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Q: Why does the 'Open Rebuke' to Rick Joyner and Morningstar remain published?

This question is in regards to: Prophetic Mandate-- Levels Of Integrity, Truthfulness, and Responsibility, and later on our Rick Joyner In Charisma page.



A: This is not just about Morningstar. We were told prophetically that the rebuke would bless or assist those who had been or will be hurt by the false prophetic movement rising up in America, regardless of what Morningstar ever did with the rebuke itself. This has proven to be true according to our mail about this, most of which has been privately written to us.

We have never received any answer from Rick Joyner or Bob Jones or Morningstar, though we have made sufficient efforts to make ourselves available for such an answer (please see the bottom of the open rebuke referred to, sent to Rick Joyner and Morningstar in 1999).  In fact, if it weren't for our many acquaintances and friends, it was entirely possible that we might never have known of Joyner's indirect responses. Truthfully, if Joyner or Morningstar had ever shown any reasonable discourse or response, these articles might have been taken down. At the very least, they would have earned an entirely different introduction.

These indirect responses have included:

1) His  June 1999 Prophetic Bulletin where he said, "we do intend to answer some of them at the right time and place. Usually they are just not high enough on our priority list. We are too busy building to take much time for this." He also called people "paranoid" in that same publication.
2) His "Response to Charisma", year 2001, where he claimed (gross) inaccuracies in the Charisma article, and accused his professed friend Steven Strang of being "poisoned against the prophetic." As for his mysterious "knights" association, he stated: "I cannot address this in the way that it deserves here, but I intend to do so very soon, explaining my association with them completely—I have only attended three investitures in more than ten years, and no other meetings" He then follows that statement by making a plug for his book, Courage That Changed The World. This book seemed written in the defensive of the Knights he was connected with at the time and could even be considered a shameless advertisment for them, and it has been challenged as being wholly inaccurate (Joyner tends to have no footnotes or references in his books).  However, finally, at that time in his Response to Charisma, Joyner openingly revealed that this indeed was the 'knights' group he belongs to. (Note Lee Grady's rebuttal to Joyner's attacks on Charisma is reproduced below on the "Response to Charisma" page).

Prior to our rebuke, Joyner had remained either silent, vague, or largely uninformative when it comes to the issue of the knights (See: April 1998 Morning Star Prophetic Bulletin). Excepting of course, for his questionable historical commentary in his book he is still plugging above: Courage That Changed The World.

As for the false prophecies, Joyner has never made an answer other than the answer he gave to people hurt by it, which was reported in the Open Rebuke. In fact, the answer he gave was one which he was rebuked for in our Open Rebuke.

So, other than working into his publications suspicion of people's motives, vague slander on their Christian integrity, or baseless accusations (I consider accusing without specifics or factual backing a baseless accusations), and a plug for his book, Rick Joyner has never given an answer to us. Except for perhaps, this one:

"I'm not going to listen to people I think aren't legitimate leaders in the body of Christ"
                                                                                                                                       -Rick Joyner

(as quoted in Charisma magazine, April 2001)


The on-going developments leading up to and beyond the Charisma magazine article has been  very instructive. At the beginning of this, we personally witnessed Rick Joyner state that he desires open rebukes and teach that this is okay on a biblical basis at one of his meetings (see reference to this in the open rebuke itself). At that same meeting, he also disallowed anyone talking to "the prophets" at his conferences.  If the reader takes nothing else from this, they should take this bit of wisdom:  Practices must match the stated principles. If they do not, then the stated principles are made false.



As of July 27, 2001, we announced that we had been available to answer mail regarding this for over two years. Rick Joyner had ample time, both before and after the unforeseen public article by Charisma magazine, to respond to any of the issues raised. At any time we would have answered any response or published any response. We consider ourselves not obliged to do so any more. The publication and its attached ancillary supporting articles or proofs have remained.


RECENT UPDATES - HarvestNET has not made it a practice to follow any further sagas or controversies generated by Rick Joyner in recent years. However, we take note of the following two reports that were brought to our attention:

Heavenly Portals
by John Paul Jackson of Stream Ministries International dated 2002

John Paul Jackson writes about "heavenly portals" or spherical openings of light for the travel of angels, which both Rick Joyner and John Paul Jackson coincidentally claim happen to be on land that they own. Rick Joyner claims "numerous angelic visitations" from "several" of these portals at Moravian Falls, North Carolina. John Paul Jackson Sutton claims a portal exists on 90-acres that were given to Streams Ministries in in Sutton, New Hampshire.

Paul Cain Plunges - Joyner Sends Mixed Message dated November 08, 2004

This blogger article concerns a message on the Morning Star website by Rick Joyner, Jack Deere and Mike Bickle which was posted on October 19 2004 regarding fellow 'Kansas City Prophet' Paul Cain's double life. The blogger notes that the original text has been changed at Morningstar, and comments on a later announcement on October 25 2004. The practice of changing texts like this, or taking down articles, or sending what many would consider mixed messages about those in 'leadership', have also been observed by HarvestNET ministy in earlier years. So, this is just a notation of similar practices as reported by other, independent observers.

Please see our Mail to Author page specifically addressing the Joyner issue
as it originally unfolded. As for any later additional updates here that have been added, we are confident that any discerning Christian can make their own decisions.

Main Pages this page refers to:
Prophetic Mandate-- Levels Of Integrity, Truthfulness, and Responsibility (The Open Rebuke)
Trouble in Prophet Land (ancillary article)
Rick Joyner In Charisma page
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