Friday, June 3, 2011

IHOP sued by IHOP (again)

A fellow Kansas City inhabitant sent me with an article saying that the International House of Pancakes was renewing a lawsuit against the International House of Prayer - both of which are known as IHOP for short. The article link is below:

IHOP (the restaurant) files new lawsuit against IHOP (the ministry) - KansasCity.com

I'm wondering how this will turn out, considering Mike Bickle teaches the acronym IHOP came from God Himself. To quote a source:
God spoke to me about four heart standards necessary for my future life and ministry. They are not the only values necessary in a New Testament church, but are the most neglected ones. In 1996, God corrected us as a local church, calling us back to these by using the acronym "IHOP."
1. Intercession: night and day prayer and worship affects our time
2. Holiness: the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle (Mt. 5-7) affects our thoughts and attitudes
3. Offerings: extravagant giving by living simply to give more to the harvest affects our money
4. Prophetic: confidence in God’s intervention (provision, protection, direction) and standing boldly in faith for what the Spirit is saying affects our security and identity (most difficult) [source; all emphasis in original]
As the previously cited article explains, International House of Pancakes started using the IHOP acronym in 1973, some 23 years before Mike Bickle supposedly received his revelation. I have doubts that the argument "God gave it to me" would do well in a court case, but nonetheless it will be interesting to see how this develops.