The two deaths of Ravi

"Apologetics After the Two Deaths of Ravi Zacharias" (Doug Groothuis)

Making sense of the Ravi Zacharias scandal

I've read and seen several Christians reflecting on the Ravi scandal. I think the person who gets closest to what I'd want to say is David Wood. It's a long video, but Wood makes several insightful observations and as is often the case Wood is keen in his psychological analyses.

Ravi and the onus probandi

i) Some folks think Christians have a duty to denounce alleged ethical lapses by Rav Zacharias. Now  I do think lots of Christians are too quick to hand out the halos. But they could condition a eulogy. "Assuming he's not guilty…" And even if he's guilty of serious moral failings, while that rightly  tarnishes his reputation, it doesn't discredit the positive impact of his ministry. 

ii) But suppose I don't have an informed judgment regarding the allegations. Do I still have a burden of proof? It's not like I have a duty to have a considered option on the issue. Life is short. We make time-investment decisions. We prioritize. 

It isn't even possible to have an informed judgment about most propositions. Consider the countless number of things that happen around the globe in a single day. Or consider the infinite realm of mathematical truths. 

Or, to take a different kind of example, consider the sex lives of the Hollywood stars. Surely I have no duty to inform myself about that. Why waste my time on that? Why fill my mind with that? 

iii) A potential objection to what I said is that it parallels atheists who say that lacking belief in God carries no burden of proof. Or does it?

One problem with the comparison is the question of scope. The existence or nonexistence of God has implications for literally everything. Ravi's moral character isn't remotely analogous. Does every proposition, however trivial or ephemeral, bear a burden of proof? Or is there a threshold? God lies at one end of the continuum–the very end. 

The dying apologist

The death of Ravi is getting a lot of buzz in the Christian blogosphere. Of course, Christianity is ultimately about death and the afterlife. That doesn't mean this life is unimportant, but the Christian doctrine of the afterlife is what makes this life important. When a Christian apologist dies in the faith, he experiences what he's been defending throughout the course of his career. 

Ravi Zacharias (1946-2020)

"Ravi Zacharias, Now with Jesus"

Ravi in the dock

Accusations swirl around Ravi. These are usually from critics with an ax to grind. Here's a list of allegations from a more reputable source:

https://virtueonline.org/duplicitous-world-christian-apologist-ravi-zacharias

That said, I don't know if Virtue has any independent knowledge, or if he relies on the sources he cites at the end of the article.

Ben and Ravi

Today I watched Ben interview Ravi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIMwWtt_EVQ

Before getting to the main point:

1. I've now watched Ben interview Ravi, W. L. Craig, and Bishop Barron. Of the three, Ravi is the most compelling communicator. Craig is dry. Although Barron is affable, he strikes me a joyless.

By contrast, Ravi projects warmth and kindliness. Has a soothing soft-spoken delivery. Due to his vast experience conversing with folks around the globe, he can dip into countless personal anecdotes. He has a more existential emphasis than Craig, although the "meaning of life" is part of Craig's apologetic menu. 

As a young Christian I read some of his stuff, but found it too superficial. So it's nice to come back to him after so many years.

Extortion lawsuit

http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/december/ravi-zacharias-sexting-extortion-lawsuit-doctorate-bio-rzim.html

Ravi Zacharias Eulogy at Nabeel Qureshi's Funeral

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbKrkPAZCUw

Ready To Run

Ravi Zacharias has a piece in the Washington Post about Nabeel Qureshi. In the opening of the article, Zacharias refers to a characteristic Qureshi had that few other Christians have in this culture:

The first time I saw him, he sat at a table across from me, one of his legs constantly moving almost subconsciously, as though he was warming up for a run. It was a habit of his restless disposition to stand and gallop. I asked if we could talk about his mission in life. He joined me in the back seat of the car, that leg still moving.

That was Nabeel Qureshi. He hated sitting still. He was a man with a mission, ready to run.