Before diving into resources, one quick question: Is there someone in your life who does something you don’t approve of? Of course there is! The better question may be, why do we still keep them around? Maybe that sounds a bit harsh, but hang with me. We love them. We care about them. When we put a face to a person who does something we disagree with and it’s a family member or close friend, it’s obvious that love does not equal carte blanche approval.

Jesus understood this. He ate meals with and socialized with people who were not “living the right way” as many of us would define. He invited people to follow him who religious people kept their distance from. Jesus stayed connected and near the Father, did not compromise truth, and was able to be around people often who did not behave in ways that appear Christlike.

Why is this relevant? Because as I seek to provide resources, I will recommend people, podcasts, books, and organizations that even I don’t agree with on all things all the time.

Ravi Zacharias had an amazing ministry and did a lot of work on the topic of apologetics. Since his passing in May of 2020, substantiated claims of sexual misconduct have come in droves. There are several pastors and other prominent christian leaders who have fallen and many want to disregard everything they’ve ever done.

I personally think that’s a bit too far. I’m not going to read or recommend anything Ravi wrote on marriage and purity in light of the life he lived. There’s sin and inconsistency in that area that cannot and should not be ignored. Just because I still may enjoy Ravi’s books on apologetics does not mean I’m overlooking or approving of the mistakes he made.

The same can be true in many other scenarios. Because I shop at Target it does not mean I’m approving of everything they sell and promote. Just because I vote for a particular political candidate does not imply I support all of his/her political platform. Just because I have a good friend who believes aliens are real does not mean I too believe that aliens are real.

I’m sure I’ll throw out a name or a book that you might not agree with completely. Likely I don’t either. However many times, there’s enough value in their one book, or this one article, or what an organization does overall that I thought it was worth sharing. 

We apply this principle in our personal lives. We don’t throw away the baby with the bathwater. Let’s apply the same discernment not only to the resources I share, but to everything we consume. Flush the bad, keep the good.