The RZIM board has confirmed there is ‘significant, credible evidence that Ravi Zacharias engaged in sexual misconduct over the course of many years’ after an interim report into the abuse was released. This comes after repeated denials about his conduct issued by the board and Zacharias himself prior to his death.
Staff had already raised concerns about the dismissal of allegations and some had spoken up at meetings before this report was released. Zacharias had come under fire for calling himself a Dr and Professor at Oxford, when he only held honorary doctorates, and had never worked at Oxford University.
He had also paid $250,000 to a couple, the Thompsons, who had made allegations of grooming and abuse in 2016. He denied the abuse, and the payment to the couple. These incidents have not formed part of the investigation. On her blog, Lori Anne Thompson says she and her husband: ‘Applaud the individual employees of RZIM for their courage, whilst still calling RZIM Headquarters to full disclosure, complete transparency, and institutional courage, that as of yet, they have not demonstrated’.
