Ministry Started by Ravi Zacharias' Daughter to Shut Down after Less than a Year
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- Updated Sep 09, 2022
The apologetics ministry started by Ravi Zacharias’ daughter is shutting down, according to an announcement.
The Lighten Group announced in an Instagram post this week that the ministry, which launched less than a year ago, will be closing.
“This decision was not easy,” the group said in a statement, “but we seek to be good stewards of the time, money and resources entrusted to us. Given our small team and the growing financial challenges that lie ahead, we believe this is the right decision and timing.”
Sarah Davis, the daughter of apologist Ravi Zacharias and former RZIM CEO, started Lighten Group in October 2021. The group was initially called Encounter, Inc.
The ministry said its aim was “carrying the Gospel invitation to individuals,” “engaging their questions,” and “training and discipling messengers of Christ’s love for the spheres of influence.”
Just after launching, the group released a video to prospective supporters asking Christians to stop “cancel culture.”
Critics, however, said the Lighten Group was trying to encourage supporters to stop criticism that came to RZIM after an investigation into abuse and financial misconduct allegations at RZIM.
Lighten speakers included former RZIM apologists Xandra Carroll, Alycia Wood and Lou Phillips.
Zacharias made headlines last year when an independent investigation found that he sexually molested and abused several women. The investigation also revealed areas of financial misconduct with RZIM.
“Alycia’s video on cancel culture is an example of the content we hope to create,” the Lighten Group said in a statement. “It is not meant to be a response to the events that transpired at RZIM in any way.”
The Lighten Group received a loan from RZIM. It is unclear just how much that loan amount was, according to The Roys Report.
Kristen Henriques, co-CEO of Lighten, told The Roys Report this week that as of February, Davis was no longer employed by Lighten.
Photo courtesy: Unsplash
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
