The results of a four month long investigation into the sexual misconduct of renowned author and apologist, Ravi Zacharias, just dropped yesterday, and it's bad (read the report here). There's no sugar coating it. There is no defending the indefensible. Apparently, Ravi was involved in sexual misconduct for at least a decade, possibly more. This misconduct included sexting, the solicitation of prostitutes using ministry funds, and at least a manipulative form of sexual assault, if not worse. The most disturbing thing to me personally was that sometimes before engaging in sexual acts he would pray with his partner/victim and thank God for the opportunity.
The direct damage done to the victims is immeasurable. However, there is also a ripple effect of indirect damage that will negatively impact countless others. When a person does something horrendous like this it's like they have pulled the pin on a hand grenade and held on until it has exploded. It kills them and the shrapnel blast does the most damage to those closest to that person and works it's way out. For someone as prominent as Ravi this includes a lot people. Those closest to the blast would have to be his family. Sadly, it appears that due to his extensive travel, Ravi was able to keep his behavior a secret from his family. They are finding this information out along with the rest of the world. With Ravi dying of cancer in May of last year there is no way for them to even confront him about any of this. I can't imagine the devastation that they are experiencing right now. We need to pray for them, along with the victims.
The blast then reaches out to his supporters, those countless millions who were impacted by his ministry. This secret sin has now put a question mark on every book that he ever wrote, every speech given, every debate, lecture, sermon, article, tweet, radio broadcast, TV appearance, etc. We are now questioning everything.
Lastly, the blast goes out to the enemies of Christ. They aren't close enough to feel the shrapnel, but they hear the blast. Many are no doubt rejoicing in their heart (and some publicly) about this great stain upon the name of Christ. However, any fair assessment of the situation must judge Christianity by its teachings and not its adherents. Ravi was clearly disobeying God's Word in order to do such heinous things. But this leads us to the question that everyone is asking, was Ravi a deceived Christian, or a deceiver of Christians? Let's take a moment to analyze each of these possibilities.
A Deceived Christian
To be clear, it is possible for a saved person to fall, and unfortunately fall hard. There are several illustrations of this in Scripture. The most notable one that comes to mind is King David. The Bible says that he was a man after God's own heart, yet he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed in order to cover it up. He had gotten so far away from the Lord that when the prophet Nathan told him a story about a rich shepherd stealing and killing the one sheep of a poor shepherd, he completely missed the fact that Nathan was talking about him. Nathan finally had to put a finger in his face and say "Thou art the man." David's broken and repentant response in Psalm 51 is the indicator a true child of God.
It is important to point out that a Christian can never lose their salvation. Anyone who believes that has a misunderstanding of the gospel. However, while a Christian can't lose their salvation, they can lose everything else. In David's case, he lost his firstborn son with Bathsheba. One of David's other sons, Absalom took his throne by force and tried to kill him. Even though Absalom would be killed and David restored to his throne, the sword never departed his house. And Ironically, his house would also experience sorrow of a sexual nature. One of David's other sons, Amnon, raped his half sister Tamar. The poetic part is that Ammon had tricked David into sending Tamar into his bedroom. David also never won a military battle after his adultery. The giant killer couldn't even get a victory over his own family, or his foreign foes. God promised to chasten his children (Hebrews 12:6), or as Charles Spurgeon said, "Christians can never sin cheaply."
A Deceiver of Christians
I John 2:19 warns believers about false converts, and even false teachers. It says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." The confusing thing about this situation with Ravi is that he never recanted the faith or taught rank heresy. If he had, this discussion would be over. How could a man with such a gift for teaching the Word live such a double life and never break his stride? In attempting to answer this question I need to bring up another fallen hero, Joshua Harris. Harris became famous with his 1997 book I Kissed Dating Goodbye. In this book he encouraged young people to use their singleness to honor the Lord and wait for God to bring them the right spouse. He also gave great encouragement and tips for purity and courting. I thought that the content of the book was amazing. I had even put it on a list of books that I want my children to read when they become a teenager. I also thought it was great that he got to write the sequel to that book, when he found and married the love of his life. That's why I was shocked when in 2018, he disavowed and discontinued both of those books. When I read that news I looked at my wife and said, "I bet that he is about to spiral." Sure enough, a year later he recanted his faith completely and divorced his wife. Since then he has been seen at countless gay pride events and the like.
Joshua Harris' picture can be found in I John 2:19, but what does all of this have to do with Ravi? When I heard the news about Harris, I literally couldn't believe it. I was so impressed with his books that I just couldn't believe that he was a phony. So, I began to do some research into his life. Come to find out, he grew up in a large, conservative Christian, church going, homeschooling family. He wrote I kissed Dating Goodbye while in his early 20's. My conclusion is that Harris was both a student and product of his environment, a very good one in fact. However, outward reform can never make up for a lack of inward regeneration. Eventually, what's really on the inside will find its way out.
Could it be that Ravi was just a great student of his environment, and a victim of his own genius? Truth be told, the ministry was very lucrative for him. Or, was he a born again believer who made heinous choices? After reading the report, I personally struggle with the idea that someone could truly be saved and live such a double life for so long with seemingly no repentance. However, I don't think that anyone has the knowledge or authority to make that call with 100% certainty. The fortunate thing is that God does know and we can be sure that He will judge accordingly. At worst he is in hell, and at best nobody can be sure that he is in Heaven. What a horrible way to leave this world. What horrible thoughts and doubts to leave in the mind of your family. So, what can we learn from this situation?
Examine Yourself
II Corinthians 13:5 commands us to, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" So many people base their salvation on something that they did way back when. They are putting their faith in a prayer, baptism, good works or being a church member. But what is your relationship with God doing for you today? If our conduct doesn't match our confession, then something is wrong. Repentance isn't a one and done, it's a lifestyle. Have you truly been born again by the Spirit of God? Have you truly repented and put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you from the penalty and power of your sin?
Don't Surround Yourself With "Yes" Men
Allegations of sexual misconduct first came out in 2017 when Ravi was caught with pictures of a naked woman on his phone. He simply explained it away and nothing was ever done about it. Since that time, at least three victims came out against him, once again the situation was ignored. RZIM, Ravi's ministry organization, is complicit in every bit of this. They refused to hold their leader accountable because they thought that he could do no wrong. Either that, or at least some of them knew about his escapades and didn't have the guts to do anything about it. If RZIM has any decency they will dissolve and give their remaining funds to a ministry that still has some credibility.
Every Christian needs to belong to a local, Bible preaching church and be subject to its leaders. Every ministry needs to be out of a local church, operating under its umbrella. This is Biblical and it provides a big fat word that we don't use anymore, ACCOUNTABILITY. A church worth its salt would have nipped everything in the bud years ago. They would have disciplined and/or exposed Ravi. Someone that's too big for a local church is too big for their britches. No ministry organization or board of trustees can make up for a lack of accountability to the church. Surround yourself with people who love you enough to tell you the truth.
If It Doesn't Look Innocent, Chances Are that It's Not
Ravi struggled with chronic back pain. As a result he frequented massage therapists all over the world. In fact, he even owned a few massage parlors in Atlanta. My wife also struggles with chronic pain in her head, neck and back. Some nights I have to rub her back and neck with medicated lotion before she can even go to sleep, so I can sympathize. However, I can't understand a man, especially in the ministry that can go into a room alone with another woman, get naked (except for a towel) and let her rub him down. Sometimes Ravi would even have the therapist come alone to his hotel room. I'm not a smart man but I know what the term "compromising situation" means. This of course escalated into what we are reading about in the news today. He ended up paying rent and cash to some of his therapists in exchange for sex, using ministry funds to do so. Not to mention taking advantage of other therapists who wanted no part of it. He was able to do all of this in plain sight under the ruse of back pain that called for massage therapy. Anyone who thought it strange would have given him a pass due to the circumstances. But I am reminded of, "Abstain from all appearance of evil" I Thessalonians 5:22
Keep Your Priorities Straight
It's no secret that Ravi was a sought after speaker. He had an insane travel schedule for most of his life, taking him all over the world. Much of that time his family was not with him. Personally, I am always leery of traveling evangelists that are never seen with their wife or children. More than once I have seen such men fall. As a full time Pastor, let me drop a bombshell, ministry isn't that important and neither are you. Tis a fool who attempts to save the whole world and lose his own family. Of course ministry is demanding. It takes work. But we have to be balanced. My kids know a lot of preachers, pastors and missionaries, but they only know one dad, that's me. The same is true of me being a husband to my wife. If my marriage fails, so does my ministry. Keep the home fires burning.
Conclusion
In the end, situations like this are a real head scratcher. I don't have all of the answers and I don't know anyone that does. It's tragic, there is no way around that. No one wins in a situation like this. But it should serve as a wake up call that none of us are immune to such failure. So, what should we do with the Ravis' of the world? Make sure that we aren't one of them.
