Free Republic

Recent allegations of sexual misconduct against revival minister Todd Bentley have created a stir online within the charismatic community. Stephen Powell, a revivalist at Lion of Light Ministries, accused evangelist Todd Bentley, president of Fresh Fire USA, of "sexual perversion" involving both male and female interns. On Aug. 22, Powell posted a Facebook Live video and a lengthy Facebook post detailing accusations against Bentley, under whom he worked from 2015 to 2017 before parting ways. Powell also accuses other leaders, including Rick Joyner of Morningstar Ministries, of covering up the accusations against Bentley. When Powell went to Joyner with his...

In news that surprises few who have followed the sheer depravity of this man – both violent and sexual – this will not be a big surprise, but it is news. Todd Bentley is a major charismatic prophet with the New Apostolic Reformation and has a colossal ministry (especially overseas). He’s also famous from cheating on his wife during the entirety of the famous “Lakeland Revival” and doing supposed miracles by kicking and punching people. After his fall from grace due to his substance abuse and extramarital affairs, he was “restored to ministry” by the biggest names in Charismatic evangelicalism....

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—In an effort to expand their mission to make transportation increasingly accessible, Uber announced the launch of their new service, UberAir. Following Uber’s gig-based business model, UberAir will focus on making expensive private jets available on a pay-per-use basis to wealthy megachurch pastors. With several televangelists like Kenneth Copeland and Jesse Duplantis gaining media attention for their $60 million luxury jets, many other megachurch pastors have been feeling left in the dust. Uber aims to address this much-neglected customer base by creating a system wherein spiritual giants like Creflo Dollar and Joyce Meyer would be able to rent...

Hate is a strong word. Using it should always be done in prudent fashion. People today hate a lot of things, but we must ensure we’re hating the right things. Hate is simply defined as “intense or passionate dislike” and can be a helpful learning tool for others who may be wondering why you feel so strongly about __________ (insert issue here). In several simple paragraphs, I want to share with you why I hate the prosperity gospel. Let the reader understand, I don’t necessarily hate the people preaching it or family members who propagate it, nor do I believe...

CAPERNAUM, ISRAEL—Several prominent organizations offering tours of the Holy Land announced Monday they would now be including Jesus of Nazareth’s 8,000-square-foot lake house on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in their premier tour packages. According to historians, Jesus purchased the lake house with proceeds from his second major book deal, coupled with the hefty salary he pulled for his pastoral work. Local man Henry Armstrong told reporters Monday he was really looking forward to visiting the sprawling mansion, as he would get a great idea of how Jesus spent his months-long sabbaticals throughout the year. “Only 4,000 square...

Dave Gass, a former pastor who most recently led Grace Family Fellowship in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, has renounced his Christian faith as a system rife with abuse that caused him “mental and emotional breaks.” A representative from his former church, however, has accused him of being an unrepentant adulterer. Gass reportedly first made his announcement in a series of now protected tweets but not before they were copied and shared across multiple social media platforms. “After 40 years of being a devout follower, 20 of those being an evangelical pastor, I am walking away from faith. Even though this has...

Televangelist Todd Coontz has a well-worn routine: he dresses in a suit, pulls out a Bible and urges viewers to pledge a very specific amount of money. "Don't delay, don't delay," he urges, calmly but emphatically. It sounds simple, absurdly so, but Coontz knows his audience extremely well. He broadcasts on Christian cable channels, often late into the night, drawing in viewers who lack financial literacy and are desperate for change. "I understand the laws that govern insurance, stocks and bonds and all that is involved with Wall Street," he once said, looking directly into the camera. "God has called...

Police in Illinois are currently investigating allegations that Harvest Bible Chapel founder James MacDonald sought to find a hitman to commit murder. “A subject came in and filed a report and we are doing an investigation based on that report,” Wilmette Deputy Police Chief Pat Collins confirmed with The Christian Post Monday. The allegations regarding MacDonald’s efforts to commit murder were first reported by independent journalist Julie Roys, who cited Chicago radio personality Mancow Muller and Emmanuel “Manny” Bucur, a deacon at HBC and former confidant and volunteer bodyguard of MacDonald’s, as the individuals making the claims. Muller alleges that...

Major theological issues can sometimes show up in the most surprising places. The Financial Times reigns as one of the most influential periodicals in the world—it is the reading assignment of the Davos class, and it rivals the influence of The New York Times and The Washington Post. The Financial Times leads the newspaper world in its insightful analysis, cultural critique, and economic breakdown of the most pressing issues facing the globe. It is a paper not read by the faint-hearted. And, it is the very paper that recently ran this surprising headline, “A Preacher for Trump’s America: Joel Osteen...

CHICAGO (RNS) — The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, a Christian financial watchdog group, has terminated the membership of Harvest Bible Chapel. The council pointed to “significant violations” of several of its financial standards in a written statement released Wednesday evening (April 17). “ECFA continues to champion integrity in God’s Kingdom,” ECFA President Dan Busby said in the statement. “We are committed to applying our standards rigorously and consistently.” The group had suspended the Chicago-area megachurch last month after church leaders admitted “a lack of financial control and oversight” under Harvest’s former pastor, James MacDonald. “In addition, we have identified...

A Pataskala, Ohio, church has posted an apology video after students attending a youth gathering there put up videos of children slapping, spitting and cutting a pastor. The incident took place Monday night at an “after school hangout” at Impact City Church, where high and middle school students spend time doing such things as listening to a short gospel message, lead pastor Justin Ross said. Ross said in the video on the church’s Facebook page that it was meant to help students learn about Easter and the crucifixion. While at the gathering, Ross said he did not lead it. Associate...

Anyone watching the History Channel series?

The South Carolina megachurch pastor who drew criticism when he bought his wife a $200,000 Lamborghini as an anniversary present last December, denied cheating on her in a national television appearance. Seated next to his wife, Aventer, John Gray answered a question from one of the hosts of “The Real” about having an affair. “The answer is no. I didn’t,” video posted on YouTube shows Gray saying on the talk show that aired Monday. He also denied fathering a child as a result of an affair, saying “There’s no baby, none of that.” Gray, whose Relentless Church is based out...

Nearly 800 New York Catholic priests received a message about how to maintain their moral integrity from Pastor Rick Warren, who used Scripture passages and his experiences from 40 years as an Evangelical Christian pastor, to speak personally to fellow pastors. His talk, “Maintaining the Moral Integrity of the Ministry to Which God Has Called Us,” was delivered during the archdiocese’s biennial Safe Environment Convocation at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie June 6-7. “Brothers, what we do matters more than what anybody else does in the world,” said Pastor Warren at the outset of his presentation. “That’s because the only...

Pastor John Gray, who leads his own church in Greenville, South Carolina, and still preaches at Lakewood Church in Houston, is responding to people who criticized him for the lavish anniversary gift he gave to his wife for their eighth wedding anniversary on Dec.11. In a video captured by R&B singer and actor Tyrese, Gray surprises his wife Aventer with a Lamborghini Urus. According to the Kelley Blue Book, the 2019 luxury SUV starts at $200,000.

FULL TITLE: Megachurch daycare volunteer caught on video molesting a three-year-old boy 'sexually assaulted at least THIRTEEN other children' A South Carolina church daycare volunteer charged with molesting a three-year-old boy is now being accused of sexually assaulting at least 13 other children. The bombshell allegations were laid bare in a lawsuit that was filed on Wednesday against 28-year-old Jacop Robert Lee Hazlett and the North Charleston NewSpring Church. Hazlett supervised the care of three- to five-year-olds at the megachurch. His arrest affidavit says a security camera recording showed him performing oral sex on the toddler in a bathroom on...

A Southaven pastor is a viral sensation after descending from the rafters of his church to the pulpit during a Sunday sermon. The video was posted Sunday afternoon and racked up over a million views on Facebook within a few hours, and over two million views by Monday morning. Facebook comments identified the pastor as the Rev. Bartholomew Orr from Brown Missionary Church. When contacted, Orr said that the high-flying stunt was born from a mix of simple curiosity and a desire to deliver Sunday's gospel message in an innovative way — or how to be a "digital disciple." "How...

With the release of her new book, "The Most Beautiful Thing I've Seen" Grammy nominated artist Lisa Gungor goes deep on family, church, and being pushed out of the world she knew so well.

Despite the fact that God expresses His love for the righteous throughout the Old Testament – Jew and gentile alike – in a new book, one of America’s biggest mega-pastors claims the Hebrew Scriptures portray Him as “unapproachable,” living behind a curtain with love reserved only “for His covenant people,” suggesting He is a different deity than the one portrayed in the New Testament. It’s the latest shocking suggestion from Andy Stanley, whose suburban Atlanta congregation exceed 34,000 attendees and a national following. He writes in “Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed on the World,” released last week, that...

In the summer of 2008, Bill Hybels stood in front of thousands of pastors and other church leaders gathered at Willow Creek Community Church and admitted his megachurch had failed. “We made a mistake,” he told the crowd gathered for the 2008 Global Leadership Summit (GLS). A detailed Willow study had found that the church had helped many people find new faith in Jesus, but had failed to teach them how to practice the spiritual disciplines needed to grow their faith. He vowed the megachurch would do be better in the future. Ten years later, Willow Creek’s leaders confessed even...