Johnson believes Zacharias' appearance in the Tabernacle is the first such event in at least a century. In researching whether any evangelical preacher had ever spoken there, Johnson said the last evidence he came up with was an address by Dwight L. Moody, founder of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Moody was apparently invited by Brigham Young to speak in the Tabernacle in 1871.

"If people like Ravi come and have a positive experience and go out to the world saying "something positive is happening in Utah," that will go a long way for what we want to have happen" between Latter-day Saints and the rest of the Christian world, Johnson said.

"I think it's going to be a fun thing. He's just a great soul," Millet said. "He's one of the most sought-after speakers in the Christian world. I wasn't quite sure what I would meet, but he was a very tenderhearted, guileless, brilliant philosopher by training and an apologist.

"He teaches and he shows logically why it makes sense to believe in God and absolute truths and why it makes really good sense to make Christ the center of your life," Millet said.

The topic Zacharias will address at the Tabernacle is "Who Is the Truth? Defending Jesus Christ as The Way, The Truth and The Life." Tickets are available by calling 801-474-1363 or by e-mail at kim@standingtogether.org.

Johnson and Millet have long been impressed with the moral values and commitment to Christ each has found in the members of other faiths but are concerned that theological differences stand in the way of cooperating on issues of interest to both. They are eager for the chance to bring Utahns together at the Tabernacle in the hope that new bridge-building can replace some of the historic religious animosity fostered in recent years by such issues as stringent state liquor laws and the controversy over the Main Street Plaza downtown.

"If we allow theological differences to prevent us from joining hands in facing some very challenging social crises, evil will win out in the end," Millet said.

For information, see www.standingtogether.org or www.rzim.org.

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E-mail: carrie@desnews.com