3 Questions of the Disillusioned
…Courtesy of the Ravi Z scandal
By now it has been a few weeks since the Ravi Zacharias scandal came to light. For most believers, while the scandal was devastating, they have returned to normal life relatively unscathed. But for some, it hasn’t been so easy to move on and forget.
The fact that any leaders fall into sin, is one of the most disillusioning experiences a believer can go through. And as is typical of disillusionment, a host of unanswered questions are often at the centre of the experience. At its core disillusionment is the moment you recognise that the world doesn’t work as you believed it did. A significant conflict has been noted between this new reality and the world you once believed in, which causes intense confusion and sorrow.
As someone who has gone through disillusionment, and written about it, I want to share the 3 questions that have most likely been asked by the disillusioned in the last few weeks. It is important to note that the answers I have provided are only possibilities. I am obviously speculating about what might have occurred. The intention is to help expand the perception of disillusioned people, by seeing other possibilities that may have been at play.
Question 1 - How could he have done it?
For many, this question comes from an expectation we have that our consciences will protect and guide our choices. The fact is that there are many individual differences when it comes to our consciences, and what triggers the conscience. What is acceptable for one conscience, may not be acceptable for another. Paul refers to this anomaly in 1 Corinthians 4 where he highlights that his clear conscience doesn't make him innocent. He also refers to others with ‘weaker’ consciences. Thus relying on our conscience alone is probably not the most foolproof system for good moralistic choices. This is further complicated by pride. In my first book, “Ministry Stinks” I discuss an idea that I termed “The Stewardship of Power”. The idea here is that power and pride have a very strong relationship, which can be demonstrated throughout scripture with characters like King David, King Solomon and a very interesting passage involving King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26.
It takes a person who is incredibly intentional about being humble to manage the temptations that power naturally brings. The kinds of things that can happen when you aren’t stewarding power well, is that you can begin to believe that you are superior to those around you. That you did something right that nobody else could do and you are therefore entitled to certain privileges that others aren’t privy to.
None of us can certainly say whether Ravi was a proud man, although there was some indication that he might have been in the documented responses he gave to suspicious staff members. But what we can say is that Ravi had a lot of power and influence in the Christian world. Any human being would struggle to stay humble in the face of such status.
Question 2 - How could he minister so well, even though he was sinning?
There is something in us that presumes that a person is unable to operate with the power of the Holy Spirit if they are simultaneously sinning. It doesn’t seem right to us. But in Matthew 7:22 Jesus says these devastating words:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Now I am not wanting to draw any attention here to the debates this passage naturally produces around salvation. Nor am I making any comments on Ravi’s salvation! The point of sharing this is to demonstrate that a person can simultaneously prophesy, cast out demons and perform miracles...and still be disobeying God. We often judge by anointing, but God is concerned with obedience.
The fact is that any person who has an ounce of pride can compartmentalise the ‘bad’ things they are doing if they stand to gain from it. The fact is most of us do this all the time! We have the capacity to point the finger at one person’s fault, all the while we are doing exactly the same thing. Hence why pride is so dangerous - it lures us into hypocrisy.
Question 3 - What hope is there for the rest of us?
There are two versions in this question, each with a slightly different underlying concern. Firstly, for those of us who have struggled with temptation, Ravi’s misconduct can make us feel rather hopeless. After all, if Ravi Zacharias, with all that he knew about faith and the word of God, far more than the average believer...was unable to curb his evil desires...what chance is there for the rest of us? I can assure you that your temptations don’t define you. And the knowledge of God’s word has never been what has prevented sin. It’s the application of His word that by far equips us to resist temptation. The gospel is far more powerful at healing our sin and brokenness than we are aware of. We simply must continue to seek a deeper understanding of its transformative nature.
The second version of this question is “who will be next?” Again, it is motivated by hopelessness. When you feel disillusioned, the future is marred by the past. We begin to pre-empt a future with the same old scenarios. The truth is, there probably will be more well-known Christians who fall. Because the enemy is cunning and knows what temptations are able to draw people into sin. But it doesn’t have to affect our faith in God. See, if we rate God's goodness based on the acts of His people, we would all be pretty lost. No...we were always meant to judge God’s goodness by the act of one = Jesus. We can have hope because of what He did.