• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

Should I Keep the Books of Ravi Zacharias?

Tuur

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2022
2,428
1,291
Southeast
✟86,334.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I hope this is the right place to ask this. Before the issues with Ravi Zacharias surfaced, I was impressed by his arguments for Christianity, and purchased some of his books for my e-reader. Well over a week ago, I had to reset my e-reader to correct an issue, and downloaded the books I'd purchased over the years.

Then I came to Zacharias' books.

I don't know what to do with them. I don't have to rehash what surfaced about Zacharias after his death, and questions it raises about his faith. Because these books dealt with matters of faith, I find myself wondering if I can trust them. When I seem them listed on my e-reader, I wonder if I should just delete them.

Thoughts on this? I'm not trying to reopen a controversy or stir up anything; I just wonder if I should delete them.
 

Blaise N

Well-Known Member
Jul 4, 2021
824
663
Midwest US
✟167,203.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Protestant
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Republican
I hope this is the right place to ask this. Before the issues with Ravi Zacharias surfaced, I was impressed by his arguments for Christianity, and purchased some of his books for my e-reader. Well over a week ago, I had to reset my e-reader to correct an issue, and downloaded the books I'd purchased over the years.

Then I came to Zacharias' books.

I don't know what to do with them. I don't have to rehash what surfaced about Zacharias after his death, and questions it raises about his faith. Because these books dealt with matters of faith, I find myself wondering if I can trust them. When I seem them listed on my e-reader, I wonder if I should just delete them.

Thoughts on this? I'm not trying to reopen a controversy or stir up anything; I just wonder if I should delete them.
Well I just did research on him and I read some alarming things.Zacharias is proven to have been in serious hypocrisy,mainly in sexual sin and sexual immorality in various cover-ups,text messages,emails,etc.

I myself as a devout Christian choose,not out of legalistic codes,to not affiliate with anything that has worldly underlinings,some of these could be movies,social media,bands of music,famous figures,etc.


Obviously since studies into Zacharias have shown bad hypocrisy.I’d encourage you to get rid of them.I think it’d be better off not taking words of advice from a hypocrite.But rather from notable Christians like Rene Descartes,Georges Lemaître,Blaise Pascal,etc. there are plenty of apologists out there who are excellent in defending the faith.

Listen my dearest friend,Gods existence and Jesus’s authority and character are FACTS regardless of any humanist or atheists arguments.
 
Upvote 0

PloverWing

Episcopalian
May 5, 2012
5,154
6,134
New Jersey
✟405,082.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Anglican
Marital Status
Married
I had a similar tangle of thoughts when the charges against John Howard Yoder surfaced. I'm not one to discard books, so I still have a large volume of his on my bookshelf. But I also haven't been able to bring myself to open his book since I learned of his misconduct.

My best assessment is that people are complicated. Some people are a mix of great good and great evil, all in the same person. I haven't read Zacharias, so I can't say how much merit there is in his ideas. But if he said things that are true, then truth is still true, even if there was serious evil in his life. You probably can't trust him, personally, given the deep flaws in his character. But you may be able to profit from some of his ideas, if his arguments were sound.
 
Upvote 0

timf

Regular Member
Jun 12, 2011
1,432
575
✟127,451.00
Faith
Non-Denom
It is human nature to elevate a man to sainthood status and then get angry to discover he is only a man.

If someone tells you something helpful, take it at face value.

Php 1:18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

The only qualification is in passing on material or making a recommendation. Others can be influenced by his reputation. However, for yourself, keep what is useful.
 
Upvote 0

Maria Billingsley

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Oct 7, 2018
11,159
9,204
65
Martinez
✟1,144,224.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I hope this is the right place to ask this. Before the issues with Ravi Zacharias surfaced, I was impressed by his arguments for Christianity, and purchased some of his books for my e-reader. Well over a week ago, I had to reset my e-reader to correct an issue, and downloaded the books I'd purchased over the years.

Then I came to Zacharias' books.

I don't know what to do with them. I don't have to rehash what surfaced about Zacharias after his death, and questions it raises about his faith. Because these books dealt with matters of faith, I find myself wondering if I can trust them. When I seem them listed on my e-reader, I wonder if I should just delete them.

Thoughts on this? I'm not trying to reopen a controversy or stir up anything; I just wonder if I should delete them.
If he had a chance to repent, would you still feel preplexed or would you forgive him? He never had a chance to address these accusations or repent from them. I never really listened to him or read his books however, forgiveness would be important if I had.
Blessings
 
  • Useful
Reactions: 2PhiloVoid
Upvote 0

2PhiloVoid

Critically Copernican
Site Supporter
Oct 28, 2006
24,686
11,535
Space Mountain!
✟1,362,905.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
I hope this is the right place to ask this. Before the issues with Ravi Zacharias surfaced, I was impressed by his arguments for Christianity, and purchased some of his books for my e-reader. Well over a week ago, I had to reset my e-reader to correct an issue, and downloaded the books I'd purchased over the years.

Then I came to Zacharias' books.

I don't know what to do with them. I don't have to rehash what surfaced about Zacharias after his death, and questions it raises about his faith. Because these books dealt with matters of faith, I find myself wondering if I can trust them. When I seem them listed on my e-reader, I wonder if I should just delete them.

Thoughts on this? I'm not trying to reopen a controversy or stir up anything; I just wonder if I should delete them.

I asked a similar question on this same issue not so long ago. I think with what is known about Ravi Z., you should feel free to get rid of his books if you want. He wasn't that effective or insightful of an apologist anyway.
 
Upvote 0

Blade

Veteran
Site Supporter
Dec 29, 2002
8,175
4,001
USA
✟654,188.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
If it was me I would toss out all books that have witchcraft kind of stuff in them which many believers keep vs Ravi Z who was a man of God. Since the man could not defend himself (in heaven) then leave it with God. Lets run to what's true what's positive not speculation no matter how "true" it appears.

As if in every moment we did something for the kingdom of God we were sinless? Confessed every sin did we? No so does that make everything we did evil? We live in this body that has not been changed loves to sin and as it is right now will never enter heaven. Christ forgave the man just as He did you and me. According to what I read I am not in right standing with my Father because I never sin but because my Father is faithful to what Christ already did and is seated at the right hand of the Father and I then believe in Christ so I am righteous. That is what the Father sees. Ask Him about anyone He will never tell you...oh but we here will no offense for I am with that.

Oh man are we in for a shock when we find just who were the greatest men women of God He used. He sees the heart what are we looking at? :)
 
Upvote 0

Tuur

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2022
2,428
1,291
Southeast
✟86,334.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
If he had a chance to repent, would you still feel preplexed or would you forgive him? He never had a chance to address these accusations or repent from them. I never really listened to him or read his books however, forgiveness would be important if I had.
Blessings

For me to forgive him he would have had to have done something to me. For his sake I do hope he repented. But this isn't about repentance: This is about whether I can consider his books trustworthy given what he did, because ultimately that is tied to what he believed.
 
Upvote 0

Lukaris

Orthodox Christian
Site Supporter
Aug 3, 2007
8,828
3,184
Pennsylvania, USA
✟945,147.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
While his fall was horrific, many people were helped when his preaching was sound. There is probably something still worth consulting in his words even though he himself failed to live by the Gospel. Many things to consider either way; perhaps keep his books in a drawer.
 
Upvote 0

ozso

Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
27,765
15,119
PNW
✟969,147.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
For me to forgive him he would have had to have done something to me. For his sake I do hope he repented. But this isn't about repentance: This is about whether I can consider his books trustworthy given what he did, because ultimately that is tied to what he believed.
My feelings as well. To me it has nothing to do with condemnation. It's just a matter of stuff written by someone while in a fallen state. I wouldn't be able to push that aside. It would bleed through the text so to speak. And there are other outstanding Cristian apologists such as John Lennox, who has written many books.

 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

Tuur

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2022
2,428
1,291
Southeast
✟86,334.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
My feelings as well. To me it has nothing to do with condemnation. It's just a matter of stuff written by someone while in a fallen state. I wouldn't be able to push that aside. It would bleed through the text so to speak. And there are other outstanding Cristian apologists such as John Lennox, who has written many books.

This states the problem better than I did. I removed them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: *LILAC
Upvote 0

RileyG

Veteran
Christian Forums Staff
Moderator Trainee
Hands-on Trainee
Angels Team
Site Supporter
Feb 10, 2013
35,393
20,489
29
Nebraska
✟747,078.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Celibate
Politics
US-Republican
If you feel spiritually better without them, then remove them. There is no need for a guilty conscience if you chose to keep them, however. Even those most guilty can have an intellectual way of explaining things, even if they didn't live them out.

Blessings
 
Upvote 0

Sketcher

Born Imperishable
Feb 23, 2004
39,043
9,486
✟420,707.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Republican
A couple of things:
  1. They are paid for.
  2. They probably have some good content, in spite of the author.
What you might do is keep them, and if you're strong enough, scrutinize them for anything bad that you might have missed before. Knowing of course that the majority of Christians are very against the things that he did.
 
Upvote 0