KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
January 14, 2025
By Rebecca Hopkins
With just weeks until a third-party investigation of International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC) is completed, the organization that commissioned it has come under fire for removing a trusted voice from the Senior Advisory Team for the investigation. But after facing intense backlash from the abuse survivor community, the organization—Tikkun Global, a Messianic Jewish network—reversed course and today reinstated the removed advisory team member, Ron Cantor.
Cantor has publicly stood with survivors of alleged abuse by International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOPKC) Founder Mike Bickle. And last September, when months of negotiations for a mutually-acceptable investigation broke down between an Advocate Group for Bickle victims and current IHOPKC leaders, the Advocate Group asked Cantor and Tikkun for help.
Cantor was instrumental in finding a third-party to investigate the allegations that survivors found acceptable—Jim Holler of Firefly Investigations. Tikkun commissioned that investigation and has previously stated that Holler’s investigation should conclude sometime in January.
But about a month ago, the founder of another ministry with ties to the Messianic movement—Messianic Jewish apologist Michael Brown of Fire School of Ministry and The Line of Fire broadcast—was also accused of sexual misconduct.
Once again, Cantor, who knows Brown, publicly supported victims and called for accountability for Brown.
“I want to say to those who have come forth with pure consciences to share their stories that I applaud you!” Cantor wrote in December. “Before one chooses to become a whistleblower, one must count the cost. It takes great courage and personal sacrifice. Some of them may be wondering if they did the right thing. In my opinion, they did.”
This apparently was a bridge too far for Tikkun leaders. In a now-deleted post last Friday, Tikkun accused Cantor of losing objectivity in his posts supporting Brown’s alleged victims. And it urged “due process,” noting that the Line of Fire Board had also commissioned Firefly to conduct a third-party investigation into the allegations against Brown.
“(W)e know that ‘victimization’ can spread like wildfire, inviting those with grudges against leadership to jump on the bandwagon,” Tikkun wrote in the post. The group urged against “prosecuting by social media” and announced that Cantor would take a “leave of absence” from Tikkun’s advisory team.
“This is a massive breach of trust,” wrote IHOPKC survivor advocate Alyssa DeGraff on X on Saturday. “Unless drastic efforts towards repair are taken, people have already considered retracting their sensitive stories from being included in the report.”
Others echoed her sentiments.
“I’m deeply concerned that this signals a move to preemptively discredit a large swatch of the allegations as ‘bandwagon reports’ in an attempt to save the reputations of IHOPKC and Line of Fire,” wrote former IHOPKCer Susan Tuma on X.
Today, Tikkun reversed course and apologized for removing Ron Cantor from Tikkun’s advisory team and for breaking trust with IHOPKC survivors. Tikkun also reinstated Cantor.
“We sincerely apologize to those victims and witnesses who trusted us and came forward and are now feeling betrayed,” Tikkun wrote. “We see Ron as a crucial team member and have asked him to return, and he has agreed.”
Today’s statement was signed by Tikkun Global’s senior advisory team, including Asher Intrater, Dan Juster, Paul Wilbur, Eitan Shishkoff, Ron Cantor, and Ariel Blumentha.
‘I was the target’
On Saturday, Cantor wrote online that Tikkun made Cantor the “target” in a “stupid email.”
“I’m not going to defend it—I was the target,” Cantor wrote.
The Line of Fire, IHOPKC, and Tikkun are separate organizations. However, they share a history of similar prophetic ministry and care for Israel.
Dan Juster, Tikkun’s founder and a member of Tikkun’s team that commissioned Firefly, included stories about both Mike Bickle and Michael Brown in his written history of Tikkun. Juster wrote about a partnership decades ago between Tikkun and Kansas City Fellowship, a church Bickle pastored before starting IHOPKC.
Brown has called Bickle a “personal friend.” Also, in late 2023, IHOPKC invited Michael Brown to advocate for plans for IHOPKC’s first independent investigation into Bickle that later failed. Months later, Brown signed a joint statement with other charismatic leaders, calling Bickle “unfit to lead a ministry.”
Some advocates, such as Alyssa DeGraff, said they were initially cautious about Tikkun’s involvement in the IHOPKC investigation, but that victims “bravely participated” anyway.
“Tikkun’s statement yesterday was atrocious,” DeGraff wrote last week on X. “It was a rude and careless slap in the face of the victims and sources who have bravely participated in the investigation so far, and also those who have helped fund it. Many did not trust the org initially, myself included.”
But Cantor’s dedication to transparency has built trust with survivors in Tikkun’s process, wrote Tuma on X.
“I’m curious who has had concern about Ron Cantor’s social media posts regarding Brown— I have only heard a deep sense of gratitude and relief over his strong stance for a transparent, true third party investigation where victims have a safe place to come forward,” Tuma wrote. “It’s what caused many of us to take the risk and trust Tikkun in the first place.”
Tikkun wrote that Brown had “fully embraced this commitment” to submit to a third-party investigation rather than engaging allegations on social media. Brown’s board also previously said Brown had agreed to step back from public ministry during the investigation into his misconduct.
However, Brown has been regularly posting spiritual and educational videos on The Line of Fire YouTube channel, a detail Tikkun didn’t mention in last week’s statement condemning Cantor’s social media postings.
While taking his fellow Tikkun leaders to task for the email, Cantor also urged the public to give his colleagues a chance to change.
“I’ve walked with these men for 37 years, and I’m not going to throw away that because of a stupid email (and it was stupid),” Cantor wrote. “Beyond misplacing their anger by taking it out on an advocate instead of the abuser, the tone and content of the email put the entire IHOPKC investigation in jeopardy.”
But Cantor added, “(B)efore we throw in the towel and let the abusers win, please allow the leaders in Tikkun to explain themselves and hopefully reverse course,” Cantor wrote.
Tikkun’s Apology
Usually, Tikkun runs its statements by advocate and attorney Rachael Denhollander, who is consulting with Tikkun on this investigation, Tikkun wrote today. But it didn’t for its now-deleted statement Friday, Tikkun wrote.
“She was not involved in the statement released on Friday and we are engaging with her this week before we put out a further statement,” Tikkun wrote today. “We value her experience and are in a posture of humble learning related to many of these issues.”
Tikkun also clarified that it will be releasing the entire report that Firefly writes for its investigation, which its earlier statement seemed to call into question.
“As pledged from the beginning, the final, full, unredacted Firefly investigative report into IHOPKC will be posted publicly in its entirety as soon as it is finished,” Tikkun wrote today. “. . . We apologize for this confusion.”
Tikkun also apologized for criticizing whistleblowers.
“Without your involvement, there is no investigation, accountability, or discipline,” Tikkun wrote. “As for us, we are still learning in this space of advocacy. It’s new to us. But our ears are open as well as our hearts.”
Whether Tikkun’s about-face will be enough to convince survivors remains to be seen.
“While I appreciate the stark shift in tone of the most recent statement, this is a moment where traumatized victims deserve more than sincerity,” DeGraff told The Roys Report (TRR). “Trust has been broken at the expense of those who cannot afford it and have already been retraumatized by institutional betrayal.”
Earlier, DeGraff asked for other assurances, including a statement assuring survivors that Tikkun is not a financial beneficiary of Sanctuary Church, which former IHOPKC Pastor Isaac Bennett created. DeGraff also asked for a statement that Tikkun is not basing its process on Dan Juster’s 2015 book, “Due Process.” The book is controversial among survivors because IHOPKC and Michael Brown have used the phrase to criticize victims and advocates for speaking publicly about their concerns.
Tensions grow over phrase ‘due process’
In November 2023, following allegations about Bickle but prior to public allegations about Brown, Brown wrote, “Let due process be done, whatever the consequences might be. But don’t throw stones, as if nothing like this could happen to you.”
IHOPKC used that phrase while questioning and criticizing the Advocate Group for reporting alleged abuse to IHOPKC leaders.
“Again & again, the substantive concerns & requestions of survivors & advocates are treated as unreasonable, biased, & attempts to circumvent ‘due process (or whatever undefined legalese term organizational spokespeople are using to impress trusting supporters),” wrote survivor advocate H.L. Griffin last February on X.
When Tikkun issued a statement calling for accountability at IHOPKC last February—prior to its involvement in IHOPKC’s investigation—it too called for “due process.”
It mentioned the book, “Due Process” by Tikkun’s founder Dan Juster as its basis for the process. In its now-deleted critical statement about Cantor last week, it urged due process again, this time saying it can’t happen on social media.
“(S)ocial media is not the place to carry out a trial of judgement,” Tikkun’s now-deleted post states. “In today’s world, people’s lives and reputations can be easily destroyed before due process and biblical justice have been adequately applied.”
“While this most recent statement buys time for Tikkun to demonstrate actions towards repair and transparency, there are still serious concerns over whether Juster’s ‘due process’ approach is a part of this process or not, especially about what we now know about his views on the discipline of Bob Jones,” DeGraff told TRR.
Juster did not immediately return TRR’s request for comment.