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DISCUSSTodd Bentley Fires Blanks in Texas
07/22/2008By Danny Gallagher
DENTON, Tex.--The University of North Texas "Super Pit" indoor stadium is packed to the nosebleed seats with people hoping to see a knee to the stomach, a poke check to the ribs, or the classic swift kick to the cojones–because they all know that mega-evangelist demon stomper Todd Bentley is IN THE HOUSE for one night only.
As the crowd gets lathered up for the event, there are long slow lines snaking out of the ladies rooms that could rival the wait times at Disney World. Overpriced bags of potato chips and canned soda wait behind counters for families who don't stop to think about things like food budgets or their children's blood sugar levels. And almost every seat has a butt planted firmly in it, including the handicapped and disabled sections that are filled with people in wheelchairs.
They want God and they want Todd, not necessarily in that order.
Bentley doesn't wear $2,000 custom made suits or exotic Italian shoes to show how God helped him attain his empire. He wears blue jeans with holes in the knees and Jesus-themed T-shirts that look like they came off the rack of an evangelical chopper shop. His arms are filled with a gaggle of tattoos that are a mesh of mutating gangrene through eyes from 20 rows away, and his face has an assortment of metal piercings and barbells, which are reminiscent of his early days as a hard-partying, drug-snorting, whiskey-soaked juvenile criminal who has a colored criminal rap sheet of assaults, burglaries and even sexual molestations, according to an investigative report conducted by the news magazine Report in Bentley's native Canada.
A native of British Columbia, Bentley became famous overnight after just four months of tent revivals in a Lakeland, Florida, RV park that are picked up and re-broadcast by an internet network called GOD TV. Bentley breaks the mold for itinerant healing acts, using street cred and biker lingo instead of the usual light shows and altar calls, but his supernatural story-spinning is truly inspired: messages from angels, out-of-body trips up to heaven, fantastic healings that are not only instantaneous but backed up by “documented medical evidence” that, according to the Associated Press, doesn’t get widely produced.
His revivals resemble Pantera shows. He doesn't just speak in tongues and scream into microphones. Bentley rids people of their emotional and physical demons by beating, slamming or kicking them out of their bodies because a) God commands him to, and b) "Sometimes when you're dealing with a demon spirit, it's done with great force."
Unfortunately, Todd is making a rare venture out of Lakeland just as his tent meetings are starting to burn out. A recent "Nightline" story painted his church in a very unflattering light both from the perspective of a father who brought his sick child all the way from Seattle to the local townspeople who feel his presence has put a blight on their small Southern city. Eventually Bentley announced he was leaving Lakeland "to reflect and to rest."
Apparently he’s about to find out that skipping town is the best thing he can do for his credibility anyway. The nearest parking space tonight is on the other side of Fouts Field and takes more than a half an hour to find, so I know the crowd is going to be a large one. Families trudge through the cement-steaming heat with their Bibles in one hand and children in the other. The most popular themed T-shirts are a Reese's Pieces wrapper parody and the eye-grabbing "Under the Influence…of Christ!" Bentley also draws more than his share of actual bikers, complete with the jackets, the vests and the colorsas well as a noticeable number of biker jackets and leather vests on the backs of bikers for Christ.
The pre-show features a soft rock band, the same band that seems to pop up at every revival, singing the same religious phrases 30 or 40 times through cheap-sounding concert equipment to whip the crowd into the kind of spirit-shaking frenzy that only an epileptic seizure could replicate. Just off to the side stands Bentley, psyching himself up, changing positions from lying on his stomach (ground meditation?) to pumping his fist to the blaring beat of the drums.
On this night Bentley shares a double bill with preacher Keith Miller of the Denton-based Stand World Firm Ministries who tells the assembled 8,000 that "Tonight, we're going to have an early Fourth of July" (minus, of course, the fireworks, free hot dogs and constant replaying of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." until your ears bleed). Then finally, Miller asks the crowd to give Bentley "a great big God bless you" as he steps up to the mike and fulfills the crowd's insatiable appetite for some serious UFC-style demon ass-kicking.
Bentley knows how to work the crowd. He doesn't immediately launch into a barrage of BAMs or let the Holy Spirit ragdoll him into the "Curly Shuffle." Instead he starts with the revival equivalent of "Hello, Cleveland, are you ready to rock?"
"There was only two other times that I would go into another city and He was there," Bentley said, "but I didn't feel it the way I feel it now in Texas. This is the place where the fire of God will fall. It's already falling!"
The crowd feeds into his enthusiasm and Bentley launches into a rapid-fire repetition of "Holy Glory!" until the entire stadium can hear his vocal chords crack.
"Do you want the glory?!?" Bentley screams. "The smoking holy glory?!?"
He falls to both knees, shaking his head from side to side, as muffled screams reverberate through his rubbery lips.
"Let the outpouring come here tonight!" he shouts. "Let the coals fall tonight!"
Then he brings it down. Bentley talks about the early days of his ministry, visions of heavenly bodies and settings and divine prophecies as told through the mouths of angels. He talks about his legion of 10,000 "harvesters" who roam the streets of Lakeland looking to spread the word of his miracles and God's capacity to work through him. He even talks about his pilgrimages to cities and nations who are "hungry" for the word of God in a calm and registered tone–and all that lasts about eight seconds.
"I've come here to help spread the fire," Bentley says. "BAM! BAM!"
Four or five BAMs later Bentley utters an ear-shattering KABOOM in Miller's direction and the Denton preacher falls over backwards, shaking and twitching like a slab of bacon that's been thrown on a hot griddle.
Bentley goes on for another two hours about his divine medical miracles, supernatural surgeries, religious root canals and raising of 30 people from the dead, including one poor soul who asked his family to play his revival at the funeral and started knocking on the inside of the coffin. Unfortunately, there won't be any such miracles performed this night. No one in a wheelchair is pushed to the stage. No cancer survivors walk up the stairs to thank Bentley for kicking the carcinoma right out of them or a recently departed zombie for returning him to the land of the living. Not one crutch-clutching crowd member hobbles to the stage to get the holy head-butt from Bentley himself. Truth be told, I was a little disappointed.
So were a lot of other people who frankly had more of a right to be than I did. William Dembski, a research professor of philosophy at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, attended Bentley's Denton revival with his wife and their twin 7-year-old boys, one of whom is autistic, at the behest of his friends who told him Bentley had the healing touch. He couldn't even get his family down to the main floor to pray.
"Ushers twice prevented that from happening," Dembski said in the Baptist Press. "They noted that he was not in a wheelchair. . . . People with needs were shortchanged. It seemed that power, prestige and money (in that order) were dominating motives behind the meeting. Minimal time was given to healing, though plenty was devoted to assaulting our senses with blaring insipid music and even to Bentley promoting and selling his own products (books and CDs)."
Just before the revival reaches its third hour, Bentley asks for an offering. Badge-clad volunteers roam up and down the aisles with white plastic buckets while parents and adults whip out their checkbooks or pull some big bills out of their wallets, all of which would go to Miller's ministry, Bentley claimed. By that time it’s obvious there’s gonna be no carcinoma-kicking, so most of the contributors were probably just showing their gratitude for the absence of Lee Greenwood music.
SOMEDAY SOMEDAY SOON THE REAL PREACHERS WILL COME
BUT ONLY TO RE-AFIRM WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE.
I CONSIDER MR. OLE ONE OF THOSE
NOT PERFECT BUT FORGIVEN ,A MAN I HAVE NEVER MET BUT STILL I WOULD TRUST OLE OVER A THOUSAND TV ACTS
THESE FOLKS WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO THE TRUE ONE
SOMEDAY AND I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE A HAPPY MEETING
I AM SENDING MY FIRST DONATION TO THIS MINISTRY THIS WEEK I HAVE PUT IT OFF LONG ENOUGH.
PLEASE NEVER STOP THIS MAGAZINE AND WHAT YOU DO
I was at one of his meetings, and he gave
me a swift kick right to the gut. I could
have sworn he knocked a demon right the hell
out of me, but then I realized that I just
shit my pants.
a swift kick will do that! LOL
Yes. Yes it will.
But it also didn't help that
I had eaten a gargantuan
bowl of "Raisin Bran" the
morning of that fateful night either.
I had to go buy a bottle of brown dye
to correct some issues that I had with the
clothes that I wore to said meeting.
I've learned a valuable lesson indeed.
..shit begets shit!
TC---whatta comment. So you were there? I was too and there was some strange things I saw. Were you the same guy who has cancer, and he kicked you in the area where your cancer is? If so I saw that on YouTube. Your comment means a lot.
When I was there I heard this strange hissing sound at the revival, not much. But a lot more at the camp sites. It was strange, while this one woman was "ministering?" to someone and praying in the S/spirit (hopefully the Holy One)someone else was hissing. I think it means sending the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Yeah, right, send me some money if anyone is that stupid. But then I will have to repent and that causes action...gotta send the money back?! HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, something to think about.
Truly wizards, witches and satanists infiltrate the church. I can't say that's what this is, but there are some strange characters like Patricia King (or Coking) and her blue flame. Blue flame being a symbol in witchcraft. Gotta wonder if she really repented, and Todd.
Clarkster,
Sorry to mislead you, sir.
I was just trying to put a smile
on a few faces. Yes - I realise that
I probably pissed some people off, and
all I have to say about that is..
.. screw 'em if they can't take a joke ;)
( not literally - put your pants back on)
Sure this guy sounds suspect. So do a lot of his detractors here. This kind of thing gives me grief. Not just because of the evidence of stupidity in all of us, but because in the middle of all of this I am personally trying to work out what is going on with a reluctant signs and wonders ministry of my own.
I just got home from three weeks in Brazil where we saw hundreds of healing miracles. I am the biggest sceptic of all yet around 90% of the people we prayed for claimed to be healed. Some of the healings were plainly miracles, with blind people seeing, lumps vanishing, etc. You guys have no idea what it's like to KNOW your own limitations and see this kind of stuff. I torture myself regularly with questions about whether these are just psychosomatic disorders, or some kind of hypnotic "power of suggestion" thing. It's not very "Word of Faith" but no-one is more surprised than me when people are healed. I preach Jesus, people repent and receive forgiveness, I pray for them and they get healed. That's what preaching the Good News does.
Any how my point is, all of this speculation is clearly unhelpful and I would say it is in fact a strategy of the enemy of our faith to undermine what God is genuinely trying to do. Thanks RJ for your post.
Realise Ole, that you are not only striking Bentley down as a charlatan, but you are also assisting in the devils intent of raising up charlatans in the first place. He does it in order to decieve people, create confusion and turn them away from the genuine article. I hope that any other up and coming genuine articles out there don't shipwreck their calling because of the roar of criticism guys like Todd Bently generate.
Aussie,
You keep doing what youare doing. Preach the Gospel and pray for healing. You are making believers through the power of CHrist. That is awesome. This work is the building that will last from generation to generation.
Not trying to offend you nor doubt what you say, yet consider this: isn't it odd that "blind, deaf, mute, and such" people are healed, yet people with no arms nor legs are not healed? People with obvious infirmities are denied access to the creeps that say that God "works through them", while it is a proven fact that in the past, some such charlatans would use confederates to "heal" in services, confusing and tricking the well-meaning attenders of these 'revivals'. How odd ... why is this so hard to figure out? Read the Bible; it's the only source of truth. HR
As a servant of the most high, I feel like Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour that the gospel should not be used for "gain". I've talked to Pete on the phone ,and have sent him documents from time to time. Truth is truth! Fact is Fact! Yes the true men of God who are not in it for money, gain, power, or prestige will manifest. They may not be popular or famous like the ones you publish about... Yet they will be used of God according the the scriptures and they will not teach anything contrary to what the Apostles wrote or charged us to do in fulfillment of the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, Almighty (Rev.1:8). I fine your work on the Trinity foundation, and the 'WittenburgDoor' quite amusing and fun....LOL! If anyone teaches anyting contrary to the word, they are either mistaken or a false prophet,(Deut.4:2;Deut.13:;Gal.1:8,9;Rev.22:19).
It was pretty bad.
...and God is glorified through this "ministry" how, exactly? And, not to pick a nit, but I was pretty sure that Christ said HE needed workers for the harvest; I didn't realize HE'd outsourced that to Todd. Nice.
This is really sad. This isn't satire.
I drove 1000 miles down to Lakeland in June to find out that this rings very true. This sounds like my companion's review of our trip.
Sounds like the same old "Colonel Harvey's Indian Elixer" in a new package. From some of the youtube stuff I've watched it has the same effect on the audience as the Indian Elixer had on Aunt Bea's women's meeting.
I vote for a "citizen's arrest, citizen's arrest."
Snake oil anyone? .....
What?! The angel Emma didn't show up? Todd's been watching too much Emeril Lagasse. BAM!
I believe some of these self deluded guys like bentley cause people to believe in a bate and switch. Its like feeling something hit your head look up and see a pigeon, and find out later it was ice cream from the apartment above. As in this case its not pigeon crap its Bull S..t. Maybe if he had a few twirling dirvishes on stage with him he could draw a few muslims too. No fear of converting them cause he never preaches the gospel. More fodder for another heretic song at
http://godrocketsquad.com/about.html
This is just really sad. All these deluded people who are being intentionally and deliberately misdirected by a charlatan. I pray for these lost souls.
I could'nt agree more. How sad that so many are led astray by empty promises when a quiet seeking of the LORD for themselves could more than satisfy...... they'd find they did,nt need TODD bentley and his ilk ... the way is open straight to the Throne of Grace\\
Anyone remember how to spell "Elmer Gantry?" [There's a reason why people win the Nobel Prize for literature -- somehow, they manage to hit the target right through the cross-hairs in dissecting the human soul from its spirit.]
Also, anybody remember Andy Griffiths' portrayal of "Lonesome Rhodes," in "A Face in the Crowd?" Some of these roadshow evangelical types seem like they are getting their scripts from Hollywood, instead of from the Gospels.
As Solomon said, it's all been done before (and usually better than it's being done now).
RJ -- still hearing voices
One other spiritual force is in evidence at his meetings.
Something no Prophet of God(what god)should be without when doing the Lords(which lord) work.
ATM Machines so you can get you Bucks directly to Bentley so he can go BAM BAM
What a CLOWN!!!
Just waiting for the inevitable downloadable Tilton-esque farting videos of Bentley on The Door.
Yeah, baby!
Yes the Bentley fart show. Kenny Copeland is on You Tube also farting away! This guy (Bentley) is indeed a clown or something even more sinister. You Tube has a revealing video of Bentley's "commissioning as an apostle." All the flakes are there! Joyner,Arnott,Wagner,Ahn. Check out the "prophetess" Stacey? Campbell,what utter nonsense!
I have never been to Florida, but when told about this 'revival' I checked it out on the internet. I have seen videos of the meetings that you speak about, and I have made videos about/against this nonsense.
What is wrong with people?! The few who are genuinely born again are TOLD to check out if people like this false prophet is a man of God or not, 1.Jn.4. I knew immediately it was false, but yet thousands would rather throw out all discernment and believe in wickedness that is plainly unlike Christ. How on earth don't people see it?!
This man Bentley is not just another ranting godless churchman, but he is without doubt demonically inspired. He is moving in spiritual powers that are nothing to do with the Lord God of Israel, just like Copeland, Hagin, Hinn, and Cerullo. Tragic.
Well said Rev. Hughes! I think what's wrong with people is that the church at least in the U.S.A. doesn't teach sound doctrine. No sound doctrine you get the Bentley's,Copeland's,Hagin's,Hinns,etc. You're correct in that discernment is almost gone. After all we mustn't "judge" anyone or anything! I don't know how things are in Britain I'm sure you have your share of flakes as well, things are getting worse this side of the "pond!"
I agree, thing are getting bad, but wait its about to get real bad theres a great falling away read your Bible
Well Dale that depends if you're premillenial or postmillenial. A lot of debate rages over that!
Hey, Dale, This IS the falling away! Years ago we knew a falling away would come, but thought it would be people LEAVING church, or the faith. NOW, very evident, it is people who are following EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE and DOCTRINES OF DEMONS. YET, they are still in 'church' and oh, so SPIRITUAL... I repeat. THIS IS THE FALLING AWAY!
This makes me laugh. Do you really think that this is the "great falling away"? Good god man, do you really base all bible prophesy on 20th century America, you do realize America is a drop in the bucket in the context of world history, don't you?? This isn't the worlds most "sinful" time by a long shot. America is not nor has it ever been the most righteous nation or the most sinful nation ever. Relax man, have an ice cold Bud and watch a ball game, it's almost pennant season and college football starts soon. If you want to do something more productive, volunteer were people are needy. It's gonna be ok, sir
Budda, youda man!
It's great to hear from a UK Pastor/Preacher speaking out against what's going on. Myself and family live in the UK as well and haven't yet found any preacher speaking against these false revivals yet. The Lord led us out of a megachurch here, in Peterborough. It was purpose driven with a diluted gospel. We had been deceived for 10 years, partnered with the copelands, but the Lord answered a prayer of mine about reaching the lost. He led me to wayofthemaster.com and that was the start of the Lord opening our eyes to all these deceivers. I now read my Bible, which is what I should have done before. Be great to know where in the UK you're from?
Only ten years Nina? Shoot I was in the "word of faith" junk over 20 years! I'm glad you got out however. Compared to Copeland Bentley is a pauper. Kenny C. brags that he is now a billionaire! Way Of The Master is good. Check out The Whitehorse Inn. Michael Horton runs this site.
The Documenatry DVD, The Signs And Wonders Exposed, deal swith all this and more. Tell me you read the Door and we'll send it half price.
I totally agree with my compatriot Justin Hughes!
I am frankly astonished by the number of mature Christians I have met, including a number of friends, who think this demonic stuff is from God! How anyone with an ounce of discernment can imagine that this violent lunatic is of God I don't know. Someone said to me that Bentley kicking people in the stomach is OK because Smith Wigglesworth did it! Try saying that Wigglesworth might have got it wrong...
I see that Bentley is coming to the UK to unleash what 'God' has got for us. I'm sure he's going to unleash something...
We had the same thing with Toronto, where mature Christians I loved and respected started telling the 'holy' spirit to make people stick to the floor...
Still, the Word of God tells us to make sure that we don't get deceived too (Galatians 6:1). None of us is above deception, so we all need to stay alert.
May God bless all those who are standing up for the Truth of Jesus!!
Hi John, My first thought in reading your post was -- MATURE CHRISTIANS???? Don't think so! It is these things that shows how mature believers are in the fruit of the Spirit AND in the gift of DISCERNMENT. WOE to us ALL! ... My other thought was how totally VILE I feel when anyone compares TB to JESUS or even to Wigglesworth. Being a full gospel believer for more than 30 plus years, I have read just about EVERYTHING on Wigglesworth, and I can tell you that there should be NO comparison between TB and SW. Yes, Wigglesworth was very FORCEFUL in certain circumstances, BUT I am convinced that much of it is quite EXAGGERATED and well OVERBLOWN. In reading a book recently, I read his account of praying for a girl with appendicitis. He simply commanded COME OUT!... I was quite surprised as I had always HEARD that he would punch the victim in the gut as that was the way he was healed of the same thing. ALSO, Wigglesworth would be shocked at the church today. He preached HOLY CONSECRATED LIVING, and was very much against most of what we see manifesting today. JESUS on the other hand would probably have drawn a whip and driven ALL the MONEYCHANGERS out of the church back in the 70's when it all basically started. Hey, do you think that JESUS would EVER 'DROPKICK' or 'HEADBUTT' some poor suffering soul that came to him for healing?
It's clear to me that none of you read your word very often. Mine says that He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and that He changes not. It also says that in the last days He will pour out his spirit upon all flesh and that we will do as Jesus did and even greater. I recall that Jesus opened blind eyes and made deaf hear as well as lame men walk. Oh and let me not forget raised people from the dead and greatest of all was Himself raised from the dead. And on top of that it was the skeptics who killed him in the first place because there minds were to small to comprehend these things Jesus did. You would have thought they would have been grateful. seems there was no modern medicine then. Wow and no one was around to lay hands on Jesus Christ to raise Him seems everyone was operating in the spirit of skepticism. and it must have been the Holy Spirit. OOOOH! Why is it that people will believe in aliens and palm readers and read horoscopes even fortune cookies but still can't comprehend that there's a God out there that loves us enough to send a way out man to sacrifice his home, ministry, family, free time, sanity, and everything else to be used to bring something awesome to those who are willing to believe. God sent the Holy Spirit no one will listen to Him, He sent others in suits and there best dressed. He sent men women young and old, every denomination and color. sent missionaries as well as those rich and those poor and still nothing is good enough to get people to believe that He is the God that healeth thee. After He rose from the dead then there were those who believed who touched Him during His time before he left to sit on the right hand of His father in heaven but still there were so many who refused and would not believe even after seeing the disciples do as He did, or I guess you think they were witches too! What will it take when you are standing before the gates of heaven as the book is opened up and your name is not found because the opposite of salvation is unbelief seems you have to believe to be saves and you have to believe in something you have not seen. So if your saved because you believed how can you now not believe. Isn't this double mindedness? My Bible says that a double minded man is unstable in ALL his ways. That would make him lukewarm and He said He will vomit those out of His mouth who are neither cold or hot. No fence sitters here. You either believe all or reject all. He does heal today just as He did yesterday. Yes I have been to Oakland a's well as Fort Mill and have kept up with what the Lord is doing by His Spirit. It's not about a man named Todd Bentley it's about how much you are hungry to get out of your comfort zone and seek the face of God in a corporate setting (forsake not the assembly of the brethren) in unity with one heart and one mind set to receive from God something spectacular. (seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL these things shall be ADDED to you according to your measure of faith.) the opposite of faith disbelief. Todd is mealy like a cheerleader of God to encourage and motivate you to dare to go into the secret pace of God so you can receive what is there for you. You should not be focusing on all those around you but on your personal relationship and how close you can come to your God. Obviously it's not happened with people on a one on one basis in there living room or they would not be coming from all around the world to experience more of God. I think it has brought God more into the picture because for all those with a bad experience there are ten more with a good one like me. If God created the heavens and the earth and the fullness there of and made a man out of dirt and breathed into him and made woman out of his rib then why are people so reluctant to believe that God moves. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden but they also believed he was there and experienced Him for themselves. That's what we are doing at the Todd Bentley meetings experiencing Him for ourselves. Unless you have had a banana split you can't relate to the look, taste, or feel of one so unless you go with your whole heart to find Him and not looking to find things not of Him you will never know the Glory of God that can be revealed to you because really you don't want it because it scares you. Jesus said fear not as well as be still and know that I am God. The devil will always make sure you see the skeptical and spectacle side just to do what he has always done as history repeats it's self and that is to discredit God and the things of Him. He comes to receive even the elect in the Lord. That means all of us and especially those with a ministry. He says pray for one another. If you see a brother stumble pray for him. I don't and haven't seen in my word where it says ridicule or tear down or be sarcastic to or condemn but to up lift and encourage. My child who was born with eye problems was healed through these crusades and no longer needs glasses after 13 years of life. do I know why some get healed and others don't? No. I didn't receive the healing I needed. But I don't stop trying or seeking or asking and if nothing else I came away encouraged, enlightened and feeling closer to God than when I came and that doesn't come from satan now does it? And remember the word clearly states "touch not my anointed for it would be better to tie a mill stone around our neck and cast yourself into the sea than to bring harm to any of these. God bless you all.
You can do better than that.
BAM! SHEEKA BOOM BAH!
A member of the Emeril fan club, are we?
Wow, New Fire, you get an "A" on your Patricia King studies! Go out and celebrate at Club Mysterio and do some trance dancing so the Word of God becomes one with you! Your post was full of scriptures taken out of context...Patricia would be so proud of her disciple! I truly hope and pray that it was by God's hand that your child was healed and it is permanent as Jesus healed instantly and permanently. Be careful that you know the only true God and His Son, Jesus, whom He has sent. Abide His warnings about wolves in sheep's clothing. Heck, the wolves aren't even bothering with the sheep suit these days! Remember Matthew 7:21-23!
Fortune cookies are yummy!
I didn't know that it was MY word; at least in the tradition of my upbringing the bible was known as "God's Word." Now, the experience of life has altered my view to believe that the bible is "words about the Word." The fact that you try to make the bible something "possessed" by those who read it makes me wonder if you feel that you somehow possess/own God as some sort of errand boy for your various needs.
I don't have problems believing that God intervenes, I just have trouble believing that God is an errand boy bent by the commands of others. That's one of my problems with a "health and wealth" worldview; it tries to imply that God is commanded around by people simply because they're "good" people. To such people, I prescribe reading Job and Ecclesiastes; actually, I prescribe reading them to everyone. I just especially prescribe reading them to those who wonder "where God is" in their troubles or those who see God as their errand boy.
Of course, there are two ways to read Sinclair Lewis. . .
Bentley may be a modern-day Elmer Gantry, but maybe God is using him just the same?
If nothing else, look at it this way: Todd is attracting the flakier church-goer that most of you don't want to rub elbows with anyway at your own church. He is also gathering a great number of seekers that may not have been willing to hear the gospel in any other form.
I don't much care for his style either, but I am not in a hurry to pick up and armload of rocks to chuck at him. I too busy looking for Windex to clean the panes of my glass house.
Jesus said in the same sermon:
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you.
and. . .
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them.
Do not judge; however we can judge if a person is a false prophet.
Paul also noted:
Th 2:9-12 The man of sin will come with the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous and wonderful signs. But they will be lies. He will use everything that God disapproves of to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. That's why God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie. Then everyone who did not believe the truth, but was delighted with what God disapproves of, will be condemned.
How sad; but God himself sends the delusion to those that follow the evil toad, "todd"
Actually Matthew 7:1 is talking about judging in hypocrasy.
In 1 Corinthians 14:29 it says
Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge (KJV)
The NIV says Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.
It is our Christian duty to judge whether Todd Bentley is a true prophet of God and if he is not (which is the view that I take) then we must warn others.
Hey REV,
I could be wrong, but I think you might be confusing the two similar, but different, actions of judgment and discernment.
There is a big difference between thinking a guy might be a crackpot at best and a snake oil salesman at worst and avoiding him, and shouting loud from the roof tops that somebody is a "son of satan" or some of the other wild things being stated on this site. Granted, The Door, is about wit and sarcasm and we are supposed to be chiding folks with tongue planted firmly in cheek.
Like I said before, I don't much like this guy's style, but lets not gather up rope and wood for Salem style BBQ either.
Even satan is a tool in the hand of God, to bring about His purpose and plan for His Glory.
ah, Discerner... ye took the words right out of my mouth.
anyone have a spare millstone?
SRebbe,sorry didn't mean to steal your thunder. Not to worry Todd won't run out of material for you to comment on!
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