All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. - 1Corinthians 12;11 (ESV)
For those with an ounce of discernment the fact that IHOPKC has always been a dangerous cult was fairly obvious. They were always fairly cloistered off to their own, very critical of opposing viewpoints and very mystical regarding their views and beliefs. Stories were always available from those who survived, which told horrific tales of abuse and cult like behaviors and demands. On the other side, IHOPKC was a forerunner, pun intended, for the modern Charismaniacal movement. It was viewed as a bastion of prophetic movement and the 24-7 prayer model was mimicked across the Charismaniacal world. Thus, IHOPKC enjoyed an insulation of sorts from prying eyes that might speak ill of it. We saw this recently when at a roundtable prior to the recent Bicklegate revelations, Dr. Michael Brown and Sam Storms both vehemently defended the IHOPKC leader, founder and now exposed predator, Mike Bickle. Storms actually said:
"I know this man to the depths of his soul. I cannot think of a more biblically orthodox, humble, Christ exalting individual who lives an incredibly simple lifestyle. So, when I hear people say that he is a false teacher it angers me because I know the individual. I know the man personally." - Sam Storms
This is what cults and cult leaders do, however. This is the same way people spoke about Ravi Zacharias. It is the same way people today speak about Joseph Prince or Joel Osteen. There is no questioning the leader or the organization. It is not hyperbolic to say that along this same continuum is Jonestown. Go back to 2014 and read the articles surrounding the murder of Bethany Deaton at IHOPKC. Read the accounts of how this group of IHOPKC students lived and behaved together. It is chilling in light of all the revelations today. IHOPKC leadership was allowed to blow this story off as if they were some rogue element of an otherwise solid teaching structure. Nonsense! IHOP killed Bethany Deaton. They would have gotten away with a lot more if the IHOP model apologists had their way but thanks to brave victims, we are at the tip of a very revealing and demonic iceberg. I say this as the background to the story linked above because the defenders of the IHOP model will try to dismiss it because it references an investigation from 12 years ago, even though it is now coming to light. Do not fall for that. This reveals the truth behind all of the cultish behaviors at IHOPKC. It exposes why the model was never from God. It reinforces why IHOPKC needs to be shuttered and the false 24-7 prayer model needs to be eradicated.
Let us set the stage. In 2012, a parent of an IHOPKC Forerunner School student was concerned that their child came back from IHOP very different than when they went. Fearing what might be actually going on, they hired an organization to conduct an investigation. That organization conducted a 16-week investigation, where they sent reporters imbedded as students to uncover the truth. The initial impressions from the above link is that there was little in the way of personalization at IHOP. The young students never seemed happy or vibrant. They all had the same message that IHOP is the only church doing things the right way and is the new emerging church in the world. The investigators reported a zombie feel throughout the campus. They all used insider lingo and if you did not know it, you were treated like outsider. Everyone looks acts and speaks the same. There is no individuality. These are important findings as they reveal prototypical cult behavior, where individuality is not allowed and a singular mindset, usually of superiority is enforced. So now, let us reason together through the link above.
"Students were all in early twenties. They were required to journal and submit their journals to their team leaders on a weekly basis. Some of the journaling assignments were specific and of a personal nature that made many of the students feel uncomfortable. They were asked to confess all sexual sin, all thoughts about sexual sin and how it makes God feel. Anyone who did not complete the assignment was isolated from their groups and punished with lengthier assignments, mandatory fasts and longer service in the prayer room." - IHOP Investigation
