Lakeland Leaders.
The leader of the Lakeland ‘revival’, Todd Bentley, announced a couple days ago that he is separating from his wife. He will not be leading the Lakeland ‘revival’ and in fact the ‘revival’ has gone through some turmoil because of the news.
Todd is one of the recent batch of controversial charismatic preachers who thinks very little about (or: of) theology (side note: he has no formal biblical education), is often quoted saying something silly (read: heretical), and has been noted as a ‘violent’ prayer – kicking people and knocking teeth out.
He has made favorable comments about William Branham – a charismatic preacher who (among other weird doctrine, like serpent seed) denied the Trinity and in the end of his ministry claimed to be the reincarnated Elijah! – saying (on stage) that the same angel (read: not God) that brought healing in Branham’s meetings was going to bring healing to his.
To make matters worse, GodTV, the outfit who was broadcasting his meetings from Lakeland said, “any criticism of Todd Bentley is demonic”.
WOW.
I really wonder how the charismatic community puts up with this?? Earlier this year some of the top charismatic leaders laid hands on him and commissioned him out. And yet they let them run amok with what seems like no accountability! Why didn’t someone say ‘STOP’ before things like this happen? Where were those leaders who commissioned him?
We should be holding the charismatic leaders responsible! It’s obvious that these leaders are too near-sighted to see the damaging effects of putting someone like Todd in that place. Whatever happened to mentoring? Slowing future leaders down, getting them understanding the Word and most importantly, making sure that they’re putting family first. Was anyone talking to him about his doctrine? Was anybody telling him to go home and get his family life straight? Why would anybody let him go to Florida if they knew that his marriage was falling apart?
And ‘we didn’t know’ is not a valid answer. Not for the leaders who commissioned him.
The Charismatic Movement needs to take a close look at itself and ask themselves some serious questions, and go through some serious reforms before they disqualify themselves because of their lack of diligence and accountability.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4795178/TODD-BENTLEY-PASTOR-PATRICIA-KING-SPEAKS-OF-FAILURE-OF-THE-FLESH
PATRICIA KING EXPLAINS THE FAILURE OF THE LAKELAND OUTPOURING
Todd Bentley’s pastor, Patricia King says, “ Sometimes there is tumult, and this is so in the Body of Christ today. . . We found ourselves in a time of ‘Spiritual Revolution.’ In this transition, there seems to be a lot swirl and agitation in The Body that looks like division, one group coming against another and negative words being spoken against one another . . . questioning, challenging and opposing and persecuting one another.”
First and foremost, they are not like me. I do not believe that Patricia King, Todd Bentley and their New Mystical form of Christianity is in anyway part of the Body of Jesus Christ. They well may be a part of the New Age Body of the new Christ. As she admits, they were trying to lead a “spiritual revolution” causing a ‘swirl and agitation’ that she says, ‘looks like division.”
Did these goofy so-called mystical Christians actually believe that they were going to conquer the Church of Bible Believing Christians without an outpouring of protest or even a whimper? She admits they are trying to lead a spiritual revolution which means: rebellion, revolt, uprising, upheaval, insurgency, insurrection, mutiny, and riot, transformation, alteration, conversion, development, change, reform, innovation, modernization.
Ms. King then begins to point them to Jesus and says that recently the Lord has blessed them with a “revival in Lakeland using His servant Todd Bentley. “What so awesome about that revival that was being televised worldwide was you could see the power of God. . . You could see the cripples walk, the blind receive their sight and the deaf hear and their’s documentation on everything.
I remember the leader of this so-called revival was being moved by angels according to Todd Bentley’s testimony. According the secular television news reports, Bentley could not document one miracle. Todd Bentley and British accomplices have claimed that 30 people were raised from the dead and healed thousands. Not only have ABC Nightline and other Christian media disproved every claim but Todd Bentley even gave them non-existent and false phone numbers for those he claimed he had healed. See enclosed links.
Here the link Pastor Pat,,
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=todd+bentley&emb=0#q=todd%20bentley&emb=0&start=20
pat holliday
August 16, 2008 at 4:39 am
2 comments (from the same user) were deleted because I discovered that he’s been copying and pasting the same responses to numerous blogs,
xnowimcoolx
August 18, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Totally agree with you Adam- we need more accountability in the charismatic churches.
“To make matters worse, GodTV, the outfit who was broadcasting his meetings from Lakeland said, “any criticism of Todd Bentley is demonic”.”
Brian Houston once said “you’re either in support of Hillsong, or you’re against GOD.”
This whole attitude is so wrong.
I love the expression “gold does not fear fire”, i.e. truth should not fear examination.
Amanda
August 22, 2008 at 7:04 am