Sarah Davis has stepped down from the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) to establish a similar organization.
According to The Roys Report, Davis, daughter of the late evangelist Ravi Zacharias, was criticized for launching Encounter Inc. following questions on her leadership style in RZIM.
Ruth Malhotra, who used to work for RZIM, said that Davis promoted a toxic culture in the ministry.
"I'm disappointed to read that Sarah Zacharias Davis is launching a 'new' ministry... Davis was at the helm leading @RZIMhq for many years while one of the worst cases of sexual abuse+spiritual abuse in ministry took place..." Malhotra tweeted.
"Sarah Davis fostered a toxic org. culture at RZIM, routinely refusing to confront wrongdoing, repeatedly rewarding blind loyalty, often exercising poor judgment in key decisions, and blaming and shaming those who raised concerns or challenged Ravi Zacharias's shifting narratives," she also wrote.
Last August, Malhotra told the Religion News Service that she helped promoting Zacharias' narrative that he did nothing wrong after settling a lawsuit with Lori Anne Thompson, one of the minister's victims.
She revealed that in 2017, the evangelist called her about Thompson's accusation and requested her assistance to convey the message that he was the victim, claiming his innocence. However, Malhotra was surprised with the discovery later on that Thompson was actually paid $250,000 and made to sign a nondisclosure agreement, confirming her suspicion that Zacharias was lying.
Upon learning that the allegations against the minister were true, she tried to help make things right for the survivors but was fired by the ministry for her efforts instead.
She also disclosed that when he visited the ailing Zacharias at home and was already planning his funeral, he told her a puzzling statement, saying that she would "regret meeting [him] someday".
Malhotra believes that that the late evangelist has many other victims.
Carson Weitnauer, RZIM's former director, also denounced Davis' move, saying that she does not qualify for the position.
"The new name and the new legal structure do not change that this organization is effectively RZIM," he stated on Twitter
"I'm also disappointed that Sarah believes herself to be a credible and trusted leader of an apologetics organization. Under her leadership, RZIM mismanaged finances, concealed sexual abuse, retaliated against employees, etc., etc., etc. ... she is disqualified for this role," Wetnauer added.
Christianity Today said that Encounter Inc. will share RZIM's office space and will employ some if its staff, including Alicia Wood, Alexandra Carroll and Louis Phillips. It may also receive funding from RZIM as the latter shifted into a grant-giving organization for certain causes such as what Davis' new ministry supports.
Following the revelation of his father's sexual misconduct earlier this year, Davis hired Guidepost Solutions in March for the assessment of RZIM's organizational culture "to prevent any kind of abuse in the future."
However, the board of directors reportedly restricted the scope of the investigation and kept the findings private.
In addition to Zacharias' sexual abuse issue, RZIM also funded, "Touch of Hope," an allegedly fake ministry that supported some of the late minister's massage therapists.
