Ravi Zacharias: Fallen Hero?

Ravi Zacharias, the famous apologist, died recently.

He was world famous, at least in Christian circles.

But since his death allegations of sexual impropriety have emerged.

This has caused panic in some of his followers. Should they reject everything he said?

Now I don't know if he is  guilty of these charges or not . But I would not be surprised if he were. However I do not know and the question of  His guilt or innocent is not my purpose here 

John 4:42 is i think the best answer for the question of what to do if you follow a fallen preacher. Or even, I submit if your hero was not fallen

I invite you to look it up.

It is the story of Jesus at the well where he met the Samaritan woman. After this encounter she told her friends and they, the women of Sychar said to her, "it is not because of what you said that we believe Him. we now believe because WE HAVE HEARD FOR OURSELVES"

Have you heard from Ravi Z or others? Good!!

Have you moved from them to the Holy Spirit of Christ and heard from Him FOR YOURSELVES? This is after all what a living relationship with Christ is . Without this we are idolators and our allegiance is to the preacher/teacher/apologist not to Christ 40 years ago when a new convert I idolized Francis Schaeffer and C S Lewis. And despair resulted It was no less than a one on one dialogue in personal relationship direct with the Holy Spirit who talked me out of my madness. I must add that my despair, from unbedlief, legalism fear, trust in men and pride did drive me mad. This recovery was by means of repentance of sin led by the Spirit as part of this conversation. He is after all Wonderful Counselor and receiving His one on one counsel direct is my testimony. I never could persuade myself, but He can and does if you let him. This is what grace is. Grace is not the magical power that we presume has come when we "have faith"''

But part of this dialogue is to be persuaded to honestly admit our own real but heretical belief, namely what we really believe rather than the doctrines we have committed oursevles to, for commitment to doctrines is not thesame as believing them

This too is my testimony

So to me it really does not matter if Ravi were fallen in adultery or not. it might impact his salvation but not mine.

My own thoughts on Zacharias are that he was a highly intelligent mind who never met a question he was stumped by.

His manner never indicated that he had ever been knocked to speechlessness by the tremendous mystery of God Almighty, for it is written, though apologists do not show that they believe this, that His thoughts are not ours. This is so for He is high and holy and we are carnal minded, finite, and sinners.

The Bible also says let he who would be wise become a fool. (I Cor 3:18) This is not to embrace folly, but it is to admit that as carnal minded people we already are fools. It is only when the Holy Spirit has led us to honstly realize this that, and only then, are we really teachable.

I never saw any sign that Ravi Zacharias ever came to the Lord as a child, or was ever convicted of the sins of intellectual pride.

And believe me, as an intellectual myelf, I am well aware of sins of intellectual pride, for it is also written Knowlege puffs up but love edifies.

Oh, a proud man can be polished and elegant, even polite, but this does not indicate loving as Christ does.

This is why i would not be surprised if he were guilty of these sexual sins he is accused of, for such pride as i see in him or even all of us show we are backslidden so not immune to any temptation.

But of course accusations are never enough.

I do know that if i were rash enough to put myself out as a teacher of the Word sexual temptation would be my vulnerable point. I do know that I have such idolatry in me (lust is covetous therefore is idolatry) therefore I am not spiritually qualified to preach or teach in any kind of serious ministry.

For Ravi Zacharias' sake I hope he is saved. But his fate does not impact mine. I hope his followers and admirers actually have found Christ as a person known in one on one relationship. I say this as anything less is to reduce the gospel of Christ to an ideology. Moreover reducing the gospel to an ideology is a serious error and those who live in a mere ideology are as lost as they ever were beforehand