Church Disrupted

079: The Investigation Is In: Dr. Michael Brown Guilty of Misconduct | Full Firefly Report Breakdown


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An independent investigation into Dr. Michael Brown—international revivalist, author, and apologist—has officially found him guilty of inappropriate conduct and sexual misconduct while leading Fire School of Ministry.In this episode of the Church Disrupted podcast, Jeff Cochran walks through the entire Firefly Report, analyzing key evidence, inconsistencies in Brown’s responses over time, and what this means for biblical church leadership.

🆘 Need support or want to read the full Firefly report?Visit: https://mock-askdrbrown.cdn.prismic.io/mock-askdrbrown/aAKvSuvxEdbNPPAi_FireflyReport.pdf❤️ Help us keep this work going:Become a monthly donor: https://www.spiritualabuse.institute/about/disruptgivingcampaignFind out more about the Spiritual Abuse Institute and the Church Disrupted Podcast at https://www.spiritualabuse.institute/.Learn more about the Safe Church Pledge Here: https://www.spiritualabuse.institute/safechurchpledgeCheck out our Awareness Apparel HERE: https://church-disrupted.sellfy.storePlease Subscribe and Share!Chapters:00:00 - Intro: Why this matters for the Church01:45 - What actually happened with Dr. Michael Brown?03:40 - Dr. Brown’s original statement clip & narrative control06:10 - Summary of the Firefly Investigation methodology10:00 - Two primary cases: Sarah Monk & “Survivor #1”13:30 - How Fire School of Ministry enforced strict rules on students16:00 - The hypocrisy of leadership vs. student discipline20:00 - “Spiritual fatherhood” used to justify inappropriate closeness24:00 - Sarah’s experiences: hotel rooms, personal favors, kissing28:00 - Staff attempts to confront Brown internally (and his retaliation)32:00 - Physical misconduct: swatting, kissing, and power imbalance35:00 - Shifting stories: How Brown’s narrative changed over time40:00 - Emotional affair & failure to confess publicly43:00 - Analysis: Legal and ethical violations in the workplace47:00 - Discrepancies across decades of emails and testimony50:00 - Patterns of spiritual abuse, blame-shifting, and secrecy54:00 - Firefly’s final conclusions on sexual misconduct57:00 - Why Brown’s actions meet the definition of spiritual abuse59:00 - The I Disrupt Campaign — how you can help fight spiritual abuse1:01:00 - Final takeaways: coverups, lack of repentance, accountability1:04:00 - Biblical qualifications for elders vs. Brown’s behavior1:12:00 - Conclusion: The Church must choose character over charismaDisclaimer:The information presented in this video is based on the 2025 Firefly report commissioned by The Line of Fire – Dr. Michael Brown Ministries, Inc. The term “guilty of misconduct” reflects the conclusions reached by an independent third-party investigation that found Dr. Brown’s actions to be inappropriate and disqualifying for ministry leadership, according to ethical and biblical standards. No criminal charges have been filed, and the use of the word “guilty” does not imply legal guilt. This video is part of Church Disrupted’s ongoing mission to inform the public, support victims of spiritual abuse, and hold church leaders to biblical standards of accountability.Fair Use Disclaimer:This video may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. All clips used are protected by the Fair Use Doctrine within Title 17 of the United States Code. This doctrine safeguards the use of copyrighted material for transformative purposes, such as commentary, criticism, review and news reporting. Under Title 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any person who makes a false, bad faith, or misleading copyright claim or uses a copyright takedown to infringe on free speech, criticism, or commentary can be held liable for damages to the content creator.Hosseinzadeh v. Klein, 276 F.Supp.3d 34 (S.D.N.Y. 2017); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 139 F. Supp. 3d 1094 (C.D. Cal. 2015).

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Church DisruptedBy Jeff Cochran

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