Why we must talk about the Ravi Zacharias scandal

Last October I made a video about the allegations against Ravi Zacharias. At that time, it was mainly allegations—his ministry was denying that they were true. In the past few weeks, however, we have found out that a more complete investigation has revealed that, outside of an elaborate framing scheme, they were true.

When I made that video, I did not want to focus on whether or not he was guilty, because we did not know for sure. My point was that if what he taught was true, then it is true regardless of his actions. We need to judge statements on their own merits rather than on the merits of the speaker.

I’ve received hundreds of comments on that video, both on YouTube and Facebook. Some people have chided me for attempting to slander a man after his death, and others seemed miffed that I did not definitively pronounce his guilt. Some folks have wondered why I would even talk about this. For goodness sakes, let the dead lie in peace!

The reason I think we not only can, but should, talk about this is because Ravi put himself in the position of a public international speaker. He accepted the position of a leader and mentor in the Christian world, and therefore accepted the scrutiny that comes along with it.

While we are not supposed to be spreading false information about people, the Bible does speak about those who accept the position of a teacher.

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. (James 3:1)

If you accept any kind of position where you have leadership over other people, you must accept the public scrutiny that goes with it. As a pastor, I recognize that. It’s not that my sin is any worse than the sin of someone in my church, but that being in my position can cause greater damage if I fall.

Let me illustrate it this way: suppose I went out and bought a treated 4X4 and buried one-third of it in the ground, so two-thirds was sticking up in the air. The next morning I found that I did not secure it well, and it was lying on the ground. I’m not happy, but little damage was done. Now, however, imagine that I used it to support a deck in my back yard. Because so much was depending on it, much damage was done when it fell.

That is why we need to talk about Ravi Zacharias.

According to his own ministry, this is no longer gossip—it is a report of unfaithfulness and deception. He knew very well the importance of someone of his fame to live above reproach, but, apparently, he chose to live a different way.

We need to talk about this because it should set off warning bells to all of us in ministry, and cause those contemplating ministry to think twice before jumping into it. When we accept a ministry position, we accept everything that goes with it.

Ministry leadership is a privilege because we get to influence people for good, but it’s also dangerous, because we can take many people with us if we fall.

So, yes, I think we do need to talk about Ravi. This situation needs to be a warning for all of us. To pretend it never happened would be detrimental to the church.