Guidepost found that leaders at RZIM had been aware of allegations of inappropriate behavior by Zacharias since at least 2008 — when the apologist was reportedly seen in Singapore holding hands with a young woman. In 2011, an RZIM board member traveled to Singapore at Zacharias’ request to discuss a visit the apologist had made to a massage studio.
“Zacharias told the board member that he had visited the massage studio because it was essential for his back issues and then separately added that he had never viewed pornography,” according to the report — a claim the board member said “seemed odd.”
For years Zacharias traveled with a female masseuse — which raised eyebrows among some staff. But anyone who questioned Zacharias was “sent to Siberia” — a term for being sidelined or marginalized by RZIM leaders.
A number of massage workers came forward after Zacharias’ death to accuse him of sexual misconduct at spas that he had co-owned in the United States. A 2021 report also found Zacharias spent extensive time overseas on writing trips, where he often got massages. Zacharias also allegedly groomed Lori Thompson, a Canadian supporter, asking her to send nude photos and then urging her to keep their correspondence secret.
Zacharias later sued Thompson and her husband — then paid Thompson a $250,000 settlement that required her to sign a nondisclosure agreement that is still in force.
Ruth Malhotra, former longtime RZIM spokesperson, said the Guidepost report, while important, was disappointing. She said RZIM failed to live up to its promises to be transparent and that Guidepost had not included the stories of survivors of abuse in the report, which was limited to the RZIM culture and leadership.
“The Guidepost report on RZIM reveals a staggering pattern of financial corruption and false communications from the Board and senior leadership that concealed and enabled Ravi Zacharias’ abuse,” she said. “Yet this report only exposes the tip of the iceberg in what was a toxic organizational culture that harmed many people within and beyond the ministry.”
She said there were “troubling omissions” from the report.
Overall, Guidepost found RZIM leaders failed to hold Zacharias accountable and believed his side of the story when allegations were raised — even if his explanations were suspect. The report also found that no RZIM leaders had firsthand knowledge of Zacharias’ misconduct.
“As set forth in detail in this report, we found that in assessing and responding to allegations against Zacharias made by Thompson and others, RZIM heavily and unjustifiably relied upon Zacharias’ representations, many of which were discernibly dubious at the time and are even more doubtful today, in light of revelations that have emerged since 2020,” the report states.
