CHRISTIAN NEWS JOURNAL–
Internationally-known evangelist and apologist Ravi Zacharias sexually abused women under the guise of massages for a chronic back injury at least as far back as February 2014, according to a report commissioned by Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
Although not a Southern Baptist, Zacharias was a popular speaker at apologetics events and a friend to many SBC leaders. In 2018 he addressed messengers at the annual meeting in Dallas with the message “Convictions that conquered the world.”
Zacharias died May 19, 2020, from cancer. He was 74.
Four cell phones utilized by Zacharias, whose ministry lasted approximately 50 years, provided the bulk of evidence that he had multiple relationships with women who were not his wife. That evidence includes well over 200 “selfie”-style photographs of women, many of them explicit, as well as conversations over email the report termed as “amorous.” As the “silent partner” of two Atlanta-area massage parlors, Zacharias made unwanted advances and pressured therapists toward inappropriate touching.
In a statement, the RZIM board called the report’s findings “horrendous.”
“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,” it read. “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.”
In its statement the board said it has enlisted victims advocate Rachael Denhollander as a consultant and “confidential liaison” to educate board and senior leadership as well as work with survivors.
RZIM hired the law firm Miller & Martin PLLC to conduct an independent investigation following a Sept. 29, 2020, report by Christianity Today on accusations of sexual abuse against Zacharias from three women who were employees of the Atlanta-area massage parlors. That came three years after Zacharias denied accusations of an illicit online sexual relationship with a woman in Canada. That woman, later identified as Lori Ann Thompson, confidentially settled the dispute in the fall of 2017 with a nondisclosure agreement. Continue reading…
