Vince Vitale, and his wife, Joanna Vitale, who respectively serve as the director and the dean of the Zacharias Institute, today apologized for perpetuating the “lies” of Ravi Zacharias and hurting his victims in a video posted to YouTube.
Speaking of Zacharias, whom an investigation recently concluded had sexually abused multiple women, Vince said: “Ravi abused people in horrific ways and then repeatedly and brazenly lied to our faces. On the heels of these truths came the sickening realization that by believing Ravi’s lies and then passing on his false narratives, we in turn deeply hurt people—the very people most in need of our care—and we added to their pain. We are sorry. We are so very, very sorry.”
The couple, who also serve as speakers for Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), confessed that they failed to listen to Lori Anne Thompson in 2017 when she came forward with allegations of how Zacharias had lured her into a sexting relationship.
Joanna said she felt “particularly convicted” as “someone who speaks regularly about the God who sees women.”
“I should have recognized my own personal bias and weighted the victim’s words more heavily. As a woman with a public voice, I failed to use that voice to speak up for another when her voice was not being heard. For this, I am so ashamed, and so devastatingly sorry.”
Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “Hurt and Healed by the Church” by Ryan George. To donate, click here.
Similarly, Vince Vitale apologized for too quickly accepting Zacharias’ explanations “for emails now made public.” Vitale said he should have sought counsel and recommended an investigation in 2017. Had he done that, he said Zacharias’ “abuse might have been topped much sooner.”
“We thought we were loving our friend by trusting his word, but in reality we were failing to love victims by not demanding that their testimony be treated with utter seriousness and properly addressed,” Vince said. “We thought we were loving a friend well, but we were failing to love our neighbors well. And actually, we were also not loving Ravi well because friends challenge you to live in the truth, and we made it too easy for Ravi to live a lie.”
He added, “In doing this, we were among those who not only lengthened but also intensified the pain of Lori Anne and Brad Thompson, as they were then slandered for years. The suffering they and their family have experienced over the last four years has been horrendous. It must also have been wrenching for survivors to watch as Ravi continued to be praised while Lori Anne was maligned. That we contributed to this makes us heartsick.”
Joanna added that the couple is committing “to listening and learning from the voices of survivors,” and noted Lori Anne Thompson’s victim impact statement as a “deeply moving place to start for anyone else who feels they have not listened as God asks us to.”
Vince said he feels “particularly blameworthy” for quelling people’s concerns about Zacharias both within RZIM “but also externally to ministry partners.”
“The result of all that we have shared is that some people believed Ravi’s lies because they believed us . . .” he said. “(W)e violated the trust of others, and for this we wholeheartedly apologize to our colleagues, our friends, and our ministry partners.”
The couple said they are at the “very beginning” of a process of identifying and confessing wrongs they have committed. “As we pray and learn,” Joanna said, “we hope to increasingly identify selfish dispositions, unhealthy patterns of behavior, wrong thinking, and specific failures that we are responsible for and need to repent of.”
The Vitales also acknowledged RZIM, “at least in its current form,” may “come to an end.” But they said their top priority is “to support the process of victims receiving justice and being cared for.”
In response to the Vitale’s statement, Lori Anne Thompson tweeted: “Vince and Jo, You have apologized in a complete and comprehensive manner. I am grateful for the journey you are on and I will do all I can to be of service. So often we pray for truth, light and sight but when it show up — it can be devastating.”
https://twitter.com/LoriAnneThomps2/status/1364321141104529410
Vince & Joanna Vitale’s Recorded Statement:
English 
Spanish
65 Responses
Apologies are cheap. Restitution is expensive. I favor both buy much prefer the latter, if I can have only one option.
Why hasn’t restitution already begun? Zachaeus, unlike Zacharias was such a tiny figure that he had to climb a tree to see Jesus, but he voluntarily offer fourfold for any false witnessing he had ever done.
Will Vince match or even trump Zachaeus?
James Lutzweiler
Archivist (1999-2013)
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
And so we see the rippling effects of the power of evil. Thank you for your honest and humble statement. As an ex-member of Willow Creek, I so wish I had heard this type of apology as opposed to “the show must go on!”
Spot on Sir
I think the corporate strategy is to focus on RZ and throw him under the bus so the focus stays on the deceased. Don’t think RZIM and Co. want the public to dig too deeply into the whole RZIM operation to uncover the root of the cause. I hope we the public get the full story on Guidepost’s “indepth” investigation. Pray for the victims. Pray for those Believers that are still struggling with the truth and reconciling it with their faith. Pray for those that will lose jobs and must find other employment. I hope the family gets professional help that will support their healing. Margie needs to help her daughters and any grand-daughters understand that they should not put up with abuse in any form or fashion.
You make a very good point. Lay all the sins on the dead guy who can’t respond. So your role in enabling/supporting RZ’s depravity will never come to light.
Words can hurt, words can heal. If Lori Anne Thompson finds the Vitale’s words helpful and hopeful and encouraging, that is good enough, more than good enough, for me.
And, though I think payment for damages, for suffering, for extensive counseling, is a good idea, words can release bitterness in ways that money cannot. “The tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Well said Jennifer
I agree. I think Lori Anne has provided a beautiful example of grace and forgiveness. She and the other victims have been through an absolutely horrendous ordeal. Hers was especially awful because she was publicly maligned for so long. If she, who has been most wronged can forgive, who are we to withhold forgiveness? It would be heartening if the RZIM board would follow the Vitales’ example, as well as RZIM CEO Sarah Davis and Senior VP Abdu Murray. Instead, some board members are vowing to continue. That is absolutely mind-numbing.
What a beautiful and heartfelt apology. I admire their courage and humility to record this powerful message. May God continue to use them to bring healing!
You expressed my thoughts exactly, Annie. This is an extremely difficult and confusing time for all involved. Are those of us on the outside but part of the family of God willing to pray for all aspects of repentance, healing, obedience to the Lord going forward? I want to stand in the gap for these so that the name of Christ is not stained and He is glorified in the midst of the darkness that continues to be revealed.
I’m willing to pray…… but not in error for example I will not pray for the devil or those that ARE hIS.
The only staining going on is to those that call themselves after the ONE whose name is ABOVE ALL NAMES because Acts 11:26 tells me ” And the disciples were called Christians FIRST in Antioch.” That is 10 to 20 years after HE walked, died and rose again…….. I believe that I would rather be called by whatever they were called when they ACTUALLY WALKED WITH HIM…..
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Phil 2:9-11
It certainly seems that the “christians” ARE THE STAIN . Think about it ………..
This is for the FEW that can understand and definitely not for the MANY……
Wish the board members had more compassion when a few people went to them with their concerns. As noted above too little too late. They should give the victims a lot of money. So that they do not ever have to work again in a massage parlor.
I am sure the Vitales are all too aware that they blew it. They have made a very sincere apology, and are taking full responsibility for their failures. They are having to face being fallible human beings. Those who are saying Too little,Too late’ presumably have never been guilty of making a mistake, misjudging a person or needing to make restitution. And as far as ‘too little’ is concerened, we have no idea what RZIM are planning as regards restitution , so prejudging that seems pointless.
I would suspect that RZIM will fight tooth and nail to not pay any restitution, as that would be admitting guilt. I fully expect RZ family members and loyalists to abscond with whatever they can to India and set up shop there (see K. P. Yohannan and GFA as an example).
I agree with you, CM. If they have OCI or NRI visa status in India they can easily move assets over to India and invest in all sorts of money making businesses, property and bank accounts that will set the family up for life. Did Margie get a million $$ for that Rabbi Trust? So far we haven’t heard from the RZIM accountant on funds and why no one in that department has given a reason for never questioning where the money went. Don’t they owe that to donors? Think about all the retired people on fixed incomes that gave to this ministry. How about all the teachers, police, business owners, and others that don’t make a fraction of what RZ family make that gave? Does anyone think about what those people had to forgo to give so RZ could pay for his massages and his ladies lifestyles?
.
If I sound cynical I am. RZIM has hired PR firms, Crisis lawyers, management teams and now anothe lawyer who is guiding them through the abuse. All these apologies seem professionally crafted to keep the focus on RZ who can’t speak, and his many sins, while keeping the public focus off the many sins of the organization/board/family. So far I don’t think we have seen all the evidence or the root causes of why this went on for so long. All that donor money going to Lawyers, and crisis teams instead of getting the Gospel out. Did donors go along with thier donations being used in this manner? This ministry needs to be shut down in my opinion. Too little…too late. I have friends that are really struggling with reconciling all this with their faith. They were big fans. I feel so bad for them. I feel for the many will be out of work through no fault of their own. Will the Vitales lose a job or will they be rewarded for offering their apology? Sad. SAD. SAD for the little people. Donors are getting bilked!
I am with you on your cynicism. I really hope there is a criminal investigation (sex trafficking, RICO violations, money laundering, etc.) into all of this as well.
I understand RZIM hired Lawyer Rachael Denhollander, who is an abuse victim herself. I find it odd because RZ was a predator so she is employed by a organization that covered up predatory behavior. How does that work? I would think she would be hired by the victims instead and stand by them. I am confused by this.
If Rachael Denhollander and Guidepost solutions find criminal behaviors or finanacial frauds will they report them or not? They are hired by the organization so where does their loyality go and are they legally bound to report crimes if RZIM hired them? Seems like a conflict there. Wondering about all the legalities of this. I also wonder if the public will ever learn the whole truth. RZIM is spending lots of donor money on crisis lawyers and firms. Doesn’t look like they are closing up shop. I suspect they will rebrand with the few loyalists in their ranks.
I know a couple of foundations gave money. One private foundation gave RZIM a million bucks. Will they sue to get their money back? That is a lot of money to lose. How does that play out? Wish we had some lawyers on here. I am with you on the criminal investigation!
First of all , double your cynicism and then realize that rzim is in no way in any crisis management, they (yuck) know exactly what they are doing , they are wise as serpents because they are serpents.
Don’t you think that the moolah has been dispersed already ? Maybe not all but certainly more than enough for those involved.
Every “layer” of (puke) the “investigation” is well planned and thought out to give all those “christian donors” out there a certain appearance of “doing” something , It is DECEPTION and a distraction leading to delusion rather than being truly led by His Spirit INTO ALL TRUTH……
“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they RECIEVED NOT the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
As a Christian, being a “big fan” of RZ or RZIM means nothing to the Lord God. It should not hurt your faith because man failed. Worship Him alone for He will never leave or forsake you.
I can’t go into a church and I do not trust those in the ministry but I am faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Respectfully,
An RZ survivor.
Julia says ” They have made a very sincere apology, and are taking full responsibility for their failures.”
I say ” How in the flying bananas DO YOU KNOW THAT???”
If you do know that then you should be giving an interview and publishing what you know , hopefully here on Julie’s site! If you don’t know that then please don’t say that because it’s quite upsetting, Thanks!
Point taken. My apologies if I was insensitive
Vince and Joanna.
May you find your strength in the Lord. I suggest that you did not fail. I suggest that you were failing miserably. But now you see the light. You have run to God. Praise Him. He now has given you greater tools to minister to those that are hurting. I suggest that you are able to continue your life serving the Lord. You have confessed, you are repenting, the Lord has forgiven you. Please continue your work for Him. We need those in the ministry that walk in the light of truth, our God. Thank you for your apology.
Respectfully,
An RZ survivor.
Thank you VICKIBLUE for sharing your thoughts as well as your compassion. May God bless you and keep you.
They aren’t sorry. Every Christian leader needs to be vetted monthly and held to the highest Biblical standards. But when money and salaries are involved, people don’t want to lose their jobs calling out their leadership, so they go with the flow. And in my opinion, no pastor should take a salary from a church, they should work a secular job. If the flock wants to give him a tithe, then so be it. But working in the ministry and taking a salary just leads to compromise.
Charles, Certainly their should be accountability. The church needs more authenticity, transparency, less hiding, supressing and denying. It can be done. I have experienced the church when it functions well, with paid staff. It is possible. I have also experienced it when it functions poorly. And the scriptures indicate that it is right to pay those who are in ministry if it is possible for a congregation to do so. I Timothy 5:18 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. Preaching and teaching takes hard work and should rewarded with payment if that is possible.
Since when does “double honor” equal moolah?? Since never
Add on the millions of dollars made on book deals and speaking fees. Look up David Jeremiah and how he fudged his book deal. It happened twice and his manager quit after warning him the first time. We should all be that brave.
Ravi should have gotten disciplined after his credential fraud. Then everyone should have booted him out if he uttered one more lie. I guess lying is not a big deal in our Christian world anymore. We have become desensitived. It is taking bigger and bad-er sins to get our attention these days. Our standards are getting lower and lower as we make excuses for our leaders and sugar coat their sins. King David would be appalled that his story was being used to minimize sin today. I am sure he would say sin is not worth doing if he was with us.
I have wondered if Joyce Meyer did this what would Christians say? They probably would not apply King David’s story to a woman. They would say she was a Jezebel. They would scream, this is why a woman should not Pastor. What do you think?
Kay shares ” We have become desensitized.” regarding lying .
Well this seems to be a wake up call…….. at least one would hope….. WAKE UP!!!!!
“YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. WHEN HE SPEAKETH A LIE , he speaketh of his own: for HE IS A LIAR, AND THE FATHER OF IT.”
John 8:44
Charles E. Cribbs, you nailed it. They are sorry they were caught.
That is my take. I say they should NEVER be allowed to be board members or any position of church leadership again. Period.
Amen. They ran this corporation into the ground. No reward for that, please.
However I am sure the family will re-invent themselves as victims only to write books on how they too were taken advantage of. The average Christian wil buy into that but mature ones will see through it.
I pray Vince and Joanna are sincere. Forgive me for sounding skeptical. It’s just that I’ve had years of tearful so-called repentant “I’m sorry” statements given to me. The words, however did not develop into a change in behaviour and so I remain forever grateful to a loving Saviour in whom I am “healinginHim”.
Perhaps the Vitale’s would benefit from ministries like Jimmy Hinton and Kelly Downing?
https://jimmyhinton.org/
https://www.facebook.com/NoLessThanLight/
Vince and Joanna will need much prayer and compassion as they earnestly seek the Lord for all that He has planned for their lives.
This is a wonderful confession!! Rarely seen in Christian leadership! Other high profile, unconfessed fallen Christian leaders should watch this as an exmple.
A very good start! Specific. They took ownership. They did not excuse anything. They could run away from the blame they will recieve as more darkness comes to light. And they are willing to step down from their current ministry and disband RZIM. I appreciate that they want to continue in the process of confession and restoration.
God is doing a refining work, purifying, causing the Christian church to value true friendship (Prov. 27:4-5) accountability, humility and truth. This is an example of wisdom from above (James 3:17).
After doing a search of Vince and Joanna , I found that they both have the worldly title name of “docter” in front of their names………. My question to you both is :
“When did the Heavenly Father and His Dear Son ever suggest , whisper or tell you that putting another name like “doctor” in front of your name was a really good idea for you or anyone else spiritually speaking?
If you were honest , IF , you would say to all of us and most of all – to yourselves that that did not happen but because of pride and the false desire of a reputation JUST LIKE ravi , you went out and did such (among many many other things) in which you are now ashamed of. Hopefully this shame and desire for change will bring a brokenness and true humility which will be witnessed by your words AND actions such as getting rid of ANY TITLES THAT YOU MAY HAVE or HAD and work towards Eternity by genuinely loving and caring for others
Now there are many living “under” that fruit of worldliness and many many are paying a really really big price , was it really worth it ? The answer is no it was not worth it.
“But MADE himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there
be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it.
If they have the title of “Doctor” one must ask if they are bogus like RZ’s “Dr”. Or if they have something honorary or from a diploma mill. If that is the case, then that is bearing false witness.
Perhaps Julie Ann or others can do some research on that. If it turns they lied on this, the I will call BS on their confession and call out “crocodile tears’>
No, they have both earned full PhDs at university. Not honorary like Ravi.
Vince’s dissertation from Oxford is legitimate.
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:eb53f360-8c22-491c-8a2d-274031ae0890
Jo’s dissertation, done at Oxford, is legitimate as well.
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:280a0b47-b119-4d5b-ba73-a62acea650c7
Both of their doctorates are earned & not honorary.
That is good to hear. At least they are different from RZ in that respect. Of course RZ no doubt used these legitimate PhDs as cover for his own bogus credentials. I wonder if that has crossed Vince and Jo’s minds.
I’m in agreement with John. Thank you for your words and example of love for sinful followers of Christ. Isn’t that what we all are?
Mr. Cribbs – you are absolutely right.
They have an obligation to make restitution. “Heartsick”? Nah. Their bully pulpit has been taken away, and now they are scared.
Call me cynical but for going on seven years now I have been watching situations like this where people in leadership wait until their entire career is dangling by a thread in front of them before they come out and make an apology. This begs the question if they are sincere why did it take this long? Are they convicted now and are truly repentive by God’s standard or are they only sorry that they got caught and now they have no other alternative?
I suppose the only way to know for sure is to follow John the Baptist’s advice: “keep fruit that is consistent with repentance.” I have come to the conclusion that both people who would still condemn them and those so quick to accept that they are sincere are being hasty. We will know after months and years pass. If they go back into working for another organization that is shoving stuff under their rug we will know. If they leave ministry permanently because they realize that they are not qualified and get out of the limelight permanently that will be something else. But right now only they and God know but what they do in the future will show the reality of the situation to the rest of us.
I hear their confession. I understand from their statements of contrition that they are repenting (present tense). I hear them say that there is only Jesus. I am not hasty, I leave the rest to God. I trust in Him.
Forgive me, Mr. Jesperson, but RZIM has hired professional crisis teams to guide them through this process. I am with you on being cynical. It all seems to be a part of the professional script to keep the masses from looking too closely to details and demanding transparencey in the fullest. Looks like the PR team has now replaced the Holy Spirit in our Christian circles. Where is that in the Bible? This is all too little..too late in my opinion. RZ should have been disciplined when he lied about his crendentials instead RZIM waited till a full blown crisis happened. There are stil unanswered questions and it doesn’t look like RZIM will give answers. I find it hard to believe that RZ spent so much money on his ladies and no one knew in the accounting department?? Seriously?
Don’t you remember that crisis team employed by Peter after he was called out by Paul?
And considering the subsequent actions/statements/etc. of the people the people in that predicament (career hanging by a thread) and the so-called fruits, you will discover that most of them feel sorry for being caught, their gravy train has ended, etc.
Sure they may lie low for a few months or years, but once people forget, it is back to the old racket (see Mark Driscoll, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggert, and many others). Something about dogs and vomit. Only this time, they hope the next bunch marks for their con don’t notice the stench of the earlier con.
Again, the secular is much better at this. Case in point, when a navy ship CO grounds his boat or has a collision, he is beached and his career is over. Remember, you can delegate authority, but not responsibility. Something all these “Christian” leaders tend to forget.
Interesting how two victims of RZIM are granting them forgiveness,(they were not obliged to do so) whereas so many others don’t believe them to begin with.
Is there any way any RZIM person can now do anything right, or should they simply not try as whatever they say will be met with scepticism?
Rose of Sharon, you think there are only two victims? What about all those people that didn’t have much money and donated to RZIM? There is one foundation that gave RZIM a million dollars. What about that loss to their organization? What about all the believers that now are struggling with this betrayal? What about all the men and women that faithfully serve the Lord and now people just think they are hypocrits? I know God is fully capable of defending Himself but what about what this does to the cause of the Gospel? What about India and how this man represented his home country? It is short sighted to think there are only two victims. Maybe if Christians looked at how far reaching their sin is they would think twice about doing it.
Yes. RZIM should be met with scepticism. That is the fruit of their actions. They need to prove they are trustworthy. Just like a spouse that cheats. That person has to earn the family trust again. RZIM should not get a pass. They need to do the hard work of restoring faith in them. It will take a long time. I am shocked that anyone would suggest we all just go back to business as usual in such a short time. Human beings are not like light switches that turn on and off with a whim.
I meant 2 people on this page, Lori Ann Thompson and Vickiblue in the comment section.
And don’t worry, I know the list of victims is long, very long.
Amen!
Will these people stop, please stop, making these theatrical, reality-show apologies.
Hear John the Baptist’s words, “Do works worthy of repentance.”
They’re late in vindicating Lori Thompson. She’s been vindicated by evidence. She’s grateful; that’s something. The apology should have been made personally to Lori, perhaps even face to face. Jesus said, “if you have wronged your brother, go and be reconciled with him.”
How will they “… support the process of victims receiving justice and being cared for”? Platitudinous generalities. Reads like the human services manual of a company. Sounds like followership not leadership.
How about “We have violated the trust of others”..we resign from out positions of leadership. We need to take a season of time to reflect, re-tool, and get our spiritual bearings. We will also be taking time to personally offer apologies and support to identified victims.
To forgive one another is the command of the Lord Jesus who paid the ultimate price for us all. To obey the Lord’s command is the path to life and healing. Those who truly love the Lord will obey his command. This requires great humility by those who are the aggrieved.
Vickiblue and Lori Ann have chosen to respond to the apology in the way of Christ, which is to forgive the Vitales. It is a beautiful gift which they have offered. The axe-grinding of others is a stumbling block and cannot be allowed to diminish the beauty and sacrifice of the forgiveness they offer.
To Vickiblue and Lori Ann, as a fellow CSA survivor, I honor you for your obedience and your example. Our Lord sees.
Thank you KG. Our Lord sees.
Thank you KG for pointing to forgiveness. It is painful, of course, for the one who must do the forgiving but there is no other way to healing and freedom.
Maybe the Phd’s will kick in and they will think of all those things ?? or maybe not……..
By the way Vickiblue , remember what you shared with me a few articles back ?
WELL I noticed that you seem to have a lot more to share AND the words in which to do so !
THAT’S AWESOME !!
It is good that we have suffered in the flesh perhaps even crushed …….. here’s why…
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves LIKEWISE with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath CEASED FROM SIN; That he NO LONGER SHOULD LIVE the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, BUT TO THE WILL OF GOD.” 1Peter 4:1-2
The tenderness , kindness and gentleness within you shows and if I may suggest ( because I desire that you be fortified on every side) ask of Him every day for His Wisdom and His Discernment and to truly know the leading of His Spirit and the hearing of His Voice alone……
CFTM, Most assuredly I do this. I seek Him and His will. No matter what. You still say so much more completely the things I cannot. I appreciate you and your knowledge of the Lord and your wisdom. I get happy when I read your insights.
I am wondering why this article is not posted with all of the others about RZIM. It does not show up in a search for RZIM or Ravi zacharias. I had to search specifically for Vince Vitale after I read something about it elsewhere. Is the one story of a person taking responsibility and confessing being buried?
Jon, I’m just reading your comment now after posting mine below. For a “public confession”, this is very obscure i.e hard to find. If it wasn’t for Julie and maybe one or two others mentioning it, it’d be impossible to find. I can’t even find the “Drs Vitale” channel they published it on and I think it’s a real shame that their countless other videos remain on the RZIM HQ YouTube channel (right up to 23rd December 2020! Smh) but this one isn’t on it.
The more obfuscation the remaining RZIM folks show and the more effort they put in sweeping stuff under the rug, the MORE (not less) guilty they look.
I hope they delete that RZIM HQ channel soon. This confession should be the last and ONLY video on it until it’s deleted.
They all need to study the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Genuine repentance is ALWAYS marked by fruit: Matthew 3:8
It’s a shame that this video seems very much hidden on YouTube. And so it can’t be found to be shared! If it wasn’t for Julie and one or two others sharing it, it would be almost impossible to find for someone like me who’s “not in the know” i.e a non-donor or member.
In fact, I tried various searches, including “Drs Vitale” and couldn’t find it. Now when I look for the “Drs Vitale” channel (was it just set up for this video?) I can’t find it either. Has it been removed?
This confession would have been so much more impactful were it made and posted on a more viewed site or page (eg. RZIM’s own!)
It’s also such a pity that this wasn’t posted on RZIM HQ YouTube channel where Vince and Jo Vitale have numerous videos, the last one being published on 23rd December 2020. I assume they weren’t allowed to rather than that they CHOSE not to post it there.
In any case, it goes without saying that the RZIM HQ YouTube channel should be taken DOWN. All these people “teaching” others on that channel is embarrassing in light of the years-long cover-ups.
Surely they at least knew he owned spas/massage parlors? No WAY I’d be in ministry with someone who did that. Red flags galore. Smh
I greatly regret donating $50 to Julie Roys last year when she started this website.
A paltry amount but I regret it because this expose was not honest.
To all those reporting and writing about the Ravi Zacharias scandal:
When a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes the truth.
If a woman complained that Ravi Zacharias had seduced her and they had an affair, then she would be met with (depending on the listener) a smile and wink or disgust.
But certainly not sympathy, nor any money.
Nor would it get too much attention beyond the regular “preacher scandal”.
But instead of calling a spade a spade, if one can use the terms of sexual crimes and sexual violence, then to use an overused phrase, it is like shouting “fire!” in a theater.
Lots of outrage, lawsuits and money follow and Christian media, Christian journalists, writers, and the “victims” benefit and profit from it.
So-called victims and Christian writers have borrowed from the Me-Too playbook and have done great evil.
Thus inappropriate and sexually charged conversations with a Lori Thompson (a 45 yr old adult) became “sexual predator”, full blown “adultery”.
A massage therapist alleges she had an affair with Ravi and calls it rape.
But there is no corroboration nor investigation as to whether the label actually applies.
This exaggeration serves the cause of tearing down Ravi’s reputation, getting fame and profit for the “victims” and those reporting it.
Yes, Ravi sinned but you are lying when you make it appear to be more grievous than it actually was.
But consider that it wounds and greatly harms victims of actual rape and actual victims of real sexual predators.
Especially defenseless women and children who go through the horrors of real crimes.
You have committed a great sin.
The victims are not “so called”, they are real. The investigation is real, the corroborating evidence is real, Ravi’s lies and predatory sexual sins over many years are real, and the damage to the victims is very, very real.
First of all which Jesus are you following? Because the “voice” in your writing’s is not one that I recognize as one that follows the PURE TRUTH. I do recognize you as one of the 4 or 5 other commenters on here that sound just like you…….. in other words extremely worldly with a few choice “christian” words thrown in.
I also love the way you “sound” like you ACTUALLY care about ACTUAL rape and ACTUAL victims of REAL (not fake ones) sexual predators. Really?
Let’s talk about ravi’s NEW REPUTATION shall we ? Naaa that one is full of adultery (right margy?) abuse , rape and perhaps even murder depending how you view abortion (right margy ?) , how about theft and misuse and waste of donations and lying 100’s of times is not very nice either.
As far as ravi’s OLD REPUTATION being “torn down” , again you are so sadly mistaken and in delusion…… now why would anybody want to be deluded? It is because they DID NOT RECEIVE THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH and it says ” for this cause GOD SHALL SEND THEM strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned” 2 Thes 2:11
You are deluded because there is absolutely nothing left bigger than a bite size chunk of ravi’s FORMER reputation because THAT reputation is now lying in an exploded smoldering debris field of carnage which is strewn across most of this world we live in , I’m hoping that you and the other 4 or 5 “commenters” could begin to spend a great deal of time picking up little “ravi” pieces with little plastic bags and dispose of them appropriately , may I suggest in the sea spoken of in Luke 17:2
” It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he
should offend one of these little ones”
Oh and by the way …. don’t get any on you , it really stinks!!! Whoops too late , sorry bout that .
To unchurched,
There are none so blind as those who refuse to see. You are completely blind.
An RZ Survivor
Amen, VickiBlue
“Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth” (John 9:41)
Just ignore people like that. Their pride seemingly cannot accept that their idol wasn’t who he said he was.
It’s bad enough that they were fooled by Satan for years through this WOLF RZ but now they’re STILL listening to “the father of lies” (John 8:44) who whispers in their ears that “good is evil and evil good” (Isaiah 5:20).
Those who (genuinely) love Jesus love TRUTH and LIGHT and go to great lengths to seek Truth. As Julie has done. They don’t skim a report and then twist ONE aspect of it, not even loving their neighbor (the victims) enough to read their testimonies and find out how they matched up. Not only that, but this “unchurched follower of Jesus” (such was Judas but he was never born of the Spirit!) cannot even be bothered to find out that dear Lori Anne had a past of abuse and how powerful predators target such vulnerable people – just as wolves prey on the most vulnerable and defenseless.
There were NUMEROUS victims (just thought I’d throw in a FACT there) and on top of that, if anyone thinks it’s good Christian stewardship to own massage parlors, they are dangerously blind.
And to cap it all, this poster says Julie is sinning! How twisted is that?? Someone who loves truth “sins” while those who commit and those who protect and enable sin and harm for years are “innocent”???! That is pure PROJECTION. The Pharisees did it all the time with Jesus (calling Him “Beelzebub” etc) so she’s in excellent company!
God bless her and God bless you and God bless all who stand for truth in the midst of a sick world that prefers lies and cover-ups i.e DARKNESS to transparency i.e LIGHT.
God initially used an honest, seeking, professed atheist, Steve Baughman, to first expose RZ’s lies (or as the stubborn defenders call it, “inflated qualifications”) as a JUDGMENT on the false “church” who put their idols on a pedestal and cover up and justify their “favorites” at all costs but sadly, many are STILL refusing to humble themselves.
Please remember (if one wants to) Dear Ones that these certain type of commenters are more than certainly NOT just misguided individuals. They more than likely have been “sent” because as I have commented above… they all have a common let’s call it ugliness about them. I call it “worldly” some might call it something else.
One thing that is for sure , is that it speaks volumes about the organizations and individuals that they “represent” with falseness , lies , twisting and manipulation of known facts and truth……..
And please remember … THEY DON’T CARE , IT DOESN”T MATTER WHAT THEY ” SOUND LIKE” , THEY DON’T CARE and truly think of the rest of us as beneath them….. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THEY CALL THEMSELVES …. THEY DO NOT CARE what you or I think even for a second , they have their plan set forth before them and again it does not matter whether we know what it is or not , THEY DON’T CARE.
But there is ONE that does…..