“What do we do with the decades of books the pastor published, the sermons he preached or the TV programs, social media or video resources that he or she created?” This is the question I often hear when helping organizations navigate the challenge of moving on after the sexual abuse, adultery or other moral failures of a pastor leader.
There are two answers — one is for the organization, and the other is for private individuals.
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For the organization, I strongly recommend taking everything offline immediately if not sooner. If the organization is going to move past a fallen leader, having resources around that constantly remind people of that leader isn’t going to help. Stop the pain and confusion. No matter how much effort it takes, focus on the future — not the past.
Plus, very often, critics (especially online trolls) will use those books or video messages to criticize or make fun of the church or nonprofit. Take that material out of your bookstore, get it off your online store, and delete social media accounts, YouTube channels and anything else. It’s time to move in a new direction.
When is it acceptable to keep something on the bookshelf ?
However, for individual believers or followers of that person, I’m more flexible. In some cases, the sins, mistakes and violations of a fallen leader can be so severe that no matter how excellent their books, teaching or other resources, I would get rid of them all in my own personal library. There are plenty of other reputable leaders and teachers to follow. So if any book or other resource in your home or office is distasteful because of the sin of the writer or teacher, then by all means toss it.
On the other hand, in many cases, before they fell, the man or woman was indeed called by God, and was truly insightful, and sometimes brilliant. In those cases, keeping some or all of those resources may be personally desirable — particularly if you’re a writer, pastor, or other content creator and use that material for research.
In the case of Ravi Zacharias, for instance, most would agree that he was one of the most gifted apologists of our generation. Therefore, his books and teaching materials can be a valuable benefit for Christians for many years to come. However, for others, the revelations of his behavior are simply too much to overcome — and that’s completely understandable as well.
So, from a personal perspective, in your own home or office, the decision is yours.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was originally published by philcooke.com.
