Been a while-what is the status of the ICOC (and ICC DF) now?
All I see in the ICC DF are moderator changes and complaints that it's turning into a right-wing discussion forum. Boring. What is going on now?
Since this blog was a compilation of hot threads in the ICC DF, I'm sadly not posting much anymore. Plus having gotten a better life, it's hard to stay motivated.
Help me out here: anyone got anything substantive to post about the current status of the ICOC? Feel free to comment, and/or point us to some ICC DF related discussions, if any (no names, just general topics with enough detail one can search).
Thanks, and sorry this place has been a bit dead for over a year (with occasional commentary). Appreciate anything you, my readers, all have to add. And please, chill out on the uber-religious, rants - this is not the place for it. Thanks, all. And I hope in all sincerity you are finding your path and calling, with or without the ICOC.
Life is awesome for me, more awesome than I'd ever have imagined, after the ICOC.
posted by icc at 12:13 AM
8 Comments:
Don't mind the guy who claims that the forums were taken over by "right-wingers". He was outed as a troll.
In a nutshell, the ICOC still continues its path back to the abusive glory days without Kip. They're not growing that much, although they're keeping up the illusion that things are fantastic in the "Kingdom".
Kip's International Christian Churches now have about 1,500 members. (Feel free to adjust that figure downwards by converting McKeanist math to normal people math.) They're finally going to replant Boston this summer, along with Paris, San Francisco, Orlando (for the third or fourth time, we're losing count!), and possibly Mexico City.
I have never seen this site before.
I find it interesting, if a little
disconcerting. I just wanted to
remind any ICOC member looking on
here, who is thinking of posting,
of Proverbs 26:4, and yes I know
what the next verse says. My point
is, stop posting in anger at this
person who has made it her mission
to mock our church. Righteous
indignation is one thing, but
remember also Romans 12:19. If God
wants this person to stop doing
this and come back to faith, he
will find a way, and I would be
willing to bet it will not be over
the Internet.
To those of you who think all ICOC
members are cult-members who think
of nothing else, I can legitimately
tell you this: I think about a lot
of things besides the ICOC. That
does not mean, however, that I do
not think about God in everything;
I think there's a difference. My
point is there are people in my
church who are successful and not
brainwashed, in fact I think they
make up the majority.
About Mike Taliaferro's message
about the church being "all fixed,"
Mike never said anything about the
church being "all fixed." He said
we had gotten over some serious
problems among our leaders and
among our practices, and were on
the path of repentance. If you're
doubting that the ICOC has changed,
this is one of the last things that
Mike said as he closed out the
World Discipleship Summit with a
prayer: that only God knew the real
number of saved people in the
world. A full out acknowledgment
that members of the ICOC are not
the only saved people in the world.
I know, I was there.
Also, get straight the difference
between the ICC and the ICOC. My
guess is there a lot of members of
the ICC that are true believers and
true brothers and sisters in
Christ, but also some that are not,
just like in the ICOC. However, the
ICC has connotations, if not
connections, to Kip McKean's new
church, the City of Angels
movement, or the Sold Out
Discipling Movement, or whatever
it's actually called. He is most
definitely out of leadership in the
ICOC, and is actually noted as a
man with whom ICOC members should
not associate if it can be helped.
Not because the ICOC leaders want
everyone to stay away from people
that are different, but because he
is dangerous and divisive. He has
preached about how the ICOC is evil
and all its members are going to
hell, and he has set up churches in
cities with ICOC churches, which he
helped to plant, very likely trying
to gain converts from his old
movement, though that is
speculation; I've never talked to
him about this. It appears that,
unfortunately, Kip has not repented
of the pride that prompted leaders
of the ICOC to ask him to leave,
though we certainly pray for him to
do so.
At last, I apologize for the length
of this comment.
The following comment is by the same
guy as the one who started with: "I
have never seen this site before. I
find it interesting, if a little
disconcerting."
Finally, to the author of this
blog, I don't know what happened to
you in the ICOC, but I can tell you
this, the Christians of the world
are sorry if we ever did anything
to hurt you. I'm not saying that
the ICOC is the only group of
people in the world who are saved,
but all Christians are sorry when
someone wanders from the flock, or
consciously makes ridiculing a
piece of the flock her mission. I
apologize again if that offended
you; I'm trying to be as loving as
possible while I am writing this.
Just trust me when I say, I'm not
angry at you, and I don't hate you.
No Christian should hate, ever. God
loves you, and he is seeking you
right now. All true Christians of
the world, ICOC or not, are seeking
you out, maybe not you
particularly, but they are looking
for those who are lost. The ICOC
has made some mistakes in the past,
and we will probably make some more
in the future, but we strive every
second of every day to live like
disciples of Christ, and model our
church after the church we see in
Acts. I'm not telling you, I'm not
ordering you, I am asking you to
forgive and put the pain of the
past behind you. You might be
surprised how much brighter the
world is when you do not carry
around some sort of burden of hate
or whatever you feel toward the
ICOC. And please stop implying that
Christians are mindless, idiotic
drones. You keep saying that this
blog is for intelligent people and
Christians can go pray to God or
read their Bible. If that is not
what you meant, I apologize for
assuming, but if it is, then I can
point you to a few members of the
ICOC who graduated from Ivy League
schools who I hope it would not be
an insult to your intelligence to
talk to.
I left the ICOC about six years ago. I was in the Indy church and I can't even begin to explain what was going on. The Singles Ministry had all but evaporated and there were some in the church who had huge egos. There was a prevailing attitude that if you didn't have a Masters Degree from Duke University, you weren't up to snuff. There was also some bad dating advice being given to the single women by marrieds who thought they knew everything. I still do suffer from post traumatic stress disorder at times from some of the verbal abuse, however, there were also some quality people in the church who taught me a lot about the bible. In many ways I am thankful for what I experienced as part of the ICOC. It has made me even wiser when it comes to knowing the difference between a church and a cult.
I left the icoc about a month ago and i totally understand what the author of this site means when he says its hard to stay motivated. At first when i found out the icoc was a cult and i found out how greviously manipulated and controlled every single member is i tried so hard to make people see. But then my n ew life was waiting and freedom in Christ was calling I had to move on. I applaud the author for still keeping up with this site. Please dont give it up, I was saved solely over the internet. For the icoc members still posting on here, its hilarious when you say" we no longer preach that we are the one true church". The statements you make about who is saved and who isnt saved are laughably ignorant and you sadly are not speaking for any part of the christian community because your leaders are afraid to expose the faulty doctrines of the icoc to true christians. I have discovered that onlyGod can open our eyes and the time in the icoc is well spent as a time wonndering in the desert. When you have exhausted your self and discover that you can not earn salvation by your works, then you will be ready to accept the message of grace as Christ preached it. I hope you are able to persevere till such a time becausee i know how hard life in the icoc is. I wish the members still there nothing but peace and a saving knowledge of Gods grace.
I had a bad experience with the icoc today, they have been lording baptism over me like they have the sole right to decide who is worthy. Im not the silent type and I made a big scene by telling the pastor no one in the new testament ever made it so hard to get baptized and that I was just going to have the saviour baptize me himself, which I did. So maybe ill never be treated as a member, but im also the only one in the church that was baptized by the founder of the church. Im sure gonna have fun with this, until I either get kicked out or something. Funny thing is I was sincere when I started, I wanted to be an evangelist and help people. Just like the icoc to kill a mans spirit
Amen icoc is evil they are predators who I enjoy studying with because im always prepared to refute them and have gotten them to admit certain things they teach are unbiblical like mandatory confession and I drive them crazy when I tell them Jesus baptized me himself, which is true. My goal is to destroy them, any advice?
I think that it will fall on its own unsound doctrine. I went through a lot as I was in the church for 15 years. For me I had to pick up the shattered pieces of what was left of my life. Thanks to the love and support from a good church I started to heal. I have a story to tell if anyone is interested or if it can help another person.
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