Until December of last year, for many Christians, the name Ravi Zacharias was synonymous with 'apologetics', the defence of Christian beliefs and teachings. However, the image of Zacharias, who died in May last year, took a beating in December after a law firm found evidence of sexual misconduct by him.
The law firm had been commissioned by Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), an organisation founded by him in 1984, to probe the allegations against him. The law firm submitted its final report in February, which uncovered damning evidence of sexual abuse by Ravi Zacharias including misbehaviour with massage therapists, requests for nude pictures from women and even an allegation of rape.
RZIM, which has branches across the world, has been roiling under the impact of the sexual abuse allegations. RZIM had been engaged in various activities including training apologists, organising seminars and distribution of videos and books of Ravi and others.
Last weekend, RZIM announced it would be rebranding the organisation in the wake of the scandal. A letter by RZIM CEO Sarah Davis, the daughter of Ravi Zacharias, stated, "We are in the process of taking down Ravi’s content from our website and social media platforms, including publications, videos, and other forms of content, and we intend to change the name of the organization. Effective immediately, we are also discontinuing the use of 'The Zacharias Institute' brand."
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Ravi Zacharias was a prolific author, who wrote over 30 books on Christianity. At the time of his death in May, Harper Collins had 16 English books by Zacharias, which recorded total sales of over 2 million copies. However, Harper Collins pulled Ravi Zacharias's books after the sexual abuse investigation report was published in February.
RZIM has announced support for victims of Ravi's sexual abuse and also offered severance packages to those employees who had quit out of conscience during the law firm's probe. Davis's letter said RZIM had hired a management consulting company, Guidepost Solutions, to evaluate "structures, culture, policies, processes, finances, and practices, including the handling of any former abuse allegations" of the organisation.
International branches
Christianity Today reported on Monday that the 12 international branches of RZIM are evaluating their future plans. Christianity Today reported, "The UK ministry and the Latin American ministry have each announced their intentions to separate and establish independent apologetics organizations," while the Canadian branch is shutting down.
RZIM's top leadership had come under pressure from the international branches for its ineffective handling of the charges against Ravi. Christianity Today reported, "Top RZIM leaders in the US and Asia have known about allegations against Zacharias since at least 2008, when an Indian team member reported to the head of the Singapore board that Zacharias had been seen with a woman he wasn’t related to in a Singapore hotel."
