Manager for Ravi Zacharias Spa Goes Public with Further Accusations
Ravi Zacharias’ legacy received another blow after one of his past employees has publicly come forward with new allegations and corroboration against the late famed christian apologist.
The latest allegations center around Jivan Spa, a wellness center he co-owned between 2009 and 2015, located near RZIM headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga. As we have already reported, he regularly went there for massage therapy and while on the table he would touch the women without their consent, monkey about with his draping and robes in an effort to expose himself, masturbated in front of them, and asked for sexual favors and “physical release.”
As things stand, four women have come forward with accusations of sexual impropriety, four people have corroborated the accounts, and two others acted as witnesses, for a total of ten people that we know so far. Of these ten, we know the identities of five.
Whereas much of the reporting has been done based on unnamed sources whose identities and employment were verified, one of the corroborators to the allegations has come forward and revealed her identity.
Emily Belz of World Magazine has released an article detailing her conversation with the former manager of Jivan Spa, Anna Adesanya, who worked at the wellness center from 2009 until 2012 and who spoke on the record, describing how one of the employees, a massage therapist, came to her upset that Zacharias had asked for perverted services. They write:
Adesanya told me Zacharias would come in regularly, maybe once a month. She remembered an incident around 2009 in which a massage therapist came to her and said she was uncomfortable treating Zacharias anymore because he had asked her for ‘more than a massage.’
Adesanya, who was unfamiliar with Zacharias’ apologetics ministry, said she took the information to Zacharias’ spa business partner, Anurag Sharma, and asked that they talk to Zacharias. She said the two met him at his office at RZIM, where Zacharias showed them his back X-rays as a way of explaining his need for therapy. Zacharias had spoken publicly about his chronic back problems from an injury decades earlier.
‘He did not admit it—he became defensive,’ said Adesanya. ‘He said, “Who is this girl, what is she trying to do to me?'”
After the meeting, Adesanya said, Sharma fired the therapist who had complained. Zacharias continued coming for regular spa appointments. (Sharma did not respond to repeated requests for comment.)
Adesanya said no other therapists complained to her about Zacharias during her tenure. But she said Zacharias only went to certain therapists and often brought his own massage therapist, an Indian woman, and they would occupy one of the rooms for therapy sessions. ‘I would often have to wonder, because they would be in that room for hours. At most you’re going to have a therapy session that’s going to last an hour and half, maybe two hours tops,’ Adesanya said. ‘It would exceed two hours, if not three. … But it was never anything that was spoken of.’
While RZIM initially told Protestia when we brought these allegations forward weeks ago that they were “virtually impossible to investigate,” they have since changed their tune and are now launching a full investigation.
I have not wanted to believe there is a fire, but it’s getting hard to ignore all of this smoke. Not sure what can be done now except hurt the family and all those who trusted Ravi Zacharias.
Ravi did that. That’s a truth.
If true, and the evidence grows by the day, I am GREATLY disgusted at the perverted and wicked behavior of this “leader” of Christianity, the heralded zenith of Christian apologists. Not only for the wickedness but how (if true) he defiled the women at the spa and was worse than a dog in heat. How vile! Think how the name of Christ will be blasphemed by the haters of Christianity. Is this not reason for them to rail against us and to mock us and our Lord? I can only think of 2 Peter 2:14 and those who have “eyes full of adultery…[who] cannot cease from sin…and are gone astray.”
My contempt for Zacharias though is not only due to these scathing accusations, but because of his philosophical sophistry that was often more philosophy than anything else. It was like Zacharias had to quote some philosopher (or many!) or book (other than the Bible) and had to give these long winded answers to sound educated and learned. Never anything direct and Scripturally sound like you’d hear from a John MacArthur or Paul Washer. I stopped listening to him years ago. Prior to that, I highly respected him and loved listening to his talks. I think in retrospect, much of that was based on how his wordy and erudite answers appealed to my intellect and I imagine pride. But I came to find his answers more academic reasoning than Biblical truth and viewed him as nothing more than a philosopher with a Christian veneer. Quote the “great” philosophers Zacharias would do at the drop of a hat, but the Bible, not much or at the least, the Bible was never enough on its own. And often his answers were unbiblical and ecumenical as were his associations (at least later in life). I once heard him give Roman Catholics a free pass, said they were not a cult and discouraged people from wanting to evangelize them. You’d think one with such learning would have had a modicum of understanding of not only the history or Catholicism, but the soul damning theology they teach. His answer to “Is Roman Catholicism a cult” found on YT is a perfect example how he had many words to speak, but not much substance as he completely dodged the issue and sounded more like a educated Joel Osteen than an Christian apologist.
I pray God have mercy on those who will be greatly stumbled by these revelations.
To be fair, he did condemn Joel Osteen.
But I take the points. I was always very impressed with him. But looking back, I can see how little he quoted the Bible… Would we be saying this if there were no scandal? Did anyone say this while he was still alive?
I’m in England, and there was a very famous DJ (Jimmy Savile) who, after he died, was revealed as one of the worst paedophiles there’s ever been here. After he died everyone said Oh yes, we all knew about him, but no-one said anything while he was still alive. Is this true here? Did everyone know about all this but no-one spoke out?
I’m grateful for those here who have pointed out his lack of Biblical teaching.
Shaun, I love your commentary!
Shaun, I totally agree with you. From doctrinal perspective, he was not trust worthy, he rarely ever answered any question with biblical truth, always zig-zagging with empty words of human wisdom. From character perspective, not trust-worthy either, fellowshipping with false teachers practically his whole ministry (he endorsed roman catholics his whole ministry, that was not a new thing). Sadly, besides alot of philosophy and reading men’s books, there was no trait in him that was fitting of a true minister of GOD. I think what gets people is his external appeal and appearance of “calmness” and “kindness” and charisma with words that sound genuine.
“Shun, as you would the plague, a cleric who from being poor has become wealthy, or who, from being nobody has become a celebrity.” – St. Jerome
It’s sad people are just starting to find out Ravi Zacharias was a fraud though I’m glad his foul deeds are coming out. He was a rich deceiver who believed in lordship salvation like Billy Graham. He liked to beat around the bush and not give straight answers about serious issues. He was also friends with corrupt religious groups and people. Don’t take my word for it, you can easily find that on the internet.
Could you please explain to an ignorant Englishman what ‘lordship salvation’ is, please. Thank you!
Lordship salvation is biblical salvation and is the opposite of “easy-believism.” A lot of people teach that you only have to acknowledge Christ as your savior and then you can just continue on your merry way blissfully sinning. That’s not biblical Christianity. Lordship salvation rightly teaches that Jesus is Lord and that while, yes, we don’t contribute to our salvation, our faith is justified by our works and that claiming Jesus as Lord means we will make it our aim to be obedient to Him until we die or He comes back (whichever comes first). Faith without good works is dead faith. Our works don’t save us, but they confirm that we are saved. No one who lives in sin can claim Jesus as Lord. Jesus is God, so He is Lord by default no matter if one acknowledges that fact or not.
https://carm.org/what-is-lordship-salvation-and-is-it-biblical
Lordship salvation is biblical and no matter what Anyone says about him, Billy Graham led many many souls to the Lord.
Herein lies the problem. Too many people give credit to the man. It is God who saves. If a minister refuses to proselytize, then he is not doing the whole will of God. Billy openly stated that if a Catholic walked the aisle he always sent them back to the Catholic Church. He had a pact with the Pope. He would not steal their sheep. This is sad. He did the same with Jews. He even stated that his heart softened as he aged. This is why he made the statement that even Muslims could get to heaven. The Pope says this all the time. So that association with the Catholics made less capable to do the will of God. Proclaim Jesus and you will see so much division. Jesus is the only way to the Father. He is exclusive.
Ed’s Is right above as I can recall seeing him dance around the question about whether or not Roman Catholicism is a Christian sect or denomination and he couldn’t answer it straight because he probably gets he probably got too many donations from Roman Catholics and didn’t care enough about their souls to tell them the truth, or maybe he didn’t know, which should tell us some thing, if true.
I can’t help but keep thinking of how so many of these guys who are either outright deceivers or else, at least, dupes deceived into the Woke Church movement like Al Mohler, Lig Duncan, Mark Dever and then guys who now appear to be wolves such Thabiti Anabywile and now Ravi Zacharias who would routinely speak at their conferences and others in the Christian community and apparently were never vetted thoroughly enough.
Heck, Rosaria Butterfield, as of earlier this year, was writing for “Tabletalk” magazine. Does anybody get vetted these days? So much in Christianity seems to be about the business of it instead of the worship and not just in the seeker sensitive-type churches. Now even Paul Tripp is caught up in it as a member of Eric Mason’s church in Philadelphia.
May I simply remind each one commenting here of Romans 14:12 – “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
And 1 Tim 5:20. And Eph 5:11. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,(A) but rather expose them.
I’m not defending Zacharias here, but I do find it highly questionable as to why this is all coming out AFTER he died. Again, not defending him or calling those who are accusing him liars, but it is just very curious to me as to the timing.
There were allegations from before he died – but he sued her, settled, muzzled her with an NDA, and then released a statement that wasn’t accurate but couldn’t be refuted because of the NDA. Unrelated, but he also conflated his credentials for years.
We have known about his sexual impropriety for three years now. He refused to discuss it. In fact, he paid a woman who he is sexually groomed for silence. So please do not think that if only he were alive he would be nobly stepping up and defending himself.
Do you know about his federal lawsuit filed July 31, 2017 in Atlanta? That’s how I grabbed a response to criticism. He sued her and then got a non-disclosure agreement.