Ravi Zacharias Guilty Of Sexual Misconduct! What Do We Do With His Books, Sermons, And Open Forums?

        On December 23, 2020, the RZIM Board deemed their founder Ravi Zacharias as guilty of sexual misconduct:¹

In August 2020, allegations of sexual misconduct were made against our Founder, Ravi Zacharias. Unfortunately, Ravi had died several months before we first learned of these allegations, so we were unable to explore them with him directly. We engaged Miller & Martin PLLC to investigate these allegations, while also giving them wide latitude to go wherever their investigation might lead them...

However, while the investigation remains ongoing and is not expected to be completed until January or February, yesterday we received a brief interim update on the investigation we felt we needed to share...Sadly, the interim investigation update indicates this assessment of Ravi’s behavior to be true—that he did indeed engage in sexual misconduct.

            Quite a few sincere Christians wonder what to do with the many books, sermons, and open forums of Ravi Zacharias? They wonder if they should follow (take seriously) what a deliberately-sinning-servant-of-God wrote and preached or discard his work altogether. Some may even wonder whether they should continue supporting RZIM or not.

            Quite a dilemma indeed!

            Personally, I have listened to and read much of Ravi’s work. I also believe that God used Ravi Zacharias as a very valuable means to my growth in Christ.

            Now that Ravi has been proved as sexually depraved, can I undo that which I have learned about God from Ravi?

            That’s quite impossible.

            Do I now feel guilty for reading and listening to Ravi’s work?

            Ravi preached about God. God’s the source of all Ravi’s work. Ravi was a conduit. The conduit may have been flawed, but the source (God) is pure and perfect.

            Let’s consider this from another vantage point.

            The Bible teaches that all of us, which includes all the great apologists, evangelists, pastors, teachers, etc, are sinners (1 John 1:8-10).

            Everybody is a sinner. If one is sexually immoral the other may be suffering from greed or lusting for wealth etc. If not for that there may be spiritual pride in them, which is also a serious sin. The Bible also teaches that lusting after a man or a woman (who is not the spouse) in one’s heart is also a sin (Matthew 5:28).

            So while Ravi possibly was guilty of sexual immorality, other apologists and evangelists cannot deem themselves as sinless.

            There is not even one person who is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10)!

            So every apologist, every preacher, every teacher, every evangelist is a sinner before God. If we decide to not learn from a sinful preacher or a teacher or a pastor or an apologist, then we cannot learn from anyone.

            Significantly, let us not forget the fact that it was God who gave Ravi the gifts of preaching, teaching, and writing.

            Ravi was such a celebrated writer and speaker. Somewhere down the line, he sinned against God and probably continued sinning. But God did not take away the gifts from Ravi.

            HE allowed Ravi to serve HIM.

            If God allowed Ravi to serve HIM while he was deliberately sinning, why can’t you and I continue learning from the work of Ravi Zacharias?

            If God found Ravi worthy of these gifts knowing full well that this servant of God would grievously sin against HIM, then we should continue learning from Ravi’s ministry. 

            Does this mean that God’s servants can sin intentionally and get away with it?

            No, a servant of God must not sin intentionally. However, a servant of God cannot be sinless and perfect.

            Every human being is flawed. We know it and God knows it. We constantly strive to resist temptation, but when we sin, we confess and repent and strive earnestly to not sin again.

            Although we resonate with Apostle Paul’s thoughts in Romans 7: 14-25 our life is excellently summarized in Romans 8:13-14 that says, “(for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.”

            Unfortunately, Ravi is being clobbered by quite a few Christian leaders. Should we also find fault with Ravi?

            Thank God, Ravi was not a false teacher. HE preached Christ-crucified. However, he sinned grievously.

            But that does not authorize anyone to slander Ravi.

            This is not an occasion to be angry. This is an occasion to feel sad for Ravi, his family, and his ministry. This is an occasion to pray for Ravi’s family and his victims.

            On a side note: I do not for a moment think Ravi is in hell. I am confident he would be in heaven because he would have confessed and repented of his sins and God would have forgiven him. (News snippets about Ravi in the social media during his last days indicate this.)

            To me, Ravi will always be the gifted servant of God – albeit flawed.

            The Bible teaches that all of us are flawed one way or another – from the great Billy Graham to everyone else.

            I will use Ravi’s life as an example to understand that even the so-called most gifted preachers, teachers, pastors, and apologists may not be as what they appear to be. While I will always thank and pray to God for all HIS servants – the preachers, teachers, pastors, and apologists, my loyalty and my worship will only be Godward.

            The pot should never call the kettle black!

Endnotes:

¹https://www.rzim.org/page/update-from-rzim-board-allegations-against-ravi-zacharias

Website last accessed on 29^th December 2020. 

This Christmas, When Suffering Overwhelms Joy….

            Christmas is a time of celebration. Colorful decorations, new accessories, gifts, good food are a part and parcel of the celebration. Online or physical attendance at Christmas Eve or Christmas day service at our local church is a mandatory aspect of the celebration.

            So we reckon our Christmas celebration is complete when we have decorated our homes, attended the church service, placed our offering, eaten good food, gifted ourselves and our friends and family good gifts, and invited carolers and/or our friends to our home to reminisce the birth of our good Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

            A joyful Christmas season is one marked by each of these activities being performed in the best manner possible.

            Some Christians would add a noble gesture during the Christmas season. They would visit and bless those in the orphanages, hospitals, old age homes, and institutions for special people. Indeed a noble and a gracious gesture admirably appropriate for the Christmas season.

            Joy, happiness, contentment, fun, frolic, merry making, and to an extent blessing those in need symbolizes our Christmas season. 

            Hundreds of years before Christ, the Bible prophesying about HIS birth mentions a gory detail about Christ’s imminent life, “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…” (Isaiah 53:10, NIV).

            Christ did not come to enjoy a luxurious life, HE came into this world to suffer and die. Gory suffering was the means to the salvation of mankind.

            Suffering is thus intrinsic to the Christmas season.

            As it is, the presence of evil in our world makes many lives wallow in pain and misery. If we are to add the consequences of Covid to this situation, many more households are likely to be in pain and misery.

            So during this Christmas season let us be alert to people around us.

            Some of them may be mourning or silently suffering. They may not even have a shoulder to cry on or someone to empathize with their sorrow. They may also be in financial crisis.

            These brothers and sisters are longing for deliverance or at least some encouragement and comfort from their pain and misery.

            Their homes are not decorated this Christmas. No one is there to give them gifts. There is no special meal for them on Christmas day.

            Christmas day is another routine day - another day managing their suffering by bearing pain; another day longing for someone to care for them.

            They do think of and count their blessings. They do have an undying faith in God.

            But their pain overwhelms their joys.

            Why should their Christmas be a day of suffering when there are so many Christians who can afford to make their lives at least a little bit better than the other days?

            Do not count on the local church to encourage and comfort these souls in pain. The church of Jesus Christ is hardwired to cater to a larger group. The church cares less about that one single family in pain or that one single brother or sister neck-deep in suffering.

            It is incumbent upon every Christian who has been blessed abundantly by the Triune God to bless those in [intense] pain and suffering.

            This Christmas, you and I can…

            “Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed…”” (Luke 14:12-14a, NIV).

            May this Christmas be merry even in those households burdened with sorrow.

To Celebrate Christmas Or Not To? (Is There A Pagan Origin To Christmas?)

 

          When I was a teen, I had no qualms about celebrating Christmas. There were no social media back then. It probably made the decision easier.

            Today, social media rules. So we hear that Christians should not celebrate Christmas because it was once a pagan holiday. Doubt then creeps into a sincere Christian mind.

            Should we celebrate Christmas or not?

            But first, let’s see if Christmas had pagan roots?

            Much unlike contemporary comprehension, there are two theories. One - a popular theory, and another not so popular.

            J. Warner Wallace of Cold Case Christianity highlights the claim that Christmas had pagan roots. This is the popular theory.

            In his article entitled, Enjoy Christmas, Even Though It’s Probably Not Jesus’ Birthday, J. Warner Wallace wrote:¹

For many centuries before the birth of Christ, December 25th was similarly non-Christian. The present date for Christmas traces back to the 4th Century. When Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, he introduced the faith to a culture already deeply committed to the pagan worship of Roman gods. Christian leaders were in for a real challenge as they wrestled with prior cultural commitments to these gods. Pagan festivals and celebrations abounded throughout the year, celebrating and honoring Roman gods of one variety or another.

One of Rome’s biggest religious festivals occurred in the winter. The festival was called “Saturnalia”, and it was a celebration coinciding with the winter solstice. It occurred over a period of time corresponding to December 17th – 24th, ending on December 25th. This date, declared by Emperor Aurelian in 274AD to be “Dies Natalis Invicti Solis” (“Day of the Birth of the Unconquered Sun”), was a celebration of the Roman god, Saturn. The winter solstice also occurred around this time, celebrated when the sun reached its most southerly declination (when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees from the sun). This marked the beginning of a number of pre-Roman pagan festivals and Roman holidays.

It shouldn’t surprise us this important pre-Christian holiday season would eventually take a Christian form. As a strategic consequence of those who wished to advance the truth of the Gospel, or simply as a cultural inevitability, December 25th became a Christian celebration. St. Augustine of Hippo (the early church theologian of the 4th and 5th Century), wrote about the newly adopted celebration, and said:

“We hold this day (December 25th) holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of him who made it”

            Although this theory is a popular theory, there is another theory - more ancient in its origin.

            Andrew McGowan, the Dean and President of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale cites the other theory in his article entitled How December 25 Became Christmas. This theory accounts for the origin of Christmas without any association with pagan roots. He writes:²

There is another way to account for the origins of Christmas on December 25: Strange as it may seem, the key to dating Jesus’ birth may lie in the dating of Jesus’ death at Passover. This view was first suggested to the modern world by French scholar Louis Duchesne in the early 20th century and fully developed by American Thomas Talley in more recent years.⁸ But they were certainly not the first to note a connection between the traditional date of Jesus’ death and his birth.

Around 200 C.E. Tertullian of Carthage reported the calculation that the 14th of Nisan (the day of the crucifixion according to the Gospel of John) in the year Jesus died^c was equivalent to March 25 in the Roman (solar) calendar.⁹ March 25 is, of course, nine months before December 25; it was later recognized as the Feast of the Annunciation—the commemoration of Jesus’ conception.¹⁰ Thus, Jesus was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. Exactly nine months later, Jesus was born, on December 25.^d

This idea appears in an anonymous Christian treatise titled On Solstices and Equinoxes, which appears to come from fourth-century North Africa. The treatise states: “Therefore our Lord was conceived on the eighth of the kalends of April in the month of March [March 25], which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of his conception. For on that day he was conceived on the same he suffered.”¹¹ Based on this, the treatise dates Jesus’ birth to the winter solstice.

Augustine, too, was familiar with this association. In On the Trinity (c. 399–419) he writes: “For he [Jesus] is believed to have been conceived on the 25th of March, upon which day also he suffered; so the womb of the Virgin, in which he was conceived, where no one of mortals was begotten, corresponds to the new grave in which he was buried, wherein was never man laid, neither before him nor since. But he was born, according to tradition, upon December the 25th.”¹²

            So objective research to understand Christ’s birth on December 25^th yields two different results – a popular theory that suggests pagan roots into Christ’s birth and another theory – not popular but certainly doing its rounds in the academic circles, which does not involve any pagan association.

            This is not to claim that Christ most certainly was born on December 25^th. But this is an endeavor to enlighten you that the origin of Christmas has two very different theories. The pagan-association theory is not the only theory.

            Let’s now consider the popular theory that the Christmas celebration has pagan roots and ask the question, ‘So what if Christmas has pagan origins?’ Even if Christmas has pagan roots, should we not celebrate Christmas?

            J. Warner Wallace cites a classic example of the transformation in the message of the cross to claim that we can celebrate Christmas even if it had pagan origins.

            The message of the cross in the Roman period was a symbol of power and authority. But the very same cross is now our symbol of grace and mercy. He writes:³

When we co-opt an ancient celebration, symbol or word and give it a new meaning, we abandon the first meaning in favor of the second…

…consider the cross. In Roman times, the cross was an ugly, brutal instrument of death. The outskirts of large cities were often landscaped with crosses lining the roads to the city. Criminals were brutally executed on these crosses and displayed publicly. The message of the cross was clear. It was a symbol of the power, authority and bloody brutality of the Empire. The cross was filled with meaning in the days before Jesus. But that changed after the resurrection, as Christianity adopted the cross as a new kind of symbol. For Christians, the cross demonstrates the gift of Jesus who died to provide eternal life for all those who believe. For us, the cross symbolizes the sacrifice God made for our sin. The cross has a new meaning we ascribe as believers, superseding the old symbolism of the Roman Empire. The cross is now our symbol of the grace, mercy and gift of God.

That’s what Christmas is for my family. It’s our symbol of the grace, mercy and gift of God. The prior ancient meanings of the holiday don’t matter to me… So, if your family celebrates Christmas and a Christian holiday, enjoy it, even though it’s probably not Jesus’ real birthday.

.           So it does not matter whether Christmas had pagan origins or not. All that matters is the existence of the Historical Jesus is a proven fact. HE did exist, so HIS birth can be celebrated anytime, December 25^th is one such date when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

            The Scripture prophesied Jesus' birth, “…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:20-23, ESV).

            So let’s celebrate Christmas without any qualms. The Lord Jesus is with us.

            May this Christmas season enlighten us more about the living God and HIS Son our Lord Jesus Christ. May HIS power and wisdom be ours as we navigate through very turbulent times. May the Prince of Peace bring the peace of God into your life and mine.

            Merry Christmas!

Endnotes:

¹https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/enjoy-christmas-tomorrow-even-though-its-probably-not-jesus-birthday/

²https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/how-december-25-became-christmas/

³https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/enjoy-christmas-tomorrow-even-though-its-probably-not-jesus-birthday/

Websites last accessed on December 23^rd 2020.