Famous Evangelist Ravi Zacharias Engaged in Sexual Misconduct, Ministry Says

In addition, five massage therapists claimed he “touched or rubbed them inappropriately,” and one reported “numerous encounters over a span of several years which she described as rape,” according to a report by 12 pages of the Miller & Martin law firm, which was hired by the department.

According to the report, several women accused Zacharias of using ministry funds to provide them with financial support, to obtain personal information about their lives and to use religious language when dating.

Zacharias, who has championed Christianity through books and lectures, died last spring at his home in Atlanta at the age of 74 after battling sarcoma. He was a leading figure in Christian apologetics, an intellectual form of Christian theology that defends the faith against skeptics by invoking history and logic.

The Miller & Martin report detailed new allegations of misconduct against Zacharias. According to the report, the Christian leader’s claims that during his marriage he “never engaged in any inappropriate behavior of any kind” when faced with similar allegations in the past were “misleading or false “.

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries’ board of directors hired the law firm to investigate the sexual misconduct allegations last fall.

“Tragically, witnesses have 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 have been hurt by these. terrible abuse. “

Accuser says she is ‘deeply indebted to every victim and whistleblower’

The Miller & Martin report describes the case of Lori Anne Thompson, a Canadian who accused Zacharias of engaging in “sexually explicit online conversations” and exploiting “her vulnerability to satisfy [his] own sexual desires. ”

In April 2017, Thompson and her husband wrote to Zacharias demanding “$ 5 million in return for a release of the complaints against him and the ministry.” Three months later, Zacharias sued the couple in federal court for extortion. The couple and Zacharias settled the dispute confidentially in the fall of 2017, according to the report.

Zacharias convinced the RZIM board of directors that he was the victim of extortion and the case was not investigated, according to the report. Witnesses within RZIM told investigators they were “marginalized for raising questions” about his explanations.

The RZIM statement this week said the findings of the investigation “made us think very differently” of Thompson’s claims in 2017.

“We believe Lori Anne Thompson has been telling the truth about the nature of her relationship with Ravi Zacharias,” the council said. “It is with deep sorrow that we recognize that because we did not believe the Thompsons and have perpetuated both in private and in public a false narrative, they have been slandered for years and their suffering has continued. greatly prolonged and intensified. It leaves us heartbroken and ashamed. “

In an emailed statement to CNN, Thompson said she and her husband “are deeply indebted to every victim and whistleblower who has spoken not only for themselves, but for us as well.”

She called the law firm’s report and the board’s statement “the first steps in what we foresee will be a long and arduous journey for RZIM towards institutional transparency and accountability.”

The board, citing “a deep need for corporate repentance,” said it had hired attorney and attorney Rachael Denhollander to “educate and advise” the organization and serve as a liaison with survivors.

The board said it had also engaged Guidepost Solutions, a consultancy firm, to assess RZIM’s “structures, culture, policies, processes, finances and practices”.

“We want to help the victims of Ravi’s abuse, and we want to fully understand what has happened in our organization so that we can do whatever we can to ensure that nothing like this happens again,” the council said. ‘administration.