NEW YORK (AP) – Ravi Zacharias, who died in May after a high-profile career leading a world Christian ministry, engaged in sexual misconduct with massage therapists and maintained many extramarital love affairs via text messages and email, according to a biting, in-depth report from a law firm hired by the ministry.
Five of the therapists said Zacharias touched them inappropriately and one said she was raped, according to the report. Researchers searching for Zacharias’ mobile devices were said to have found more than 200 photographs of younger women, including nude images of a salon employee in Malaysia.
In compelling terms, the report by Atlanta-based Miller & Martin said Zacharias had lied in 2017 stating that “I’ve never been involved in any kind of inappropriate behavior.”
Coinciding with the publication of the report on Thursday, the board of directors of international ministries Ravi Zacharias issued a statement of “corporate repentance”. The board apologized for previous statements that belittled the accusers and committed measures to support the victims, combat abuse and harassment and review the management structure, overseen by Zacharias ’eldest daughter, the CEO of the ministry, Sarah Davis.
“We are devastated by what the investigation has shown and we are saddened by the women who were injured by this terrible abuse,” the board said.
Zacharias, who died of cancer at the age of 74, was a very popular author and speaker, with numerous celebrities and prominent Christian leaders among his admirers. Vice President Mike Pence then spoke at his memorial service in May, praising him as a great evangelist “armed with intellect, girded with truth and love.”
Zacharias founded his international ministry, known as RZIM, in 1984, with the mission of devoting himself to Christian apologetics, defending Christianity with powerful intellectual arguments. Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, RZIM has operations in about 20 countries and a list of dozens of traveling speakers.
In recent months, the organization has been immersed in a crisis, precipitated by a September 29 article in the evangelical publication Christianity Today. The article claimed that for a period of about five years, Zacharias sexually harassed three women who worked as massage therapists in two two-day spas he owned in an Atlanta suburb.
RZIM’s leadership initially challenged the claims, stating that the allegations “do not behave in any way with the man we have known for decades; we believe they are false.”
However, he hired Martin & Miller in October, who in turn hired the services of a private investigation company made up of former federal police officers. The law firm said more than 50 people were interviewed, including more than a dozen masseurs, and that investigators were able to access data from four mobile devices Zacharias was using.
According to Martin & Miller, the data included romantic communications with numerous women and more than 200 photographs of women.
Among the photos were six from Lori Anne Thompson, a Canadian who has claimed Zacharias “fixed” her to engage in sexually explicit online conversations and eventually send indecent photos.
In 2017, Thompson and her husband sent Zacharias a letter demanding $ 5 million in exchange for a release of claims against him and the ministry. In response, Zacharias sued the Thompsons for extortion, but soon withdrew that lawsuit and the parties finally reached a private settlement.
Martin & Miller said Thompson’s allegations of being exploited were reinforced by findings about Zacharias’ communications with other women, as well as his evasive and angry responses when asked about his phone records at the time of the demand for extortion.
“We interviewed RZIM witnesses who were not satisfied with Mr. Zacharias’ explanations, and some reported that they believed they were marginalized for asking questions, ”the report said.
The RZIM board, which previously mocked Thompson’s allegations, apologized Thursday.
“We believe Lori Anne Thompson has told the truth about the nature of her relationship with Ravi Zacharias,” the board said. “It is with deep pain that we recognize that because we do not believe in the Thompson and that, privately and publicly, they perpetuated a false narrative, they were slandered for years and their suffering was prolonged and intensified greatly.”
“This leaves us heartbroken and embarrassed,” the statement added.
Thompson, in a message to The Associated Press, said she and her husband “are deeply indebted to all the victims and whistleblowers who spoke not only for themselves, but for us as well.”
The law firm’s report and the board’s statement are “a first step in what we anticipate will be a long and arduous journey toward institutional accountability,” he added.
The board outlined several steps “to make sure nothing similar happens again.”
Between them:
__ Hire a prominent victim advocate, Rachael Denhollander, to “educate and advise” counsel and serve as a confidential liaison with survivors of abuse and harassment.
__ Hire a consulting firm, Guidepost Solutions, to evaluate the structure, culture, policies and finances of RZIM.
The scandal had already had a negative impact on the ministry even before the law firm released its report. Several radio stations set aside RZIM programs, booksellers removed Zacharias’ books from their offerings, and a network of student-led mission teams working on British university campuses asked RZIM-affiliated speakers to withdraw from upcoming events.
Last month, RZIM’s subsidiary in Canada announced it would stop fundraising for three months and some of its members resigned.
Dan Paterson, who was RZIM’s speaker in Australia, used Twitter to express his dismay.
“I feel disappointed with myself and others who might have pressed 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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