1/17🧵In a previous post I wrote generally about how my father, Bob Hartley, who was a major prophetic voice for churches like #IHOP, #Bethel (also #YWAM and harvest rock church), is a complete fraud.
In this thread I will begin to share some specifics.
In this thread I will begin to share some specifics.
2. I grew up adoring my dad. He had hit bitter flaws, but he was a wonderful storyteller who had lived an unbelievable life.
So in my early 20s I decided to write a book about him. "I Hope it's not Hereditary" a tongue in cheek retelling of stories from my dad's childhood.
So in my early 20s I decided to write a book about him. "I Hope it's not Hereditary" a tongue in cheek retelling of stories from my dad's childhood.
3. At first the experience was great. I got to spend time with my father and ask him about his life story.
However, once I began writing the book something changed. The narratives of his life began to blur-- his stories never quite adding up.
However, once I began writing the book something changed. The narratives of his life began to blur-- his stories never quite adding up.
4. When I would press him on these inconsistencies he would become violently angry. But this was just the beginning of things turning sour as, during this time, I also was traveling and ministering with him and this is where I fully got to see his prophetic grift on full display
5. We would travel to churches, home groups, youth groups etc. and before each meeting my dad would speak with leaders of the group and ask for names of the congregants so he could "pray over them" before we would minister to the group.
6. Once he had the list of names he would mine google, facebook, or even the church directory to get specific details about their life; phone numbers, addresses, random facts etc. I caught him doing this on several occasions. But more on that later.
7. However, pulling details off the internet was only half the grift. Most of the actual content of his prophetic word he would get directly from leaders or from other church members.
8. Before his sermon, he would ask leaders about their church members' lives. Their relationships, faith, family, jobs etc. and all the leaders where more than happy to give my dad all the info he would need without them seemingly being aware of what they were doing.
9. So when the day came to minister my dad would pull several three ring binders full of his manic notes and place them on the pulpit.
He would give a sermon and then he would give prophetic words to people straight from all the information he had written in his notebooks.
He would give a sermon and then he would give prophetic words to people straight from all the information he had written in his notebooks.
10. He would call out a name and then hook the individual with a specific detail from his internet search into a prophetic word.
Most commonly, he would take strings of numbers from either their address or their phone number and have that correspond to a bible verse.
Most commonly, he would take strings of numbers from either their address or their phone number and have that correspond to a bible verse.
11. Something like "I saw you as the Isaiah 60:22 woman. A small one who is becoming strong. *dramatic pause* Does the number 6022 mean anything to you?"
A wave of shock would roll over their face and they would say that was the last four digits of their phone number.
A wave of shock would roll over their face and they would say that was the last four digits of their phone number.
12. But hooking them was just the first part, the second part would be the specific word.
A word that he pieced together from the intimate knowledge he had gleaned from his previous conversations with the church leaders.
A word that he pieced together from the intimate knowledge he had gleaned from his previous conversations with the church leaders.
13. This is what made his words so compelling and why, still to this day, I know hundreds of people who refuse to believe that this prophetic word to them was fabricated. The words were not generic fortune cookie prophecies. They were hand tailored words about their lives.
14. I must have confronted him a dozen times about this. And here's the crazy thing, he never would deny it. He would deny, of course, that this was his entire process.
He was still a prophet in his eyes, but he openly admitted that he "got help" from natural sources.
He was still a prophet in his eyes, but he openly admitted that he "got help" from natural sources.
15. According to him, all the prophets did this. It was just their "hamburger helper", a phrase he had gotten from his prophetic mentor and major prophetic figure Bob Jones. A little something extra to spice up their meals.
16. But I hated it, as did every member of my family. It was deceptive, it was manipulative, and we all hated the side of my father that would come out when he was in "prophetic mode".
17. I used to plead with him not use prophecy. "Just tell stories" I would urge. He was a great storyteller and I though peoples lives could change for the better just through good stories. But being a storyteller was never enough for him. "They need me to be a prophet."
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