Stephen Strang is the founder and chief executive officer of Charisma Media, the prominent Charismatic news and media organization that mixes occasionally decent journalism with heterodox bible teaching; plugging and platforming every wild-eyed charismatic loon and heretic that says they have a word from the Lord. Notably, their senior editor for seven years was Jennifer LeClaire, made famous for inventing the “sneaky squid spirit.”
On his podcast, Strang addressed the recent statement by leader of the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC), Mike Bickle where he admitted, “I sadly admit that 20+ years ago, I sinned by engaging in inappropriate behavior—my moral failures were real.”
According to Jane Doe, the woman Bickle engaged in “inappropriate behavior with,” he started coming onto her when she was 19 and he was 42. Prophesying over her and telling her that she would be his wife one day, despite him being already married, she recounts that he plied her with manipulations, machinations, and spiritual abuse, resulting in the two of them engaging in many acts of sexual activity spanning a period of the years. This activity included everything but intercourse and would certainly qualify as clergy sexual misconduct.
Sizing up the situation, Strang offers that these allegations are “very complicated” and that from his vantage point “this kind of thing is also a spiritual attack.”
Mike has confessed to doing something over 20 years ago…we have to ask why is it such a big deal now 20 years later, and why is it just a couple of months after he motivated and inspired over five million people to pray for Israel?”
Strang likens allegations against Bickle to rape claims against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing or Russian collusion charges against Trump (whom he believes is a born-again Christian) and looks at how those turned out. He insists:
“If Mike is removed from a position (at IHOP) there’s a very good chance that IHOPKC will fold, and the enemy would like nothing more.
Jesus himself said ‘he who is without sin cast the first stone’ and I just want to bring that up about Mike Bickle. You know, all the people that are accusing him of things have done things themselves. They just have. It just hasn’t been brought to light. And also I ask this question: ‘how long do we hold something against someone?’
You know, in the law there’s a thing called the statute of limitations, and I would think that most people would be willing to forgive Mike Bickle of something that happened 20 years ago. Now, Mike’s statement was not very specific about what it was other than the more recent allegations of clergy sexual abuse were not true, but apparently something happened.
Hey, these things happened. God uses flawed leaders; I mean, just read the Bible. Just about all the great men in the Bible were very, very flawed. David was an adulterer, he had Bathsheba’s husband killed. Moses was a murderer. In fact, when I was on the secular media, and they were talking about Donald Trump, I would make the point God has always used imperfect leaders.”
He continues
“It’s something that the enemy would want to squash. To me, what’s happening is almost like a really, really nasty church split. And there are churches where people have gotten offended, tried to oust the pastor, brought charges either true or false, or in some cases, exaggerated, and tried to bring down a ministry. And I’m very, very concerned about that.”
He concludes, demonstrating a pathetic lack of discernment and biblical sense.
“We need to pray for the accusers; Mike said that himself in his statement. The word ‘victim’ is being used- it’s unclear who’s a victim. Is it consensual, is it not consensual, there are so many questions. You know I said this earlier; it’s complicated; there is not an easy right or wrong. I’m just stating my opinion.
1: It happened a long time ago.
2: Whatever Mike did, a lot of other people have done too, so he who is without sin cast a first stone.
3. I believe, and I could be wrong, and if I’m proven wrong, I will be the first to admit it, but it looks to be like there are people who somehow have a vendetta against Mike Bickle for who knows why, offenses. In fact, John Bevere says ‘offenses are the bait of Satan.
It’s one of the worst problems in the church. There are people that would like that Ministry to come down and the enemy of our souls, Satan, is number one. We have to recognize that this is a spiritual attack. We are not fighting against flesh and blood.”
