Posted on 12/16/2020 6:27:28 AM PST by SeekAndFind
An apologist with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries is calling for repentance and "reparations" in response to how accusations of misconduct and other scandals were handled.
In a five-page letter addressed to RZIM leadership, Max Baker-Hytch, a senior tutor with the ministry's Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and a lecturer at Wycliffe Hall in England, wrote that he was troubled by how the organization responded to the misrepresentation of the deceased apologist's academic credentials and sexting allegations involving Lori Anne Thompson, a Canadian woman, both of which were first reported in 2017. The letter also mentioned more recent allegations that Zacharias had sexually harassed several massage therapists at day spas that he co-owned.
The letter was sent last week and an anonymous RZIM employee leaked the letter to independent investigative journalist Julie Roys, who noted Saturday that Baker-Hytch confirmed that the letter was indeed authentic though he declined to discuss the matter further on the record.
Baker-Hytch asked RZIM to make "meaningful reparations" to the alleged victims and radically change the culture of the ministry.
Regarding the credential misrepresentation, he said the ministry had exhibited "slowness and reluctance to set the public record straight, which finally happened only after a great amount of external pressure was brought to bear on the issue.”
Even when the ministry issued a public statement it did not take enough responsibility for the errors, Baker-Hytch said, adding that it was embarrassing to him, as an academic. The late apologist never earned a doctoral degree though he was conferred several honorary doctorates and some members of the RZIM staff possess doctorates.
Regarding Zacharias' interactions with Thompson, Baker-Hytch said the ministry withheld information and that "shifting narratives" about what happened pervaded the handling of the matter, noting that leadership asserted that Thompson and her husband were attempting to extort money from the ministry.
Additionally, he continued, a December 2017 update to staff from the RZIM president claimed that no money had been exchanged between Zacharias and the Thompsons when, in truth, Zacharias had paid the couple $250,000 as part of a settlement in a lawsuit against the Canadian couple a few months earlier.
In a statement to Roys on Saturday, Sarah Davis, the CEO of RZIM and the eldest daughter of the late apologist, said the accusations against Zacharias have "naturally resulted in some internal angst and questions.”
“In addition to finding the truth, that is why RZIM has commissioned Miller & Martin to conduct an independent investigation and is awaiting its conclusion,” she added, noting that the organization is committed to releasing the findings of the investigation upon its completion.
The investigation, however, is only limited to what happened at the day spas, and nothing to do with Thompson, Roys reported.
RZIM defended its handling of the Thompson matter in a statement emailed to The Christian Post in late September, asserting that while Zacharias should have immediately disclosed the fact that Thompson sent inappropriate photographs to him, "he denied any sexually or romantically inappropriate conduct. [And] stood by that statement until his death."
His denial is consistent with the character of the man we knew and worked alongside for years," the ministry added at the time.
Baker-Hytch also said in his letter that the immediate denial that the spa allegations were true was "hugely damaging" since two Christian publications followed up with stories verifying the identities of the victims. He explained that RZIM President Michael Ramsden and Senior Vice President Abdu Murray had remarked during an October Zoom call that they thought the victims were either not credible or nonexistent and appeared to liken what was happening to Zacharias to the false charges the Apostle Paul faced in Acts 17.
“If there is even the faintest hint of a self-preservation or damage control mentality in our response to all of this, not only will that be wholly futile but it will prolong the agony we are enduring. Drastic and deeply humbling steps will be required in order to demonstrate to the world that we are serious about rebuilding our institutional culture from the ground up,” Baker-Hytch concluded his letter, stressing the necessity of organizational repentance.
“The reality is that Ravi’s reputation is in tatters; but his legacy — this team — need not be. ... If we choose to act justly and do the right things, we could become known as the gold standard for how to recover from a tragic situation such as this and move forward in a way that beautifully demonstrates the faith we commend.”
Stop watching CNN.
By law, they should be.
Case in point. In one organization I volunteer for, we had an allegation come up. We immediately activated our response plan, started a time line and investigation, and contacted our third party investigation firm that there maybe an issue.
As part of the immediate investigation and interview with impacted parties, it was not as it was presented to be. We filed the investigation and quietly closed it. The accuser had a history of do such things, and the time line was such that they were not in a position to be contacted by the accused when they said they were.
You know why we act that way? 25 years ago there was an accusation by a person of “questionable” standing that was not handled at all. It was assumed they were making it up.
They weren’t. I wasn’t part of the organization at the time, but it almost destroyed it.
In a setting like RZIM you have to be at least as aggressive in investigating as we are, and to be honest that is why you have a board over such ministries. The devil is very good at tempting people at their weak points, and if Ravi was getting private massages by young women that is a near occasion to sin and explicitly something our organization would NOT allow (the Pence rule).
The Catholic church and Boy Scouts ignored “billions” of allegations, and look where it got them.
You lead the "every accusation" (by false witnesses) needs to be investigated promptly group. I'll say, well let's see who's accusing, and who is being accused.
And don't watch CNN.
Why is Ravi better than anyone else?
The reason those rules exist is because honestly the abuse is very common. There are many who look to entrap people in such positions, and many who abuse such positions.
Those rules are to protect the abused, the accused, and ultimately the organization. By saying “WELL, So and So would NEVER do that!” you are either incredibly naïve or fortunate to live a very sheltered life. Having served on boards and such for years, it is so common there is a boilerplate SOP for such things.
Case in point, there was a great pastor of a large church in Omaha that had several allegations of improper conduct float up. The church said “Well, Pastor so and so COULD NOT have done it, since he is so great! Look at all he has done!”
Well, he was caught in a park bathroom doing something rather indecent. Arrested, convicted, and plead guilty. About half the church refused to believe it, half left. A few years later, the allegations start AGAIN, and this time it was with an underage person.
The congregation felt that the pastor was wrongly accused, and stood by him right up to the point he plead guilty the second time. If they had done the investigation early enough, and been honest about it, they could have potentially saved several souls. But they chose to protect the organization in general and the pastor in particular.
All sin. But leaders and ministers are held to a much higher standard. If they are predators, or weak in certain areas, it is the organizations job to make sure they are either held accountable or not put in a position to sin.
No soul is worth a ministry.
And I haven’t watched CNN since the last time I flew out of O’Hare
I’ve not seen a “board of such group” that wasn’t full of pretentious idiots. Yes, and some people are better (more obedient) than others. It’s fact. Read the Bible and stop watching CNN (and again, for those that are intellectually challenged, that’s a metaphor, not literal).
I don’t watch cnn. Your insistence that I do is weird. I couldn’t even tell you what channel they are on.
Stop making idols of men.
The reason such boards exist is to keep oversight over people.
When you have to take action against a very popular person for actions they have done, the board is very important, and very uncomfortable.
Or you can just attacked the abused and keep watching cnn.
I don’t watch CNN.
I just know judgment comes first to the house of God and every horror we are dealing with right now in the crumbling and falling away of the republic is related to the falling away of the church. There is much to be repented of.
Second, I've not once met a board that wasn't way more corrupt and evil than the person they're accusing.
Look at what they purport as "evidence". Get a f'ing clue.
Ohhhkay. Hostility duly noted.
You will not do much convincing of anyone with the aggressive and insulting comments.
The irony is I'm the one defending a notable Christian apologist and you're the one attacking him. If he truly were immoral, that'd be different. That's the important point you see. Stop being a moron.
Yes, go ahead and free Barabbas. And no (so predictable), Ravi is not Jesus (of course).
I am happy to be convinced. Have the emails been shown to be faked? I prefer truth over error. And I have no animus towards Ravi.
All they have is "my sister deleted the emails but I remember it said this. Now where's my 5Million?
I have very wise, Christian advice brother to brother. Stop being a f'ing moron.
I posted a link to the emails.
Who’s a moron? Stop insulting people.
I want the actual emails. Not, "Ravi's email said this".
I want the actual text message from Ravi asking for suggestive photos. Not sending an unwanted photo to the number and claim she's a victim and deserves 5Million. Do you want any of my photos? I only charge $500.
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