and I'm having a difficult time praying about it. I don't see the point of praying if the outcome is already determined. Prayer is something that I have always struggled with. If God is all-knowing and he has the future mapped out, what is the purpose of prayer? Does prayer really have any influence on God? In addition, if he already knows all of our thoughts and ways, as is said in Psalm 139:1-3, what is the purpose of expressing them to him verbally?"

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community.

Find out more about the National Day of Prayer here: https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/

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Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979

In modern society, the term "modesty" is often held in contempt as an outdated holdover from a bygone repressive era. Some people grew up in churches where the messages they heard concerning modesty caused shame and confusion about sexuality and the goodness of the body. In light of those hurdles, is there still any place to talk about modesty? This week, Jo and Vince discuss the biblical meaning of modesty and why this virtue, properly understood, is so profoundly important. They extend the conversation beyond a narrow view of modesty as equated with sexuality and dress, and encourage us to focus on modesty as a posture of the heart before God.

Question Asked in This Episode: "In the church community I grew up in, modesty was frequently mentioned, often in the form of stating that people who dressed immodestly ought to be ashamed of themselves. I know the Bible talks about modesty, but is it biblical to promote shame of one's own body as the motivating factor of dressing modestly?"

Have a question you want Ask Away to cover? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #askrzim on Twitter. You can also talk about this episode with fellow podcast listeners and the RZIM team on our online community.

Follow Ask Away on Twitter:

Vince Vitale - @VinceRVitale
Jo Vitale - @Joanna_Vitale
Michael Davis - @mdav1979