When Leaders Fall In Sin

It’s not easy when leaders fall into sin. As a new Christian during my teen years, I found so much comfort in listening to the radio program Let My People Think with Ravi Zacharias. It seemed like the perfect combination of encouragement, just the right words, delivered in a smooth, thoughtful accent. It wasn’t long before I began to imitate him and aspired to make a difference in the world, just as Ravi seemed to be doing.

In 2009, some friends and I planted a church. It grew quickly, and by 2012, in what felt like a divine miracle, we were able to book a world-class speaker for one of our conferences. That speaker was Ravi. When I received the text message with the news, I was ecstatic. I enthusiastically begged our pastors to let me meet him and spend some time getting to know him. However, I later found out the booking was for the year 2014, and I’d have to wait nearly two years.

Still, time flew, and the moment finally came. Ravi visited our church, and I had the chance to be his driver for the event. I asked a lot of questions and was starstruck by his kindness, character, and intellect. In the years that followed, I always held him in high regard. When I heard about his cancer diagnosis and eventual passing, I was heartbroken.

Most of us would agree that 2020 was an extremely difficult year that caused many to lose trust in systems, institutions, and people we once looked up to. But I was shocked and devastated when the allegations against Ravi surfaced, and even more so when many of them were confirmed in 2021. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know Ravi was credibly accused of lying, misusing funds, manipulation, sexual abuse, and even rape. The ministry that bore his name, RZIM, hired an independent firm to investigate. Their findings confirmed that most of the allegations were true.

To learn that my faith hero, whom I admired for his intellect, was in reality a fraud who exaggerated his credentials, and that the compassionate preacher I thought I knew was actually a manipulative sexual predator, was crushing. It was a shock to me and to so many others who entered ministry to bring healing and hope, not hurt and disappointment.

Over the following months, I involuntarily experienced all five stages of grief. First, denial: I couldn’t believe Ravi would ever do what he was accused of. Then anger, and I’m still angry. I tried bargaining, thinking maybe he had been framed. Then came the heavy sadness when the full weight of the truth hit me like a pile of bricks. Finally, I arrived at acceptance, that my hero was, in fact, a villain who hid his true nature behind his reputation.

So here are a few things we need to get honest about:

We need to be honest about what he did.
We need to speak up and condemn what he did.

I chose to wait before speaking publicly about this for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to confirm the allegations. Second, I needed time to mourn the reality that the person I thought Ravi was turned out to be a lie.

Psalm 146:3 says, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.”

So what’s the point of speaking about someone who has passed away? Shouldn’t we just let it go and leave him alone, since he’s not here to defend himself? Maybe he’s not here, but his victims are. And they are forever traumatized by Ravi’s actions.

Psychologist Dr. Diane Langberg says this about trauma:

“Trauma is a wound to personhood, to the self, a deep wound with a profound impact. Trauma shapes us. We have been created in the image of a God who speaks, relates, and has power. Trauma silences, isolates, and renders powerless.”

“A person is altered and shaped by chronic, complex trauma and oppression. The impact is mistrust, hopelessness, shame, and inferiority, with no sense of ability or choice.”

Watch here

I cannot accept the idea that Ravi didn’t know what he was doing. He deliberately manipulated, lied, and abused people, causing deep wounds to those who will live with that trauma for the rest of their lives. So yes, we must talk about what he did. We must rebuke him publicly, because we endorsed him publicly. We are to love kindness, walk humbly, and do justice. Speaking publicly about this is a pursuit of justice for the many silenced victims.

Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

This is also a warning to any current or future minister. God cares about the means, not just the ends. No one should ever justify abuse or sin because they’re “doing God’s work.”

One of the most disturbing parts of the report is this:

“According to this witness, Mr. Zacharias used religious expressions to gain compliance, as she was raised to be a person of faith. She reported that he made her pray with him to thank God for the ‘opportunity’ they both received. She said he called her his ‘reward’ for living a life of service to God, and he referenced the ‘godly men’ in the Bible with more than one wife. She said he warned her never to speak out against him or she would be responsible for the ‘millions of souls’ whose salvation would be lost if his reputation was damaged.”

I’ve spent many days wrestling with this scandal. How can someone who spoke so eloquently about justice and the love of God engage in such predatory behavior for years?

Yes, everyone has temptations, but this wasn’t a private, isolated struggle. It was a pattern of deliberate, premeditated sin, using ministry funds, influence, and a powerful platform to manipulate and destroy lives for personal pleasure. True saving faith produces repentance. When a man goes years without repenting, I have to question whether he ever had it.

I don’t think Ravi got to that place overnight. He likely drifted there through a slow fade, compromising little by little. And those around him seemingly turned a blind eye because “the man of God” couldn’t be questioned. I also feel the weight of responsibility for once being impressed by appearances and failing to discern the heart.

I can only imagine the pain of the many genuine people at RZIM and in Ravi’s own family who were also blinded by his charisma and only saw his public hand, not the deceptive one behind his back.

Let this be a lesson and a warning to all churches and ministries. When we treat spiritual leaders like celebrities, we are not doing them a favor. They may begin to believe they are exceptional, and as Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction.”

So how do we end celebrity culture in the church? How do we hold leaders accountable when they are entrusted with influence, power, and resources? First, we must be willing to see what’s often right in front of us, patterns of behavior that hint at what’s to come.

Costi Hinn posted this in a Twitter thread:

“I’ve been on both sides of ‘Christian celebrity’ culture, and while it’s easy to finger-point at prosperity preachers, conservatives have diva pastors too. It seems less about camps and more about culture. When allowed to thrive, celebrity culture always will.”

He continues:

Leaders and people nurture celebrity culture when we:

Cut others down to elevate “our guy”
Let leaders act like kings and treat people like peasants
Channel resources, praise, and special treatment to one leader
Surround them with “yes men”
Treat staff like second-class citizens
Covertly punish those who ask accountability questions
Silence critics with threats
Use money to manipulate
Take credit for others’ work
Believe we’re irreplaceable
Declare our church the “best” or our leader the “greatest”

The church must be a place of integrity and honesty, a place where the broken find healing and restoration.

When we turn a blind eye to abuse, we enable abusers. We fail in our God-given duty to protect the vulnerable. To ignore and not take responsibility is itself a great evil. We are called to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God.

Please pray for all the victims affected by this tragedy.

Recommended Videos:

TGC’s Response to RZIM Investigation from when leaders fall into sin

Ravi Zacharias Report Summary – Mike Winger