Sterling Terrell

smart ideas from books (mostly)

The Shame Of Ravi Zacharias

The Shame Of Ravi Zacharias

Ok, I have been dragging my feet on this post for months now.

But Zacharias’s memoir (Walking From East To West) is up next in my queue and I don’t feel like I can keep posting about him (without at least addressing some of this).

So here we go, The Shame of Ravi Zacharias, guaranteed to make 50% of you mad.

I mean, do you have any idea how deflating it is to find out that your favorite theologian was living a life in the shadows doing the exact opposite of what he preached in public?

I have literally referred to his books and quotes hundreds of times on this blog.

I eulogized him here.

Ugh. Barf. Ugh, again.

The long and short of it is that while Ravi was one of the greatest Christian apologist of a generation – he was also a womanizer.

He was unfaithful to his wife across time and place and he did everything he could to silence people that tried to bring the truth to light.

See the full internal report by RVIM below.

Report of Independent Investigation into
Sexual Misconduct of Ravi Zacharias:Download

Now then.

I do not understand the reaction of his organization Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM).

They have deleted all content on every platform that came from Ravi. They have shuttered their apologetics ministry. They will be a grant-making entity only.

I mean, I kind of get it. It’s a shameful thing. Everyone involved just wants no association with it. (Association is a powerful thing.)

But taking all the content down?

Let me say it with a few questions.

  • Did Ravi’s actions turn everything he ever said into false statements?
  • Is everything King David ever said irrelevant because he committed murder and adultry?
  • Should the apostle Paul’s entire ministry be forgotten because he can’t quit sinning? (Romans 7)
  • Again: Is the truth of a statement – of a life – made false by evil action?

Of course, the answer is no.

The truth of it is that: The sins that you and I choose are just easier to hide.

But that’s the gospel in a nutshell, isn’t it?

We all choose sin over God every single day. There is nothing you or I can do to deserve forgiveness. But we are saved, by grace, through faith. Despite ourselves.

Let’s take comfort in that.

As for questioning the soul of Razi Zacharias – I have nothing to say.

One of my best friends said all that needs to be said here:

When Church Motives Go Awry

When Church Motives Go Awry

It’s funny, I heard this exact same issue with church motives, within the last meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.

See, there were a few controversial issues up for a vote.

Rumor was that a frequent refrain in the halls and side conversation was: “the world is watching us.”

Right? I mean, good grief.

In these matters, C.S. Lewis has it completely correct.

The church should not care at all what the world is doing. The church should care that “God is watching.”

The most insane part of this is that it has happened again and again through the generations on every topic under the sun.

Nations use the influence of the church to further their own motives…

The church uses the voice of the nations to water down the gospel (trying to be more tenable)…

And most people use whichever one suits their interests best at the time…

Ooof.

The problem with most things is that people are involved, honestly.

A rather different tone than that embodied in “Prosper, O Lord, our righteous cause,” in that the petitioner is in as much need of divine grace as any enemy whose cause might be less “righteous.” Lewis concluded this section of his letter by saying flatly, “I see no hope for the Church of England if it allows itself to become just an echo for the press”—or the government. The Church must bear witness to the Christian Gospel in complete independence of any patriotic imperatives. 

-Alan Jacobs, The Year Of Our Lord 1943 (Amazon)

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