Christian, RZIM’s Plan Is Not Enough & Our Response Matters

In this article, I will not go into the details of what Ravi did and the aftermath. This information can be found through a Google search or via links below:

Ravi was a predator. He wasn’t a sex offender – someone who commits a sexual offence. He was a sexual predator – someone who habitually seeks sexual situations in an abusive manner. He carefully crafted and pursued a premeditated plan. He planned in advance where he would go, what he would do, and how he would do it. He traumatized an unknown number of women and had contact with hundreds (at least two hundred that we know of). Now before you go making self-deprecating statements of false humility** (i.e., “We forgot he was just a man…it could’ve been me”), stop and consider what you are actually saying. When you say, “it could’ve been me”, you normalize abuse. When you say, “it could’ve been me”, you focus on yourself and sympathize with the abuser instead of focusing outwards and seeing the victim. When you say, “it could’ve been me”, you claim that the Spirit alive in you allows you to practice horrendous habitual sins with no remorse and pursuit of accountability. 

 

When I first read the allegations in September, I can’t say I was surprised. I was angered; enraged to know that yet another man of spiritual influence abused his power to exploit women. After reading RZIM’s board statement in response to the investigation, I remain sceptical. I don’t commend RZIM for the steps they’ve taken (i.e., public release of the investigation report). In my opinion, transparency from their end is long overdue. I won’t praise them for doing what is, and has been, expected of them for years. I also don’t believe that their proposed restitution plan is good enough. In the official statement, the RZIM board (whoever that is) admits that they were wrong for not believing Thompson’s (one of Ravi’s victims) allegations in 2017 and regret not having conducted an investigation then.

 

It is with profound grief that we recognize that because we did not believe the Thompsons and both privately and publicly perpetuated a false narrative, they were slandered for years and their suffering was greatly prolonged and intensified.

 

Furthermore, they address the victims, extend their apologies and apologize for the response they made on Sep 15, 2020, which again failed to take a new round of allegations seriously. They acknowledge that because of their extolling of Ravi’s character, they have made it more difficult for victims to come forward and admit that they have no right to forgiveness. In terms of the restitution plan, RZIM says that they have asked Rachael Denhollander to act as a consultant for RZIM and “a confidential liaison with survivors to help guide the process of care, justice and restitution”. They also mention having hired Guidepost Solutions (consulting firm) for assessment/evaluation of:

 

  • Survivor Care: Guidepost will provide confidential avenues for survivors to disclose information
  • Cultural and Policy Assessment: assessment of RZIM’s culture and examination of any corrections that need to take place

The official statement ends with the following: “Jesus is fully committed to truth and to justice, and he unqualifiedly stands with victims.” I have many thoughts and questions, but for the purpose of this article, I will share these:

 

First off, in failing to disclose the individual members of the board, right off the bat, RZIM fails to be transparent. The individuals behind the apology, and responsible for carrying out this restitution plan, are hidden behind terms like “RZIM board” and “leadership”. Secondly, though it may be good to engage a confidential liaison for victims “to help guide the process of care, justice and restitution” – what do “care, justice and restitution” even mean?

 

Care: what kind of specific action steps is RZIM planning to take to provide care for victims? From the “Survivor Care” section of the statement, all I’m seeing is how they will provide opportunities for confidential victim testimonies. That is not sufficient trauma care. Honestly, it doesn’t even sound like care. This sounds like something RZIM will benefit from. To hear a victim’s story is a privilege, not a commodity or a convenience. How is the victim benefiting from RZIM’s collection of stories? Victims need professional help and safe spaces to work through trauma, tangible community support, reliable resources, legal assistance, and financial provision. Are these all part of the “care” RZIM speaks of? No finances can ever take back what Ravi did but at the very least, finances can help victims access the resources they need to journey towards healing. Is RZIM willing to provide? Justice: RZIM talks about justice but the fact that it still gets to call shots on how the “care” is given or withheld shows that it has the upper hand. Given how Thompson was dragged through the mud in 2017, it is likely that most victims will be terrified to pursue a lawsuit in order to avoid humiliation and further trauma. But say a victim comes forward and decides they want to sue, will they be discouraged from pursuing a legal lawsuit? Likely.

 

RZIM’s statement ends with, “Jesus is fully committed to truth and to justice, and he unqualifiedly stands with victims.” I agree and to this I ask: On your terms or His? Will you let go of your pursuit to keep face and truly come alongside victims to provide what they need? Thirdly, when it comes to RZIM’s cultural and policy assessments – honestly, it is too late for that. With its track record, RZIM does not need an assessment, it needs uprooting. The time for self-reflection is long gone.

 

Ravi died in May and the first round of allegations came about in September, which were immediately denied. Perhaps this is me being a sceptic, but I have a hard time believing that following his death, Ravi’s family had no access to his belongings (i.e., his phone(s) from which the 200 female contacts were retrieved). Even if the family didn’t have access to the phone(s) and its content, the investigation report and the resources at the top of this article show that there are countless of times when RZIM leadership (which we know includes Ravi’s wife and daughter) failed to question Ravi’s decisions and keep him accountable (i.e., extended trips abroad; misuse of ministry funds for massage spas and apartments; having personal massage therapists, false claims of being an Oxford professor, Thompson’s allegations in 2017, etc.). The list truly does go on. There have been so many red flags, and yet so little effort for correction. 

 

RZIM has proven to be structurally unhealthy. In an article written by Christianity Today, Max Baker-Hytch, an RZIM speaker, had called RZIM a “toxic loyalty culture” and Jeyachadran, former executive director of RZIM Asia-Pacific, pointed out that “The culture of RZIM is adulation and unquestioning loyalty. You praise Ravi all the time and never hold him accountable.” Based on Daniel Silliman’s article for Christianity Today, RZIM has a system in place that values “reputation over everything else”. When Christianity Today wrote an article in September, outlining Ravi’s misconduct, RZIM “flatly denied” the allegations. Just as it denied Thompson’s allegations in 2017. The Zacharias family continues to ignore Thompson’s request to release her from her NDA. Moreover, the leadership lied to its staff claiming Thompson’s lawsuit was “dismissed” when in reality, it was settled for $250,000. And then following the most recent allegations this past fall…well, this statement surfaced:

 

In a staff devotional meeting before Christmas, Margie Zacharias—Ravi’s widow and the chief culture officer at RZIM—assured everyone that the ministry’s donors are “letting us know loudly and clearly that they are still with us,” according to multiple people in attendance. She also used the opportunity to praise her husband for being a great example and “a man filled with the Spirit of God.” If the above statement said by Margie is true, RZIM has priorities, and the priorities are not accountability and restitution, but maintenance of an empire. When atrocious acts of abuse coupled with toxic loyalty culture from within the church are revealed, the world doesn’t need piety. It needs to see accountability. Accountability means you answer or give an account to someone. It is hard to imagine that with its leadership and structure, RZIM will ever hand over its power and submit to an authority other than itself.  RZIM, your time is up. The kingdom has got to fall.

 

On moving forward

Here are some reflections and responses I found particularly helpful:

Here are seven concrete steps that Christians can take:

  1. Together with Sam Allberry, draw attention to the fact that the RZIM “board” has failed to identify itself and demand for names of leaders to be released
  2. Urge the Zacharias family to release Lori Anne Thompson from her NDA
  3. Donors and supporters of RZIM, stop supporting the ministry and join in demanding for step 1 and 2 to be taken seriously. Also, press RZIM to use funds towards concrete care that the victims require (i.e., free access to counselling services for victims lasting at least one year; financial aid for those who, like Lori Anne Thompson, lost jobs due to trauma, etc.). 
  4. Do not bury your head in the sand. Get informed and create safe spaces for friends to engage in conversations about this issue. 
  5. Ask your church elders and ministry leaders how they are being kept accountable and how the accountability process involves you. We must also pursue accountability.
  6. As Kyle J. Howard points out, Christian, stop identifying with Ravi saying, “it could have been me.” I urge you to read Kyle’s article and watch Glen Scrivener’s video – both are wholesome. Stop making a king David/Ravi (i.e., “David fell, Ravi fell”) comparison. Read your Bible and reflect on the book of Psalms. David fell, repented, and turned away from sin. Ravi didn’t “fall”. He habitually sought out situations in which he abused women. He didn’t repent or turn away from sin. When accused, he denied; when questioned, he lied. He was a gifted speaker, not a godly preacher. Don’t compare him to David. If you want to draw comparisons, do as Glen did and compare him to Amnon. Christian, it couldn’t have been you. Unless of course you call yourself a Christian and like Ravi and Amnon, habitually compromise sin with no desire to seek help, repentance and accountability, then it could have been you. 

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to produce a new birth, sanctify and ultimately glorify. If someone is a Christian and yet a mere grace misstep away from falling into the extremely scandalous sin of sexual predation or abuse, what of their sanctification? Abusers don’t merely slip and fall into abuse; it is the bitter fruit of patterned compromises of sin. – Kyle Howard 

 

Before I move on, I feel like some will misinterpret this. So to make it very clear, am I saying that because you’re not the next Ravi, you don’t need to address your own sins? No. Kill sin. Pursue godliness. If you love Jesus, you want to kill that (sin) which keeps you from treasuring Him.

 

  • 7. Christian, these women could have been you. You could have been the victim of sexual predation and spiritual abuse. Stop and think about that. Think about Tamar. Think about Lori Anne Thompson. Consider the 200+ women (dare I say, likely many more than 200) who have fallen prey to a predator. Women who are hurting, triggered by the very mention of their perpetrator’s name and anything related to him (including words like “RZIM, apologist, Christianity”). Women who no longer believe that the world is a safe place. See them. Hear them. Believe them. Pray for them. Take their word for what it is. Then lift your drooping hands and strengthen your feeble knees and come alongside them, ready and willing to support them in whatever ways they need.

Two things:

  1. If you choose to engage with this article in a degrading manner, using dehumanizing language, I will not respond. What the man did was wicked and in doing what he did, he dehumanized people. I will not follow in his footsteps and I ask that you do the same.
  2. Before commenting, please read the report and articles attached as the resources will help inform your commentary.

**Someone pointed out that I made an uncharitable assumption when I said Christians saying “it could’ve been me” are making a self-deprecating statement of false humility. I agree that this was an unfair assumption and for that, I apologize.

Drawing from Jude’s epistle and seeing how Jude responded in a similar situation, I still do not think the “That could EASILY be me” statement in a situation like this is helpful or charitable. I wrote the article with a trauma-informed perspective, hoping we consider more of the victim’s experience and think about how they could feel unsafe when someone says they could easily be like their perpetrator (whether that’s RZ or Larry Nassar). Rachel Denhollander (interview starts at 45:00): “The most important thing that we can do, and that we need to examine, is what we message because victims are always watching. Victims and perpetrators are always watching…so what we communicate really is the most important thing that we can do. That of course requires knowledge.”

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