Cult News

There is no doubt now, after something like a “palace coup” that deposed him from his throne, Thomas “Kip” McKean is staging a comeback.

McKean is the founder and once undisputed ruler over a “cult” that includes more than 100,000 followers called the “International Church of Christ ” (ICC).

He said, ”We’re praying that God will lead us to a new ministry.”

But what the deposed despot seems to really mean is a “new ministry,” with him on the throne again, or at least playing an important if not pivotal role.

McKean is launching a newsletter to all ICC congregations worldwide and has been “attending whirlwind meetings with church officials and old friends,” reports the Boston Globe.

It’s not clear who those “officials and old friends” are.

But like Napoleon returning from Elba King Kip apparently covets a return to power and the spotlight.

The same old crew of sycophants he once appointed and moved up within the power structure now controls the ICC. And it is unclear who amongst them will support their old hero and who will try to keep him locked out.

McKean, historically known for his reluctance to grant any interview, suddenly gave the Boston Globe unprecedented access.

This can easily be seen as a cynical move to use the newspaper as a means to communicate with the faithful, tell his side of the story and rally his former “disciples.”

The official story given to the Globe is that McKean left the ministry due to family problems. Specifically, that his daughter opted to leave the controversial church while attending Harvard.

However, rumors persist that more than this may have caused the monarch’s eventual departure. And that his daughter’s defection was only a conveinent and superficial excuse.

Apologies for abuse published on the Internet by the current group in power at the ICC appeared hollow and rather unconvincing.

Probably the only solution for real change the ICC would be a complete house cleaning, which would include in an an entirely new leadership elected at large by the general membership.

Also, an independent accounting firm, to disclose where all the money went and/or has been deposited over the years should probably do a complete audit of the books.

It seems doubtful that any process like this will ever occur.

But given the millions of dollars in annual contributions and whatever assets the ICC may have accumulated since its founding in 1978, it isn’t difficult to see why the powerful within the organization are struggling to keep their seats at the table. And why Kip wants his back at the head.

Some prominent people within the organization have done well feasting at that table over the past decades.

As in any business or corporate empire, money and power are often the motivation for taking control and/or fighting for it.

Will King Kip be able to once again sit on his old throne and rule the kingdom he created?

Will some of his former courtiers be able to effectively keep their deposed monarch out of the palace?

Or, will the ICC’s touted “Kingdom of God” simply be split up into petty fiefdoms and/or eventually disintergrate without the charismatic personality at the helm that once made it tick?

Stay tuned as the saga of this “cult” empire continues.