"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. - Matthew 7:1-5 (ESV)
Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations, Michael Brown to Take Time Off From Public Ministry
It is being reported today that Dr. Michael Brown is taking some time off from public ministry after the allegations of misconduct from his past were made public. The board of The Line of Fire strongly encouraged Brown to do no public ministry. He has cancelled all speaking engagements through the rest of the year and will not be writing his usually spate of articles. It is unclear if he will be taking a break from his radio and podcast ministry efforts. The Roys Report, which does excellent reporting on ministerial abuse, revealed that a former secretary from the Revival Ministry School that was birthed out of the Brownsville Revival has accused Brown of crossing several lines in their relationship 23 years ago. Brown, who "Erin" considered a father figure, was fond of handholding, kisses on the lips and playful smacks on her bottom. Brown denies anything sexual in nature but admits to a "lack of judgment." The above link is the latest reporting on this recent decision to step back that contains so much wrong within the cover-up culture of the church today. So, let us reason once more together beloved as we review some of the reporting linked above.
"Last month, The Line of Fire's board hired attorneys Mitchell, Stein, Carey, and Chapman (MSCC) to conduct a third-party investigation. But according to its website, MSCC has worked as defense attorneys for Fortune 500 companies and for college students accused of sexual misconduct. Advocates raised concerns online about MSCC's ability to investigate allegations of abuse. And Erin told TRR she would not participate. In response, the board is considering hiring a different entity because it wants an impartial investigator with whom Erin will engage, said Jonathan Bernis, spokesperson for The Line of Fire board. "Our desire from the beginning was to find the truth, and the hiring of the law firm was not in any way to vindicate Michael Brown," said Bernis. At the suggestion of Ron Cantor, president of Shelanu TV, The Line of Fire board considered hiring Firefly, but the organization isn't available until February, Bernis said. Firefly is the third-party that is investigating alleged sexual misconduct by Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC). "We want to do something as quick as we can and not wait until February," Bernis said." - Roys Report
We noted when the story first broke that it appeared as if they were trying to pretend a criminal defense firm was the best choice for an investigation. We saw IHOPKC try similar shenanigans with the Bicklegate scandal. It is encouraging here that this transparent choice was called out for what it was and that Erin refused to be roped into participating in something that appeared designed to protect Brown instead of conduct an impartial investigation. The board can pretend all they like that this was an oopsie but I do not think anyone who is clear thinking would buy that. These board members are not amateurs. They knew exactly who this Arizona based law firm was and what they specialized in. This is the first indication of what is so wrong in all of these church scandals. It is what leads so many people to jump to conclusions of guilt because if the accused was not so guilty, why would you need to hire a defense law firm that specializes in defending such accusations? Hopefully now that this initial attempt to control the investigation and ensuing information was thwarted, perhaps they can find a compromise that Erin and the board are equally comfortable with. Keep an eye out however because it was at this point that IHOPKC went rogue and started smearing the victims and employing a congregant to do a sham investigation.
'Cantor also released a public statement today critical of Brown and in support for Erin. In his statement, Cantor said he reached out to Brown about the allegations six weeks ago. At the end of a "multi-day conversation, which included many pages of emails, I found (Brown's) answers lacking and inconsistent with the idea of an innocent father/daughter relationship," Cantor wrote. "I was also troubled by the lack of candor regarding the second incident with a married mother." Cantor said he also spoke with Erin and "found her narrative disturbing and heartbreaking." Cantor wrote that he urged Brown to step back from ministry weeks ago, but Brown never got back to him after saying he'd pray about it. So Cantor contacted Brown's board, who said they'd initiate a third-party investigation.
Wait, what? I do not recall seeing any reporting on a second woman. That aside, I urge you to read the statement from Ron Cantor, who considers Brown a friend for decades. Of particular note is that he felt Brown's answers were lacking and that the behavior did not align with the excuse that this was just a father-daughter relationship. Cantor also spoke to Erin for 80 minutes and her allegations exceed what Brown admits to. Cantor found Erin's story heartbreaking and disturbing. There were two other very concerning revelations from the Cantor statement. The first is that some associate of Dr. Brown has already contacted Erin in an effort to silence her. Just consider that for a moment. Someone associated with Dr. Brown tried to silence the victim in this case. Once again, why would someone be doing that if Brown was totally innocent here? The second disturbing revelation is that Brown sent out a fundraising letter right after this story broke referring to it as an attack from Satan to stop him. This is another tactic of the accused leader in the middle of falling from grace. We heard this nonsense during the IHOPKC scandal too. Steven Strang, Dr. Brown's boss, referred to the victims of Mike Bickle as being used by Satan as well. It is just a disgusting smear of the people the church should be concerned about. Cantor revealed that The Line of Fire Board planned to apologize for this letter but once again, these are big boys and girls. They knew full well what they were insinuating when they decided to send this fundraising out. It is how the church views the victims of their leaders. With sheer contempt but they show even more contempt for their followers to try and fleece them one more time before the wheels fall off.
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