Ravi Zacharias - A Different Take

I have waited a while to comment here, not because I didn’t have thoughts when the information about Ravi Zacharias came out, but because time tends to allow for more reasoned reflection.  Initial disclaimer: Nothing I offer in this post is a defense of what Ravi Zacharias did.

Ravi Zacharias was a self-described Christian philosopher and apologist. His speaking engagements covered the world. He wrote numerous books. Both his speaking and writing helped many recognize their faith could be reasonable and rational.  I certainly enjoyed listening to his radio show, talks on YouTube, and reading several of his books.

Yet, recent revelations indicate Ravi was living a double life. He was apparently having sexual encounters of various kinds with women who were not his wife.  He had numerous explicit photographs on his phone(s) of women in various stages of undress. His phone(s) contained text messages that no Christian man should have created or received.  

Never mind how this could be, as any Christian should already know the answer: SIN. We all have proclivities and we all know where our weak spots are. But we sure love to see someone like Ravi fall.  Why?

Because we all know that the danger of sin isn’t in its danger, it’s in its desirability.  There was an old television commercial trying to get people to stay away from drugs that said something like the following: no kid ever says they’re going to grow up to be a heroin addict.  While true, it avoids the underlying issue: people use drugs, certainly at least initially, because they like the way it makes them feel.  No Christian seeks out sin because it’s sin; no, rather, Christians this side of heaven seek out sin because they like it. In Ravi’s case he apparently craved sexual gratification.

Is it okay that Ravi did the things he did? Of course not. He violated the commandments against looking at women lustfully and against committing adultery. No Christian can justify his conduct under any circumstances.

What troubles me, however, is that the women who engaged in these behaviors with Ravi are given a pass, even by Christians.  The reporting on Ravi’s conduct indicates that almost all [and maybe all] of his sexual encounters were voluntary – apparently some of the women he approached told him no and he accepted their response. One woman says he raped her. That may well be true and, if true, would indicate depravity of a heightened order. Given the reporting thus far, the rape allegation seems strained, especially given that Ravi was apparently willing to accept no as an answer to his sexual requests from others.

More importantly, however, we have a situation in which the women are uniformly portrayed as victims. Yet, we know many of them actively and willingly performed sexual favors for him, perhaps for money, perhaps in exchange for promises of some sort (kept or unkept we don’t know). This is most certainly not victimization. To treat adult women as if they have no volition whatsoever smacks of the very kind of treatment feminists, including the evangelical variety, deplore.

Again, and I can’t say this enough, I’m NOT defending Ravi’s actions.

But, and yes, there is a but, when will we stop pretending that women are utterly virtuous and without sin and volition? From what I read, many of the women involved performed sexual favors in exchange for money. If that is the case, are you seriously willing to accept the pathetically unlikely view that Ravi was the sole patron who did this? If so, you are living in a world where unicorns and fairies constantly dot the landscape. Guess what? Women who will perform sexual favors for money have a name: prostitutes. 

I understand what I am writing doesn’t fit within the spirit of this age.  Whenever someone does what Ravi did we love to immediately pile on, often viciously.  Ironically, however, at least for Christians, the this piling on smacks of the very kind of holier-than-thou attitude all of us routinely condemn. (Yes, I get the irony that arises in writing these words).

When will we accept that conforming ourselves to Christ is a lifelong task, not a momentary obtaining of some sort of salvific salve that immediately heals all wounds and fixes whatever ails us?  Nothing in Scripture tells us once we’re saved we suddenly become perfect and never sin again.  Quite the contrary, again and again we’re told to work on ourselves – we have a responsibility to engage in spiritual disciplines designed for our good and God’s glory.  Let us seek out Christ-likeness day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

Ravi Zacharias failed miserably in conforming himself to Christ.  I suspect (knowing my own propensity for intellectualizing things) that part of his problem was Christianity was more of an intellectual problem for him to solve than it was an all-encompassing means of living his life.  As a consequence, he likely neglected his responsibility to engage in spiritual disciplines as effectively as he should have and no doubt could have.  Perhaps it was, in part, ego, given his notoriety.  Perhaps Ravi Zacharias ought to have had, but did not have, someone close who had permission to throw cold water on the hot ego from time to time?

What about church attendance?  As a bible teacher for roughly 30 years, I have told people that if they will just read their bible regularly, pray regularly, and attend church regularly, they’ve gone a long way towards managing the Christian life well.  One has to conclude Ravi Zacharias wasn’t attending church regularly as he wasn’t at home regularly. 

One might then reasonably ask: did he truly read his Bible and pray as often as he should have?  Why weren’t there brothers and sisters prompting him and asking him these questions?

Ravi sinned and he sinned in serious ways.  So did many of the women with whom he engaged in his activities. This isn’t a man vs. woman thing.  This is a “but for the grace of God there go I” thing.  Are we not all sinners?  There are only two kinds of people, really: sinners who’ve been saved by the grace of God (Eph. 2:8-9) and sinners who have not been saved by the grace of God.  Maybe it’s time we all acknowledged this reality.  Rather than unceremoniously cancelling Ravi Zacharias, maybe it’s time we all gave ourselves a good look in the mirror.  I will agree it starts with me.