Multiple women claim the prominent evangelical leader Ravi Zacharias sexually harassed them, accusations that come several months after his death.
Zacharias, who was one of the most prominent speakers and authors on evangelicalism until his death from cancer in May, mistreated women over five years at a Georgia spa he co-owned, three women told Christianity Today. After building trust with the women, who were all employees, Zacharias touched them inappropriately, exposed himself, and masturbated in front of them, the women said.
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, the organization that continues the faith leader’s work, said it has opened an internal investigation in the claims.
Zacharias, who regularly visited the spa for physical therapy treatment, nearly always exposed himself and masturbated in her presence because that “was where he went to get what he wanted sexually,” according to one of the women. She said Zacharias masturbated in front of her more than 50 times, asked her for explicit photos, and asked her to have sex twice.
“I felt ashamed. I felt embarrassed,” one woman said. “You have this world-renowned evangelist who is being inappropriate, and I had no idea what to do. He wasn’t just the head of the company. He wasn’t just a CEO. He was a Christian leader.”
The women said Zacharias would often tell them that he needed to masturbate because of the stresses of ministry, which kept him on an almost-constant speaking tour.
“He would say he needed it so much and it was good therapy,” one woman said.
Zacharias in 2017 settled a lawsuit with another woman, Lori Thompson, who claimed that Zacharias had enticed her to send “unwanted, offensive, sexually explicit language and photographs.” Zacharias denied the claims.
“I have learned a difficult and painful lesson through this ordeal,” Zacharias said in a statement at the time. “I failed to exercise wise caution and to protect myself from even the appearance of impropriety, and for that I am profoundly sorry. I have acknowledged this to my Lord, my wife, my children, our ministry board, and my colleagues.”
