Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. - Galatians 6:1-5 (ESV)
The video accompanying the above linked article from Steven Strang at Charisma News screamed - "Is Restoration Possible?' Strang is of course referring to his lifelong friend and predator, Mike Bickle. This has been the track Strang has been on since the scandal broke. He has smeared the victims, defended the indefensible and all with an eye towards letting bygones of sexual abuse be bygones and getting his buddy back behind the pulpit. You know, God's holy desk. Never mind what the bible actually says about pastoral qualifications. We are talking about a proven breadwinner for the Charismaniacal Industrial Complex. Never mind that now we know he was lying about being a prophet. Never mind that now we know Bob Jones and Paul Cain were also false prophets and predators themselves. So, let us reason once more together through this above trash article and see what depths Steven Strang is willing to stoop to this week in defense of his good buddy Bickle.
'In the latest episode of "The Strang Report," Charisma Founding Editor Stephen Strang delves into the ongoing investigation at the International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, particularly focusing on its founder, Mike Bickle, and the accusations being made against him. Strang shares his heart on the need for restoration for all parties involved, and is deeply concerned for the impact this controversy will have on the body of Christ. There is history between Charisma and Bickle dating back to 1990 through early coverage of 24/7 prayer at IHOP. "I want you to know that I believe in him [Bickle]. He is my friend. I do not hide it," shares Strang. "I don't think it's ever wrong to stand for your friends. And no matter how this comes out, Mike Bickle is my friend. That doesn't mean I excuse anything Mike Bickle does or has done."' - Charisma News
Sure Steven. Please. All Strang has done is excuse Bickle! He used the lying Misty Edwards rant to actually declare Bickle had been exonerated, in December!! Then Bickle confessed and mucked that all up for him. There is a difference between standing with your friends and excusing them when they lie about what God has said to them in order to lure a woman half their age into bed, when they are already married! Strang's heart has nothing to do with anyone other than Mike Bickle. That is who he is advocating for restoration of. The problem is he is advocating for restoration to his job, as a minister as opposed to his walk with Christ, which I think it is safe to assume now was also fake. Do not be fooled beloved. Anyone can fall. Anyone can fail. This is not about someone who made a tragic mistake 25 years ago. This is someone who has lied from the very beginning and every time he woke up since he established IHOPKC. My prayer for him is the same for anyone who is this lost. I pray he hears the actual gospel of Jesus Christ and repents. Short of that, my concern is for his victims. For the lives he destroyed in the name of God. That includes the ten victims from this scandal as well as all the unknown victims. Lastly, it also includes everyone in the IHOPKC community who have been led down the broad path to destruction by a charlatan and huckster.
'Strang expresses the pain he feels for the broader Christian community: "I am a journalist, I seek for the truth. I want the truth. I love the body of Christ. And for me, part of the pain of all this is what it's doing to the body of Christ," Strang explains. Strang acknowledges wrongdoing on both sides and emphasizes his careful approach to the matter. He recounted a previous podcast interview with IHOPKC's General Kurt Fuller, now the Chairman of the Board, stressing the importance of a balanced perspective. "Sadly, some of the nastiest fights are church fights," Strang says. "And unless you've been in a church split, you don't know how nasty it can get. And the thing is that most people on both sides of the church fight, maintain that they're righteous and the other people are unrighteous. And that's exactly what's happening here."' - Charisma News
No, no, a thousand times no. This is the duplicity of Steven Strang on full and arrogant display. This is not a "church split." That is a false argument designed to pretend both sides are somehow equal. We see this when Strang also says that mistakes were made by both sides. No, they have not. One side is comprised of the victims of Mike Bickle and the other side are the people protecting Bickle and IHOP at all costs. Strang is not a journalist because if he were, he would recuse himself from reporting on someone he admits is a dear friend who he must stand by! If he truly loved the body of Christ, he would be vaguely concerned for the sheep instead of trying to restore the wolf. His allegation here that this is a church fight is a direct slap across the face to the previous IHOP leaders who have been advocating for the victims. This has been the plan from the Bickle backers all along. To try and split the bill. To try and smear the "other side" and cast doubt on them. They rolled out a fake talking point early on that there were victims who denied being victimized, the most famous of them being Misty Edwards. The truth however is Misty was never listed as a victim so this "leak" was clearly perpetrated by the Bickle side so that they could point to it in order to dismiss all the victims. Even with the current situation, Fuller and the former crisis manager Eric Volz are pretending that because the advocates refused to participate in their sham investigation, that they have somehow been deficient. Nonsense. IHOP needs to stop whitewashing and pretending the McNamara Report is worth anything and bring in an outside agency that is reputable and acceptable for the victims. Don't fall for the Strang scam. Bicklegate is the case of a man who lied, manipulated and sexually abused multiple women. It is not a nasty church fight.
