The
dark, double life of Ravi Zacharias: Famous Reformed apologist sexually abused
and raped massage therapists and had hundreds of photos of young women on his
phone, law-firm hired by his church reveals
By Julio Severo
The high-profile, Reformed apologist and
minister Ravi Zacharias led a double life in which he sexually abused massage
therapists, according to a scathing, in-depth report from a law firm hired by
his own ministry.
 |
| Ravi Zacharias |
The Indian-American Reformed apologist
died aged 74 in May 2020 from cancer, after denying the allegations first made
public in 2017 by a former follower, Lori Anne Thompson and her husband.
Zacharias’ books have been favorite among
Reformed apologists for decades and Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
(RZIM) operates in 15 countries with 300 staff.
Then-Vice President Mike Pence spoke at
his memorial service, lauding him as a great expository preacher.
But on February 11, 2021 Atlanta-based law
firm, Miller and Martin, hired by RZIM, released a report where they
claimed that he lied in 2017 when he claimed “I have never engaged in any
inappropriate behavior of any kind.”
The report found that five massage
therapists had claimed he touched them inappropriately, and one said she
was raped.
Investigators searching Zacharias’ mobile
devices said they found more than 200 photographs of younger women, including
nude images of a salon employee in Malaysia, as reported by AP.
The RZIM board issued a four-page response
on February 11, 2021, where they apologized to staff who had questioned
Zacharias and were rebuffed or punished, and to the Thompsons for the years
that “they were slandered… and their suffering was greatly prolonged and
intensified.”
The board apologized for earlier
statements that belittled accusers and pledged steps to support victims, combat
abuse and harassment, and reassess the management structure, which is overseen
by Zacharias’ eldest daughter, ministry CEO Sarah Davis.
“We are devastated by what the
investigation has shown and are filled with sorrow for the women who were hurt
by this terrible abuse,” the board said.
Zacharias was a widely popular author and
speaker, with many celebrities and prominent Christian leaders among his
admirers.
He founded his international ministry,
known as RZIM, in 1984, with a mission to engage in “Christian apologetics” —
defending Christianity with Reformed intellectual arguments.
Because of several allegations of sexual
misconduct, RZIM eventually hired Martin & Miller in October 2020, which in
turn hired a private investigation firm comprising former federal law
enforcement officers.
The law firm said more than 50 people,
including more than a dozen massage therapists, were interviewed, and
investigators were able to access data from four mobile devices used by
Zacharias.
Zacharias committed the alleged abuses to
a large and yet unknown number of women over the course of more than a decade,
the 12-page report by Ravi Zacharias
International Ministries said.
The report not only confirmed the
allegations of abuse at the day spas (which Zacharias owned), but also found
evidence that Zacharias had abused women in Thailand, India and Malaysia. They
also found that he’d received hundreds of images of young women, that he lied
about not being alone with women besides his wife and daughters — who he kept
on a separate wireless plan than RZIM — and used tens of thousands of ministry
“humanitarian effort” funds to support four massage therapists. One of the
massage therapists told investigators that “after he arranged for the ministry
to provide her with financial support, he required sex from her,” in a
transaction which she called rape.
It
is hard to understand why a Christian minister would need a SPA with massages
as such places sometimes cover up activities involving prostitution. But Zacharias
had two SPAs.
Zacharias used RZIM’s discretionary fund,
called “Touch of Hope,” to pay for much of his indiscretion, according to the
law firm’s report.
The apologist also used several phones and
kept numerous private email addresses, none of which were accessible to RZIM.
He argued at the time he did so for “security reasons.”
“The end result,” the report stated, “was
that no one at RZIM would have had administrative access to his devices or
email communications.”
Of the massage therapists investigators
interviewed, several said Zacharias would touch his genitals and/or ask them to
touch them while they were conducting massage sessions. Five claimed he
“touched or rubbed them inappropriately,” including on their breasts and
genitals.
The investigation also led to the
discovery of a host of explicit photos — many of women much younger than the
apologist — in Zacharias’ possession. A review of his four phones found
Zacharias engaged in numerous “text- and email-based relationships with women
who were not his wife.” Investigators also found “over 200 ‘selfie’-style
photographs of women.”
Reformed apologists often see themselves
as morally superior to other Christians, whom they attack, and see the Reformed
(Calvinist) theology as above any other theology. Usually, they mention any sex
scandal among charismatics and Pentecostals as “evidence” that they have a bad
theology. It is not known how they will mention sex scandals in one of their
main apologists.
Actually,
the apologist who defended that he knew the Supreme Truth wanted no one to know
truths about him and his behavior that contradicted the true Christianity. He
was in a state of slavery to sexual sins needing spiritual deliverance, not
leadership in a ministry.
Several radio stations dropped RZIM
programs, booksellers pulled Zacharias’ books from their offerings, and a
network of student-led mission teams operating on British university campuses
asked RZIM-affiliated speakers to withdraw from upcoming events.
Despite
of the bad news, there is good news. RZIM eventually recognized that there was
a serious problem. Partially, their statement says:
Open
Letter from the International Board of Directors of RZIM on the Investigation
of Ravi Zacharias
Following allegations made in late
August of 2020 that Ravi had engaged in sexual misconduct and abuse in
connection with two day spas, we commissioned Miller & Martin PLLC, a law
firm with experience in corporate and sex crimes investigations, to conduct an
independent investigation.
Having
received the results of the investigation, we are publicly releasing the
investigation report in the exact form that we received it.
To
be victimized by unwanted sexual contact, advances, and behavior is horrendous.
It is diametrically opposed to everything we believe about the value and
dignity of every single person. We believe not only the women who made their
allegations public but also additional women who had not previously made public
allegations against Ravi but whose identities and stories were uncovered during
the investigation. Tragically, witnesses described encounters including
sexting, unwanted touching, spiritual abuse, and rape. We are devastated by
what the investigation has shown and are filled with sorrow for the women who
were hurt by this terrible abuse.
We
are shocked and grieved by Ravi’s actions. As Ravi Zacharias was the founder of
our ministry and the leader of our staff, community, and team, we also feel a
deep need for corporate repentance.
As
followers of Christ who passionately believe that every person bears the image
of God, we detest any sin of abuse. We now know based on the investigation that
Ravi engaged in a series of extensive measures to conceal his behavior from his
family, colleagues, and friends.
We
regret that we allowed our misplaced trust in Ravi to result in him having less
oversight and accountability than would have been wise and loving. We also
regret the ways that many of us have publicly extolled Ravi’s character and the
impact this will have had on victims of his abuse. We now know our words have
been hurtful, and that causes us deep sorrow. Moreover, in the wake of the
accusations brought against Ravi by the Thompsons in 2017, we communicated our
confidence in Ravi’s denial of these accusations, and others trusted Ravi
because they trusted us. Through our failure, we made it more difficult for
victims to come forward. This grieves us intensely and makes us so thankful
that the truth has ultimately been revealed.
The
findings of this investigation have convinced us more than ever of the
necessity and sufficiency of the gospel. No one is without the need for a
savior. Sin resides in the heart of every human being. Jesus is the only person
who is exactly who he says he is and the only savior worthy of our ultimate
trust and worship. Jesus is fully committed to truth and to justice, and he
unqualifiedly stands with victims.
With information from DailyMail, New
York Post, CBN and Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
Portuguese
version of this article: A vida secreta e dupla de Ravi Zacharias: famoso
apologista reformado abusou sexualmente e estuprou massagistas e tinha centenas
de fotos de moças em seu telefone, revela um escritório de advocacia contratado
por sua igreja
Source: Last Days Watchman
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