Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

Ravi Zacharias has now joined the ranks of such Christian leaders as Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart, Bill Gothard, and countless Catholic priests, and not for the souls he may have brought to Christ. Instead, Mr Zacharias perpetrated gross deeds of sexual abuse, manipulation, financial bribery, and debauchery over a period of at least 15 years...and he did so while writing and publishing 89 books, speaking at countless conferences, churches, and seminaries, and becoming one of the most articulate apologists of our time. Millions of people around the world followed his ministry, Christians and non-Christians alike, especially on the subject of apologetics, of which he was arguably one of the best. For those of you not sure of what an apologist is, an apologist defends Christianity and demonstrates the error of non-Christian religions, using logic, evidence, and examination in the support and defense of the Bible and what it teaches. Apologists usually know their Christian doctrine very well. Unfortunately, knowing doctrine does not ensure the person practices that same doctrine. Obviously, Ravi Zacharias was not only a skilled apologist, but also a practiced liar and a deceiver on a grand scale, hiding his sins in plain sight from his staff, his family, and his ministry. 

I am always shocked when famous religious leaders so publicly fall from grace, but this one was a sucker punch to the gut. I had only recently "discovered" Ravi, and was duly impressed and encouraged listening to his lectures and arguments, and used them as a basis and rough outline for my fledgling study of apologetics. Even though he died in May 2020, his teachings lived on, and I loved sharing his talks, his words, and his ideas. But now, his teachings and, in fact, his entire ministry, are tainted and suspect. How can I, as a believing follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian, promote or support the teachings of one such as this abuser, this deceiver? He took advantage of his position, his authority, his power, and worse yet, twisted Scripture, the unerring Word of a holy God, to obtain personal pleasure and to silence those he was abusing. The answer: I cannot. It sickens me to my very core to even think of reading his books or following his talks on YouTube, and I wish I could take back every recommendation I made to friends and family to "listen to this."  

Many believers, while shocked at the news, want to dilute the effect, excusing his actions by saying we are all sinners, that we should not judge, that only God knows the state of Ravi's soul. When The Gospel Coalition published a summary of the report, the reactions were all over the board: from disgust, shock, disbelief, denial, and even blaming his sins on the victims, and I would hazard to guess those reactions accurately reflect how all believers will receive the news.  The actions of this one man, in my opinion, have done irreparable harm to the spread of the Gospel, effectively erasing any and all good he accomplished. And while it is true that only God knows the state of Ravi Zacharias' heart, the depths of depravity to which he sank, and the methods of deception he used to hide his sin, indicate to me he was indeed, a wolf in sheep's clothing. For me, Ravi Zacharias is exactly the type of man Peter spoke about when he said:

"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction...these are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them." 2 Peter 2:1, 17-21

Thank God we have Jesus as our Shepherd to protect us from such wolves, and may we continue to keep our eyes on him, not on man.