In October 2021, it was announced that Sarah Davis, the CEO of RZIM and Ravi Zacharias’ daughter, was leaving the embattled organization to start a new apologetics ministry. Less than a year later it has shut down, with a message on social media explaining “currently, we believe God is leading us to prepare for shutting down the organization. This decision was not easy, but we seek to be good stewards of the time, money, & resources entrusted to us. Given our small team & the growing financial challenges that lie ahead, we believe this is the right decision & timing.”
The group never gained traction, with most of their Facebook posts and live video streams receiving one or two likes and shares- and frequently none. The same goes for their YouTube channel, whose views were sparse.
Ruth Malhotra, former public relations manager for RZIM, was highly skeptical when Lighten (Encounter) was initially launched, noting that it was comprised of former RZIM employees and funded with RZIM money, and likely to propagate the same destructive tendencies that their old organization did.
That appears to be the case. Lighten concludes by noting that while this season was shorter than they hoped, their website, YouTube channel, & Instagram will “remain active for the next year in hopes others will view the content & be equipped & encouraged.”
It was only a few months ago that amid plummeting donations and a reputation in tatters, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries announced it would longer be known as an apologetics ministry, but rather would restructure and pivot to become a grant-making organization to supporting evangelism and abuse victims.
Not content to close everything down and walk away in light of the horrific abuses perpetrated by their namesake, the late Ravi Zacharias, RZIM explained that it would slash 60% of their jobs, change their name, and undergo changes at a leadership level, in a bid to restart the company, according to an internal email sent by CEO Sarah Davis – the daughter of Zacharias.
RZIM cannot—indeed should not—continue to operate as an organization in its present form. Nor do we believe we can merely rename the organization and move forward with “business as usual.” That, we are convinced, is not right for numerous reasons.
2. We plan to transition RZIM from its current form of a global speaking team of evangelists and apologists with offices around the world to a grantmaking entity, much like a charitable foundation, which will support a variety of ministries, causes, and kingdom-building efforts.
How the times have changed. Instead, Sarah Davis, who oversaw the fall of the inwardly grotesque beast through sexual abuse by its namesake, financial abuse, and a culture of secrecy and simpism, is stepping down and will start a new apologetics organization, one that sounds suspiciously like a new and likely not approved RZIM 2.0.
Named ‘Encounter’, it will share offices with RZIM, feature RZIM speakers, and have RZIM’s mission and focus.
Naturally, starting the whole thing off with transparency and openness, Christianity Today reports that Davis refused to talk and RZIM spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
Former RZIM director Carson Weitnauer took to Twitter to share many of the same concerns those concerns, writing:
Christianity Today reports on the launch of a "new ministry" called Encounter:https://t.co/1xnxuwOqwy
The "new" ministry is: 1. Led by the former CEO of RZIM 2. Features only former RZIM speakers 3. Will enjoy the offices in RZIM's building 4. Is likely funded by RZIM's donors
I'm also disappointed that Sarah believes herself to be a credible and trusted leader of an apologetics organization. Under her leadership, RZIM mismanaged finances, concealed sexual abuse, retaliated against employees, etc., etc., etc. … she is disqualified for this role.
The Director and Dean of what was formally called the Ravi Zacharias International Ministry have announced their resignation via Facebook, after a season of “lamenting, listening, and learning” in light o the Ravi Zacharias scandal.
Jo and Vince Vitale announced that they are leaving next week, leaving precious few souls still there. Vince is the head of RZIM in the United States and also co-authored a recent book with Ravi, Jesus Among Other Gods: The Counter-Cultural Claims of Christ, and Joe is a frequent speaker and Dean of Studies. They wrote:
Ever since the release of the interim report of the investigation into Ravi Zacharias on December 23rd, 2020, we have lived with three very strong convictions. One of these convictions was that God was leading us to take seriously what we personally needed to repent of—to spend far more of our prayers, thoughts, and words on our own mistakes and failures than on those of anyone else.
They explain they’ve stayed on since the news broke out of their concern for justice and the victims because they “felt the importance of journeying with the team during this season when we had the opportunity to speak directly into significant decisions.” Now that things are on the mend and they feel victims will be taken seriously and care for, they’re resigning so that they can enter “a substantial season of reordering” in order to “embrace the time and space needed to allow ourselves to be deeply formed by all that we have been humbled by and wrecked over in the last year.”
They conclude:
We want to thank God, most of all, for allowing us to begin this journey. Conviction and repentance are indeed gifts of amazing grace. We will always deeply grieve the suffering and the ways in which we contributed to it, but it is our prayer that the grief we carry from this will serve as a lasting reminder of our duty to care for the many whose wounds are far deeper than our own. Christ’s ability to redeem gives hope that healing is worth fighting for and bears witness to the full and final restoration that ultimately awaits.
(Premier Christian) Sarah Davis, CEO of RZIM, the apologetics ministry founded by Ravi Zacharias, has apologized for not initially believing the sexual abuse victims of her late father saying she made “serious errors that only furthered deep wounds.”
Speaking in a video message shared on RZIM’s Facebook page, Davis spoke about her involvement in her father’s ministry saying at the outset it wasn’t something she intended to become part of despite her “deep admiration and love for my father.” Although a Christian since childhood, around 10 years ago she said she came to believe that “God loved me” and she felt a calling to lead the ministry.
Speaking about her role within RZIM she said it was one of the greatest blessings of her life but went on to talk about the brokenness of the last few years.Get the latest Christian World News stories via email SIGN ME UPSee our privacy notice
Referring to serious allegations that first arose in 2017 and then in 2020, Davis said she was now “grieved” at her initial response to disbelieve victims and that she should have immediately called for an investigation. She added that it hadn’t been her goal to cover up the “sins of her father,” who died from cancer in May 2020, to further a ministry.
“I believed this man, my father, whom I loved and trusted more than anyone else, could not have done these things … But I was wrong.
Amid plummeting donations and a reputation in tatters, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries has announced that is will no longer be known as an apologetics ministry, but rather will restructure and pivot to become a grant-making organization to supporting evangelism and abuse victims.
Not content to close everything down and walk away in light of the horrific abuses perpetrated by their namesake, the late Ravi Zacharias, RZIM will instead slash 60% of their jobs, change their name, and undergo changes at a leadership level, in a bid to restart the company, according to an internal email sent by CEO Sarah Davis – the daughter of Zacharias.
Since a preliminary report on the investigation just before Christmas and the full report and its findings in February, we, as a ministry, have been processing a wide range of emotions, including intense grief for victims of abuse, abhorrence at Ravi’s actions, disillusionment, dismay, anger, and uncertainty about the future of the ministry we love and serve…
In the past few months we have experienced a steady decline in financial support to the ministry as well as the loss of our certification with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) due to findings in the Miller & Martin investigation. We made a decision to stop soliciting—or accepting— financial contributions to RZIM until further notice. Some of you have had invitations to speak rescinded, while others have lost opportunities to publish…
In praying about and seeking direction for our near and long-term futures, we have reached four conclusions, which we would like to share with you today.
1. RZIM cannot—indeed should not—continue to operate as an organization in its present form. Nor do we believe we can merely rename the organization and move forward with “business as usual.” That, we are convinced, is not right for numerous reasons.
2. We plan to transition RZIM from its current form of a global speaking team of evangelists and apologists with offices around the world to a grantmaking entity, much like a charitable foundation, which will support a variety of ministries, causes, and kingdom-building efforts.
Specifically, we expect this new entity will make grants in two areas: furthering our original mission to preach the gospel through the questions of culture, and the prevention of and caring for victims of sexual abuse. We plan to continue to make grants to many of the organizations we already support, in particular to our national offices around the world, and we also anticipate grants to seed new organizations that fulfill the mission on which RZIM was first started. In this way we hope to honor the intent of the gifts our donors have sacrificially made to further the gospel…
3. Our focus during this transition will be fourfold: Repentance, Restitution, Learning, Serving. We intend for every department of the ministry to focus their gifts, skills, and resources toward making meaningful progress in these four areas. In the meantime, this transition period will allow us to complete the Guidepost review that is underway.
4. Finally, and sadly, the current economic realities, coupled with the needs for the journey before us, will require that at this time we make a significant reduction in our global workforce—our ministry team. Specifically, we will be reducing our team by approximately 60 percent beginning as soon as tomorrow…
The move to pivot and become an organization that will support both evangelism and “the prevention of and caring for victims of sexual abuse” will take between 4 and 6 months until it is complete.
The organization previously announced on Saturday that they were purging the organization of all Ravi Zacharias content and would likely include a name change, explaining, “We are in the process of taking down Ravi’s content from our website and social media platforms, including publications, videos, and other forms of content, and we intend to change the name of the organization…”
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries has announced that they are removing all content produced by their namesake from their website, including books, videos, and articles, and furthermore are changing the name of their organization in order to put as much distance between themselves and the famously disgraced Christian apologist.
In a statement on their website, RZIM CEO Sarah Davis explains that the ministry is in the process of working through an outside assessment of their organization by Guidepost Solutions, who has begun the process of “evaluating our structures, culture, policies, processes, finances, and practices, including the handling of any former abuse allegations” so that they can “understand all areas of unhealth in our organization so that we can take that learning and do everything we can to prevent any kind of abuse in the future.”
They explain that they expect it to take several months and “we do not plan to comment on any recommendations being made until the process has been completed.”
Furthermore, RZIM confirmed that they are wiping out any and all traces of Ravi Zacharias from their organization, as well as changing the name of the organization post haste.
We are in the process of taking down Ravi’s content from our website and social media platforms, including publications, videos, and other forms of content, and we intend to change the name of the organization. Effective immediately, we are also discontinuing the use of “The Zacharias Institute” brand.
Along with this announcement, RZIM has (temporarily?) shuttered its website. Now, when one visits, there is only a link to their statement and to their hotline, which they put up so that anyone who has information about Ravi Zacharias’ evil appetites or organizational malfeasance and dysfunction can contact Guidepost directly to make a complaint.
RZIM Canada has announced they are shutting down operations in the country and shuttering their doors, a result of the devastating revelation that their ministry namesake, the late apologist Ravi Zacharias, was a serial sexual predator.
In a statement released on their website, the board informs that the “current environment” makes it impossible for RZIM Canada to fulfill their mission and mandate for apologetics-based evangelism, revealing that “in the spirit of integrity” they’ve been refusing donations for the last month while they worked out whether or not they could even exist or get through this.
They made the decision that they could not.
They write:
A Statement from the Board of RZIM Canada
The final report from Miller & Martin PLLC on the late Ravi Zacharias has been released by the Board of RZIM US, to whom he was accountable. The findings of his sexual misconduct fill us with desolation and grief.
We grieve for all the victims. No words are adequate or even appropriate, yet we must somehow find words. Their stories must be heard and heeded. We pray for healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
RZIM Canada has always been a wholly independent and self-sustaining charitable organization. We view our donors’ support as a sacred trust given “as unto the Lord.” In the spirit of integrity, we committed last month not to accept donations while seeking God’s direction for this ministry.
We recognize the ongoing need for an apologetics-based approach to evangelism. Regrettably, we are of the conviction that it is not possible for RZIM Canada to fulfill this mandate within the current environment. Therefore, it is with heaviness of heart and after much prayerful consideration that we are compelled to begin winding down the operations of RZIM Canada.
Our hearts go out to the countless people around the world who responded to Ravi’s apologetic ministry and who are now at risk of rejecting the message on account of the messenger. We take hope that Truth prevails even in a fallen world.
We ask that you continue to join us in fervent prayer.
The Board of RZIM Canada
Last week the UK branch of RZIM, The Zacharias Trust, announced they were cutting ties with RZIM and were changing their name following the abuse scandal, with the board explaining.
“In governance terms the UK entity has always been a separate charity with independent trustees, but in the current circumstances we believe that we must now operate without any link to RZIM US,” they explained. “The UK entity will also choose a new name. This process will take time to complete but the UK Board is convinced that this is the best and only way to ensure that the ministry can continue to serve the UK church with integrity. This will also give us the opportunity to review the lessons to be learned from these awful events.”
RZIM has branches remaining in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Africa, the United Kingdom, Spain, Romania, Turkey, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Austria, Germany, Macedonia, and Switzerland.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
