NEW YORK (AP) – Ravi Zacharias, who died in May after a high-profile career as a leader of a global Christian ministry, engaged in sexual misconduct with massage therapists and engaged in many amorous extramarital affairs via text message and email, said an annulment in-depth report from a law firm hired by the Department.
Five of the therapists said Zacharias had touched them inappropriately, and one said she had been raped, according to the report. It said researchers who searched Zacharias’ mobile devices found more than 200 photos of younger women, including nude photos of a salon employee in Malaysia.
In blunt terms, the report Miller & Martin from Atlanta said Zacharias lied when he claimed in 2017 that “I have never engaged in any inappropriate behavior.”
Simultaneously with the publication of the report on Thursday, the board of directors of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries issued a statement of ‘business repentance’. The board apologized for earlier statements belittling accusers and promising steps to support victims, combat abuse and intimidation and reiterate the management structure, overseen by Zacharias’ eldest daughter, the ministry’s CEO, Sarah Davis. to judge.
“We are devastated by what the investigation has shown and we are filled with grief for the women who have been hurt by this horrible abuse,” the board said.
Zacharias, who died of cancer at the age of 74, was a very popular writer and speaker, with many celebrities and prominent Christian leaders among his admirers. Speaking at his memorial service in May, then Vice President Mike Pence praised him as a great evangelist “armed with intellect, girded with truth and love.”
Zacharias founded his international ministry known as RZIM in 1984 with a mission to engage in “Christian apologetics” – defending Christianity with powerful intellectual arguments. Based in suburban Atlanta, RZIM has offices in approximately 20 countries and a selection of traveling speakers.
In recent months, the organization has been in a crisis, accelerated by a Sept. 29 article in the evangelical publication Christianity Today. The article alleged that over a period of about five years, Zacharias sexually assaulted three women who worked as massage therapists in two-day spas he co-owned in suburban Atlanta.
The RZIM leadership initially disputed the claims, claiming that the allegations “are in no way consistent with the man we’ve known for decades – we believe they are false.”
In October, however, it hired Martin & Miller, which in turn hired the services of a private investigative firm made up of former federal law enforcement officers. The law firm said more than 50 people, including more than a dozen massage therapists, were interviewed and that researchers had access to data from four mobile devices used by Zacharias.
According to Martin & Miller, the data includes amorous communication with countless women and more than 200 photos of women.
Among the photos were six of Lori Anne Thompson – a Canadian woman who claimed that Zacharias had “groomed” her to engage in sexually explicit online conversations and end up sending indecent photos.
In 2017, Thompson and her husband sent Zacharias a letter demanding $ 5 million in exchange for the release of claims against him and the ministry. In response, Zacharias sued the Thompsons for extortion, but he soon dropped that lawsuit and the parties eventually reached a private settlement.
Martin & Miller said Thompson’s allegations that he was being exploited were reinforced by the findings about Zacharias’ communication with other women, as well as his evasive and angry responses when asked for his phone details at the time of the extortion case.
“We interviewed witnesses within RZIM who were unhappy with Mr. Zacharias’ explanation, and some said they felt they were marginalized for asking questions,” the report said.
The RZIM board, which previously mocked Thompson’s allegations, apologized to her on Thursday.
“We think Lori Anne Thompson has told the truth about the nature of her relationship with Ravi Zacharias,” the board said. “It is with deep sorrow that we recognize that because we did not believe the Thompsons and continue a false story both privately and publicly, they were vilified for years and their suffering greatly extended and intensified.”
“This leaves us heartbroken and ashamed,” the statement added.
Thompson said in a message to The Associated Press that she and her husband “owes a great debt to every victim and whistleblower who spoke not only for themselves but also for us.”
The law firm’s report and the board’s statement are “a first step in what we expect will be a long and arduous journey to institutional accountability,” she added.
The board outlined several steps “to stop such a thing from happening.”
Amongst them:
__ Hiring prominent victim attorney Rachael Denhollander to ‘inform and advise’ the board and to act as a confidential contact person with survivors of abuse and intimidation.
__ Hiring a consultancy, Guidepost Solutions, to evaluate RZIM’s structure, culture, policy and finances.
The scandal had a negative impact on the ministry even before the law firm released its report. Several radio stations dropped RZIM programs, booksellers removed Zacharias’ books from their offerings, and a network of student-led mission teams operating on UK college campuses asked RZIM affiliated speakers to withdraw from upcoming events.
Last month, RZIM’s Canada affiliate announced it was halting fundraising for three months, and some of its staff resigned.
Dan Paterson, previously a speaker for RZIM in Australia, used Twitter to voice his displeasure.
“I feel disappointed in myself and others who could have pushed harder against the tides of submissive loyalty to demand better answers sooner,” he tweeted. “There is no part of the evangelical creed that honors cowardice or sacrifices conscience.”
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