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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