International House of Prayer

A post about the consequences of not wanting to hurt someone's feelings.  I am usually guilty of the opposite sin, of "saying the quiet part out loud" or blundering into an offense.  But this time...

Mo. police, fire chaplains dismissed in fallout from church sexual abuse investigation

We have good friends whose children became deeply involved with this ministry, traveling to Kansas City for events, and the daughter and her husband ended up working for them.  They still do, I believe, though they are in a distant city and are now sheltering some of the victims who spoke out. 

I didn't like the group from the start, mostly for doctrinal reasons concerning their approach to prophecy and their own centrality to the coming Last Days. Teenagers influenced by them prophesied over each other what their careers should be and dangers that were about to happen to them. There was a youth group in town where such things were common. This is exactly the sort of cultish behavior that is so often connected with financial and sexual scandals, including threats during the coverups.

But I said nothing because I feared their parents would think I was criticising their judgement and discernment by letting, even encouraging their children to travel and participate.  Nor did I want to hurt the teenager/young adult feelings, because I had known these children from birth and am fond of them as well. We were at their weddings, they were at our yearly Jesse Tree celebration, they were very welcoming to our two boys when they arrived from Romania. The son has long since left the faith.

They are adults and their decisions are their own, certainly. Yet I wish I had not refrained from putting in my oar for fear of offending.  20/20 hindsight, surely.