The Lotus and The Cross - Ravi Zacharias

As I journey near the River of Kings, I see a strange sight. A boat meanders slowly down the river, one of many making its way around the city. It is the passengers, not the boat that catches my eye. Can it be? Do my eyes deceive me? No. In this fictional conversation, renowned scholar and evangelist Ravi Zacharias invites us to sit down and dip into his imagination and see a conversation between Gautama, the Buddha, and Jesus Christ.

This book has been out on the market for a while now, and is just one of four in the Great Conversations series. With each installment, it seems that the proponents of whatever religion Ravi is dissecting takes offense to how he describes their religion. This is, of course, to be expected. No religion wants to be on the losing side of a discussion. When it comes to a religion like Buddhism, it is very hard to categorize without offending someone. The wide range of beliefs acceptable under the various forms of Buddhism make it impossible for a book of this size (or barely any book of any size) to be comprehensive.

The book accomplishes what it sets out to do. It contrasts the main differences between Buddhism and Christianity and highlights the  inherent contradictions within Buddhism. Buddha and Jesus' conversation centers around a prostitute named Priyah and how she can be saved. Zacharias concludes:

[Buddhism] argues for impermenence with the force of a permanent injunction. It encourages thought and contemplation, but the final destination in thoughtlessness and oblivion. It is a religion with God, without a final word, and without even a final existence...But the message of Jesus Christ is a very different story."

 Dr. Zacharias makes his point with profundity and clarity. This is a small book filled with big ideas. Anyone interested in how Christianity compares with Buddhism needs to read this book.

The Lotus and The Cross - Ravi Zacharias