J.S. Park Profile picture
15 Feb, 13 tweets, 3 min read
For those saying “I can still appreciate Ravi Zacharias’ teaching”—I disagree. The “good” he did is only cruelty & hypocrisy to his victims. But was his teaching actually any good? As a former Ravi fan & ex-atheist, here’s a breakdown of why it was not. 1/
I first heard Ravi when I was 19, still an atheist & learning about religion. I was impressed by his delivery & argumentation. I became a fan. I read two of his books, saw him live twice, listened to 100s of hours of his sermons. But I noticed a pattern. 2/
I noticed Ravi would raise an incredibly interesting question, bring in Philosophy 101, then describe a time he stumped someone in an argument (or stumped a person seeking faith), and tie it up with a sentimental eloquent illustration. He did this over & over. The thing is, 3/
This trick worked. Ravi continually used this masterful maneuver of appearing like he had answered your questions about faith by dunking on someone & using a witty emotion-driven illustration as a punchline. He preached like a bad version of a Christopher Nolan spectacle. 4/
Consider I was 19 when I discovered Ravi. I was taken in. But even then I noticed his predictable use of maudlin punchlines. His lack of of scientific evidence. His appeal to emotions. And always some private conversation he had when he stumped a billionaire or media mogul. 5/
I gave up Ravi around the time he was bashing “the radical left” & name-dropping Oprah & Deepak Chopra to dunk on them. His apologetics doubled down: 1) bring up a good question, 2) Philosophy 101, 3) blast someone, 4) pretty poetic metaphor, 5) watch me hit this drive. 6/
Here’s my speculation. Someone who could easily manipulate emotions could also use that skill to attract vulnerable or unsuspecting fans. Is this always true of good speakers? No. In Ravi’s case? A likely correlation. Consider he faked his “doctor” & “Harvard” credentials too. 7/
One of Ravi’s emails showed when a victim tried to out him, Ravi threatened suicide. A common manipulation tactic. Consider Ravi always brought up his suicide attempt at 17. It was seen as an authentic confession. Now it can only be seen as a tactic to pull in his audience. 8/
To quote K.J. Ramsey @kjramseywrites, charisma ≠ character. This makes me wonder: How often do leaders preach ahead of themselves, say things that sound pretty but don’t really mean them, preach things for acclaim but not from depth, preach to attract & to wield power? 9/
I want to add this: eloquence ≠ an answer. Emotions are good but emotions do not necessarily equal depth or meaning. Pretty & poetic words sound nice, but they did not work for Ravi. Will they work for you? 10/
Another thing. Are there ANY good Christian apologetics out there? My short answer is, not much. Apologetics is largely a western sledgehammer of persuasive transmission of information, a sales pitch of lingo meant to out-info the other into a checkmate. It’s a shortcut. 11/
Real apologetics is not a punchline, sad story, list of facts & stats, pretty words, a time you dunked on a celebrity, or some world class speaker who’s written bestsellers. Real apologetics is doing real life with another person, which many Christians find too uncomfortable. 12/
Please friends: Don’t mistake eloquence for wisdom. Do not trust a witty, well-spoken speaker. Do not trust me. Do not trust someone who only tells their hero stories. A celebrity is not your hero, therapist, or guide. Discern wisely, fact-check & gut-check. 13/13 #ravizacharias

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with J.S. Park

J.S. Park Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @jsparkblog

28 Dec 20
I have to be honest. This year I nearly lost my faith again. Like many of us, I was in a bad place. I turned to the church for hope. Online & off, I asked how to deal with the isolation, the loss of George Floyd, & hate crimes against Asian-Americans because of “China virus.” 1/
I was angry & afraid. I needed something, anything, to speak to my anxiety. But it seemed the church did not hear my worries. It turned these events into a culture war that I barely understood. The answer for our suffering was apparently self-righteous politics & posture. 2/
I know many churches, including mine, have done good things in this time. Yes, I still love the church, always. But my inbox, comments, & interactions told one story: too many Christians were more offended by my grief rather than listening to it. They couldn’t wait to argue. 3/
Read 8 tweets
6 Oct 20
Culture breakdown.
There’s a philosophical principle in South Korea called Hongik-Ingan (홍익인간): the devotion to benefit all of humanity. Basically many Koreans are told if they don’t make a surplus, they should take their own lives. Always contribute, never consume: or die.
The upside is that Koreans (and easterners) have a remarkable work ethic. We work crazy hard. We love to work. Of this, I’m proud. But the downside: if any of us encounter failure, disaster, or imperfection in our performance, we immediately fall into an abyss of worthlessness.
I’m convinced Hongik-Ingan (홍익인간), this relentless desire to contribute good with our lives, is at least one of the reasons why South Korea has the tenth highest suicide rate in the world.
Read 19 tweets
8 Oct 19
I have heard the worst kinds of advice when it comes to depression. If you say “I’m depressed” you’ll be surprised how many of your friends do hot yoga, eat steamed kale chips, have google degrees, drink seven kinds of herbal tea, & watch TED Talks in their sleep. #mentalhealth
But I get it. I’m trying to understand that when someone gives bad advice, it’s not because they’re bad. Sometimes it’s because they don’t know what else to say. They feel helpless. They have to say something. Anything. #mentalhealth
Many of us have been trained to fix-it. We’re told that silence is bad, so we fill it. It’s hard to say, “I really don’t know.” And honestly, I’d rather hear your bad advice than be alone. I’d rather you try badly than leave quickly. #mentalhealth
Read 4 tweets
5 Dec 17
Okay, church. I’m angry. Flipping tables angry. On politics, I’ve been quiet & neutral. I’ve played the inspirational blogger to not alienate anyone. I’m the token diversity & “atheist turned Christian.” But I can’t stay silent when this foolishness has gone on long enough. 1/
I’m surprised (and not surprised) how blinded the western evangelical church has become, calling “evil” good and good “evil.”
I mean really—can’t we see we’re being had? 2/
That the church is choosing party over Jesus?
That politics are a temporary manmade institution that has become the church’s new god?
That the church has killed compassion and made an idol of cultural war? 3/
Read 19 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!