It seems like at least once a year, a high-profile Christian either walks away from their faith or is exposed by a scandal. We try to explain this away to our unbelieving friends with statements like these:
“True Christians aren’t like this.”
“They were never truly saved in the first place.”
Sometimes, though, we hear news of an opposite nature: notable people coming to Christ. Though these stories don’t get the same airtime as their scandalous counterparts, when we do hear about these stories, it can be difficult to tell whether the alleged “conversion” is genuine. Because of this, good news can sometimes feel just as unsettling as bad news.
When the renowned children’s show host Fred Rogers would see unsettling news on television as a boy, his mother would help him retain a sense of groundedness by encouraging him to “look for the helpers.” Fred’s mother believed that no matter how unsettling the situation, a thoughtful observer would always be able to “find people who are helping.” Similarly, when Christians hear unexpected news, whether it’s upsetting or hopeful, we are to act as thoughtful observers and try to find God at work in the situation. We can do this with confidence because we know that God is intimately involved in everything that happens (Acts 17:28) and that his purpose in all situations is ultimately for his glory (Romans 9:22-23).
In the Bible, God is constantly choosing people who we wouldn’t consider fit for the task. Abraham and Sarah were too old to have a son. Moses had a speech impediment. David was just an afterthought in his father’s mind (1 Samuel 16:5-11). Even Jesus himself didn’t look like the leader the Israelites were expecting.
God also chooses people in spite of their sinfulness. Sarah doubted God’s promise for her. Moses murdered an Egyptian. He also put himself in God’s place (Numbers 20:2-13) and was barred from entering the Promised Land. King David murdered and committed adultery.
Ravi Zacharias and Milo Yiannopoulos are two of the most recent examples of God using people in ways that don’t seem logical or fair by our human understanding.
Ravi died after a short fight with cancer in May 2020. In over 40 years traveling the world debating, lecturing, and writing, he became, arguably, Christianity’s foremost apologist of the modern era. Since his death, though, we learned his travels also included horrendous sexual crimes to countless women.
Hearing about Ravi’s crimes was deeply unsettling for my wife and me. It made us ask things about Ravi and ourselves we never thought we would have questioned.
Is he in hell? Can we still read his books? If Ravi could “get away” with this, can I trust my pastors? Can I trust myself? If God is working all things together for his glory, how could Ravi’s double life possibly glorify God?
These are unsettling questions. But we were able to find some answers by carefully considering the situation through the lens of scripture.
Ravi’s apologetics helped thousands understand the Bible better, teaching his audience how to argue the certainty of the Christian faith. With his far-reaching work, Ravi inspired more honest people than himself to pursue truth. That trickled into innumerable spheres of influence across the globe.
Ravi’s egregious sins also point us to God. They are examples of human nature’s brokenness and point us toward the need to seek justice and ensure accountability.
We are thankful God is the ultimate judge, and that his sentence is full and just. The world’s judicial systems will always be deficient in their punishment. No prison time Ravi would have spent on earth would have satisfied the emotional and spiritual harm he wrought, both to those who feared him as a Mr. Hyde and to those who loved him as a Dr. Jekyll.
Of course, there are nuances to Ravi’s story, but the sinful life is predictable, and the lessons I’ve learned studying the Bible are what I’ll apply the next time I hear of an imperfect leader.
Milo Yiannopoulos is the tax collector to Ravi’s Pharisee in Jesus’ parable in Luke 18. By what we knew of them only a year ago, it seemed Milo was damned, and Ravi was headed to heaven. But we don’t know people’s hearts; we don’t see them as God does.
Milo is a British-born conservative writer, speaker, and commentator. He’s been an enigma for many because the cultural narrative takes for granted that members of the LGBT community are also liberal. Some of his words throughout his career conflict with the Bible and others align. But, in a recent interview with LifeSite, it seems that Milo is living in obedience to the teachings of scripture regarding homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Timothy 1:10). Milo now considers himself “ex-gay.” He is practicing chastity and has “demoted to housemate” his live-in boyfriend. Only time will tell whether his works prove his words.
I’m thankful to read supportive reactions online from Christians to Milo’s unexpected life change. We should be celebrating, welcoming Milo to a greater understanding of what God has planned for him. Historically, though, Milo is known as a provocateur, and some critics believe this interview is little more than a publicity stunt. People want to see him fail. This gives us greater reason to pray for him.
Other critics are glad to see his controversy and conservatism no longer associated with the LGBT community. Even more so, though, are people proving their miseducation of human sexuality. The so-called science of gender identity is their barometer, and Milo’s “‘coming out’ as straight” doesn’t fit their hypotheses. As Christians, we’re grateful that God has revealed himself clearly and absolutely in the Bible. This gives us the correct understanding of the way people are made and who they are.
Because of what the Bible says, I am choosing to believe Milo is honest in this interview. He’s saying the right things, and even if he doesn’t mean it, he’s proclaiming God’s design for sexuality, as well as other biblical truths.
What Ravi was capable of should scare us, sending us to God for comfort and guidance. Leaders have much farther to fall (James 3:1), but sin is crouching at our door too (Genesis 4:7); we must be on guard, or we too will fall.
What happened to Milo should encourage us, knowing all can be saved. It’s said, “While there’s life, there’s hope.” Wasn’t the thief on the cross well into his eleventh hour when Jesus promised him Paradise?
Whether the news is bad or good, it’s for God’s glory. The Bible gives us definite insight into the human condition, guiding us to understand stories like Ravi’s and Milo’s. What’s happened to both of them will happen again, to another leader, or you or me, if we don’t learn these biblical lessons properly.