Responding to the Revelations about Ravi Zacharias
Bulletin Roundtable
Bulletin Roundtable Question
In this Bulletin Roundtable, our contributors answer the question: How should we respond to the revelations about Ravi Zacharias?
Paul Copan
I offer a few of my own reflections and admonitions concerning the Ravi Zacharias scandal.
1. Maintain a healthy self-suspicion. Paul told Timothy to “flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). Flee youthful passions, yes, but we should also flee from ourselves, never taking confidence in ourselves—our rhetoric, our education, our accomplishments, our past.
2. Remember that any of us could become wicked persons without God’s grace. Similar to the first point, we could easily fall if we do not guard ourselves properly: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn pointed out, the line dividing good and evil cuts through every human heart.
3. Avoid anything that starts to look like a secret or compartmentalized life. In his book A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken wrote that he and his wife Davy had resolved to fight against a “creeping separateness.” This is “the failure behind the failure” of adultery and the like. It’s compromises in the small things that eventually lead to total collapse: “and great was the fall of it” (Mt. 7:27).
4. Reflect more deeply on the reality of a final judgment. We must all appear before Christ’s judgment seat, but we can deceive ourselves into thinking that God’s grace will shield us from final divine scrutiny. This is the posture of the “fool” in the Psalms who says “there is no God”; note: this person isn’t an atheist, but acts as though God doesn’t see or won’t hold us to account (Ps. 10:4, 11).
5. Walk humbly before God, which includes honest confession. Pray the tax gatherer’s prayer regularly: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Lk. 18:13).
6. Walk humbly before others. We need godly, straight-shooting friends in our lives who will call us to account. Rather than asking, “Whose side are you on anyway?” we should take seriously honest questions and Spirit-filled rebukes. Their challenging us is a kindness, an act of love: “Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head; do not let my head refuse it” (Ps. 141:5); “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Prov. 27:6). In our Christian celebrity culture, adulation and flattery abound. In “How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend,” Plutarch offers these fitting words: “I do not need a friend who changes when I change and nods ‘yes’ when I nod ‘yes’ (my shadow does these things better!); but I want a friend who joins me in the search for truth and, like me, decides for himself” (Adulator 8).
7. Be an active member of a local church, where you are under pastoral care, accountable to church leadership, and subject to church discipline if you err. Like Israelite kings, Christian celebrities are not above the law of a church or the prophetic word to prick the conscience.
8. Draw nearer to your wife than ever before. “Rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Prov. 5:18)—in “your companion and your wife by covenant” (Mal. 2:14). Whether single or married, cultivate sexual purity not just physically but mentally.
9. Focus on and exalt your perfect Savior rather than mere mortals who will inevitably let us down. Some boast in mere humans or in their organizations, but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God (Ps. 20:7). This means that our churches and parachurch organizations ought not to exalt the person and work of a frail human being. They must create a culture of that allows for even-handed and loving criticism without a spirit of defensiveness; they must be sticklers for financial integrity; they must be open in communication rather than sustaining a “culture of silence” in which certain persons in an organization cannot be fairly challenged.
10. Hypocrisy doesn’t negate the truth and beauty of Christ. Counterfeit money isn’t a good argument against using authentic currency, and mere humanity is not an argument against mere Christianity. Despite rampant hypocrisy, we are capable of sifting the theological and moral wheat from the chaff of duplicity.
In the words of a dear friend, the late Robertson McQuilkin, pray that the Lord will get us “home before dark”:
It’s sundown, Lord.
The shadows of my life stretch back
into the dimness of the years long spent.
I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last,
thrusting me forever into life:
Life with You, unsoiled and free.
But I do fear.
I fear the Dark Spectre may come too soon
- or do I mean, too late?
That I should end before I finish or
finish, but not well.
That I should stain Your honor, shame Your name,
grieve Your loving heart.
Few, they tell me, finish well . . .
Lord, let me get home before dark.
The darkness of a spirit
grown mean and small,
fruit shriveled on the vine,
bitter to the taste of my companions,
burden to be borne by those brave few
who love me still.
No, Lord. Let the fruit grow lush and sweet,
A joy to all who taste;
Spirit-sign of God at work,
stronger, fuller, brighter at the end.
Lord, let me get home before dark.
The darkness of tattered gifts,
rust-locked, half-spent or ill-spent,
A life that once was used of God
now set aside.
Grief for glories gone or
Fretting for a task God never gave.
Mourning in the hollow chambers of memory,
Gazing on the faded banners of victories long gone.
Cannot I run well unto the end?
Lord, let me get home before dark.
The outer me decays -
I do not fret or ask reprieve.
The ebbing strength but weans me from mother earth
and grows me up for heaven.
I do not cling to shadows cast by immortality.
I do not patch the scaffold lent to build the real, eternal me.
I do not clutch about me my cocoon,
vainly struggling to hold hostage
a free spirit pressing to be born.
But will I reach the gate
in lingering pain, body distorted, grotesque?
Or will it be a mind
wandering untethered among light phantasies or grim terrors?
Of Your grace, Father, I humbly ask. . .
Let me get home before dark.
(From http://mcquilkinlibrary.com/sermons/homebeforedark/)
David Baggett
I had intentionally refrained from entering the fray of the Ravi Zacharias situation, for a number of reasons, not the least of which that there has been no shortage of vocal commentators. But our fearless leader Chris Reese charged us with the task of responding, so with tremulous trepidation I will venture a few brief thoughts, knowing full well in advance that there are pitfalls aplenty all about. I will limit my general points or observations to five.
First, I hope the church sees this as a general call for repentance. Unless we see the larger picture and feel the call to repent generally, the temptation will be to scapegoat one fellow, and that would be a shame. Judgment begins in the house of God, the Bible tells us, and God’s people are called to seek God’s face and turn from their wicked ways and to pray; then, we are told, God will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Second, among what that biblical injunction implies is that God’s people are quite capable of wickedness. Even people doing powerful ministry can get caught up in entrenched patterns of sin. Moses’ face shone with the presence of God at Mount Sinai, yet he didn’t enter into all that God had for him (the promised land). Peter identified Jesus as God’s Chosen One, insight given him by the Spirit of God, but almost immediately served as the mouthpiece for the enemy in denying the need for the cross. We all of us remain profound admixtures of light and darkness, and so this is a powerful teachable moment for us all. Let’s remember, before building ministries or reputations or platforms, to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Third, this call to holiness and radical repentance trumps even the need for greater strictures of accountability. External measures of accountability for Christian leaders are vitally important—and one ineliminable step to address the crisis of leadership in the evangelical world—but infinitely more important is allowing God to do the work within us that he wants to do. It appears sadly true that Ravi did not find some of the victory over certain besetting sins that he could and should have. The lesson is not to finger wag, pontificate, or think ourselves better, but to realize that we too are vulnerable to whatever our own areas of weakness may be. Either we avail ourselves of God’s deliverance and path of escape, or our sins will find us out.
Fourth, regarding sexual sin in particular, marriage alone isn’t the answer. It can help, but married or single, all of us as Christian believers need to realize that a ceremony different from marriage is called for. What’s needed is a funeral. Certain lustful desires have to die for they have no legitimate satisfaction in the Christian life. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us, and we can trust God’s grace to forgive us as we repent, to change us as we trust and obey him, and ultimately to save us to the uttermost. All of us have to remain sensitized to those areas of our lives where we refuse to relinquish total control to Christ. I was raised in the holiness tradition, and remember many a camp meeting sermon encouraging “total submission to the kingship of Christ,” and I wondered where I could find the “total commitment” button to push. It is here: let’s turn to God next time we are tempted to indulge a besetting sin instead.
Fifth, if all things work together for good for those who love God and are the called according to his purpose, how might we think of this tragedy in redemptive terms? In short, let’s learn the right lessons. More prayer and metaphorical sackcloth and ashes, less sanctimony and soapboxes. That some took the occasion to disparage the value of apologetics was as appalling as it was opportunistic. I submit that all of us should instead take from this heart-wrenching saga a newfound passion to renounce the works of darkness and lean heavily into God to live worthy of the vocations to which we are called. Then great good can come out of this—and what the enemy intended for evil, God will use for good.
Paul M. Gould
There have been lots of blogs, essays, and videos already produced reflecting on what happened with Ravi and RZIM. I’ve read some, but not all, and have found them helpful, sad, and illuminating. I don’t think I have any real wisdom or insight to add to those essays, blogs, and videos, so instead, I’ll share with you my personal reflections with the Lord related to what happened to Ravi and RZIM.
Two Scripture passages come to mind. The first is Proverbs 10:9 which says, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” As a proverb, this is a principle and not metaphysical law, of course. Nevertheless, it holds in most cases, including Ravi’s case. I’m reminded that we live in a moral universe, our actions are never done in a vacuum, and that the best life is walked on the path of righteousness. Importantly, walking in integrity doesn’t mean one is perfect or that one never sins. I’m certainly not perfect and I sin often. Rather, integrity means being willing to be honest about your failures, your sins, your strivings. It means walking in the light—not hiding sin, not hiding lust, not hiding our failures. This is the path of integrity. Sometimes it will be painful, but in the end, it is the road that leads to security and life.
The second passage that comes to mind is Romans 6:19 which reads, “I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.” There is a principle embedded in this passage. The idea is this: small sins don’t stay small. When we sin and keep it in the dark, the sin grows. We let it fester and, sin being sin, it is never satisfied. It will want more, and more of us. Of course, there is another principle embedded in this passage too: small things matter. Our daily habits matter. They shape our loves and longings, as James K. A. Smith has pointed out in books such as You Are What You Love. The point for me as I reflect on Ravi is to pay attention to the little things: What is capturing my heart today? What actions and habits and daily practices do I do that form or deform me? The Ravi scandal has caused me to look at my life with a sense of urgency: Lord, help me to see you in the little things. Help me to depend on you and find nourishment from you moment by moment.
Finally, and again, speaking personally (and more openly), the Ravi scandal has caused me to ask questions about my role in filling the vacuum left in the apologetics community as Ravi, and much of RZIM, is erased from the apologetic landscape. I’ve wondered if I need to take a more active role in leading the apologetics community and in the church, especially, when it comes to a more robust apologetic that includes head and heart, reason and romance, ideas and passions. I’m not sure what to say about this last thought, but in obedience to God and for the sake of the Kingdom, I am trying something next month that is uncomfortable for me. I’m initiating a symposium, called the Mars Hill Exchange, exploring the question of faithful witness, the church, and cultural apologetics. In this lecture series, held on Zoom (our new reality, yes), I’ll bring together four pastors and theologians who care deeply about the church, and we’ll consider the question of faithful witness in this day and age (Mike Erre, Jon Tyson, Timothy Gombis, and Gavin Ortlund). You can find the information here. Register and join us every Monday night in April, from 8-9:30 PM EST.
image: Ravi Zacharias at Christ Community Chapel
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Thank you all for this contribution to such a tragic ending to RZIM and the legacy. While the victims were not mentioned, I do appreciate the candor and admonishments for maintaining transparency and virtue in all we do as ministers of the Gospel.
This is a sensitive subject.. but I challenge you to consider the following. Why disband the Teaching? If the work of an Apologist is to spread the Word of God, does that mean we should check to see if what an apologist says actually lines up with the Word of God? And if we were listening to a person and not receiving a Word from God, were we not in the wrong for listening to an opinion and substituting it for the Word of God? And if we are going to judge people on their sin and band “their” teachings, who is actually qualified to teach God’s Word? In my estimation there are so many messages which we are sending and most of them have a self righteousness attitude.. if we are to apply this same judgment to the writers of the Bible, for an example David, and we know what David did.. slept with someone’s wife and had someone’s husband killed... are we then to tear our parts of the Bible?? I’m not saying what Ravi said was the original canon of scripture... but was God speaking through him? And if a man who sinned, were used to write the Bible and teach God’s Word, we as a body, who go against teachings, are declaring a message which is antithetical to the God’s Word! For if we declare, we are all sinners and we say God has raised us up for such a time as this, but some one asked why you were qualified and your answer is, because I didn’t do what I believe Ravi did, which is the implied idiom, no one should dare pic up that microphone again... because their sin is less.. Sin is sin... right??? All of our righteousness is as filthy rags... Right???