“The Lord drills a man, skills a man, and thrills a man whom he chooses and appoints for the task for which he has been called…”, came the powerful opening remarks from Ravi Zacharias at a national convention, where I had an opportunity to introduce him as the main speaker. During his adult days, frustrated with life, Ravi made an attempt to commit suicide and was rushed to the Wellington hospital in Delhi. 

Here, he found a New Testament and came across a verse, “You shall live, because I live”, which convinced him to lead a life worthy for the Lord. What a testimony! This was the turning point that led him to become the most powerful Christian Orator on apologetics in the World before his death in May 2020 at the age of 74. And, what a setback on hearing that he was indulged in sexual exploitation! 

What surprised many was the bold step by the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) to engage a law firm ‘Miller & Martin’ against its own founder to conduct an independent investigation after a news was published in Christianity Today in September 2020.

According to their report, there has been significant evidence of sexual misconduct involving additional massage therapists. Ravi’s electronic devices found evidence of text and email-based relationships with women who were not his wife, as well as over 200 ‘selfie’-style photographs of young women that showed some women naked.

“We know this news will send all of us, and thousands of others, into grief, confusion, disillusionment, and anger,” wrote Sarah Davis, RZIM’s CEO and Zacharias’s daughter. “We know that you will have many questions, as we all do as well. We grieve profoundly with those who have suffered from Ravi’s sexual misconduct” and asked staff and supporters to pray for them.

Ravi was a well-recognized and reputed figure in evangelical Christian philosophy for the past four decades of work. He founded RZIM in Toronto in the early 1980s and eventually moved it to Atlanta. 

Many who looked up to Ravi as a mentor, model, and spiritual father have been trying to grapple with the new information, their feelings of betrayal, and questions about their own responsibility. When he died, USA Vice President Mike Pence, Christian football star Tim Tebow, Governor Brian Kemp, Ben Carson and Sonny Perdue were among the conservative figures to attend his funeral in Atlanta. He was praised for his faithful witness, his commitment to the truth, and his personal integrity. Now it is clear that, offstage, the man so long admired by Christians around the world abused numerous women and manipulated those around him to turn a blind eye.

Ravi used his need for massage and frequent overseas travel to hide his abusive behaviour, luring victims by building trust through spiritual conversations and offering funds straight from his ministry. RZIM confirmed abuse by Ravi at day spas he owned in Atlanta and uncovered five additional victims in the US, as well as evidence of sexual abuse in Thailand, India, and Malaysia.  One woman told the investigators that “after he arranged for the ministry to provide her with financial support, he required sex from her.” Ravi warned the woman, a fellow believer, if she ever spoke out against him, she would be responsible for millions of souls lost when his reputation was damaged.

Even before the report’s release, RZIM leadership had shifted to reduce the involvement of the Zacharias family. Margie Zacharias, Ravi’s widow, resigned from the board and the ministry in January, while her daughter Sarah Davis stepped down as board chair but remains CEO.

Four years earlier, Lori Anne Thompson, a Canadian woman alleged that Ravi manipulated her into sending him sexually explicit texts and photos. He had sued Thompson in 2017, claiming that her lawyer’s letter to the RZIM board alleging sexual abuse was actually an elaborate attempt at extortion. 

In Bangkok, he owned two apartments in the early 2010s, sharing a building with one of his massage therapists, the investigators found. The notes app on his phone included Thai and Mandarin translations of phrases like “I’d like to have a beautiful memory with you,” “little bit further,” and “your lips are especially beautiful.”

“I feel disappointed in myself and others who could have pushed harder against the tides of submissive loyalty to demand better answers earlier, as there is no part of the evangelical creed that honours cowardice or sacrifices conscience,” Dan Paterson, the former head of RZIM in Australia, wrote on Facebook. 

During our college days, Ravi was the icon for intellectuals and for any scientific reasoning on the existence of God or for an inter-faith dialogue. A series of open forum discussions on God driven scientific topics like ‘Origin of Species’, ‘God and Creation’, among other topics were organised in various colleges and educational institutes. The organisers, speakers and the audience now have a feel of complete betrayal for the souls they have won under the banner of RZIM.

In the Bible, Saint Paul pleads before the Lord to take away his weakness three times, but finds the answer to be, “My grace is sufficient for thee”. It is yet to be confirmed, whether the act was intentional, or a human error or a weakness Ravi carried in his body. Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that those in leadership positions are held to a higher standard (1 Timothy 3 deals with pastoral qualifications as well as those of deacons). In the recent past, several such celebrity orators, bishops and clergy have been put to shame and has defamed the ministry for which they were drilled, skilled and thrilled. Many have lost the first love in which they were called and separated.