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Why do giants fall?

 I wrote a blog years ago with a similar title. However, I can't track it down now. It is lost in the Cyberspace.

Now, I write these lines because another giant is fallen and there is a lot of wisdom that can be gathered from that fall. A great apologist is proved guilty of improper sexual behavior with his own employees. Since he is dead and gone no one can verify the truthfulness of the allegations with him. However, an independent agency appointed by his own organization that bears his name to inquire into the matter has confirmed that the allegations are true. The report was released by the organization that he founded and led till his death. 

Though this particular allegation by three women were raised after his recent death and proven a few months later, he was not immune to allegations while alive. There were allegations about false claims he made about his educational qualifications. He stopped using the titles that he did not earn. There was an allegation about his moral misbehavior, but he was able to hush it up. Now, allegations continue to pursue him beyond the grave. That is very alarming.

I was never a fan of him, though he was an orator and has written many books. One or two of those titles are worth reading as well. I didn't care about what he had to say. The reason is simple, most of his talk pointed to him, his greatness and his (false) claims. Once an older friend of mine, who was also editor of a popular Christian magazine, told me: 'If you heard him once, you heard him all!' For my humble analytical mind he said the same thing over and over again but in newer and newer ways, spicing up with his claims of new achievements. For me these were disgusting.

I was mentored by people whom I considered great. However, these are people who never considered that they were great. They were humble, down to earth people. Their greatness, if any, was ascribed but not self-claimed.

These people were shaped by the gospel. These are people who realized that in the Kingdom of God whoever tries to exalt himself/herself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Anyone who tries to make himself a household brand will be trampled under the feet and will become the scorn of the world in life and death. The giant who has become the scorn of the world for his own misdeeds proves that, 'God oppose the proud but gives grace to the humble' (James 4:6).

So, the lesson is simple, the wisdom of God in this matter is: 'Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you' (1 Pet 5:6).

Do not rejoice that another giant is fallen, but let us take care that we don't fall prey to the same temptation to exalt ourselves; allow God to exalt us, if he pleases, in his own time, in his own way.


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