A former staffer from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) reveals the "toxic" culture inside the ministry group following reports revealing disturbing details regarding the late Ravi Zacharias' sexual misconduct.
The Christian Post reported that a former staffer who worked closely with the late apologist as a public relations officer has now blown the whistle on the "toxic" culture that existed within RZIM.
Ruth Malhotra, ministry spokesperson and PR manager of RZIM wrote a 26-page letter to the organization board detailing the many ways how she was put into compromising positions.
Following all the allegations surrounding the founder of RZIM, Malhotra revealed that she was left to field questions on the integrity of the ministry she was then serving.
Having no good answers, she tried pressing her colleagues for information but instead encountered resistance. In the letter, she wrote feeling "systematically marginalized, maligned, and misrepresented to others by key members of senior leadership."
Recalling one of the intense events that happened during her career, Malhotra shares how a three-day "conciliation" meeting in May 2018 turned out to be a tense session of senior leaders venting out at her with one even calling her to be "one step away from complete and total insanity."
Malhotra found out later that a false narrative had been circulating in RZIM that she "could not be trusted."
"I came to find out later that the false narrative about me - the idea that I could not be trusted and my motives were cause for concern - had been circulating amongst our wider staff; it was propagated by senior leadership, including during Founders' Weekend 2018. [RZIM President] Michael Ramsden told several attendees at Founders' that he and the senior leadership were 'concerned' and 'unsure' about my intentions, partly because 'Ruth keeps records of everything,' and he warned them to 'be careful' around me," Malhotra shared.
The former RZIM PR manager continued that she believes that how the senior leadership treated her in 2017 and 2018 were proof and "revealing of the toxic environment at RZIM that has existed for far too long." In her letter to the board, she revealed how she was subjected to trauma, public shaming and even spiritual abuse.
Malhotra believes that she is not alone in her suffering at RZIM.
"I have reasons to believe that I am not the only RZIM staff member who has suffered due to the approach and actions of senior leadership, and I pray that when possible my colleagues' voices will be heard and acknowledged as well," Malhotra said.
In an earlier report, The Christian Headlines reported that RZIM issued an apology after an investigation by independent law firm Miller & Martin LLC confirms several allegations of Ravi Zacharias' sexual misconduct from massage therapists in spas the late apologist once co-owned.
In the report by the Atlanta law firm, Zacharias was found guilty of serious sexual misconduct like "sexting, unwanted touching, spiritual abuse, and rape."
Christianity Daily reported that Zacharias' former business partner admitted that the late apologist exhibited a pattern of "inappropriate behavior" especially with their female massage therapists. The allegations against Zacharias were first made public in September 2020.
However, Anurag Sharma, Zacharias' former business partner recalled that as far back as 2007, a "pattern" would unfold among their therapists when Zacharias was in and even told an incident where the minister "exposed" himself to one of their therapists.
Before the investigation on his alleged sexual misconduct in September, Zacharias was also exposed in 2017 for inflating his academic records.
Following the proof of the late apologist's guilt, RZIM issued an apology and statement of repentance.
"We are shocked and grieved by Ravi's actions. As Ravi Zacharias was the founder of our ministry and the leader of our staff, community, and team, we also feel a deep need for corporate repentance." RZIM said in a statement.
