In a statement released late today (Dec. 23) the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) has confirmed many of the allegations against Ravi Zacharias reported by MinistryWatch and other news outlets.
The statement from RZIM summarizes an interim report released by Miller & Martin, a firm hired to investigate the allegations. It reads in part:
While the investigation remains ongoing and is not expected to be completed until January or February, yesterday we received a brief interim update on the investigation we felt we needed to share (attached). Sadly, the interim investigation update indicates this assessment of Ravi’s behavior to be true—that he did indeed engage in sexual misconduct.
This misconduct is deeply troubling and wholly inconsistent with the man Ravi Zacharias presented both publicly and privately to so many over more than four decades of public ministry. We are heartbroken at learning this but feel it necessary to be transparent and to inform our staff, donors, and supporters at this time, even while the investigation continues. We will speak more comprehensively to all concerned after the completion of the investigation.
The statement from the Executive Committee of RZIM’s board continues:
This preliminary statement is not intended to cut short the investigation or predict its full outcome. We want to ensure the investigators have appropriate time and space to complete their work and allow all those who may still desire to have a voice in this process to do so. We ask for continued patience as we complete a lengthy process of investigating serious allegations.
RZIM will publicly release the Miller & Martin report as given to the Board as soon as possible after the investigation is complete. In the meantime, we share your compassion for any victims of this conduct, and we appreciate your prayers for them and also for Ravi’s family who have been devastated by this information. As ever, the Lord remains our principal hope for healing and restoration.
Among the accusations against Zacharias were those that he engaged in sexual misconduct at a spa he co-owned. A key paragraph from Miller & Martin’s report follows:
While some of the massage therapists we have tried to interview are not willing to share
their experiences with us, many have spoken candidly and with great detail. Combining those
interviews with our review of documents and electronic data, we have found significant, credible evidence that Mr. Zacharias engaged in sexual misconduct over the course of many years. Some of that misconduct is consistent with and corroborative of that which is reported in the news recently, and some of the conduct we have uncovered is more serious. Our investigation is ongoing, and we continue to pursue leads.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.