Posted on 06/23/2008 11:50:10 AM PDT by Terriergal
CHARITY: Even some Pentecostals are skeptical of Todd Bentley’s tent revival | Rusty Leonard and Warren Cole Smith
Canadian Todd Bentley doesn't look much like a minister. The 32-year-old has body piercings and tattoos on his arms and neck, and he often dresses in black.
But a minister of the gospel he is, or claims to be—and those claims have become the real story of a series of meetings Bentley is holding in Lakeland, Fla.
Bentley's British Columbia-based Fresh Fire Ministries arrived in Lakeland on April 2 for five days of revival meetings at a local church. These services would be broadcast on God TV, a satellite network with a worldwide viewership.
The services were different in another way, Bentley claims: God showed up in a powerful way. A New York public relations firm was quickly hired to send out press releases claiming "documented healings," and God TV relentlessly plugged its broadcasts of the services.
The services, now held in a huge air-conditioned tent, have gone on for months now, and as many as 10,000 people a night are coming. Bentley claims hundreds of people have been healed of everything from deafness to infertility—though he did admit that in the latter case we wouldn't know for sure until the women actually got pregnant. As for the other cases, WORLD made repeated requests for documentation of healings, but claims of "privacy issues" were the only response.
A visit to one of Bentley's services suggests that he is learning how to turn the big crowds into big money. ATM machines have been set up, providing attendees with ready cash for the offering plate and book purchases. The offering is now a significant part of the service, taking as long as 30 minutes. Bentley has not released financial information, saying he is "too busy keeping up with what God is doing" to pull the information together.
More than 150,000 people have attended the meetings, and at least 1.2 million more (according to God TV estimates) have watched on television. Even accepting Fresh Fire's estimate of an average donation of $3 to $5 per person, it's easy to see how donations could end up in the millions. Christian critics wonder if Bentley's theology can be reconciled with Scripture. Michael Horton's book, The Agony of Deceit, documents fraud among televangelists. He told WORLD, "I have not yet encountered a 'faith healer' who failed to preach a different gospel than the one that we find clearly presented in the New Testament."
Even those sympathetic to Pentecostal theology are apprehensive. Mark Balmer, pastor of the 8,000-person Calvary Church in nearby Melbourne, Fla., received so many questions about Bentley that he spoke out. He told WORLD he believes "in all the gifts for today, including healing." He also asserted: "We are not heresy hunters." He nonetheless told his congregation "not to attend any of this counterfeit revival."
Charisma magazine is normally a cheerleader for Pentecostal preachers, but editor Lee Grady told WORLD: "Charismatic and Pentecostal leaders are divided over its legitimacy." Grady said a "council of national-level leaders" convened by C. Peter Wagner, president of Global Harvest Ministries and former professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary, will address these concerns in a meeting later this summer. Until then, though, crowds remain strong, and Bentley said he got a "word from God" to keep the services—and the book sales—going through at least the end of June.
—with reporting by Mike Kuckel in Lakeland, Fla.
Way of the Master Radio June 17 hour 2 about 37:30 into the show until the end
Smelling a scam
How can you tell if a ministry's claims are too good to be true?
1. Ask for financial information. An inability or unwillingness to make such disclosures should be a warning sign.
2. Is there an emphasis on money? Passing the plate is one thing. Passing it multiple times in a service, or dwelling on money issues, should raise questions.
3. Ask for proof of claims of healing. Reputable ministries are not defensive when asked for proof of their claims. They don't make claims they can't prove.
4. Seek wise counsel. Before following the latest Christian celebrity preacher, check with your pastor or others you trust.
—Sources: MinistryWatch.com, Calvary Church Melbourne —
Entire article here - http://www.reformationjournal.com/2008/06/toddbentley/
Let’s consider these words - and how they’re spoken by this spiritual agent for the dark side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LzbLUQWodk
I would indeed have more respect for him if he looked normal.
But the real proof would be whether he really preaches the Truth from the Bible, not his own version of the Gospel.
Carnival Christianity. Worship the creation rather than the Creator.
It’s not whether or not I like him nor what he looks like. It’s his clear abomination of twisting scripture. You think Bentley is the Apostle Peter? Can you imagine any disciple of the Lord Jesus doing and saying the thing Bentley (and the other 3rd and 4th wave “prophets” around the world) says and does? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LzbLUQWodk
I agree - a former Satanist (which Bentley is) who was redeemed (which Bentley claims he is) WOULD do something to NOT look like a freak of the world, enjoying his appearance as a way to draw attention to himself.
That being said, it’s what Bentley says and does that are MOST grievous. gag
His teachings are extra-Biblical. He should know better than to stand in front of a congregation with that appearance, however. He is supposed to be a spiritual leader, and a good example. I don’t fault him for his tattoos nearly as much as I do for his pierced face. That can be corrected easily.
I agree, his teachings are way extra-Biblical, and as I’ve posted in the past, I don’t believe he preaches Christ. His says Jesus, he says God, but the Jesus and God he teaches aren’t the Jesus and God of the Bible.
Bentley aside (his sacrilege has been covered numerous times, arguing scripture with those who trust Bentley is a frustrating thing) should a Christian (a true brother in Christ) be judged by a fellow Christian for his or her appearance? Or is it a matter of Church leadership? If that is the case, does the content of the congregation matter?
I know this is off the subject of the article, but the subject is present.
Luke 14
Folks maybe this is what’s happening?
Parable of the Great Feast
15 Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”
16 Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations.
17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’
18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’
19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’
20 Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’
21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’
22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’
23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.
24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”
It is about being a leader, and not “separating himself from the World”, but appearing AS the World. Pastors are held to a higher standard than lay members.
Guess you wouldn't have liked John the Baptist then?
Just a side note to all those who are slamming Todd about the angel Emma. Here you go: Zechariah 5:9 Then I looked up and there before me were two women, with wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork
I don’t know what John the Baptist looked like, but after he received salvation, did he continue to look like a man of the world, or did he become a follower of Christ and separate himself from the world? That is my point. Not about appearance, but about being an example and a leader.
God can use anyone, that’s the point. Doesn’t matter what they look like. Looks should be the least of anyone’s worries. What does the fruit look like? Are people getting saved, healed, delivered? Is the word of God being preached? Is Jesus being raised up? The answer is yes.
Actually, I don’t know what you mean about separating yourself from the world? If your talking about the tattoo’s, I still don’t see your point.
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