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| Dr Hayden Kho |
A simple social media post containing a Bible verse
triggered quite an avalanche of criticism, and with it, a reminder of God’s
gracious gift of forgiveness
for those who call on him.
The verse was 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. “Do you not know
that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have
received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore
honor God with your bodies.”
The person who posted the verse was Dr. Hayden Kho - and
that explains some of the critical responses.
Meggie Sy’s response on Instagram represented most of the
criticism: “This coming from you is a joke.”
To understand the critique you have to know something
about Dr. Hayden Kho, a celebrity in the Philippines but not very well known in
the West.
Kho went to Christian schools but was a self-avowed
atheist. He is a plastic surgeon to the stars who worked in the Philippines’
largest cosmetic surgery business. He became famous as a television actor,
earning the moniker “Doctor Hunk” for his stunning good looks.
But in 2008, his idyllic life disintegrated. He was
embroiled in a series of sex videos of himself with other local and foreign
celebrities. The videos showed up on the Internet without his knowledge and
consent.
He was tried publicly on national television as part of a
senate hearing. He was also taken to court in both criminal and civil cases. His case was dubbed the most controversial sex scandal in
Asia.
The Professional Regulation Commission deemed Kho
“immoral” and unfit to practice medicine and stripped him of his license to
practice in 2012. The fall was great and Kho turned to drugs and alcohol to
ease the pain…and finally to attempt suicide,
twice.
“When the (sex) scandal happened, it was like being
caught in a flood,” said Kho. “Every problem that came my way before was like a
downpour. Since I’ve been underwater for so long, what was another downpour?
But when they took away my license…it was a totally different experience.”
In the scandal’s aftermath, Kho said, “I lost my name and
my so-called friends.” No one came to his defense.
HAYDEN KHO MEETS RAVI ZACHARIAS
Instead, he went in search of answers. The journey took
him to a private talk by Ravi Zacharias
in Manila. Kho’s friend Dioceldo Sy, owner of Ever Bilena cosmetics,
had an extra ticket to Zacharias’ talk that night.
Having read Zacharias’ book Has
Christianity Failed You? as part of his research before
choosing to become an atheist years ago, Kho also knew the author’s background
as an engaging writer and leading Christian apologist.
Soon after Zacharias’ talk about the truth behind the
Gospels, Kho’s hand was the first to be raised with a question.
“I asked a question that soon turned into a confession,”
Kho said. As Zacharias recalled, Kho said that he was “living with
pain, shame and guilt.”
“Tears were running down his face,” said Zacharias. “He
began by asking me what meaning can he find in life. That was where the
dialogue between us began.”
Zacharias had no idea who Kho was and didn’t know his
story. He told his staff later that Kho looked like a man made for the movies
and yet he was talking about life’s meaninglessness.
Zacharias is fond of quoting a line from theologian G.K. Chesterton;
“Meaninglessness doesn’t come from being weary of pain. Rather, it comes from
being weary of pleasure.” Kho personified that insight.
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