Inquiry Inc: A New Vehicle of Accountability

Divine Detours is rebranding to expand its team, increase content, and become part of a broader effort to alert people to abusive religious environments and support their healing.

When I first began investigating the unfolding scandal at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, I expected to find disillusionment and heartbreak — not the remarkable strength and resilience of those who had emerged from the chaos.

Once fiercely devoted to their faith and the institution, many former IHOPPERS have lost their belief in God and are still figuring out how to heal. Despite this, they remain intensely passionate, highly intelligent, and deeply driven.

Some of them are, frankly, geniuses.

Last October, when news surfaced about IHOPKC Founder Mike Bickle, along with decades of allegations of systemic spiritual and sexual abuse, as well as financial exploitation, many former IHOPPERS—who had formed close relationships as they educated themselves on clergy abuse—returned to the very religious machine they had once escaped. They came back to rescue others as the organization imploded. As scandals continued to erupt across Evangelicalism, these advocates began expanding their networks, connecting with other abuse survivors across the country.

This untapped talent, forged in the crucible of betrayal and spiritual abuse, had retained their skills, passion, sharpness, and, as far as I could tell, sacrificial love.

To better leverage those skills, Divine Detours is rebranding as Inquiry Inc.

At its core, Inquiry Inc. is about breaking free from the artificial boundaries that constrain traditional journalism and reimagining how information serves as both currency and power.

Our work comes from a deep understanding of abusive systems—from the inside out—paired with the investigative expertise to expose them. We don’t just report on the playbook; we stay ahead of the manipulation tactics, financial cover-ups, and psychological control that leaders who thrive on secrecy rely on. We’ve lived through these systems ourselves, and now we’re dismantling them.

We don’t just tell stories; we gather evidence, trace patterns, and leverage every available resource to flip the script on bad actors in the pulpit.

Our real strength lies in our willingness to embrace our own vulnerability.

By operating outside the constraints of legacy media, we’re able to push for deeper accountability, protect whistleblowers, and disrupt the narratives that keep abuses hidden.

Growing up as Jack Deere’s son, I had a front-row seat to religious movements worldwide. I saw faith at its most fervent. But after years in journalism, I found myself more comfortable with sources over drinks than in church pews. My career became a study in moral compromise, watching how lines blur—like when a politician's chief of staff casually reminisces about gifting Cartier cufflinks to her boss in exchange for a lucrative contract.

When I started posting on Divine Detours, I had no grand plan beyond asking questions and writing a few stories that might enlighten.. At the time, I was also talking with a friend about what a hybrid, highly efficient journalistic endeavor might look like.

Then, as I dug deeper into the finances and structures behind these abusive church networks, I met former IHOPPERS Alyssa DeGraff and Susan Tuma, who eventually invited to join a new venture. They wanted to concentrate on exposing the damage inflicted by religious institutions marked by centralized authority, insularity, and control over narratives—institutions particularly vulnerable when credible information breaches their walls.

Susan and I share a unique connection. Her grandfather, John White, a British psychiatrist, played a pivotal role in my family’s history. In 1986, he brought my father, a longtime Dallas Theological Seminary professor into the Charismatic movement.

Both White and my father promoted ideas and practices that Susan and I now recognize as deeply problematic—ideas that, in many cases, fueled the abusive dynamics within these religious environments.

I met Alyssa earlier this year when she reached out with tips through a layered system of encrypted communication.

She was no ordinary tipster.

Soon, we were working together on projects, as Alyssa had quickly developed an arsenal of tools for investigating public records and collecting whistleblower stories.

Then, this past spring, Alyssa invited me to assist her on an investigative project over the course of several weeks, and displayed on uncanny ability to recognize patterns and sift through thousands of documents in a setting.

It turns out that Alyssa was born in Tyler, Texas at legendary Christian musician Keith Green’s Last Day Ministries compound while I was being raised in conservative evangelical circles in the Fort-Worth Dallas area.

My hesitation about this endeavor stemmed from the significant logistical support that would be needed. High-stakes investigative journalism in a digital-first world requires more than just skilled professionals. It demands secure infrastructure, editorial discipline, legal safeguards, data-broker agreements, specialized programmers, forensic profilers, and advanced skip-tracing tools.

We had the right people, but to be truly effective, we needed to build an apparatus.

It took a couple of months, but we figured it out—mostly.

We are now Inquiry Inc.

Alyssa DeGraff: A Voice for Victims

Alyssa’s work is rooted in a clear cause: protecting and empowering victims of clergy misconduct. She meticulously researches and presents factual accounts of abuse, blending them with empathetic narratives that resonate deeply. By doing so, Alyssa bridges the gap between cold, hard facts and the human experiences behind them, fostering a sense of solidarity and urgency.

Her reporting isn’t detached. It acknowledges her commitment to justice and the well-being of survivors, aligning with the heart of advocacy journalism. Emotionally engaged and passionately driven, Alyssa crafts compelling stories that inform while inspiring readers to support victims and advocate for systemic change. Her narratives emphasize justice, reform, and social transformation, ensuring the plight of victims stays front and center in public consciousness.

Susan Tuma: The Advocate Alchemist

Susan Tuma takes on the transformative role of the Advocate Alchemist, weaving personal narratives into something truly magical. With her extraordinary ability to shape visual content—whether through powerful videos, evocative imagery, or innovative designs—Susan transforms raw information and lived experiences into captivating stories that advocate for truth and justice.

Her work goes beyond creativity; it is an alchemy of emotion, fact, and testimony that speaks directly to the heart of her audience. Susan’s stories aren’t just visually striking; they’re deeply human, evoking empathy and action. She takes complex, often painful realities and turns them into narratives that inspire change, leaving a lasting impact on all who experience her work.

Stephen Deere: The Disrupter

Stephen Deere dives headfirst into the murky waters of truth-seeking. His investigations into clergy misconduct are marked by raw, emotional transparency. He doesn’t simply observe from a distance—he lives through the complexity, making his storytelling as much about the journey as the facts he uncovers.

Stephen’s reporting exposes corruption, but it also invites readers to feel the ethical dilemmas and emotional weight behind each discovery. He ensures that justice is seen from all angles, bringing readers into the darkest corners of each story.