Boston International Christian Church (BICC) Experience

Date of Writing: 10/10/17

Subject Code Name: Agent Zero

In 2016, I had my first interaction with a Boston International Christian Church member. The interactions with this group start off very simple depending on your contact, I suppose. For me and one other, a very beautiful woman had seen us on the train while I was heading to MGH to speak to a surgeon about a necessary, impending procedure which had impacted me in the gym.

At first, I didn't think very much of her, as she just slipped a card to my companion and I asked if I could see it and take a look. I recalled from before, I had been looking for a good church to which to attend so I could connect more with God and perhaps make a few friends, and perhaps you know, also to find someone special for my life. I had figured I would try to reach out to this woman to learn not just more about her, but about her church and perhaps explore what they were all about. We had discussed things on Facebook and then on the phone, which were to see how I would feel about going with her to a Stoneham-based Bible study. This study was held at some long-time high-ranking church members' house.

The first Bible study or in their parlance, "Bible talk" night was very informal; it seemed like it was a lot of fun getting to know people. What I saw made me think, "Wow, so many different people from different backgrounds, some are professional workers, others home makers, students, laborers, etc." These people sparked my interest. I distinctly remember being especially impressed with the fact that so many people came from different walks of life, yet here at this house, none of that mattered, or so I thought.

As time went on, I went to a few of these informal Bible discussions. I was asked if I would like to become what they called "a disciple". They told me about the process and the lessons that would need to be undergone in order to do this. So I said to them, "Sure, why not, I have always wanted to be on better terms with God and have a relationship with him." I had thought it would enrich my life if anything to do something different and to be the kind of man that my grandfather raised me to be.

The Bible studies that they do in order to become a disciple are very comprehensive and I really dug into the Bible and discovered the things they want you to know --which is a good thing, because I believe in having a solid foundation for anything that you do in this life, no matter what it is. A lot of the materials in the Bible study are good and there is much to learn. However, the hardest part is when they dig into your life because it requires you to look at yourself in a light you might not have before and to carefully consider your past. To that end, I sometimes wonder if, at times, I should have told them as much as I did about myself.

By far, the hardest study of them all is the sin one where you basically talk about the things you did to hurt God. It is not an easy study. I am firmly convinced that as much as they say they don't hold things against members or recruits, they have dropped details about various members or recruits in various contexts in sermons or in conversations, using your past against you to blackmail you in the church if you think about wanting to leave. At that time though, they behave as though they are clinical psychiatrists, trying to help you work through your problems and get through what it is you might be feeling. Some will even casually talk about their pasts and what they have done seemingly so as to solicit my reprocation. However, I found it strange that out of anything I did and out of any people I might have hurt in the past, they especially seem more concerned about a person's sexual history.

They'll ask you how many women you've slept with, how many men, if you've ever had a same sex experience, or even as sick as this may sound, they will even ask if you have ever had sex with an animal. It shows true perversion and if anything, sickening behavior in that church. People there claim it is necessary for you to get all of your sins out so you might be forgiven for them and move on in your "new life" as a "baby Christian." I found my experience to be very dehumanizing and demeaning at best. However, I wasn't completely honest with them: how many women with whom I've slept, etc. so I just told them, "Yeah. I had sex before marriage. I've been a bad son and brother to my younger sister as well as a not so nice guy to my father's side of the family due to issues stemming from his abandoning me."

Everything you tell them may not be written down. However, I can promise you right now, these are things that ARE and WILL be remembered when you least expect it. The best example I could give you is when you are in a service is and you hear their Evangelist talking. He will bring up things that might be happening in your life or in others' lives – some of whom are guests there. He might say something like, maybe some of you here have been dumped by a significant other, and maybe you might have lost a job or an apartment, or a loved one. This is NOT a coincidence!! It is done to make the prospective members feel like they have someone who understands them and can connect with them on a personal level. This is of course the thought reform criterion of Mystic Manipulation. The very people who are working with you to get you to baptism are going right behind your back and telling their leadership all about you and even your sins as well. Whatever is confessed is NOT kept private as much as they might claim to. It is not something you should take lightly; the details they keep are very in-depth and personal,. They get these details in every aspect of your life, so as to gain some control over what you think and how you behave in life after baptism. This is an exclusive training tactic that most of if not all of the senior leadership in the ICC learn from its founder and current head, Kip McKean.

In my case, they didn't like many things about me but had baptized me anyway. A few of them included: I work nights, which they saw as an issue because I don't have the ability to do as much with them as they would have liked. They incessantly nagged me to leave my job or to get hours that they wanted me to get, but never considered my situation. I lived on my own and also supported my mother, who lives in her own place on SSDI and subsidized housing. I can tell you right now, your family situation is NOT something they will care to know about or help you on if you won't bend to their whims. If you disagree with them, they will tell you that "You don't love God enough if you won't do this or that, or why are you putting other people over God and the fellowship, don't you want to go to heaven?"

These are all common scare tactics -- ways to get you to do what they tell you. These are powerful psychological attacks, since they go right after what they know will hurt you the most. But it is done very gradually, almost so little to the point where you won't notice or catch onto it right away. Your intelligence won't matter either with catching onto this stuff: probably because it is minute at the beginning. I am not calling anyone who reads this stupid: I have 2 college degrees, both with Honors and High Honors. This has nothing to do with one's pedigree. What it has to do with is them getting into your head – psychological manipulation: manipulating what they know about you, saying it is in the Scriptures and using it against you.

For me, my experience after baptism slowly became a nightmare lasting nearly a year. Only recently, I started to really angry. After being baptized, I worked hard to recruit my mom – in their language, "Get her saved as well." I thought to myself, I've been a pretty bad son and I definitely wanted her to be in God's care no matter what. So she went through the same mess I did -- doing the Bible studies and such. She got baptized. Moreover, I had tried my best before and after her baptism to find others to recruit -- because I was told: my new function in life was to help people to know God.

There is a lot of love bombing: a lot of affection is shown towards potential converts and new converts, but this is only a short phase. Once you are hooked in and they have you, they figure, ok, it is time to move onto the next customer. Then come many demands on your time, money, and even questions of non-church member associates. If you have friends outside of the church, you will most likely be kept so busy they'll slip away from you. If you work for a living, you'll find yourself tired all of the time, potentially taking days off to catch up on much needed rest. This is all part of what they do to people when they are in. Yet strangely it does NOT occur with all of them (as much as some might think).

There are some exceptions in the ICC – a few elite are given some leniency depending on who they are -- I saw this first hand. If someone needed to miss a "Meeting of the Body," as they call it, most would get a ration of junk about it. Perhaps you would hear what I said before, "Why don't you want to be with us; your commitment to the group is not solid enough; you need to pray on this, bro; you need to seek advice first; call out of what you have to do; you are hurting God doing this you know; why don't you just come here?" However, if you are someone who significantly contributes financially, you aren't really bothered. It is like anything else with a cult: they want your money – so, of course, if they know you've got something else going on and it is going to be bringing in some kind of financial gain for even the church, you won't be hassled much.

I will even go so far as to say if you are someone who contributes heavily, even sins in some sense are overlooked and you may merely receive a slap on the wrist. The best example I can give: one man was brought before the congregation for 'extreme sexual impurity' -- I believe he was having sex with a woman in the church. They made him step down as a Bible Talk leader and in less than a month, he resumed the same position and also might be promoted to be a church leader in Western Mass. Facts are: if you have a lot of money, and donate to them, certain things are overlooked. Meetings of the body, some sins, and even behavior they "claim" to be dead set against. Don't let them fool you: money is a big part of how this cult is run and functions. Financial issues: I would like to take some time to explain before I get into my reasons for my recent departure. Additionally, I would like to expound on what has happened since, including how they have been behaving since. On the financial end, you are expected to give a minimum of 10% of your income before taxes to the church which is strictly monitored. They will tell you that you have a minimum pledge that they want as close to 10% as possible. At the beginning, you will need to budget in such a way that you will be living on 90% of what you were used to live on. It is hard and they will tell you that if you put God first He will make a way and path for you. I personally do believe that God will provide, but if you know you have a family to support and yourself like in my situation. (1Timothy 5:8, "Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.") Sometimes you just can't let things go and you can only do the best you can.

Truthfully, however, that is not something they like to hear and they WILL 100% of the time lecture you about your giving, even if you have to pay your rent and they would have you be homeless even at the expense of your rent check, if you are not giving enough. Now as mentioned previously, they want 10% minimum -- but they want far, far more than that. It is not uncommon for Evangelist or your other church leaders to ask you to bump your contribution $15 or $20 or more a week. After a while, you'll notice when that happens, it is more like they are really asking for a few hundred more per week. That translates to well over 10% for most people these days. They could very easily be asking for 30 to 50% of your entire pay before taxes. They'll say this is optional, but when you are in, you'll be made to feel guilty just like I did. Also as a little side note, this does NOT even count the "Special Missions Contribution" that you are EXPECTED to come up with twice a year, which is roughly 25 times (or more) of your weekly donation and they give you a bunch of grief if you cannot come up with this money.

The only thing which kept my head up and not breaking myself completely financially is every time I reminded them that I have two houses to support (my own and my mother's) whether they liked it or not. Guilt is a very common, tactic well-documented in many other cults, long before the ICC was even a thought in Kip McKean's heart. Many of you have heard of him before when the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) was in Boston and had begun its movement with him as their leader, although at one point he did step down and their movement fell apart. But, make no mistake, he has returned, and from what I have learned, he is more controlling in the manner he was before. He has a very extensive (and very shady) history with many different things that I could delve into on this article -- but the truth is for those of you who read this, you NEED to investigate him on your own and make an informed decision from there on whether or not you want to be a part of this. My sole purpose here is to just tell you of my experience in this so called church.

First let's start with their founder Kip, who has probably one of the shadiest histories I have ever seen in anyone with all of the research I have had to do. In my college years I used to research criminal figures all of the time (I majored in Law Enforcement). There is a lot of literature out there concerning him and his highly questionable practices. To be honest I wouldn't put it past him if he had some sort of history of mental illness that has made him so possessive over the ICC as a whole. Every single evangelist and leader in the chain ultimately report to him in one way or another, the leadership pyramid is still the same as www.reveal.org shows, except he has NOT left and is still there.

He cannot handle a release in the power of controlling the ICC and from what I have been made to understand from others, he was the same way when the ICOC was in effect in Boston in the early days of the movement. What I know about him is this and it is mentioned in this article too, some have suffered from severe depression due to this cult and there is at least one case of a suicide due to the unusually severe nature of stress put on people. This video here is a detailed investigation that showed two people who tried to commit suicide and one person who also lost her father and the church told her he went to hell and this woman her husband was so broken, he committed suicide because of the church.

Although this is an old video, I do recommend you watch the entire video. You NEED to understand that the training methods that Kip McKean used back at the ICOC are STILL in active use to this day along with many other aggressive means to keep members in and get at their money! This is very serious and you all need to be aware just how dangerous this really is! He is so money-hungry -- there is even the ICCM which is basically a fake (unaccredited) college he developed to give out fake degrees with no actual worth to them in any other educational institution (cost is roughly $6,000-$12,000). All of which are worthless! You can find their cost information here at the ICCM website.

There is another thing that I found: the ICC's founder and current leader, one Thomas Wayne "Kip" McKean (Thomas Wayne McKean is his legal name) owns a $650,000 luxury condo in Marina del Rey.

It is terrible to squeeze every member for as much as possible – demanding that the average member lives in poverty or as a pauper, and yet their top leader uses church funds to purchase this luxurious home. Think of where your donations are going. It's infuriating. The average member is squeezed for every last dollar that they can give. The top leader is in the lap of luxury. In any event, this is what the ICC looks like in that way. Now for my experience and what I went through after baptism. This is what the schedule looks like for the new Disciple as they call it or baby Christian:

With that said, time was a big issue because I was not willing to sacrifice more time than I could afford to or hurt my family who rely on me. That right there drew some complaints from one of the women towards my own mother telling her she needs to STOP relying on me so much and leave me alone in that area. That cut my mother to pieces having to hear that, so my response was to my mother, "You ignore that damned nonsense right now! If you need something it is MY job to ensure you are well taken care of and not for anything, it is a biblical principle to take care of one's family" (1Tim. 5:8). I am very strong-willed when it comes to helping my family and I do not like being one to let anyone down if I can help it. They certainly did not like that, when it came to my contributions. In fact, as a member, they have a new game to play: a financial workshop where you fill out a sheet showing exactly how much money you make and how much every bill is and what you have left over in free cash at the end of every pay period. That I did NOT fill out and knew point blank, this is not in the scriptures!

The next thing they didn't like was how dedicated I am to health, fitness, and proper eating. This was harped on greatly by many church members, especially the woman who gave me her card. She felt I was using the gym as an idol and only focused on muscling up and looking better. However I distinctly remember her saying at a Bible Talk saying she viewed strong beefcake men as something she liked a lot and viewed as good strength. I scoffed at that remark which drew glares because it is ok for her to lust after those kinds of men, but not ok for me to work out so I could keep my health good and strong.

After that, my conservative political views were at fault. They also faulted me for how I make time for things that I feel are important but they felt were not -- I should be making as much time as possible for brother and sister disciples in my life. I didn't know what more they wanted from me considering I am in my mid 30's and don't have the same amount of time that a college student does. Next thing to come up was my desire to join the military and make a life and good professional career there in the reserves, as well as taking advantage of every educational program they have to offer.

A good member is expected to run every major and minor life decision by them and if they don't think you should do it or you show resistance to their desires, which may not even be biblical, you are told to wait, and wait and pray. Well, for some of us, we don't have the time to do that. They expect you to submit to them in almost every circumstance and if you don't, they ridicule you. For instance, they might say you don't trust God enough with your future and they will constantly bring you down in that regard. I am stubborn, however, and told them "It is my life and my decision and that if I do it with God in mind then I will rely on him to help me," not them.

My next reason for leaving was observing how they were treating my mother. I knew she needed a series of surgeries on her left leg; this, of course, did not go over too well with them since she would be away from the fellowship, but it did not completely start there. It started with them harping on her about not contributing because she is disabled and on a very fixed income with no disposable income (no money after paying bills and for food). They don't care if you have any problems; yet, they will constantly tell you that there is a benevolence collection if you need help with bills or ask for food (which we rarely did because I didn't want them hanging anything over my mother's head). I refused to allow that to happen. Her discipler was a complete nightmare as well -- she was half my mother's age and showed very little to no respect when they talked. She constantly ridiculed my mother, making her feel like a child and not showing any respect at all for somebody her age.

I noticed this and figured that everything we were going through was just growing pains of being in our new life as Christians. But it became harder and harder as time went on and I don't know how I lasted for so long. But this was still not exactly what caused my mother and me to leave the ICC. There was much more and it was after this last case-story I will tell you about that revealed the true heart, hypocrisy, and downright mean-spirit of this so called 'church'.

A woman whom I had known for a while had decided to accompany me to a few Bible Talks and church services, which was nice. She eventually agreed to do the Bible Studies and go forward with wanting to be baptized. She is a single mom of two very nice young boys and is well established in her career. I thought to myself, wow she would make a beautiful addition to the church, as she'd already been well acclimated with a Christian upbringing.

This is the first thing that threatened them about her is she had a wonderful foundation because of her family. She gradually grew into the talks and her homework assignments. Moreover, she always had said seeking God needed to be something she brought back to her life because everything has been a mess. I fear though I only added more stress at that time on her given what she has gone through with the ICC. She is a very giving person. However, it is the hardest thing to see when someone you are falling for is going to be hurt like that and you only find out when it is too late.

For her, they constantly harangued her about her time as well because she knew it is a priority for her as a single career mom of two boys. The very same woman who had harassed my mother about asking me for help, always said to this lady, "Don't waste our time and efforts on this if you aren't serious!" From what I was told, this happened every time they met; in fact, despite her being serious about wanting to get baptized. It was pretty bad no matter how you look at it. Here is what happened with her from what I have been told:

Wednesday---Midweek---She was told that the church was going to be planting a new one and a married couple with no car was going to find a way up there but needed help. Her response: I will lend you a Jeep that I have available to me.

In addition to this, she said, "You can use my house for the new church, there is plenty of parking and my place is big enough to accommodate it".

One Sunday, we were to host a house service – but things got changed and she wanted to go to her mom’s church to visit and tell of how she was going to be baptized very soon. That did not go over too well with the woman who was giving her a hard time. So she said, Okay I will go to service at the park since it was changed. Yet one other woman went to another church that day and was not given a hard time whatsoever! That right there is straight out hypocrisy!!!

Despite this happening, based on how she is, she bought enough food to feed the entire church of over 80 people that day. No easy task for a single mother of two to take on that kind of commitment and desire to feed hungry people, but it is one that God loves, I am sure.

So after this had occurred -- I believe it was a Friday or Saturday night -- she had another Bible Study or talk and the unthinkable happened: my friend was lectured and ridiculed yet again about something because of having been a smoker. The same woman who told her not to waste anyone’s time was ridiculing her and being very mean yet again. When she finally got home, she was so numbed by all of this, such that she said to me, "I cannot do this anymore with this woman. She is telling me she doesn’t want me around her grand kids at all when I smoke and she is making me feel like trash about every little thing. I love you but I just can’t do this anymore and I am afraid of losing you!"

That was the very hardest thing for me to hear because when I was at my midweek service in Boston while she was at hers in NH, one of the elders in the church said he really liked her. He wanted to know where I saw this going. I told him I was in love with her and his response was, "Once we get her baptized we need to talk about you two getting married soon!" Naturally I was elated and very happy to hear him say this because it had occasionally crossed my mind.

I didn’t find out she was leaving until that Friday or Saturday night and when I did, it made my blood boil. I wasn’t mad at her but I was very angry at the church given how hypocritical they have been throughout the entire time they had -- they were supposed to be teaching her and helping her find God and get baptized. This is opposite everything the Bible teaches people to begin with about how people of God are to behave. I took a little bit of time myself after talking on the phone to many people looking at what I was to do. I had decided my best and most rational option was to leave the ICC and acknowledge what it truly is; nothing but a cult that hurts people who do not fall in line with what they want.

This exposes their hypocrisy in its truest form, yet at the same time they will most likely deny everything that has been done or that if it has I need to learn to be more forgiving since "they had my heart in mind".

My recommendation for any of you out there that has come across this cult is the following, and I cannot emphasize this enough, but do NOT feel stupid or wrong about leaving them!! You are worth so much more to God than you could ever possibly realize and you do NOT need a church like this! There are far healthier and more biblical and consistent churches out there! You don’t need people like this ICC crushing your heart and your spirit! I myself have had to learn a lot the past week since I have only been out a week and have ZERO intentions of ever going back to them. Some out there have not been so lucky and have had to go to a string of doctors and psychologists for clinical help.

I will not tell you to not look into psychiatry for help if you need it. For some of you it might be your best possible option. For myself, I have been trained by the military and police for some of my long-time jobs, so I know full well how to get over things. Moreover, my faith in God is even stronger now than it ever was before and during ICC. You cannot allow anyone to hurt you or bring you down, so my advice is this! Get out of there if you are a member! A true church of God will NOT hurt you or bring you down. They will show real love, not love-bombing, but real love and help you when you need it with no strings attached.

Follow God, NOT men! Especially if these men are leading you into something you know is wrong and learn is wrong in the Scriptures! Stick to your guns and your best bet is if you leave, do NOT have any contact with them whatsoever. You don’t owe them any explanation of any kind, and if the harassment continues, my advice would be is to tell the Evangelist or church leader to tell the congregation to leave you alone or you will take legal actions if it becomes necessary.

Do NOT be afraid of them, moving on, reclaiming your life, and please, please, know this and I mean it from the bottom of my heart and soul: when you leave that place, you are NOT going alone!! God is with you and will continue to be so! God will always love you, protect you, help you, need you, and care for you! Keep in your Bible and do not let them dissuade you if they tell you that he has left and you’re going to be condemned.

They will come after you saying that they love and miss you, and that you’re not being a man about things, or go worse. However ignore them and remember for every judgment they make against you, every evil thing they say, every hurtful thing, God notices this and he WILL shield you!! That proves God is with you too because you are going after him without this cult and they are truly threatened by this!

With that all being said I would like for all of you who read this to watch this video on YouTube if you have any fears and doubts. Remember that what you have seen in the Bible is true, God is love!!! The interpretation the ICC has is NOT!

In addition please hold this scripture close to your heart!

Deuteronomy 31:6---Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU!!

Remember he loves you now, forever and always!