Tag: lori anne thompson

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Evangelical Stuff Featured News Scandal World Headlines

RZIM President Apologizes to Ravi Zacharias’ Victims

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) President Michael Ramsden posted a video a few days ago apologizing for his own role and complicity in the Ravi Zacharias sex scandal.

In the video, which is unlisted and not available for public searching, Ramsden shares how he has been “stunned at the depth and duration of his (Zacharias) abuse and deception” and that “I completely trusted various deceptive narratives and accounts. And I was wrong. I realize that in passing on those false accounts to others, and in speaking in his defense, I have greatly multiplied the pain, the hurt, and the damage that’s been felt and experienced by many.”

He tells the victims of Zaharias that “I believe your testimonies about the horrific abuses that you suffered, and also the terrible consequences you’ve had to endure and live with” and apologizes to Lori Anne Thompson as well, confessing that in his pride he thought he knew Ravi better than she did, and believed he could perceive Ravi’s heart to know he would never do these things.

He also apologized for the lack of discernment and follow-up of accusations, explaining:

“…while at times I did question Ravi about his life on the road, and time away from family and the challenges that brings, I realize now that I fail to see beyond the superficial answers or to take his defensiveness as a potential sign of a more serious struggle. I consistently misinterpreted him. I also failed to consider the effects of my admiration for him, and the approval I sought from him. I allowed the good that I saw in him publicly and privately when we were together to dictate my conclusions as to whether he was innocent or guilty.”

In February of 2021, RZIM released the report detailing years of sexual abuse and secret sins that Ravi Zacharias was embroiled with, including sexting and repeatedly propositioning women for sex and sexual activities during and after his massages, effectively living a double life for decades.

While RZIM CEO Sarah Davis, daughter to Ravi Zacharias has released her own statement apologizing for the role she and her organization played in covering up the abuse, his son Nathan and wife Marge have not apologized, but rather have insisted that their father and husband is innocent of all charges and has been set up.

In a post on Twitter, Lori Anne Thompson responded to Ramsden’s video, telling him that she accepts his apology “unreservedly”

https://twitter.com/LoriAnneThomps2/status/1415417945765842952

We have posted and transcribed the video below.

Thank you for taking a few moments to allow me to share a few things with you.

In February 2021, the RZIM board made a statement, acknowledging the pride and arrogance that led us to trust Ravi Zacharias, his account of his actions. I made this statement my own earlier this year, and would like to reiterate my wholehearted agreement with it.

In that statement, we recognize the need for us to listen, learn, confess, repent, and make restitution. Over the past few months, I have begun that journey. And while I know I have much left to learn, there was a great deal I am convicted of, and wish to openly share and repent of now. What I’m about to say is far from being complete, or comprehensive, there are so many things I still have yet to learn to see, recognize and process. And I realized it’s also taken a long time to get here.

In making this statement now, I do know that there is so much more yet to come. I look to Ravi Zacharias as a mentor and spiritual father, and have been stunned at the depth and duration of his abuse and deception. It has taken this time to even begin to process this. I’m sorry for my long silence, and recognize that my own processing pales in comparison to that of Ravi’s victims. Not only because of the agony that you have personally experienced but because I recognize with great sorrow, that for many of you, silence was not a choice.

I completely trusted various deceptive narratives and accounts. And I was wrong. I realize that in passing on those false accounts to others, and in speaking in his defense, I have greatly multiplied the pain, the hurt, and the damage that’s been felt and experienced by many.

To each and every one of you who has been abused by Ravi Zacharias. I believe your testimonies about the horrific abuses that you suffered, and also the terrible consequences you’ve had to endure and live with. During the course of the 2020 investigation, many of you decided to remain anonymous. But we know that you are real people with real names, and that real damage has been inflicted, both on you and your families. What happened here matters so much, because you matter. And I’m so sorry that I failed by not hearing you sooner.

I admired Ravi Zacharias as a person, and as a leader. I trusted him and thought I knew him. I was wrong. In 2017, I believe the false accounts that he gave, and came to the conclusion that he was a victim, when in fact, it was actually Lorie Anne Thompson, who had been victimized by him. I’ve come to recognize many failings during this time, which I need to confess now.

First, I failed to treat Lori Anne Thompson with the respect that she deserved, by not hearing her or understanding what she was saying. Many times increasing the hurt and pain that she had already suffered. And in doing this, I failed not only her but also her husband, Brad, her family, and those who spoke up for her and on her behalf. This failure also deeply impacted our team and donors, because in failing to hear and see her, I grossly misrepresented what she was communicating and who she was. I am sorry, and I can only ask for their forgiveness.

I also failed to recognize my own weaknesses, and need to learn. I was convinced that Ravi Zacharias was trustworthy when it came to the issues of his sexual conduct and behavior. As a matter of fact, I believed him to be very naive when it came to these areas. I now realize that I was the one who has being naive. I’ve never been more wrong in my convictions, convictions that hurt and demeaned all of these victims as well. The conviction I carried led many people both internally within the organization and externally, to believe that they could trust Ravi’s account. Because of my trust in Him, many now feel let down not because we now know, but because in 2017, we failed to discover what he had done.

I now realize that I was wrong to trust Ravi for so long. I was wrong to repeat his false narratives, and I was wrong to rush to his defense when his integrity was questioned. At the time, I assumed that the absence of other allegations added weight to the idea that Ravi was innocent. However, I now realize that my assumptions were based on ignorance of the chilling and silencing effect, that Ravi’s lawsuit and the NDA had on any other victims coming forward.

Not only did I think of Ravi more highly than I ought, I also thought of myself more highly than I ought. I thought I’d correctly discerned his weaknesses and struggles. I thought I knew him. In this, I must confess my pride. I mistook his defensiveness for tiredness. I thought this was due to his extensive travels, the pressure he put himself under and tried to speak so often and write so much. And while at times I did question Ravi about his life on the road, and time away from family and the challenges that brings, I realize now that I fail to see beyond the superficial answers, or to take his defensiveness as a potential sign of a more serious struggle. I consistently misinterpreted him.

I also failed to consider the effects of my admiration for him, and the approval I sought from him. I allowed the good that I saw in him publicly and privately when we were together to dictate my conclusions as to whether he was innocent or guilty. I categorically failed Ravi Zacharias and failed everyone affected by what he did. I commit myself to continuing to learn from this and to see the mistakes, errors, and sins that I have committed to do all that I can to ensure that restitution is made.

In 2017, in my role as International Director based in the UK, my responsibility was to look after the leaders of our speaking teams around the world. As I look back, I wish I had used the influence I had to more deeply question the investigative processes that looked into Ravi’s behavior. I regret the weight that I placed on these processes that were examining him, especially those which were conducted by third parties. And I further regret that I didn’t question the rigorousness and efficacy of the outcomes of those investigative processes. I should have sought to assure myself of the nature of the processes and the strength of their outcomes, rather than accepting things at face value, and reassuring the team.

I realize my strong encouragement to others to put trust in these things as well, had a quelling effect on questions both internally and externally, and people felt silenced as a result. I also want to take this opportunity to apologize to our team. I did sometimes react with frustration and disappointment at the length of the investigative process. And I recognize that this will have been deeply distressing. And I’m so sorry for this.

I want to learn how to listen better and leave space for questions more. We are currently in the midst of a further external investigation into our processes and into our policies, as well as into our culture, how we conducted ourselves and how we acted. My commitment is that we will have the humility to recognize further failings as we see them and to continue on a path of repentance and confession, as we seek not only to learn from our mistakes but also to bring what we are learning into the future.

The only hope that we have in a situation comes from the hope that we do have in Jesus Christ, hope that is undeserved and cannot be earned. It is the only means of hope that I can see that could carry anyone who has suffered through what Ravi Zacharias has done into the future.

Thank you so much in being so gracious and giving me a few moments of your time.

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Breaking Evangelical Stuff Featured Scandal

Breaking! The Report is Out! Ravi Zacharias Was Sexting Up Until His Death + Decades of Sexual Abuse

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) has released the much-anticipated report investigating allegations of sexual deviancy against the late Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias, and the results are devastating.

In the 12-page report, investigative firm Miller & Martin PLLC, after months of scouring his computers, cellphones, and bank statements, detail decades of sexual predation and coverup from both the man and his namesake organization the likes of which Christendom has rarely seen, with particular emphasis on the malfeasance he engaged in with massage therapists he hired at the two spas he owned, as well as traveled with him overseas.

In response to the revelation, RZIM, for their part, seems contrite and repentant for the part they played in it. They express deep apologies to his most notable victim, Lori Anne Thompson, for the way their organization did not take her allegations seriously and slandered her in the process, detailing deep institutional failures that made it all possible and promising to make it right, as much as they can.

RZIM outlines how they hired well-known organizations to step in and help them sort out their affairs, including victim-advocate Rachael Denhollander and Guidepost Solutions, which will do a “thorough assessment of the culture of RZIM related to abuse, harassment, whistleblowing, and disclosures.” Only time will tell if RZIM will obfuscate and resort back to their old ways, but so far these are good signs.

As far as highlights from the report, it’s not pretty, but these are the most relevant portions.

  • “We also reviewed Mr. Zacharias’s electronic devices and found evidence of text- and email-based relationships with women who were not his wife, as well as over 200 ‘selfie’-style photographs of women.”
  • “There were over 200 massage therapist contacts in Mr. Zacharias’s phones, including many overseas.”
  • “Several massage therapists confirmed Mr. Zacharias’s frequent efforts to ‘try for more than a massage,’ as one therapist put it. Eight therapists reported that Mr. Zacharias would start the massage either completely nude or would remove the sheets during the massage. Six therapists reported that he always or almost always had an erection during the massage. Four therapists reported that he would either touch his genitals or ask them to touch his genitals. And five therapists reported that he touched or rubbed them inappropriately.”
  • “Only one of the witnesses we interviewed said that Mr. Zacharias engaged in sexual intercourse. This witness reported details of many encounters over a period of years that she described as rape. To protect her identity, this report does not disclose many of the details she shared with us. She reported that after he arranged for the ministry to provide her with financial support, he required sex from her. According to this witness, Mr. Zacharias used religious expressions to gain compliance, as she was raised to be a person of faith. She reported that he made her pray with him to thank God for the ‘opportunity’ they both received. She said he called her his ‘reward’ for living a life of service to God, and he referenced the ‘godly men’ in the Bible with more than one wife. She said he warned her not ever to speak out against him or she would be responsible for the ‘millions of souls’ whose salvation would be lost if his reputation was damaged.”
  • “The four phones that Mr. Zacharias used and that RZIM provided to us for this investigation also provided significant, compelling evidence. For example, in the Notes application of one of Page 9 of 12 his phones, Mr. Zacharias kept translations of certain words and phrases in Thai and Mandarin. The Thai phrases included ‘I miss you so much. I want to see your face’ and ‘little bit further.’ The Mandarin phrases included: ‘softer, lighter;’ ‘U R beautiful;’ ‘not enough;’ ‘I hope our love lasts forever;’ ‘I love you from the bottom of my heart;’ ‘I’d like to have a beautiful memory with you;’ ‘Life is so wonderful bnecause [sic] I could meet you;’ ‘Your lips are especially beautiful;’ and ‘I love you darling.'”
  • “In 2014, Mr. Zacharias met and exchanged emails with a massage therapist who lived in Bangkok. They used pet names such as ‘sweetheart,’ ‘baby,’ ‘babe,’ ‘darling,’ ‘angel,’ ‘my precious little girl,’ and ‘honey;’ they exchanged selfies (the latest photograph of her is from 2019); and they discussed how much they loved and missed each other. During a May 2014 coup d’etat in Thailand, Mr. Zacharias expressed his worry that travel to Bangkok could be stopped. He told her: ‘I know more than ever that you have become the love of my life. I’m waiting to hold you close to my heart again. Please be safe my angel. I Love you and goodnight from here.’ He told her to keep him ‘as the only one in your heart. I love you my dearest xxxxxx.'”
  • “Their communications imply that their relationship had a physical component. They discussed not being able to wait until they can be together, that he is ‘longing to hold [her] close again.’ He further wrote: ‘Your face, your smile, your laugh, your touch, the way you love, your
    hard work, your heart, your care for me, your skill,’ and on and on and on. He called her ‘beautiful in heart and in body.’ She responded later: ‘I love you and kiss you everywhere xxxxxx.’ She said to him she was going to work out ‘to be fit and firm when I see you next month =).’ This woman received significant financial support from TOH [Editor’s note: RZIM slush fund].”
  • “In addition to communications, Mr. Zacharias’s phones contained over 200 photographs of women much younger than him—including six of Lori Anne Thompson—and dozens of photographs he took of himself.”
  • “Travel records confirm that Mr. Zacharias was in Malaysia at the time. Over time, more pictures of this woman appeared in Mr. Zacharias’s phone, most of which were relatively innocuous and show her fully clothed. However, the photographs grew increasingly more suggestive, culminating in two photographs showing her bare breasts dated October 27, 2018, and a video of her fully naked and touching herself dated January 8, 2019. Two other women told us that Mr. Zacharias asked for nude photographs, which they refused to provide.”
  • “In addition to finding alone time when he travelled with others, Mr. Zacharias travelled alone to Bangkok and other parts of Southeast Asia for substantial periods of time. RZIM staff described these as writing trips where he would work on his latest book. On such trips, he would stay for days and sometimes weeks alone. According to a text message to a Thai masseuse in February 2016, he spent his days writing and his nights receiving massage treatments.”
  • “We did consider his statements and actions when confronted with similar situations in the past, most notably the Thompson matter. Several RZIM staff reported to us his ‘shifting narrative’ as emails and other relevant facts were publicly leaked and he was forced to explain them. Rather than fostering an environment of truth-seeking and transparency, Mr. Zacharias was strident and inflammatory. He described his critics as ‘nasty people’ and ‘lunatics’ who were engaging in ‘satanic-type’ slander and falsehood.”
  • “Mr. Zacharias told certain members of his staff that the phone records and full, complete emails would exonerate him, but he did not give them access to these documents. Two high-level staff approached him directly asking for the phone records, since he claimed they would prove exculpatory. Both of these staff members told us Mr. Zacharias responded to this request with rage and threatened to resign from the organization.”
  • “Some therapists also reported that Mr. Zacharias paid very well or would leave large tips and gave gifts that were at times lavish, such as a Persian rug or a Louis Vuitton wallet with $500 inside.”
  • “Several RZIM staff reported to us that they were concerned about Mr. Zacharias travelling with a personal masseuse, not because they feared actual impropriety but because they feared the appearance of impropriety. A high-level RZIM staff member expressed concerns to Mr. Zacharias about it and encouraged him to stop travelling with her. In response, Mr. Zacharias grew angry and barely spoke to this staff member for a long period of time.”
  • “According to his text messages, at times he would meet the therapists in the hotel lobby and at other times he would direct them to come straight to his room. On one occasion in February 2016, he slipped his room key to a massage therapist by placing it in a book, directing her to come to his
    room ‘2 minutes after’ she got the book from him.”


It’s completely abhorrent. With the news that Ravi was still soliciting pictures at least three months before his death at the age of 74, we ought to treat this serial predator as a false teacher who came to devour. In his death and in this discovery, it goes to show how wolfish false teachers can be and how well they can hide, saying the right things while doing the wrong things – singing praises to God and preaching a public gospel while engaging in deviltry in the dark.











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Breaking Evangelical Stuff News Scandal

Vindication! RZIM Apologizes to Prominent Ravi Zacharias Abuse Victim

We never thought the day would come. Ravi Zacharias International Ministry has issued a formal apology to Lori Anne Thompson, the woman who kickstarted the revelation about Ravi Zacharias’ sexual predations back in 2017. (More on that here.)

With the release of the investigative report confirming once and for all that Zacharias engaged in a pattern of texting and sexting with hundreds of women, along with molesting massage therapists, and even one allegation of rape, RZIM explains in an open letter accompanying it that:

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.

RZIM thanked the journalist who brought it to their attention (special shoutout from us to Steve Baughman of www.raviwatch.com, who tirelessly led the way – RZIM should have mentioned him) because “their efforts paved the way for us to recognize the truth and to have the opportunity to respond to the truth.” Thankfully, they carved out several paragraphs to mention Thompson specifically by name. This was surprising as up to this point they have all but ignored her, with their last word on it being a slanderous public statement in 2017 and a message a few weeks ago saying they would not release her from her NDA. Now, however, they write:

The investigation’s conclusions have caused us to think very differently about the allegations Mrs. Lori Anne Thompson made against Ravi in 2017. We were wrong. Our trust in Ravi’s denial of moral wrongdoing and in his deceptive explanations of emails and other records that became public was severely misplaced, and our failures in 2017, including our failure to commission an independent investigation at that time, allowed tremendous pain to continue to be caused in the Thompsons’ lives.

We believe Lori Anne Thompson has told the truth about the nature of her relationship with Ravi Zacharias. It is with profound grief that we recognize that because we did not believe the Thompsons and both privately and publicly perpetuated a false narrative, they were slandered for years and their suffering was greatly prolonged and intensified. This leaves us heartbroken and ashamed. We are deeply grateful for their longstanding commitment to making the truth known and admire their strength to carry on even when they were not believed. It is our hope to seek a redemptive way forward with Mrs. and Mr. Thompson and seek their forgiveness, while recognizing that we have no right to this and wanting to be led by them in terms of what might be most helpful.

It must have been deeply painful for the victims of Ravi’s abuse and misconduct to tell their stories and to relive their terrible experiences as they participated in this investigation. To you we say directly: Words cannot come close to expressing the sorrow that we feel for what you have been through or the gratitude we feel for the bravery with which you have responded. We are so thankful to you, and we are so sorry.


Thompson, for her part, has not released a statement yet in response to the report, but did write on Twitter that she was overwhelmed and one would be forthcoming.

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Church Evangelical Stuff Featured News Scandal

Ravi Zacharias Victim Posts Victim Impact Statement

Lori Anne Thompson, the most well-known and public of Ravi Zacharias’ victims has posted a detailed victim impact statement on her website, detailing the ways that the late-Christian apologist’s sexual predations destroyed her world and adversely affected her and her family for years. It also details the emotional toll that having Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) repeatedly publicly lie about her has had, even as they publicly insist they’ve committed no wrongdoing.

The release of the statement comes on the heels of RZIM confirming they have no intention of releasing her from a non-disclosure/non-disparagement agreement she signed years ago. This continues a long-standing pattern from RZIM of silencing, victim-blaming, and ignoring her wherever possible. It also comes in the light of the knowledge that the big, allegedly “all-encompassing,” and “independent” investigation into Ravi Zacharias will not include her, despite being the catalyst for exposing his abuses and the public face of his victims.

She writes in part:

I tried to tell a Christian counsellor what was happening to me. He told me not to tell anyone, especially not my husband, that he could see RZ’s draw to me, and that if anyone ever found out, the kingdom of God would be irreparably damaged. I became suicidal. When I heard news of someone in our old church getting a diagnosis of terminal cancer, I longed to be her. We visited Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia for my fortieth birthday and I researched how best to slip off the rocks and succumb to the deep—such was the depths of my despair. It was not just what was happening to me, but whom it was happening by.

and

I was contacted by text, email, and phone from RZ once I had sent a final email to him. He threatened to commit suicide if I broke my silence. I was terrified in that moment and for a long time to come. To my betrayer, telling anyone was betrayal. Abusers not only demand silence—they enforce it.

When I disclosed that same day to my husband what happened to me—he was devastated. Brad had already experienced a protracted history of breach of trust, early abandonment, shaming, and interrupted attachments in his own life. He was crumbling at home with our children and I was in another country in complete collapse. He wasn’t sure he wanted me to come home. I wasn’t sure I would make it home. No one slept that Saturday night and for many years of Saturdays to come. Life as we knew it was ripped apart. We were torn asunder. I can hardly find the words to describe the complete and utter relational, emotional, psychological, and physical implosion.

You can read the letter in its entirety here, as well as watch the video below.

https://twitter.com/LoriAnneThomps2/status/1358835040151433216


We also recommend that you write a very short email to both lynsey.barron@millermartin.com, who is the woman who prepared the interim report on Ravi’s guilt and who was hired by RZIM, and rzim@rzim.org itself, asking them why they won’t include Lori Anne Thompson in the investigation.

Keep it short and sweet. If you are emailing RZIM, don’t include any links, as they will not open them.

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Church Evangelical Stuff News Scandal

Even in Death, RZIM seeks to Hide Ravi Zacharias’ Sins

Ravi Zacharias International Ministry has confirmed they have no intention of releasing one of Zacharias’ victims from a non-disclosure/non-disparagement agreement she signed years ago, according to her lawyers, continuing to a long-standing pattern of silencing, victim-blaming, and ignoring her wherever possible.

The world-renown apologist who passed away last year, signed the agreement in 2017, before it was confirmed that he was a long-time sexual molester and deviant. A year before he entered into a friendship/counseling relationship with Lori Anne Thompson, grooming her to the point that he began requesting that she send him nude pictures. Thompson eventually decided to end things and tell her husband, which led Ravi to threaten to kill himself if she revealed his actions. He sued her, filing a RICO lawsuit and they settled out of court, with RZIM pledging to drop the suite and offering her $250,000 if she signed non-disclosure agreement.

Despite the agreement, it didn’t stop Ravi from widely defaming her and spreading malicious lies about her, claiming she was trying to blackmail him and releasing a statement to the rag Christianity Today, saying:

“Subsequently, she began to contact me via the email address I had used to contact her husband after first meeting them. My responses were usually brief. Then, last year, she shockingly sent me extremely inappropriate pictures of herself unsolicited. I clearly instructed her to stop contacting me in any form; I blocked her messages, and I resolved to terminate all contact with her.

That of course is a lie. In the same letter he also wrote this, before news of him groping and propositioning his employees at a spa he owned came to light:

In my 45 years of marriage to Margie, I have never engaged in any inappropriate behavior of any kind. I love my wife with all my heart and have been absolutely faithful to her these more than 16,000 days of marriage, and have exercised extreme caution in my daily life and travels, as everyone who knows me is aware. I have long made it my practice not to be alone with a woman other than Margie and our daughters—not in a car, a restaurant, or anywhere else.“

In a letter sent to Ministry Watch, RZIM likewise reiterated their libelous allegations of false claims, blackmail and harassment.

Since then, Thompson has made many appeals to RZIM to release her of her NDA over the years and they have refused, despite their namesake being a known deceiver. Recently her lawyer Boz Tchivijian again requested that she be released, and again they refused.

What makes this all the more frustrating is that despite RZIM allegedly launching a full investigation into his “spa activities,” they have also confirmed that she is ‘beyond the scope’ of their investigation, setting the stage for a continued cover-up without justice or resolution.

Thompson has reveled to Protestia that none of the investigators have spoken to her, and seemingly have no plans to, despite being the most prominent and visible victim, the catalyst for his exposure, and the one woman they continue to libel.



Ruth Hutchings said it best, writing on Twitter:

RZIM has a special responsibility to Lori Anne because the Board and senior leadership personally choose to slander her and her husband as “greedy extortionists” inside and outside the company. For other situations, they likely can say they didn’t know, they weren’t involved. Perhaps they were deceived, but these are still actions they’re responsible for correcting to the best of their ability. If Margie (his wife) continues to refuse, the least RZIM can do is take her off the Board/staff and make a statement repudiating their earlier remarks.

The fact is that the lawsuit that precipitated the signing of the NDA wasn’t done to prove and assert Ravi’s innocence, but rather to hide and conceal his guilt. RZIM refusing to release her because it “honors his last wishes” needs to be viewed from the perspective of a deeply dishonorable man who wielded the lawsuit as a cudgel to maintain his oppression and silence the victim.

What a wonderful legacy RZIM is hoping to leave.




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Breaking Conspiracy Evangelical Stuff Featured Scandal

Breaking! Ravi Zacharias Ministries Confirms Late Apologist ‘Did Indeed Engage in Sexual Misconduct’

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) has released an interim report on their investigation into sexual misconduct allegations that Protestia (and formerly Pulpit & Pen) have been on the forefront of covering for years, confirming that the world-renowned late apologist did indeed engage in sexual misconduct.

Ravi had been accused by several massage therapists of indecent sexual contact during sessions, including touching them inappropriately, exposing himself, asking them to give him “happy endings,” masturbating during sessions, asking for nude pictures, and propositioning them for sex.

The report was released by Martin and Miller, the investigative firm tasked by RZIM to get to the bottom of these allegations. They report they were given wide discretion and interviewed dozens of witnesses, including “many massage therapists” who treated Zacharias at Touch of Eden and Jivan spa. They also “reviewed numerous documents and electronic devices used by Mr. Zacharias over the years.”

Though specifically tasked with investigating the allegations stemming from the spas that Ravi owned, it seems they went a little further, writing “we were given broad discretion and authority to follow leads into other sexual misconduct that might arise, and that is exactly what we have done.”

Their findings? Guilty as sin.

While some of the massage therapists we have tried to interview are not willing to share their experiences with us, many have spoken candidly and with great detail. Combining those interviews with our review of documents and electronic data, we have found significant, credible evidence that Mr. Zacharias engaged in sexual misconduct over the course of many years. Some of that misconduct is consistent with and corroborative of that which is reported in the news recently, and some of the conduct we have uncovered is more serious. Our investigation is ongoing, and we continue to pursue leads.

The firm notes that that the full report will be released to RZIM board of directors in early 2021, and the board has apparently pledged to release it publicly. The full text can be read below.

RZIM has released a statement in response to the findings, writing in part:

However, while the investigation remains ongoing and is not expected to be completed until January or February, yesterday we received a brief interim update on the investigation we felt we needed to share (attached). Sadly, the interim investigation update indicates this assessment of Ravi’s behavior to be true—that he did indeed engage in sexual misconduct.

This misconduct is deeply troubling and wholly inconsistent with the man Ravi Zacharias presented both publicly and privately to so many over more than four decades of public ministry. We are heartbroken at learning this but feel it necessary to be transparent and to inform our staff, donors, and supporters at this time, even while the investigation continues. We will speak more comprehensively to all concerned after the completion of the investigation.

We are devastated for those who have suffered from Ravi’s misconduct and for the pain that they are enduring. They have asked for confidentiality and anonymity, and both we and the investigators are committed to honoring their wishes.

We await news of the full report, given that there are many unanswered questions, with Ravi’s guilt being a foregone conclusion for years and being the least of these.

Rather, the issue is with the RZIM board and with the way they’ve handled everything over the years, particularly with dismissing concerns and putting out false information when clearly something was seriously amiss.

In fact, when we first reported on the newest round of allegations and broke that story, with the information provided by use by the tireless advocate Steve Baughman, RZIM told us that it would be “virtually impossible to investigate” and then only changed their tune when the story got too big to ignore.

There is also the matter of Lori Anne Thompson. We are confident that she will be completely vindicated, but what manner of obstruction and obfuscations has the board been indulging in for years that has made it possible for her story to have been ignored, covered and buried?

Ravi threatened to kill himself if his interaction with her went public, and the result of that was letting Ravi put out a statement in Christianity Today filled with lies that victim-blamed her and exonerated him, declaring himself wholly innocent of whatever it was that led him to off himself if it ever got out.

We can only hope the investigation addresses RZIM’s complicity in the cover-up because it’s pretty obvious they’ve had their hands all over it.

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Church Featured Scandal

RZIM Associate on Ravi Allegations ‘I knew about the Rumors…’

A longtime RZIM partner and associate has commented on the allegations of sexual molestation and perverse behavior by famed apologist Ravi Zacharias, revealing that he heard about the rumors for years and that he’s embarrassed that he so easily believed the explanations that were given to him by RZIM.

In an article for Eternity News, John Sandeman quotes a statement by John Dickson, an Australian author and historian with close ties to RZIM who has taught at many of their conferences and has been featured on their website and social media for years. Referencing the Baker-Hytch letter, whereby another famed apologist and co-laborer with Zacharias called into question RZIM’s response to the claims, he writes:

“I am devastated…I knew about the rumors, but it was always explained to me by RZIM officials as scurrilous gossip intended to bring down a good organization. Plausible explanations were offered, and I am embarrassed to say that I too easily trusted what I was told. But it is clear to me from this leaked letter – at least reading between the lines – that one of the most important intellectuals in the RZIM team (Max Baker-Hytch) fears the very worst about all of the allegations concerning Ravi.

He (Max Baker-Hytch) also seems to have experienced obfuscation and a lack of sincerity from the very top of the organization. That is not the organization I have known and loved for more than 20 years, but I also know that Max is about as trustworthy and mild-mannered a human being as you will ever meet. Apart from anything else, someone in leadership at RZIM – one of the recipients of the letter presumably – seems to have leaked this letter. I am sure Max is not alone in feeling that there is a very real possibility that RZIM has betrayed the public trust, numerous women, and the Lord himself.”

Dickson also spoke to Julie Roy, who informed her that he had severed ties with RZIM

Do you intend to continue speaking occasionally at RZIM events? Why or why not?

A: No. I had a Zoom meeting with RZIM leaders in October, in which they kindly allowed me to ask all the questions I wanted. I wrote to them a few days later advising that I could not in good conscience continue any connection with RZIM, including some academic teaching I was due to offer next month. Without going into detail—I hope you don’t mind—I basically explained to RZIM leadership that I did not have confidence the allegations were being taken seriously enough by the US leadership, nor that the path they had chosen was designed to bring everything into the light.

Q: What would RZIM need to do to restore trust with you (if it in fact, is broken)?

A: I believe RZIM is in grave peril. I cannot see how the organisation can survive. I count many of the people in the organisation my friends. Some of them are, to my mind, the most important Christian communicators in the world. But I can only see myself working with them, assuming they’ll still have me, if the Zacharias family releases Lori Anne Thompson from the non-disclosure agreement, if the RZIM board opens itself up to genuine scrutiny, if the Zacharias name is removed from the organisation, and, above all, if they somehow become the gold standard in transparency and grace toward alleged victims, wherever they are found.


We eagerly await the results of the investigation that is allegedly taking place at RZIM, though we have serious doubts about what it will find, given that it’s not an independent investigation. So far RZIM has not demonstrated any transparency or godly sorry but rather obfuscation and distraction.

If they want to show they are taking this seriously, the first thing they can do is release Lori Anne Thompson from her NDA which was enforced by RZIM under bad faith and an effort to conceal Zacharia’s sin.