Mike Bickle Turns Away Francis Chan+ Sam Storm Says He Believes ‘Jane Doe’
A longtime friend and supporter of Mike Bickle says he believes the allegations against the IHOPKC founder, and recounts a recent incident where Bickle turned away he and Francis Chan.
Sam Storms, a member of the Council of The Gospel Coalition, past President of the Evangelical Theological Society, and former IHOPKC board member who ministered alongside Bickle for nearly a decade, write in a recent blog post:
We were made aware of the allegations of clergy sexual abuse at different times over the past several months. We have now both spoken extensively with one of the primary Jane Does and her husband and believe what she has said about the sexual nature of their interaction. In her own words, it involved everything short of sexual intercourse. There is no reason to doubt the accuracy of her testimony. Our hearts break for what she suffered and for the ongoing grief this horrific injustice has caused her and her family.
He continues:
Sam and Francis Chan attempted to visit Mike at his home on October 31 where Chris Reed turned them away at the door. He said that Mike had been instructed not to meet or speak with anyone, which Mike later confirmed in a brief email to Sam. We were subsequently informed that Mike was following the counsel of Eric Volz.
As a matter of conscience, we write now to publicly state that we believe Jane Doe. We deeply regret not being aware of her situation at the time it occurred. We have now been made aware of additional allegations directed at Mike for behavior subsequent to his relationship with Jane Doe. These are grievous and weighty.
Storms says that a recent statement by Bickle, where he only admits to ‘inappropriate behavior‘ and deflects all other blame, is “woefully inadequate” and that it is most lacking in “explicitly owning the sin he committed against Jane Doe(s), repenting, and asking for forgiveness.” He concludes:
We believe Mike has had every opportunity to vulnerably share any temptations or struggles with sin with fellow leaders in order to find God’s mercy and pathway to wholeness. Sadly, we believe he has not remained faithful to this commitment, but rather engaged in deceptive and manipulative actions to exploit the vulnerability of a godly young woman. As such, we are in firm agreement with Mike stepping down from Christian ministry.
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