Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) has announced the opening of an investigation into allegations that its late founder, who died May 19, sexually harassed multiple massage therapists who worked at two day spas he co-owned.
Three women who worked at the business shared details with Christianity Today of Zacharias’ inappropriate touching and other sexual activities over a period of about five years, according to Religion News Service.
The following official statement regarding the current investigation appears on the RZIM website:
We, the family and ministry teammates of the late Ravi Zacharias, can say the allegations now being made against Ravi do not in any way comport with the man we knew for decades—we believe them to be false. These allegations pertain to businesses that were closed nearly a decade ago. These allegations were never made during Ravi’s lifetime, but were first presented to a third party more than three months after his death.
We have commenced an independent external investigation to look into this matter to the fullest extent we are able. We do not intend to comment further about this matter until the investigation’s findings are presented to the executive committee of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. We at RZIM remain committed to truth; it is the foundation of what we do and that has not changed.
In 2017, allegations of sexting with a woman who was not his wife led to a settlement via mediation and a statement from Zacharias, also originally posted on the RZIM website, that he had not solicited the images sent to him. That statement included these words: “In my 45 years of marriage to Margie, I have never engaged in 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.”
Zacharias was renowned as a theological teacher and apologist for the Christian faith. His death came after a battle with a rare form of sarcoma cancer. {eoa}
Please join the Charisma News staff in praying for Zacharias’ family, the staff of RZIM Ministries and anyone affected by this difficult situation. {eoa}
