IN the NEWS - What to do with Ravi Zacharias' Contributions to Christian Apologetics?

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17

 

Now that the Report is out----what does one do with the contributions of Mr. Zacharias to christian Apologetics---which has been mostly spot on in defending Christianity from Atheism?

Q: Do we disregard his contributions and rebuttals to Atheism?

---Now Atheists are having a Field Day with these revelations. 

One of the most powerful voices in Christian Apologetics--Silenced by not only death--but by self.

LESSON: Don't put your faith in fallible men...put them in God & His Word.

 

"Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) has released the

much-anticipated report investigating allegations of sexual deviancy against the late Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias, and the results are devastating.

In the 12-page report, investigative firm Miller & Martin PLLC, after months of scouring his computers, cellphones, and bank statements, detail decades of sexual predation and coverup from both the man and his namesake organization the likes of which Christendom has rarely seen, with particular emphasis on the malfeasance he engaged in with massage therapists he hired at the two spas he owned, as well as traveled with him overseas. 

 

----Ravi consistently lied---Before his death, Zacharias had

claimed, “In my 45 years of marriage to Margie, I have never engaged in any inappropriate behavior of any kind.” He had also claimed he had long made it his practice “not to be alone with a woman other than Margie and our daughters.”

----Zacharias had been caught exaggerating his academic credentials. 

----Zacharias shunned the use of company technology and rejected the use of company email.

----When Ravi died in 2020, after a short battle with an aggressive cancer, there was a worldwide explosion of gratitude for his life and ministry.... the Twitter hashtag #ThankYouRavi ultimately reached 2.3 billion impressions.

 

 As far as highlights from the report, it’s not pretty,...

 With the news that Ravi was still soliciting pictures at least three months before his death at the age of 74.....With the release of the investigative report confirming once and for all that Zacharias engaged in a pattern of texting and sexting with hundreds of women, along with molesting massage therapists, and even one allegation of rape....

 “We also reviewed Mr. Zacharias’s electronic devices and found

evidence of text- and email-based relationships with women who were not his wife, as well as over 200 ‘selfie’-style photographs of women.”

 “Several massage therapists confirmed Mr. Zacharias’s frequent efforts to ‘try for more than a massage,’ as one therapist put it. Eight therapists reported that Mr. Zacharias would start the massage either completely nude or would remove the sheets during the massage. Six therapists reported that he always or almost always had an erection during the massage. And five therapists reported that he touched or rubbed them inappropriately.”

 “Only one of the witnesses we interviewed said that Mr. Zacharias engaged in sexual intercourse. This witness reported details of many encounters over a period of years that she described as rape. To protect her identity, this report does not disclose many of the details she shared with us. She reported that after he arranged for the ministry to provide her with financial support, he required sex from her. According to this witness, Mr. Zacharias used religious expressions to gain compliance, as she was raised to be a person of faith. She reported that he made her pray with him to thank God for the ‘opportunity’ they both received. She said he called her his ‘reward’ for living a life of service to God, and he referenced the ‘godly men’ in the Bible with more than one wife. She said he warned her not ever to speak out against him or she would be responsible for the ‘millions of souls’ whose salvation would be lost if his reputation was damaged.”

“Mr. Zacharias met and exchanged emails with a massage therapist

who lived in Bangkok. They used pet names such as ‘sweetheart,’ ‘baby,’ ‘babe,’ ‘darling,’ ‘angel,’ ‘my precious little girl,’ and ‘honey;’ they exchanged selfies (the latest photograph of her is from 2019); and they discussed how much they loved and missed each other. During a May 2014 coup d’etat in Thailand, Mr. Zacharias expressed his worry that travel to Bangkok could be stopped. He told her: ‘I know more than ever that you have become the love of my life. I’m waiting to hold you close to my heart again. Please be safe my angel. I Love you and goodnight from here.’ He told her to keep him ‘as the only one in your heart. I love you my dearest xxxxxx.'”....This woman received significant financial support from TOH [Editor’s note: RZIM slush fund]...However, the photographs grew increasingly more suggestive, culminating in two photographs showing her bare breasts dated October 27, 2018, and a video of her fully naked and touching herself dated January 8, 2019. Two other women told us that Mr. Zacharias asked for nude photographs.

 “Mr. Zacharias told certain members of his staff that the phone records and full, complete emails would exonerate him, but he did not give them access to these documents. Two high-level staff approached him directly asking for the phone records, since he claimed they would prove exculpatory. Both of these staff members told us Mr. Zacharias responded to this request with rage and threatened to resign from the organization.”

 “Some therapists also reported that Mr. Zacharias paid very well or would leave large tips and gave gifts that were at times lavish.”

 

... the RZIM board said in a statement this week.

"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."

 

The Miller & Martin report describes the case of Lori Anne Thompson, a Canadian woman who accused Zacharias of engaging in "sexually explicit online conversations" and exploiting "her vulnerability to satisfy [his] own sexual desires."

In April 2017, Thompson and her husband wrote Zacharias to demand "$5 million in exchange for a release of claims against him and the ministry." Three months later, Zacharias sued the couple in federal court for extortion.  

Zacharias stuck to that narrative so ferociously that he sued Thompson and her husband, Bradley, claiming they violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act when she made her monetary demand. Zacharias claimed: “Defendants labored relentlessly to foster a relationship with Plaintiff in hopes of manipulating him into a compromising position.”

The couple and Zacharias settled the dispute confidentially in the fall of 2017, the report said. 

*Zacharias and the Thompsons signed a nondisclosure agreement. The Thompsons have asked to be released from it, but Zacharias’s widow, Margie, declined to give the investigators access to the case.

Zacharias convinced the RZIM board that he was a victim of extortion and the matter was not investigated, according to the report. Witnesses within RZIM told investigators they were "marginalized for raising questions" about his explanations.

The RZIM statement this week said the investigative findings "caused us to think very differently" about Thompson's 2017 allegations.

"We believe Lori Anne Thompson has told the truth about the nature of her relationship with Ravi Zacharias," the board said. "It is with

profound grief that we recognize that because we did not believe the Thompsons and both privately and publicly perpetuated a false narrative, they were slandered for years and their suffering was greatly prolonged and intensified. This leaves us heartbroken and ashamed."

In an email Thompson said she and her husband "are deeply indebted to every victim and whistleblower who spoke for not only themselves, but also for us."

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