If you are looking for a great read, and hear the perspective of a Kingdom Kid, (a child who grew up in the church), here is a great place to poke around:
Recovering from Cult Life in the ICOC (Healthy Mama)
The author grew up in Kip's "old" church, the ICOC. She was very traumatized.
One part that jumped out to me is where someone describes getting hit on and hooking up with her former ICOC teen leader, only to later find out that he was a fully "restored" member and leader in Kip's new City of Angels ICC. Yes, he was leading in the CAICC at the same time that he was tapping her @$$ and asking her for boob pics.
No, nothing wrong with that picture, do you think?
On a personal note, one of the motivating factors in me leaving the church was so that my kids would never have to be "kingdom kids" and suffer through church life like this girl did (and like I had) for so long.
As I held my newborn baby daughter in my arms I thought, "There is NO WAY that I am going to allow any of THAT to be inflicted on this precious and innocent little baby!" Thank God.
Feb 26, 2014
Feb 25, 2014
Outrageous Ministry Compensation
How much should ministers make? A reasonable middle-class salary? Something in line with what the members of the church earn? Maybe, like Jesus and the apostles, earn nothing or next to nothing?
Or how about, oh, say, $300,000.00 per year?
Check out the following link:
http://www.icocinvestigation.com/Documents/aces1212.pdf
It is to a copy of payment information for payments made to certain church leaders, including Steve and Lisa Johnson, in December, 1996.
It shows the Johnsons earning a combined bi-weekly base salary of $3,692.13. Now, if you multiply that out a bit, it comes to $95,995.38 per year, just base salary. After you add in parsonage (they live rent-free in church-funded housing) and other benefits outlined in that document, the compensation package comes up to $11,793.45 every two weeks, which is $25,552.48 per month or a whopping $306,369.70 per year!
This blew my mind. I suspected it was extravagant but this just seems surreal.
Or how about, oh, say, $300,000.00 per year?
Check out the following link:
http://www.icocinvestigation.com/Documents/aces1212.pdf
It is to a copy of payment information for payments made to certain church leaders, including Steve and Lisa Johnson, in December, 1996.
It shows the Johnsons earning a combined bi-weekly base salary of $3,692.13. Now, if you multiply that out a bit, it comes to $95,995.38 per year, just base salary. After you add in parsonage (they live rent-free in church-funded housing) and other benefits outlined in that document, the compensation package comes up to $11,793.45 every two weeks, which is $25,552.48 per month or a whopping $306,369.70 per year!
This blew my mind. I suspected it was extravagant but this just seems surreal.
Feb 27, 2013
The Church of Jesus and The Apostles Today?
Kip McKean and the builders of the International Christian Church claim that the ICC is the reappearance in modern times of Jesus' Church.
God's One True Church!
YHWH's Sovereign Movement! Of Sold-Out Disciples!
(Aside: Ever think about the term, "Sold-Out"? And the fact that it refers to money? And materialism?)
They claim that the Faithful, Baptized members of the ICC are (almost without exception) the Only True Christians and Saved People in the Whole Wide World.
Let's see... These are pretty dramatic claims. Do you think they will hold up to scrutiny?
One, money. In Jesus' church, there was not a constant drumbeat for the members to give more and more and more money. In fact, many leaders in the early church took no salary, and those who did received the same meager amount that was given to widows in the church to live on. That's not much!
No $650,000 condos or $300,000 annual salaries like in Kip's churches in more recent times. Here's a blog post I wrote a couple months ago talking more in depth about how Kip's church treats the topic of money differently than Jesus' church did. And here's a bit more on the topic of money in Kip's churches. And there will be more still, later.
Two,
God's One True Church!
YHWH's Sovereign Movement! Of Sold-Out Disciples!
(Aside: Ever think about the term, "Sold-Out"? And the fact that it refers to money? And materialism?)
They claim that the Faithful, Baptized members of the ICC are (almost without exception) the Only True Christians and Saved People in the Whole Wide World.
Let's see... These are pretty dramatic claims. Do you think they will hold up to scrutiny?
One, money. In Jesus' church, there was not a constant drumbeat for the members to give more and more and more money. In fact, many leaders in the early church took no salary, and those who did received the same meager amount that was given to widows in the church to live on. That's not much!
No $650,000 condos or $300,000 annual salaries like in Kip's churches in more recent times. Here's a blog post I wrote a couple months ago talking more in depth about how Kip's church treats the topic of money differently than Jesus' church did. And here's a bit more on the topic of money in Kip's churches. And there will be more still, later.
Two,
KipMcKean.com And Church Bullying
I'm starting to recognize a pattern here. So sad that it took me as long as it did to connect the dots.
Did you ever see the website KipMcKean.com? A former member of one of Kip's churches set it up to give the public information about Kip's controversial ministry and the story of the churches that he leads. That is, until Kip and his agents bullied the site owner into turning over the domain to the church so that they could use it as a propaganda tool. This is great for the church because all of the links that used to go to the objective website, KipMcKean.com, now lead to the propaganda website that Kip controls at the same address. So most Google searches that had previously lead to accurate, objective, and true information about the church, now lead to rosy-colored, "official," church-sponsored propaganda.
Kip used a bullying tactic to seize the domain, including legal threats like this letter, written, by the way, by a former roommate of mine.
Did you ever see the website KipMcKean.com? A former member of one of Kip's churches set it up to give the public information about Kip's controversial ministry and the story of the churches that he leads. That is, until Kip and his agents bullied the site owner into turning over the domain to the church so that they could use it as a propaganda tool. This is great for the church because all of the links that used to go to the objective website, KipMcKean.com, now lead to the propaganda website that Kip controls at the same address. So most Google searches that had previously lead to accurate, objective, and true information about the church, now lead to rosy-colored, "official," church-sponsored propaganda.
Kip used a bullying tactic to seize the domain, including legal threats like this letter, written, by the way, by a former roommate of mine.
Feb 5, 2013
Golden Nuggets of Advice
Here are some of the pieces of advice I received from my discipler, Victor Gonzalez Sr, while under his leadership in the City of Angels International Christian Church:
While dating my future wife, who came to the US as an adult non-English speaker: Don't let her learn English, so you can control her better. (For the record, I have helped and encouraged her to learn and improve her English, which is now very good).
While dating my future wife, who came to the US as an adult non-English speaker: Don't let her learn English, so you can control her better. (For the record, I have helped and encouraged her to learn and improve her English, which is now very good).
Feb 2, 2013
A Letter To A Young Disciple - Control
This is the third in a series of letters written to new or prospective members of the International Christian Church (ICC) led by Kip McKean. These are things that I wish that someone had brought to my attention at age 18 when I joined, and before I wasted 15 good years of my life.
The purpose of the church is control. The church exists to control. If the church is not controlling, it is not fulfilling its function.
The purpose of the church is control. The church exists to control. If the church is not controlling, it is not fulfilling its function.
Letter To A Young Disciple - Lost And Saved
Are you baptized, or thinking about doing it? Is someone you love studying with the church or become a member already?
This is the second in a series of letters that I am writing about things that I wish I had known or fully realized before investing years of my life in Kip McKean's churches.
There is no other way to say this. Kip's church believes that it is the only one saved on the planet. Yes, they will say that this is not true, but this is more for political reasons than anything. Coming right out and saying, "We are the only saved ones on the planet!" tends to turn people off pretty quickly.
This is the second in a series of letters that I am writing about things that I wish I had known or fully realized before investing years of my life in Kip McKean's churches.
There is no other way to say this. Kip's church believes that it is the only one saved on the planet. Yes, they will say that this is not true, but this is more for political reasons than anything. Coming right out and saying, "We are the only saved ones on the planet!" tends to turn people off pretty quickly.
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