42 Kip McKean and the International Christian Churches (Part 1) with Steve Matthews

In this week's episode Brady Blevins and Steve Matthews discuss Kip McKean, World Missions Evangelist of the controversial International Christian Church (ICC), a worldwide movement headquartered in Los Angeles. In part one of this two-part discussion we explore the history, growth and some of the criticisms directed at the organization that first began as an on campus discipling ministry of the Crossroads Church of Christ at the University of Florida in Gainesville.


McKean became the world leader when the sect was known as the Boston Church of Christ and later as the group expanded its worldwide strategies under the name International Church of Christ (ICOC). In the midst of external and internal criticisms and calls for reform, McKean resigned from the ICOC later forming his rival organization, the ICC.


The movement has been under fire for decades even being banned from major university campuses including "American University, the University of Lowell (Mass.), Birmingham University (United Kingdom), the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), Boston College, Marquette University, Boston University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the University of London (United Kingdom), Vanderbilt University, the University of Miami, Northeastern University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Smith College, the United States Military Academy, the University of Southern California and York University (Canada)."1


Why is the ICC so popular and what drives the criticisms? Brady and Steve discuss some of the controversies surrounding Kip McKean and the ICC including their theological distinctives and questionable discipleship practices.


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Our free 4-page Profile on the International Churches of Christ (ICC) by Steve Matthews and Brady Blevins: www.watchman.org/ICC

• Our original 4-page Profile on the Boston Church of Christ / International Churches of Christ (ICOC) by Rick Branch www.watchman.org/Boston

• Our 4-page Profile on Spiritual Abuse by David Henke: www.watchman.org/Abuse

FREE: We are also offering a free subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/Free.

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1 John W. Morehead, "International Christian Churches: Disciples of Abuse?" www.apologeticsindex.org/i05.html