Todd Bentley's announcement that his marriage is ending has thrown our movement
into a tailspin-and questions need to be answered.
It was not supposed to end like this.
Evangelist Todd Bentley had heralded the Lakeland revival as the greatest
Pentecostal outpouring since Azusa Street. From his stage in a gigantic tent in
Florida, Bentley preached to thousands, bringing many of them to the stage for
prayer. Many claimed to be healed of deafness, blindness, heart problems,
depression and dozens of other conditions in the Lakeland services, which ran
for more than 100 consecutive nights. Bentley announced confidently that dozens
of people had been raised from the dead during the revival.
But this week, a few days after the Canadian preacher announced the end of
his visits to Lakeland, he told his staff that his marriage is ending. Without
blaming the pace of the revival for Bentley's personal problems, his board
released a public statement saying that he and his wife, Shonnah, are
separating. The news shocked Bentley's adoring fans and saddened those who have
questioned his credibility since the Lakeland movement erupted in early April.
| "Among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment was
discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message was clear:
‘This is God. Don't question.' " |
I'm sad. I'm disappointed. And I'm angry. Here are few of my many, many
questions about this fiasco:
Why did so many people flock to Lakeland from around the world to rally
behind an evangelist who had serious credibility issues from the
beginning?
To put it bluntly, we're just plain gullible.
From the first week of the Lakeland revival, many discerning Christians
raised questions about Bentley's beliefs and practices. They felt uneasy when he
said he talked to an angel in his hotel room. They sensed something amiss when
he wore a T-shirt with a skeleton on it. They wondered why a man of God would
cover himself with tattoos. They were horrified when they heard him describe how
he tackled a man and knocked his tooth out during prayer.
But among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment was
discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message was clear:
"This is God. Don't question." So before we could all say, "Sheeka Boomba" (as
Bentley often prayed from his pulpit), many people went home, prayed for people
and shoved them to the floor with reckless abandon, Bentley-style.
I blame this lack of discernment, partly, on raw zeal for God. We're
spiritually hungry-which can be a good thing. But sometimes, hungry people will
eat anything.
Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and
wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad
reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving
for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It's way past time for us to
grow up.
Why didn't anyone in Lakeland denounce the favorable comments Bentley
made about William Branham?
This one baffles me. Branham embraced horrible deception near the end of
his ministry, before he died in 1965. He claimed that he was the reincarnation
of Elijah-and his strange doctrines are still embraced by a cultlike following
today. When Bentley announced to the world that the same angel that ushered in
the 1950s healing revival had come to Lakeland, the entire audience should have
run for the exits.
Why didn't anyone correct this error from the pulpit? Godly leaders are
supposed to protect the sheep from heresy, not spoon feed deception to them.
Only God knows how far this poison traveled from Lakeland to take root
elsewhere. May God forgive us for allowing His Word to be so flippantly
contaminated.
A prominent Pentecostal evangelist called me this week after Bentley's news
hit the fan. He said to me: "I'm now convinced that a large segment of the
charismatic church will follow the anti-Christ when he shows up because they
have no discernment." Ouch. Hopefully we'll learn our lesson this time and apply
the necessary caution when an imposter shows up.
Why did God TV tell people that "any criticism of Todd Bentley is
demonic"?
This ridiculous statement was actually made on one of God TV's pre-shows.
In fact, the network's hosts also warned listeners that if they listened to
criticism of Bentley, they could lose their healings.
This is cultic manipulation at its worst. The Bible tells us that the
Bereans were noble believers because they studied the Scriptures daily "to see
whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11, NASB). Yet in the case of Lakeland,
honest intellectual inquiry was viewed as a sign of weakness. People were
expected to jump first and then open their eyes.
Just because we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit does not mean we
check our brains at the church door. We are commanded to test the spirits. Jesus
wants us to love Him with our hearts and our minds.
Because of the Lakeland scandal, there may be large numbers of people who
feel they've been burned by Bentley. Some may give up on church and join the
growing ranks of bitter, disenfranchised Christians. Others may suffer total
spiritual shipwreck. This could have been avoided if leaders had been more vocal
about their objections and urged people to evaluate spiritual experiences
through the filter of God's Word.
Why did a group of respected ministers lay hands on Bentley on June 23
and publicly ordain him? Did they know of his personal problems?
This controversial ceremony was organized by Peter Wagner, who felt that
one of Bentley's greatest needs was proper spiritual covering. He asked
California pastors Che Ahn and Bill Johnson, along with Canadian pastor John
Arnott, to lay hands on Bentley and bring him under their care.
Bentley certainly needs such covering. No one in ministry today should be
out on their own, living in isolation without checks, balances and wise counsel.
It was commendable that Wagner reached out to Bentley and that Bentley
acknowledged his need for spiritual fathers by agreeing to submit to the
process. The question remains, however, whether it was wise to commend Bentley
during a televised commissioning service that at times seemed more like a king's
coronation.
In hindsight, we can all see that it would have been better to take Bentley
into a back room and talk about his personal issues.
The Bible tells us that ordination of a minister is a sober responsibility.
Paul wrote: "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share
responsibility for the sins of others" (1 Tim. 5:22). We might be tempted to
rush the process, but the apostle warned against fast-tracking ordination-and he
said that those who commission a minister who is not ready for the job will bear
some of the blame for his failures.
I trust that Wagner, Ahn, Johnson and Arnott didn't know of Bentley's
problems before they ordained him. I am sure they are saddened by the events of
this week and are reaching out to Bentley and his wife to promote healing and
restoration. But I believe that they, along with Bentley and the owners of God
TV, owe the body of Christ a forthright, public apology for thrusting Bentley's
ministry into the spotlight prematurely. (Perhaps such an apology should be
aired on God TV.)
Can anything good come out of this?
That depends on how people respond. If the men assigned to oversee Bentley
offer loving but firm correction, and if Bentley responds humbly to the process
by stepping out of ministry for a season of rehabilitation, we could witness a
healthy case of church discipline play out the way it is supposed to. If all
those who were so eager to promote Bentley now rush just as fast to repent for
their errors in judgment, then the rest of us could breathe a huge sigh of
relief-and the credibility of our movement could be restored.
I still believe that God desires to visit our nation in supernatural power.
I know He wants to heal multitudes, and I will continue praying for a healing
revival to sweep across the United States. But we must contend for the genuine,
not an imitation. True revival will be accompanied by brokenness, humility,
reverence and repentance-not the arrogance, showmanship and empty hype that
often was on display in Lakeland.
We are weathering an unprecedented season of moral failure and spiritual
compromise in our nation today. I urge everyone in the charismatic world to pray
for Bentley; his wife, Shonnah; his three young children; Bentley's ministry
staff; and the men and women who serve as his counselors and advisers. Let's
pray that God will turn this embarrassing debacle into an opportunity for
miraculous restoration.
J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. To read Charisma's news
story on Todd Bentley's recent announcement, click here.
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