If you’re a follower of RZIM or have listened to Ravi Zacharias’s endless collection of podcasts and sermons, addressing just about ANY question you have ever had about Christianity, then you’re probably aware of the latest allegations made against him. The late Ravi Zacharias is the Christian world’s most admired and esteemed apologist of our time. He passed away a few months ago, and just when we felt we had mourned him justly, we got the news that the man we all knew him to be is quite possibly the opposite.

Why we need to separate culture from Christ

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what America’s Christian culture has become lately. Whether you’ve become a Christian at a young age or were late to the party, everyone has their own journey and experience of Christianity and what led them to make a life’s choice to follow God.

I was raised in the church, but it wasn’t until I went to a Torchbearers Bible school at the age of 19 that I truly understood the meaning of what living a life for Christ meant. Until that point, and even still, I’ve had my fair share of people and circumstances shake my view of Christianity — most recently the news about Ravi Zacharias. Those moments used to persuade my thinking of God, and at one point, almost made me give up on Christianity altogether. That’s when I realized I was placing more weight on the shoulders of pastors, leaders, and whether or not churches got it right than on the Word of God, and my own personal relationship with him.

And while our perceptions remain human, God’s goodness remains perfect. While our perceptions are often changed by what people do or don’t do, God never changes. While the world tells us that Christianity should look or be a certain way, it has never changed from what the Bible says it is.

It’s easy to allow unfortunate circumstances to shape our perception of who God is. I don’t negate that there have been very valid reasons for people to leave the faith. But I can also guarantee you, those experiences were not representing who Christ and the church truly are. And while our perceptions remain human, God’s goodness remains perfect. While our perceptions are often changed by what people do or don’t do, God never changes. While the world tells us that Christianity should look or be a certain way, it has never changed from what the Bible says it is.

Over the years I’ve had a few friends either walk away from the faith completely or water it down just as much as a white wine turns a red wine into a rosé. Is it white? Is it red? Are you a Christian? Are you a Buddhist? Can’t tell anymore.

And from what I can tell it begins with something devastating happening in their lives or some leader or pastor who professed to be one person, but ended up being a complete hypocrite. It begins with a church letting them down. And since God didn’t give them what they thought they needed, they bounce. They blame whatever hardship on God and chalk him up to be either a puppeteer, nonexistent, or uncaring about their particular needs. Either way, God wasn’t to them what they wanted Him to be.

It’s easy for this to happen. I am seeing a common thread creep into our churches, our homes, our thinking, and most devastatingly yet, our theology. We are putting God in a box, and that box isn’t square — it’s “woke,” round, oblong, or whatever shape you want it to be because the contents of the box are whatever Truth you want them to be.

The truth about truth

But here’s the funny thing about truth that everyone seems to be ignoring — it isn’t subject to a person’s opinions. Truth is not moldable or changeable. Truth is truth. And the gigantic bridge that needs to be gapped is the fact that truth is not what should be relative to a person, but rather our humanity. We are all different; God made us beautifully so. And somehow, somewhere, we’ve misunderstood our personalities and quirks — even our sin — to be called “our truth” and it is quite possibly the biggest lie we are eating right out of the hand of the enemy.

It’s good to have differences of opinions and respect one another’s. It’s good to recognize our unique capabilities, looks, and characters. But it’s not okay to celebrate sin and call it “our truth.”

And in the Christian world, we SO easily attach our thinking and opinions to those in the public eye, whether it’s an influencer, a pastor, an author, a church, you name it, as long is keeps us from opening our Bibles and unraveling the actual truth on a certain subject.

Our Christian leaders hold more weight than our Bibles, and the repercussions are coming to a head.

Our Christian leaders hold more weight than our Bibles, and the repercussions are coming to a head.

Nothing showed me this more than my own willingness to put my faith and trust in a leader I so often replaced with my Bible. If I had a question about Christianity, I would often google what Ravi Zacharias had to say about it.

On most Sunday mornings, even throughout the week, you would find me listening to his sermons, and most likely crying because he hit yet another bullseye out of the park with his words that shot straight at my heart. I’ve shared his quotes on my blog’s Instagram, written little mini blog posts about him, and have referred many friends to listen to him.

And as I’m still processing the latest news on his shortcomings, I’ve been thinking about a few things that have helped me put it all into perspective.

Remember David? Remember Abraham? Remember Moses? Remember Peter? Remember the awful things they did? Yet still, God used them.

Remember David? Remember Abraham? Remember Moses? Remember Peter? Remember the awful things they did? Yet still, God used them.

It’s with these examples we can see more of who God is. The entire gospel hinges on grace, forgiveness, and love. Without it, you and I are no better. Sin is sin.

The older I get, the more I realize that whoever you are, whatever status you have, you are still human. In westernized culture, we tend to place certain people on pedestals, and in the Christian world, we are not exempt from this.

Christians are held to a higher standard whether we like it or not

Unfortunately, our world is not very forgiving when people make mistakes, especially when it’s broadcasted in front of millions of people. Whether the secular world wants to believe it or not, Christians are held to a higher standard. They think, “If you’re so holy, why are your pastors and leaders such bad examples? How is your faith system any better than the next person?”

And that’s where I’ll tell them, we are all human. It’s unfortunate that Ravi’s legacy has been shifted because he gave in to his temptations. It’s sad that the enemy will use this to sabotage their ministry. And even though this shakes me, I am still going to hold onto the truth that even though people who represent God screw up, it doesn’t change who God is.

It’s time our reaction to pastors, leaders, or churches letting us down is that of recognizing that no human or organization can be perfect; therefore, our reliance, trust, and source should always be Christ first.

It’s time our reaction to pastors, leaders, or churches letting us down is that of recognizing that no human or organization can be perfect; therefore, our reliance, trust, and source should always be Christ first. It’s time we started opening our Bibles and let the Spirit work in our hearts. It’s time we let our Bible govern our thoughts, and not let our emotions or wokeness dictate who our God is.

There will be people of the faith who let us down, mislead us, or get their theology off. They will lead people astray. That’s why the most important thing you can do for your walk with Jesus, is to hold fast to the truth that is in Him and His Word. God is whole. We are not.

The post When our pastors, leaders, and churches let us down — an honest thought on the latest Ravi Zacharias allegations appeared first on Word From The Bird.