Mike Bickle, a major figure within the dominionist Pentecostal wing of American Christianity, has been accused by multiple women and former colleagues of sexual and spiritual abuse stretching over several decades. In reporting the allegations, Religion News Service called Bickle “one of the most influential charismatic Christians in the United States and a leading figure in the so-called New Apostolic Reformation.”
Bickle is founder and leader of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, which is at the center of a global movement of 24-hour prayer and worship centers. Thousands of young people raise money to support their involvement in IHOP, which is intertwined with End Times prophecy and support for right-wing politicians and policies. Bickle has had a major influence on other dominionist leaders, including Charisma publisher Steve Strang. In 2019, Bickle appeared on Strang’s podcast and declared that attacks on former President Donald Trump and the right-wing by the “militant left” is “a demonic attack coming against the Word of God.”
In October, former IHOPKC leaders who brought the accusations to the attention of current ministry officials said they had tried to address the allegations with Bickle personally, and that he had not only rebuffed them but “used manipulating and intimidating tactics towards the victims to isolate them and discredit them.” Bickle has denied the allegations, which IHOPKC leaders say they are taking seriously.
Back in 2014, when IHOP drew attention and criticism for the role in played in the persecution of gay people in Uganda, the group declared unconvincingly that it is not involved in politics. In fact, Bickle has been deeply involved in promoting right-wing politicians such as Rick Perry and Ted Cruz. Among the dominionist leaders closely associated with Bickle is anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ activist Lou Engle.
In 2017, Bickle called Trump’s election “a huge reprieve from heaven.” He was quoted in Charisma publisher Steve Strang’s 2017 book “God and Trump,” which portrayed Trump’s election as a miracle. In 2019, he joined a huge array of Trump-supporting conservative Christian leaders in calling for a national day of prayer to protect Trump from his “enemies.”
Bickle once charged that Oprah Winfrey was a forerunner of the Antichrist, and preached that according to End Times prophecy, God will “raise up a hunter” against Jews who refuse to accept the Lordship of Jesus, adding that “the most famous hunter in recent history is a man named Adolf Hitler.”
Bickle has said that “the gay marriage agenda” is “rooted in the depths of hell.” In the days before the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality ruling, he preached a sermon warning that if same-sex couples were given the right to get married, Christians would be jailed for preaching from the Bible and pedophilia would be taught in public schools.
Bob Jones, a late “prophet” who played a major role in launching Bickle’s ministry, was removed from another Kansas City ministry in 1991 after admitting that he had used his “gifts” to manipulate women and engage in sexual misconduct, something Bickle has now been accused of doing.
