By now we all know about the credible allegations against the late Ravi Zacharias. These are not small issues, from soliciting and storing inappropriate photos of women, to assaulting employees of massage centers, to the very real possibility of sex trafficking across continents. At this point, nothing will surprise me, but what does shock me is this strange argument I’ve heard from some: “Well, he’s no different than King David.”
In some ways this is true. In other ways, not at all.
How the two were similar:
They isolated themselves. King David, the King who typically waged war, decided one spring to stay back. In doing so, he removed himself from his group of mighty men. These men had been with him through everything, and they had credibility with him. As I researched this story, I was struck by the fact that during the entire time of his exploitation of Bathsheba, no one disobeyed the king’s orders. He alone could do as he pleased because there was no one left behind in the palace who would stand up to him.
David asked who this woman was. He summoned her. He took her. All these actions were witnessed, but not confronted by his servants and subordinates.
What I found fascinating: the only one who boldly defied the king’s wishes through this entire narrative was Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, one of his mighty men. He did this not once, but twice. When David stayed back in Jerusalem, he isolated himself from the only people who would call him on his sin, the only ones who felt comfortable doing so. David did not (in the moment) punish Uriah for his defiance. And because of Uriah’s honorable actions, David made the choice to eliminate him. (See 2 Samuel 11 for the whole story).
Ravi, too, kept accountability at bay by justifying his behavior to those who should have held him accountable, but in their powerlessness looked away or dismissed his behavior. His “power” meant that those who were subjected to him would not bring up such touchy subjects like his so-called constant need for massages. Like the servants who uncovered Bathsheba’s identity, then forced her to the palace, Ravi’s people chose not to confront–because they had no power to do so. (I would argue that this does not release them from accountability.)
They both preyed upon the vulnerable. Bathsheba would have no recourse. She could not scream or fight back against the king of the land. His will would prevail. She had no allies in the palace structure. He was royalty, she, his royal subject.
Ravi, similarly, preyed on those in his employ as well as others who displayed vulnerability and, in one case, experienced past sexual abuse. The massage therapists could not say no. And Lori Anne Thompson experienced extreme confusion over the requests Ravi made of her. Wasn’t he supposed to be a man of God? While King David was guilty of power manipulation, Ravi was guilty of emotional manipulation and spiritual coercion.
[One of Ravi’s massage therapists] said Zacharias “made her pray with him to thank God for the ‘opportunity’ they both received” and, as with other victims, “called her his ‘reward’ for living a life of service to God,” the report says. Zacharias 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. (Source).
The situations between David and Ravi are also similar in that they both had the power to commit these crimes without initial pushback or consequence, and the victims of both had very little power to bring the crimes to light. In the case of Ravi, his reputation ultimately mattered more than the devastation of his victims. So many people cared about his reputation, but so few cared about the carnage of his actions.
How the two differed:
King David, when confronted by Nathan the Prophet in 2 Samuel 12, heard the words, “You are the man.” He did not deflect, did not blame his victim, did not reason away, did not gaslight Bathsheba, did not justify himself, nor did he say “if this gets out, my kingdom will fall, so be quiet.” No. He repented. King David displayed a holy fear, not only for how his sin affected him, his family, his legacy, and the subsequent fallout, but he mostly feared God. “I have sinned against the Lord,” (vs 13) David told Nathan. He grieved over his sin, then accepted the terrible consequences of it–even publicly.
However, Ravi had ample opportunity to repent prior to his passing. Faced with his imminent death from cancer, he knew he would soon be facing the God he skillfully argued for, but as far as we know, he did not acknowledge the things that had already been brought to light via online Nathans. Nefarious practices had been leaked and highlighted. Brave people tried to tell their stories, but Ravi’s organization either hushed them through legal means or dismissed the allegations as unwarranted or a smear campaign. Their double-downing empowered Ravi to live in the illusion he created. He was God’s anointed; therefore, he was above reproach. There were to be no Nathans. After all, if Ravi’s predatory behavior and crimes came to light, wouldn’t the cause of Christ be damaged? Best keep quiet and let the ministry funds keep flowing.
But King David never did this. He walked the more difficult road of truth, repentance, and consequence. The latter years of his legacy shrunk in comparison to his first years. Still, he so feared God that he was willing to let the fallout happen.
David owned his grievous sin. Ravi did not.
When David sinned, Nathan said, he “showed utter contempt for the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:14).
I would argue, when Ravi chose to continue creating elaborate structures in place that concealed his predatory behavior, when he secured secret phones, when he chose never to acknowledge the utter horror he enacted against women–he, too, showed utter contempt for the Lord he purported to love. As he neared death, this contempt continued.
I would argue, this is Ravi’s tainted legacy--not that he defended God against atheistic arguments, but that he gave those who are far from God a perfect argument to run as far away from Him as possible. This should grieve us all.
Ravi Zacharias was a clever wolf, one with strong, convincing logic but a weak moral constitution. He was a false prophet, defying the quiet cries of many Nathans. Jesus warned against people like him. “Watch out false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). False prophets appear to be one of the flock, but their actions (in devouring the most vulnerable in their flock) reveal their actual character. That Ravi preyed upon the vulnerable makes him a wolf who used rhetoric, power, and evangelical fame to satisfy his base desires.
…
My response to this egregious situation is grief. I am tired, so tired of this same narrative being played out in ministries and churches that are supposed to represent Jesus Christ. Instead, their downfall represents the kingdom of darkness, where deceit, humiliation, predation, and reputation management trump truth, compassion, humility, and repentance.
We must do better. Dear God, we must.
I agree 100%
I appreciate you, Patty.
Thank you for addressing one of our tragic safeguards against acknowledging the full weight of sin, false comparisons and concocted diluting solutions. I breathed deeply after reading your article. It was good to take in air that was free from excuses. Thank you, thank you and thank you! Above all, God bless you!!
Because of the “Christianity” of today, I am hated for it. I am put in the same category as Ravi and many others who are not the true Jesus followers
I’m not sure I know what you mean, exactly, Deborah. Praying for you.
Thank you for allowing Jehovah God to shed His light on the darkness thru you. I know how hard this is to be used by Him in this way, but He gives the strength to stand, boldly proclaiming His truth! Breaks my heart again and again!
Thank you for your courage in speaking to this horrible issue. I still can’t get my head around the fact that a person could speak so eloquently regarding the existence of God and be living such a sordid life. Yet. as you said, Jesus warned us about these wolves in sheep’s clothing. But it is so discouraging. No one can be trusted. Only Jesus.
Thanks, Susan. It is a conundrum!
Are we not trusting the author right now to speak truth? Is this not a good thing? I think we must guard against feelings that no-one is to be trusted. We trusted Ravi because he worked hard to achieve widespread trust to cover his crimes. He is not typical of men or Christians leaders, he is typical of predators. Let us question those who subtly demand our trust, but let’s never stop trusting. Afterall, Jesus entrusts us with His salvation.
It’s not easy, but I’m humbled to be able to speak out.
Articulate and powerful! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Roland.
I am a childhood sexual abuse, rape, and domestic violence survivor. I am on the downhill side of my healing journey. Also, I am a counselor with special emphasis in trauma, addiction (especially sexual), and Christian counseling. My undeclared minor was apologetics. First of all, the Ravi situation rocked my world in that I thought I had a sensitivity to sex predators. So either I don’t have that sensitivity or Ravi was that good at being bad without being caught. Either way I can’t trust myself to detect danger anymore. Secondly, I am doubting my ability to help anyone else because I need to teach the vulnerable how to find safe people. Thirdly, I grieve for his wife, family, ministry, and his victims. The pain is astronomical. Fourthly, Ravi’s brilliant work in apologetics has been so tainted that I’m having to re-write, re-learn, and re-think the principles I teach. Lastly, this stirs up questions that the church struggles to answer and the lost don’t know who to believe.
Judy, thank you for wrestling through this. Thank you for your work with trauma victims. There are wolves with some extremely convincing sheep’s clothing. He duped his own family. It’s no wonder others didn’t see it.
Ravi built the largest part of his life, used all his material and human resources, including his own family to disguise his wickedness. Not many predators have such power and resources at their disposal. Your discernment and sensitivity show through your words. I would not reproach yourself for not having recognised this or for feeling confused. We are all learning to be wiser through this, and you’re ahead of me already! Stay strong.
Mary,
I too am grieved by the continued revelation of sexual sin by some church leaders and the system of denial that usually accompanies it, e.g., the cover up, alliance with and defense of the predator, and the vilification of the abused. As a “Me Too” alumni and one who loves Jesus, these revelations challenge my views of the church so I can imagine how the unbeliever might view the church and all of us who profess Jesus as our savior. Thank you for being a voice for survivors and for boldly calling out the sin. I appreciate the validation I glean from your words.
Lesa, you are so welcome. It’s stunning to me how each situation seems to unfold in nearly the exact same manner. Denial. Gaslighting of victims. Investigation. Eating crow. Diminished ministry or wreckage. We have to do better.
Mary,
You are a gifted writer & have written a clear articulation of the devastation this man incurred on the cause of Christ. I’ve been grieved by so many who continue to minimize the egregious damage of his abuse over long years. How could someone within RZIM not have been suspicious & courageous enough to stand for righteousness & confront this man? He was, for sure, a wolf among the flock of God: the flock that is precious to the Shepherd.
Why when it became known he had falsified credentials in his bio did the ministry not respond? And Lori Anne spoke out & was vilified & silenced for it. He dishonored his own NDA & retaliated brutally to what was true testimony. He died in 2020. He had 3 years to repent of that sin & come clean. None of us can sit as Judge over him. There is only One Who sits in that seat & knew his soul’s true condition. The fruit borne out in privacy however makes his public ministry a mockery. RZIM should shut their doors & leave apologetics to the truly called & equipped. A brilliant mind is not enough.
As one who followed him & lauded him for long years, I am sickened. Narcissism is abroad in churches & ministry leaders. Add Ravi to that list.
Thank you for all the work you do on behalf of those traumatized by sexual abuse. May God grant you sufficient grace to continue & prosper in that courageous work.
I agree about the falsified credentials. That was a HUGE red flag to me.
I would encourage readers of this article to check out the report published by independent investigators of the Ravi Z situation:
You should also read the response by RZIM and the follow-up steps they are taking:
What is said in DeMuth’s wetoo.org article about staff members not confronting Ravi appears to not be quite true. There were in fact staff members who did confront, but they were silenced.
The links I included were deleted when I posted my comment. I would therefore say that you should see the investigators’ report at RZIM (dot) org (slash) read (slash) rzim-updates (slash) board-statement, and then follow the link at the end of that page to the investigators’ report.
Thanks for sharing that. Not sure why links don’t come through on the site. Sorry about that.
I agree, Ed. I was referring to the longstanding years of time before the latest allegations.
A woman at the spa that Ravi co-owned told her boss that he kept asking for more than a massage. The boss went to Ravi to confront him dragging Ravi’s business partner in tow. Ravi never admitted to wrongdoing. He argued he needed massage therapy for his back and resented some therapist making problems for him. She was wrongly fired for doing nothing more than complaining about being harassed at work by this man. She got fired for saying NO.
Ravi had two flats in Bangkok that he would spend long times at alone or traveling with his private massage therapist. His ministry knew this. His family knew this. He got reimbursed for rent and expenses while in Bangkok. His cell phone confirmed he was getting massages from Thai ladies. Who knows if they were underage or not? Ravi brought in Asian women to work at his spa he co-owned. If he abused them that would be sex trafficking. All these are serious charges if true.
The problem with RZIM and many other Christian ministries/churches is that they are run like corporations that protect their brand and family empire. ECFA endorsed RZIM but RZIM broke every ECFA rule for governance. The board was stacked with family members and they all were well paid. Rules for thee but not for me. Right now RZIM have hired PR firms, Crisis management lawyers, Management teams that guide corporations through tough situations, and a lawyer who has been an abuse victim herself and helps corporations to understand the lingo and laws. Is this according to the Bible? Has the PR firm and Crisis management lawyers replaced the Holy Spirit? As long as we keep focusing in on RZ and not the whole picture (organizational structures) we will not learn lessons to stop this. I am also tired of this. I am not feeling safe in our Christian spaces right now. I would also hesitate to bring my female family members or friends to Christian spaces.
Dear Mary
Thank you for this exposition. It is such a difficult but accurate read and description. I am an RZIM employee. We did ask questions in 2017. We have been asking questions, But we were told a narrative or were silenced, some sidelined and gas lit and branded as troublesome. We stayed so that we could push internally for this investigation to be independent. There are many in the organization who had power who used it to ask for more rigor and honesty. We were the ones who demanded a believable investigating law firm, because without an external impartial investigator we would remain powerless, and have yet another investigation with placid inconclusive results. I don’t think we need to be congratulated for doing the right thing in our power to do, but I think you raise important questions about whether we could have done more and risked more. I’ve been devastated to read those who supported Ravi compare him to King David, as a way of theologizing his predatory behavior. You’ve given words to what I couldn’t describe. Ravi is not like King David. He died leaving the secret life he lived to be a poisonous package for us to unravel. Mary thank you for your work. This has wounded so many and has left many so damaged and retraumatized. I don’t want to walk away from this moment without owning my complicity and this article has helped me understand it further. Wherever God will lead us, we cannot leave these words and this work without being fully done. Thank you. It’s a hard pill, but how will we walk in restitution towards the victim without seeing the pain this has caused them? I thank you again.
Yes, that’s what I read over the past several days–credible questions that were silenced. I’m so sorry you had to walk through this. It shows just how much collateral damage happens when a leader hides his crimes and egregious sin. You were lied to. You were marginalized. You were dismissed. I’m so sorry.
I was waiting for your reflection on the case of Ravi, thank you Mary
My pleasure, Astrid.
I totally agree with you. This happens far too often. I wish it were not so but the moral backbone of this country has been decaying for a long time. God will judge us as a nation for this kind of spiritual and moral cancer.
Roger, I agree. How can he not? I’m reading through Jeremiah right now, and let me tell you: God’s judgment is real.
Yes… “Dear God, we must!
Thanks for reading the post, Susan.
I would put Ravi in the same category of Harvey Weinstein—only lower. (i.e., millstones and Matt. 18) That he committed such horrendous sin over many years all the while pretending to be a man of God is reprehensible. Further, your comment about his actions giving those who are far from God (or struggling with doubt) reasons to run away is painfully true. Our youngest son heard Ravi speak while he was at Camp in the Woods as a teenager. In his mind, this is just one more reason why Christianity has lost its credibility.
Oh that is so hard, Dorothy. And yes, sin is sin, but there are degrees of depravity.
God says sin is sin and not that there are degrees of depravity. The truly sad thing is that Ravi didn’t repent.
Let him who has no sin cast the first stone.
Not to make little of the hurt that was inflicted on so many, but many comments (and your article) reflect too much self-righteousness. There but for the grace of God ….
The damage to the soul & spirit, is profound . We can do much better.
Thank you for drawing our attention to a really big aspect (subordinate to the actual abuse but theologically significant). He did not repent. For anyone who falls or struggles with sin, God calls us, deeply wants that we repent… If he had done that, this would be more of a David story — he did not, so the outcome is more like Amnon… I agree the credential issue was a bigger thing than was made — it caused me to stop attributing things to him…. I was also a little uncomfortable with him putting his name on things too — RZIM… What do you think about this kind of thing – Am I too sensitive?
So appreciative of you folks that help us with our thoughts here. I agree that Mary de Muth’s article above: …5 things…. is also excellent
Thank you providing such a reasoned and Biblical address to these revelations of wrong by Zacharias. Great damage has been done to the Kingdom of God and it serves as a warning to those of who are clergy. Our sins will find us out even if when we die no one “knows” about that sin.
Thank you, Mary. Your voice is so important. I praise God that you speak up on these hard issues with clarity and integrity.
Mary,
Thank you for the comparison. In reading this, it grieves my spirit and the deep places in my heart.
He was given the amazing gift of apologetics leading thousands to Christ. All the while , hiding a darkness of evil that ground him to dust. God gave him time with his cancer to put his affairs in order. To make a public confession…
Sadly, he did not. My hope in his finale moments he truly made repentance to God. Imagine if he stands before God the crush! Remorseful weeping and nashing of teeth. Knowing what was forfeited.
Because David owned up to sin, though his son conceived in adultery with Bathsheba died even though David fasted, prayed and cried to the Lord to heal the boy, David’s son Solomon through Bathsheba ascended to the throne and was allowed to build the Temple of God (something which David dreamt about building). Of course, we could argue that Bathsheba manipulated this (well, humans are humans). Still, God allowed it.
This is a very thoughtful post.