@altarofinquiry

This is deeply painful for the post-IHOP community in ways you may not understand. **Advocacy trauma hat off** I'd like to simply share as someone who was at IHOPKC spanning both the Awakening and the death of Bethany Deaton. I have empathy for ANY abuse Shelley has endured, and in no way seek to discredit what she shares. However hearing her talk about the pain of misused prophecy is unbearable. One of her prophesies led to Micah Moore being imprisoned for a year... The way things were handled after Bethany's death was DEEPLY traumatic for the community, and the pain from it has never been meaningfully addressed. My own attempts to ask questions about this back in 2015 when I shared the below petition were met with gaslighting from former leaders. change.org/p/international-h…

I guess it's my turn to address the elephant in the room... The IHOPKC Investigative Report (This will be long) The Report will serve its purpose as a credible account of the predatory, abusive, and longstanding practices of Mike Bickle, and as a broad stroke nod to IHOPKC’s systemic dysfunction. The world has again been warned, in less detail than before, but with more weight. And with the accounts of 17 women whose courage was rewarded with the option of anonymity. I am beyond proud of those women, and what I say next in no way diminishes their importance or the overall credibility of what’s contained in the report. The second half was an utter travesty. I have not gotten clear answers on whether this was caused by pressure to move on to Dr. Brown, cost, scope, etc. I believe it was technically Firefly's responsibility to recommend extensions, and I don't know if that happened. But I will confidently say - there is NO excuse for how incomplete it was. Interviews were completed (over 200.) Information was submitted (over 6000 documents.) The job was not finished. And in that, many victims who participated have now been re-traumatized by what was advertised as a trauma-informed process. I know for many, the weight of what's included is already too much to bear, but the reality is things were far worse. And the survivors who spent energy they did not have were harmed by this process in a way that I don't know is fixable. I think it's important to pause and ask ourselves what the purpose of these investigations is. Do we so badly want evil exposed that victims are merely a vehicle for that process? I have viewed investigations as a safe and confidential path forward - an affirming step towards justice and healing, but what actually makes one any more victim-centered than a defense attorney? Is an empathetic ear enough? After this, I would say no. Victims deserve a careful and methodical process that sets expectations well. In this case, victims did not receive follow-ups or clarifications on how they were going to be ID'd, whether their abuser would be named, and whether basic facts were correct. Followups could have easily been done with the 32 identified abuse survivors. This critical gap in care left many in utter shock when they saw the deepest wound of their life reduced to 1-3 sad sentences, or omitted entirely. A trauma-informed process anticipates how high stakes this moment can be - some of these victims may choose to never tell their stories again 😭 I've sat with the devastation of this for a full week, my inner drive for justice bracing against the tension of "How can I address this without discrediting the whole thing?" But as it stands, the second half of this report is a win for IHOP, which is why I'm not afraid to say any of this. Sixteen persons alleged of sexual misconduct were not even named, including Brad Tebutt. And there were very few dates or ages to even determine criminal or legal concerns. It feels neutered, and I have more thoughts about that for another day. For now, these culminating factors have only affirmed the fear many had from the beginning - that non-Bickle victims would not be prioritized. I personally shared this concern with Jim Holler back in September when I pressed for scope clarifications. While I do believe IHOPKC is a uniquely complex case to take on, I cannot let another group of survivors go through what I just witnessed - perhaps Firefly can listen and make drastic changes, but until they do, this cannot become an acceptable standard of victim care.