Tag: sarah davis

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Apologetics Ministry Led by Ravi Zacharias Daughter Shutting Down After Less than a Year

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.”

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News

RZIM CEO and Ravi Zacharias Daughter Leaves Embattled Ministry to Start RZIM 2.0

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:

Clearly, a lot of people learned nothing at all.

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Charismatic Nonsense Church Evangelical Stuff Featured

Ravi Zacharias’ Daughter, RZIM CEO, Admits she Made Serious Errors as she ‘Fully Trusted’ her Father

(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.

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Editor’s Note. This article was written by Chantalle Edmunds and posted at Premiere Christian Radio.

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Breaking Featured News

Breaking! RZIM Announces Name Change + Complete Purge of All Ravi Zacharias Content

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.