Controversy at the Center of Silence

February 2013 – Once a vocal spokesperson against cult groups like those in her novel, S.R.Claridge goes silent, leaving fans to wonder why.

To her regular readers it seems strange that Claridge has stopped blogging about the International House of Prayer (IHOP), one of the many groups she admits to studying prior to writing the controversial novel, House of Lies, which generated death threats and hate mail for the author.   

Up until last month, Claridge had been staunch in her stance against the group, labeling them a “dangerous cult.”  Now, her silence has some concerned.

Ironically, this silence comes at the same time that Claridge’s sister, Director of the Gateway House of Prayer (GHOP) in St. Louis, withdrew her request to turn a vacant firehouse into a rectory for students; a request that stirred dissention within the small St. Louis community. 

We’ve now learned that at the center of the dissention was Claridge’s novel, House of Lies, once again prompting people to wonder how much truth is on the pages.

Residents near the Gateway House of Prayer objected to the expansion, signing a notarized petition and placing signs in their front yards; after which they experienced acts of vandalism which resulted in police intervention.  No charges have been filed against GHOP members, though many residents remain skeptical of their innocence. 

“Nothing like this ever happened in our neighborhood until we said we were against this (GHOP expansion),” one resident told the South County Journal. 

“This isn’t the type of group we want in our backyard,” another resident shared back in October with a local television station.

“We read about the Deaton murder at IHOP in Kansas City and had questions about the connection between IHOP and GHOP,” one resident told reporters.  She explained how they followed the trail from the Deaton murder to House of Lies to Claridge being related to the Director of GHOP.  It was this coincidence that led residents to take their concerns to Claridge, who responded in an email that residents later forwarded to the press.

In the email Claridge stated, “IHOP and GHOP are one in the same.   They are not financially or legally linked, but relationally, in belief, practice and methodology they are one.”   Also in the email Claridge encouraged residents to “educate yourself on their theology,” calling the group a “dangerous end-times Apocalyptic movement.” 

Upon finding out that her letter had been forwarded, Claridge drafted a second letter to the Board of Alderman and the Mayor’s office.  “House of Lies is fiction and should not influence your decision regarding GHOP’s permit request,” Claridge wrote .  “I encourage you to educate yourself on IHOP/GHOP and base your decision upon the facts.”

We finally caught up with Claridge via email and asked her if her recent silence on the subject was indicative of a change in stance concerning IHOP.   She wrote:  “My stance against the International House of Prayer movement has not changed.  I still believe they are one of several misguided groups with dangerous, cult-like tendencies.  I encourage everyone to study these types of movements before getting involved.” 

Claridge ended her email by stating that she wanted it made clear that her stance was against IHOP and not against her sister, who happens to be a leader in the movement.  “I love my sister and she has a beautiful heart,” Claridge wrote. 

 Though there is speculation that Claridge is somehow being coerced into silence, the author denies the allegation.  "Sometimes you just get tired of beating your head against a wall," she wrote.  "When you become so obsessed about standing against something, you lose sight of all of the wonderful things in life that you stand for."

 

 

 

 

Many Branches with Deadly Fruit

As the International House of Prayer [IHOP] works hard to cover its tracks and distance itself from Tyler Deaton and his group of so-called “misfits,” other houses of prayer make the headlines while scrambling to mask their relationship with Bickle’s mothership in Kansas City.

IHOP isn’t your regular Sunday morning church, and neither are its off-shoots.  How many churches do you know that have armed guards and escort folks who are asking questions, off of the premises?  Isn’t the entire foundation of Christianity based upon a “seek and ye will find” premise?  That doesn’t seem to apply at the International House of Prayer, where if ye seek ye will be thrown out by thy armed security guards.  Something’s wrong with this picture.

Anna Alvarez, who lives down the street from IHOP-KC told reporters, “IHOP has always kind of given me the creeps.” 

Grandview resident, Sean Russian, told reporters, “IHOP leaders have threatened many of us into keeping quiet.”  When asked about those threats, Russian said, “ Let’s just say they are persuasive in their methods of getting what they want.”  He went on to say those methods included vandalism of personal property.

Across the state of Missouri, the same thing is happening to neighbors of the Gateway House of Prayer [GHOP] in Sunset Hills.  According to a resident who asked to remain anonymous, several of acts of vandalism against his neighborhood prompted residents to sign a petition to stop GHOP from expansion efforts into a vacated fire station.   The vandalism coincidentally began after local news reported that the neighbors were against the expansion. 

“I think they [GHOP] like opposition,” Sunset Hills resident, Wendy Boehner, told reporters in October 2012, a similar statement as those made by Alvarez and Russian in references to its counterpart [IHOP].

Members of these groups believe they have been hand-selected by God to pray in the Apocalypse, the Second Coming of Christ and become a raised up End-Times army.  They are taught to expect opposition from those that are not chosen of God.  The greater the opposition, the greater the proof they are on the ordained path. 

“The dangers of this movement are many,” said former member Stephanie Belmont.  “They teach exclusivity and elitism that damage familial relationships and have misguided, anti-Scriptural philosophies that lead to sexual misunderstanding and abuse.” Belmont also said that Tyler Deaton’s group was a welcomed part of IHOP and IHOPU and the fact that IHOP leaders are now lying to distance themselves is an abomination. 

Based on false prophecies, the IHOP movement with its many off-shoots and branches appears to be a giant growing tree of life, but the fruit is deadly.

Former member, Beth Cavete, blogged this:  “To discern IHOPKC’s fruit, you need to track its impact.  Not its entrants.  Despite all their protests, Tyler and Bethany Deaton are IHOPKC’s fruit.  After almost a decade of faithful ingestion of their teachings, Tyler’s blog was in its doctrinal skeleton, pure IHOPKC doctrine.  The perverse “cult” was formed years after their whole-hearted jump into IHOPKC teaching, doctrines, and practices.  THIS CANNOT BE IGNORED.  The bright new faces are not IHOPKC’s fruit, the state of the faithful adherents over years are.”

Leaders at IHOP-KC did not respond to our questions or attempts to reach them for comment.   

If you are involved in IHOP-KC or any of its branches or off-shoot organizations or have family or friends involved and you are trying to get them or yourself out, we want to help and we want to hear about your experience.  Your experience could help others. 

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