Michael L. Brown (born March 16, 1955) is an American radio host, author, apologist, activist, and proponent of Messianic Judaism, Christian Zionism,[1] and the Charismatic Movement. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Line of Fire, airs throughout the United States. He contributes articles to the Christian news platform The Stream as well as to the news site Townhall, and serves as head of the Coalition of Conscience, a Christian organization in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.
Between 1996 and 2000, Brown was one of the leaders in the Brownsville Revival, a Charismatic movement that began on June 18, 1995, at the Brownsville Assembly of God church in Pensacola, Florida. In 2000, though, the board removed Brown from his position as president of Brownsville Revival School of Ministry (BRSM).[5][bettersourceneeded]
In 2001, Brown started the FIRE School of Ministry, a Charismatic leadership training institute heavily influenced by the revival movement from which Brown was removed. In 2005 Brown founded another revivalist organization called ICN Ministries. The organization intends to spread the revivalist message to places like Israel, other Christian organizations, and other places where Brown has influence.[6][bettersourceneeded]
Public criticism
Brown has been criticized in Charlotte by the local LGBT community for holding a rally in protest of their 2009 Charlotte Pride Festival.[7] The Southern Poverty Law Center has profiled him for his promotion of "junk science" on topics connected to sexual orientation, such as in his regular claims that, rather than being genetic, homosexuality is caused by childhood trauma, as well as his support for conversion therapy.[8] In September 2012, the organization named him in their list of "30 New Activists Heading Up the Radical Right."[9] In March 2014, Brown traveled to Peru to oppose the legalization of gay marriage there.[10] He has also defended Uganda's criminalization of homosexuality, saying that the law was necessary to fight the spread of AIDS/HIV and combat pedophilia.[11] But he also posted on his website that he "renounces" homophobic views, such as advocated by Steven Anderson (who called for the death penalty for homosexuals)[12] and said that "gay people should be treated with respect and dignity".[13]
Brown was criticized for citing the white supremacist website Stormfront in an article "asking whether it was time for another Jesus Movement among Jewish millennials".[14][bettersourceneeded] He apologized, saying he was not aware what the site was.[15]
In December 2024, allegations were raised against Brown by a former FIRE School of Ministry employee, identified by the pseudonym "Erin".[18][19] Erin alleged that Brown engaged in inappropriate interactions, including hand-holding, swats on the backside, and kisses on the lips, during her employment at the ministry.[19]
Brown denied any sexual misconduct but admitted to "a definite lack of judgment" in his interactions with Erin. He described the relationship as nonsexual and familial.[20][21] In response, The Line of Fire Board launched a third-party investigation, with a commitment to publicly releasing the results.[18][19]
The Firefly Independent Sexual Abuse Investigations Report, prepared by James Holler Jr. and released on 18 April 2025, concluded that Brown engaged in inappropriate interactions with two women: Sarah Monk (identified as IS #2), a former FIRE School member, and a married woman within the congregation (IS #1).[22] The report found that Brown's interactions with IS #2 involved hand-holding, kissing, and swatting on the buttocks. Although Brown characterized these actions as familial, the investigation determined that they constituted breaches of appropriate boundaries expected of a ministerial role. The investigation further disclosed that Brown admitted to what he described as an "emotional affair" with IS #1, a married woman, while denying any physical relationship. The report ultimately concluded that Brown's conduct did not meet the ethical standards expected of a ministry leader, thereby undermining trust within the organization.[22]
On May 9, 2025, two people who testified in the Firefly Investigation released a 134-page "Witnesses Report" that asserted that Dr. Brown's inappropriate behavior with IS #1 and IS #2 was more extensive than that suggested by Firefly, and that between 2004 and 2025 Dr. Brown repeatedly rebuffed attempts to get him to recognize that his behavior had been inappropriate.[23][24]
Publications
How Saved Are We?: Has the Church Fallen Asleep in the Enemy's Lap? (1990) ISBN978-1560430551
Our Hands Are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the Church and the Jewish People (1992) ISBN978-1560430681
It's Time to Rock the Boat: A Call to God's People to Rise Up and Preach a Confrontational Gospel (1993) ISBN978-1560431060
↑ "Renouncing 'Christian' Homo-hatred". Ask Dr. Brown. June 28, 2016. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017. "Let's Help Lauren Daigle Rather Than Condemn Her". Ask Dr. Brown. December 4, 2018. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018. I have been marked by major leftwing groups (including the SPLC, the HRC, and GLAAD) as one of the most dangerous, vicious, homophobic, transphobic voices in America, and the secular media has been warned to stay away from me. (For me, these accusations and attacks, while sad in themselves, are truly a badge of honor. See Matthew5:10-12.)
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