Episode 78: Too big to fall (Part I): Mike Pilavachi, Ravi Zacharias & broken icons
Mike Pilavachi has resigned from Soul Survivor and once again we are having that conversation. Why do beloved Christian leaders fall? And why do the people around them so often protect and enable their failings?
In this first episode of two, we don't dissect the ongoing Pilavachi investigation or jump to hasty condemnation, nor do we jump to his defence. Instead, we discuss what the limits of forgiveness might be, what cultural and structural factors might contribute to ongoing problematic behaviour and why some leaders become brands that are 'too big to fall' - until they do.
It’s a problem that keeps happening, so we thought we’d discuss the underlying issues using Pilavachi and earlier Ravi Zacharias abuse scandal as examples. We are grateful to ex-RZIM UK staffer Matty Fearon (now of the Mission Catalyst magazine) and to Johan Erasmus of Dialoog church in Pretoria, South Africa (who facilitated RZIM events there) for contributing their recollections and thoughts to this episode.
We recognise not everyone is plugged into the UK evangelical scene, so here is the article we refer to. If you are blocked by the paywall and don’t use archive.today or similar, here is a free-to-read article giving you the info.
ALSO. We are acutely aware that on a podcast about a phenomenon mostly involving abuse of power by men, all our guests are men. This is a function of a few things, including: the people we know who are close to these events are also men - a reflection of church hiring perhaps; and at least one woman we hoped to hear from decided to brief her husband to talk to us instead. We hope that the input from our listeners (who all appeared to be women this week) and the fact that we have one cis woman and one gender-curious dude on the host team makes up for that a little.
If you have a safeguarding concern related to this episode, people are being asked to contact Jeremy Hirst at the Diocesan Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@stalbans.anglican.org or Judith Renton, Ian Bowles or Anthony Clarke at the National Safeguarding Team at safeguarding@churchofengland.org.
Beer Christianity discusses Mike Pilavachi, Ravi Zacharias and the reasons this keeps happening in episode 78, part 1 of 2 on our cracked icons.
You can listen to Episode 78 anywhere: on airpods in a noisy pitchfork mob, on the back of a high horse with a boom box or using those cool ‘transmits through your cheekbones’ underwater headphones while wallowing in the moral mire of defending the indefensible. You can find it on all major podcast platforms and, of course, right here:
New to Beer Christianity? Appropriately sombre greetings.
Beer Christianity is an anti-capitalist, pro-BLM, pro-LGBTQ+, post-post-post-evangelical (and apparently republican) podcast where we drink a bit and talk a lot. Our aim is to be real, to be helpful and entertaining.
Follow Beer Christianity on Twitter: @beerxianity and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Stitcher.
If you leave us a voicenote at speakpipe.com/beerchristianity we might air your question on an episode.
Beer Christianity also has a newsletter in which Jonty and guest authors comment on the news, theological issues and stuff that matters.
Sign up to the Beer Christianity newsletter on Substack.
There's a connected Show With Music on Spotify called New Old Music. Check it out if you like eclectic music and weird chat. It's not terribly serious.
Jonty's novel, Incredulous Moshoeshoe and the Lightning Bird, is not available in all good bookshops, but if you bought it and left a review that would probably make that more likely.
We don't really want to preach at you, but some people like to know what we believe. It's this: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to teach us a better way to be while reconciling us to God and each other in a way we could never do without Him. He also changed water into wine. Nice.