Moral absolutism is an ethical view that certain actions are absolutely right or wrong, regardless of other contexts such as their consequences or the intentions behind them. Thus stealing, for instance, might be considered to be always immoral, even if done to promote some other good (e.g., stealing food to feed a starving family), and even if it does in the end promote such a good. Moral absolutism stands in contrast to other categories of normative ethical theories such as consequentialism, which holds that the morality (in the wide sense) of an act depends on the consequences or the context of the act.

Moral absolutism is not the same as moral universalism (also called moral objectivism). Universalism holds merely that what is right or wrong is independent of custom or opinion (as opposed to relativism), but not necessarily that what is right or wrong is independent of context or consequences (as in absolutism). Moral universalism is compatible with moral absolutism, but also positions such as consequentialism. Louis Pojman gives the following definitions to distinguish the two positions of moral absolutism and universalism:^[1]

Ethical theories which place strong emphasis on rights and duty, such as the deontological ethics of Immanuel Kant, are often forms of moral absolutism, as are many religious moral codes.

Moral absolutism and religion[link]

Moral absolutism may be understood in a strictly secular context, as in many forms of deontological moral rationalism. However, many religions have morally absolutist positions as well, regarding their system of morality as deriving from divine commands. Therefore, they regard such a moral system as absolute, (usually) perfect, and unchangeable. Many secular philosophies also take a morally absolutist stance, arguing that absolute laws of morality are inherent in the nature of human beings, the nature of life in general, or the universe itself. For example, someone who believes absolutely in nonviolence considers it wrong to use violence even in self-defense.

See also[link]

• Antinomianism
• Divine command theory
• Ethics
• Kantianism
• Morality
• Moral realism
• Moral universalism
• Moral dilemma
• Graded absolutism

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• [1] Christ in Creation and Ethical Monism; by Augustus Hopkins Strong, 1899.

Ravi Zacharias
Born	1946 (1946) (age 66) Chennai, Madras Presidency, British India
Residence	Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Nationality	Indian, Canadian and American
Occupation	Christian apologist, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
Religion	Christian
Website
http://www.rzim.org

Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias (born 1946) is an Indian-born, Canadian-American evangelical Christian apologist. Zacharias is the author of numerous Christian books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner Can Man Live Without God?^[1] and bestsellers Light in the Shadow of Jihad^[2] and The Grand Weaver.^[3] He is the founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, host of the radio programs Let My People Think and Just Thinking, and visiting professor at Wycliffe Hall of Oxford, where he teaches apologetics and evangelism.^[4] Zacharias studied as a visiting scholar at Cambridge University and held the chair in Evangelism and Contemporary Thought at Alliance Theological Seminary from 1981 to 1984.^[5] Commentator Chuck Colson referred to Zacharias as "the great apologist of our time."^[6]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Zacharias was born in Madras, India. Zacharias claims descent from a woman (of the Nambudiri Brahmin caste) and a low caste Boatman^[7]. Missionaries spoke to one of his ancestors about Christianity and thereafter the family was converted. Zacharias grew up in a nominal Anglican household,^[7] and he himself was an atheist until the age of 17, when he unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide by swallowing poison. While in the hospital, a local Christian worker brought him a Bible and instructed his mother to read to him out of John 14. Zacharias says that it was John 14:19 that touched him and caused him to commit his life to Christ.^[7]

He immigrated with his family to Canada in 1966, earning his undergraduate degree from Ontario Bible College in 1972 (now Tyndale University College & Seminary) and his M. Div. from Trinity International University. In May 1972, Zacharias married Margaret ("Margie") Reynolds, whom he met at his church's youth group.^[7] They have three children, Sarah, Naomi and Nathan.^[8] He was later ordained by the Christian and Missionary Alliance and commissioned as an international evangelist.^[9] He founded Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in 1984 to pursue his calling as a "classical evangelist in the arena of the intellectually resistant."^[9]

Ministry[link]

Zacharias was invited to spend the summer of 1971 in Vietnam, where he evangelized to the American soldiers, as well as to POWs and Viet Cong.^[7] After graduating from Ontario Bible College, he began an itinerant ministry with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada.^[7] In 1974 the C&MA sent him to Cambodia, where he preached only a short time before its fall to the Khmer Rouge.^[7] In 1977, after graduating from Trinity, Zacharias was commissioned to preach worldwide.^[7]

In 1983, Zacharias was invited to speak in Amsterdam at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's annual evangelists' conference. It was here that he first noticed a lack of ministry in the area of Christian apologetics.^[7] After Amsterdam, Zacharias spent the summer evangelizing in India, where he continued to see the need for apologetics ministry, both to lead people to Christ and to train Christian leaders. In August 1984 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries was founded in Toronto, Canada. Today its headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and has offices in Canada, England, India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.^[7]

In 1989, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Zacharias was invited to speak in Moscow. While there he spoke to students at the Lenin Military Academy as well as political leaders at the Center for Geopolitical Strategy.^[7] This was the first of many evangelism opportunities towards the political world. Future events included an invitation to Bogota, Colombia in 1993, where he spoke to the judiciary committee on the importance of having a solid moral foundation.^[7]

Zacharias took a sabbatical in 1990 and spent part of that year as a visiting scholar at Cambridge University. There he heard lectures by men such as Stephen Hawking and studied under professors such as John Polkinghorne and Don Cupitt. He also wrote his first book, A Shattered Visage: The Real Face of Atheism.^[7] In 1993 Zacharias was invited to speak at his first Veritas Forum at Harvard University,^[7] and later that year was one of the keynote speakers at Urbana.^[10] Zacharias continues to be a frequent guest at these forums,^[11] both giving lectures and answering students in question and answer sessions at academic institutions such as the University of Georgia,^[12] the University of Michigan,^[13] and Penn State.^[14]

Zacharias attracted media attention when in 2004 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) opened its signature pulpit at the Salt Lake Tabernacle to him for a series of messages. Zacharias delivered a sermon on "Who Is the Truth? Defending Jesus Christ as The Way, The Truth and The Life" to some 7,000 lay-persons and scholars from both LDS and Protestant camps in an initiatory move towards open dialog between the camps.^[15]

Some evangelicals criticized Zacharias' decision not to use this opportunity to directly address the "deep and foundational" differences between the historic Christian faith and that of the LDS church. He responded by asserting that Christians should not immediately condemn Mormonism's theological differences but "graciously build one step at a time in communicating our faith with clarity and conviction". He said this is just as effective as showing someone the faults of their faith.^[16] The speaking engagement was nearly sabotaged by a claim by event organizer Greg Johnson, president of Standing Together, that Zacharias had nothing to do with editing the book The Kingdom of the Cults and had only loaned his name to the latest edition. Johnson later apologized for his comment.^[17]

Zacharias is a frequent keynote lecturer within the evangelical community at events such as the Future of Truth conference in 2004,^[18] the National Religious Broadcasters' Convention and Exposition in 2005,^[19] the National Conference on Christian Apologetics in 2006.^[20] On successive nights in October 2007, he addressed first the students and faculty of Virginia Tech, then the community of Blacksburg, Virginia, on the topic of evil and suffering in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre.^[21] Zacharias has represented the evangelical community at occasions such as the National Day of Prayer in Washington, DC, the Annual Prayer Breakfast at the United Nations, and the African Union Prayer Breakfast in Maputo, Mozambique, and was named honorary chairman of the 2008 National Day of Prayer task force.^[22]

Zacharias was interviewed in Focus on the Family's Truth Project. In November 2009, Zacharias signed an ecumenical statement known as the Manhattan Declaration calling on Evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox to engage in civil disobedience with regard to laws which the declaration claims would force them to accept abortion, same-sex marriage or other matters that go against their religious consciences.^[23]

Philosophy[link]

Zacharias states that a coherent worldview must be able to satisfactorily answer four questions: that of origin, meaning of life, morality and destiny. He says that while every major religion makes exclusive claims about truth, the Christian faith is unique in its ability to answer all four of these questions.^[24] He routinely speaks on the coherency of the Christian worldview,^[25] saying that Christianity is capable of withstanding the toughest philosophical attacks.^[26] Zacharias believes that the apologist must argue from three levels: the theoretical, to line up the logic of the argument; the arts, to illustrate; and "kitchen table talk", to conclude and apply.^[27]

Zacharias's style of apologetic focuses predominantly on Christianity's answers to life's great existential questions,^[28] with logical and scientifically inclined defense of God. In some discussion Zacharias appropriates to scientific matters, he answers the question of human origin. He has voiced skepticism over what he believes to be inadequate empirical evidence in the fossil records for an honest endorsement of the theory of evolution. He believes that evolution is incompatible with the second law of thermodynamics, saying that the two are inconsistent and irreconcilable.^[29] This view is rejected by many in the scientific community.^[30]

Ravi Zacharias also believes that in Christianity homosexual acts are an “aberration” and “violation” of human sexuality and that though some people may have a homosexual “disposition,” they are not justified in expressing that disposition.^[31]

Works[link]

• A Shattered Visage: The Real Face of Atheism (1994, 2004) ISBN 0-8010-6511-9
• Can Man Live Without God? (1994, 1996) ISBN 0-8499-3943-7
• Deliver Us From Evil (1996, 1998) ISBN 0-8499-3950-X
• Cries of the Heart (1998, 2002) ISBN 0-8499-4387-6
• The Merchant and the Thief (1999) (Children’s) ISBN 0-7814-3296-0
• The Broken Promise (2000) (Children's) ISBN 0-7814-3451-3
• Jesus Among Other Gods (2000, 2002) ISBN 0-8499-4327-2
• Jesus Among Other Gods (Youth Edition) (2000) ISBN 0-8499-4217-9
• The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha (2001) ISBN 1-57673-854-X
• Sense and Sensuality: Jesus Talks with Oscar Wilde (2002) ISBN 1-59052-014-9
• Light in the Shadow of Jihad: The Struggle For Truth (2002) ISBN 1-57673-989-9
• Recapture the Wonder (2003) ISBN 1-59145-276-7
• Is Your Church Ready?: Motivating Leaders to Live an Apologetic Life (2003) (Editor, with Norman Geisler) ISBN 0-310-25061-7
• Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith (2003) (General Editor, with Norman Geisler) ISBN 0-310-24710-1
• The Kingdom of the Cults (2003) (Editor) ISBN 0-7642-2821-8
• I, Isaac Take Thee, Rebekah: Moving From Romance to Lasting Love (2004) ISBN 0-8499-0822-1
• The Prince and the Prophet: Jesus Talks With Mohammed (Copyright 2004, to be released posthumously) ISBN 1-59052-319-9
• The Lamb and the Führer: Jesus Talks with Hitler (2005) ISBN 1-59052-394-6
• Walking From East to West: God in the Shadows (With R.S.B. Sawyer) (2006) ISBN 0-310-25915-0
• The Grand Weaver: How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives (2007) ISBN 0-310-26952-0
• Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend (2008) ISBN 0-8499-1968-1
• The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists (2008) ISBN 0-310-28251-9
• Is There Not a Cause (2008) (National Day of Prayer Feature Book)
• New Birth or Rebirth: Jesus Talks with Krishna (2008) ISBN 1-59052-725-9
• There is a Plan (2009) (excerpts from The Grand Weaver) ISBN 0-310-31849-1
• Has Christianity Failed You? (2010) ISBN 0-310-26955-5
• The Lotus and the Cross: Jesus Talks with Buddha (2010) ISBN 1-60142-318-7
• Why Jesus? Rediscovering His Truth in an Age of Mass Marketed Spirituality (2012) ISBN 978-0-89296-319-5

References[link]

External links[link]

	Christianity portal
	Biography portal

• Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
• Ravi Zacharias Radio Broadcasts Just Thinking and Let My People Think

For other uses, see Terry Donahue (baseball).

Terry Donahue (born June 24, 1944) is a former American football, player, coach, and executive and, currently, a football analyst. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. From 2001 to 2005, Donahue served as the general manager NFL's San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2000. Donahue is on the Board of Directors for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which is named after Ronnie Lott and is given annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.

Early life and playing[link]

Donahue attended St. Charles Borromeo Elementary School in North Hollywood, California and graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. He then played at UCLA as a 195-pound defensive tackle on the 1966 Rose Bowl-winning team.

Coaching career[link]

After graduating, Donahue became an assistant coach at the University of Kansas under Pepper Rodgers. In 1971, he returned to UCLA when Rodgers became the head coach there. When Rodgers left, remained as an assistant under Dick Vermeil before succeeding Vermeil as the head coach in 1976.

Donahue has the most conference wins of any coach in Pacific-10 Conference history (98) and also the most wins in UCLA Bruins football history (151). He compiled a record of 8–4–1 in bowl games and was the first coach to win a bowl game in seven consecutive seasons. His UCLA teams won or shared five Pacific-10 Conference championships and won three Rose Bowls (1983, 1984, and 1986). Donahue's record was 10–9–1 against USC in the UCLA–USC rivalry. His teams won four New Year's Day bowl games in a row from 1983 to 1986. Donahue was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

Broadcasting and executive career[link]

Donahue was the lead college football analyst for CBS Sports from 1996 to 1998.

Donahue was the hand-picked successor to Bill Walsh as general manager of the San Francisco 49ers (2001–2005). During his first two years in San Francisco, Donahue served as Director of Player Personnel under Walsh. When Walsh retired in 2001, Donahue was elevated to the position of General Manager which he held for four seasons.

In 2006, Donahue became a game analyst for the NFL on Fox and has worked on their Bowl Championship Series coverage as well. He currently serves as an analyst on College Football Now on NFL Network.

Awards and honors[link]

• Rose Bowl Hall of Fame (1997)
• College Football Hall of Fame (2000)
• UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame (2001)
• Sun Bowl Hall of Fame (2005)
• UCLA Alumnus of the Year (2008)

Head coaching record[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Corporate Artists profile
• Terry Donahue at the College Football Hall of Fame
• Terry Donahue at the College Football Data Warehouse