Thursday, August 14, 2008
Lakeland/Bentley News/Comments
From Bishop David Holdridge:
To my friends and colleagues in the ministry-
I received the following articles last nite from Charisma magazine and am forwarding them to you concerning Rev. Todd Bentley recently known for the revival known as the Lakeland Outpouring. I will add my brief comments at the end of this email.
Bishop Holdridge
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Todd Bentley Separation Shocks Followers, Apostolic Overseers
By Paul Steven Ghiringhelli
Leaders of the apostolic movement are scrambling for answers after learning that revival leader Todd Bentley is separating from his wife. California pastor Bill Johnson, who with pastors John Arnott and Che Ahn represents Bentley's apostolic covering under a group called the Revival Alliance, said he was shocked by Bentley's announcement. This is an obvious tragedy, both for Todd and Shonnah and the move of God in Lakeland, Johnson said. They had problems a couple of years ago, and I got involved at that time to lend support and give counsel to Todd and his staff. In talking with Todd I was led to believe those issues were now in order. Obviously they weren't. During an impromptu meeting Monday, Bentley told the staff of his Fresh Fire Ministries that he and his wife, Shonnah, were separating. In a statement released Tuesday, the Fresh Fire board of directors said the meetings were not to blame for the breakup of Bentley's marriage, that the separation was not due to infidelity by either spouse and that they hoped the marriage would be restored. We know that many of you will have questions, for most of which we presently have no answers, the board members stated. Bentley has spent most of the last four months away from his home in Abbottsford, B.C., where his wife and three children reside. Shonnah Bentley has appeared on the platform with her husband in Lakeland periodically. The news did not come as a total surprise to the top three members of the Revival Alliance, an apostolic group that Bentley submitted himself to during a commissioning ceremony on June 23 in Lakeland. We are all of one heart in that we want to see their marriage restored, and just as important, see their hearts get healed from these points of weakness that have been there for years, Johnson said. At press time, Johnson said he had still not been able to make contact with Bentley. C. Peter Wagner, leader of the International Coalition of Apostles, convened and officiated at the Revival Alliance's commissioning ceremony in June. Wagner's wife, Doris, said he was shocked when he received the news of Bentley's separation while he was in Asia conducting a 10-day ministry trip. Arnott, an alliance member and founding pastor of the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, said he was also surprised when he got word Monday of Bentley's separation. I had hoped that the previous troubles had been resolved and worked through, he told Charisma, referring to marital problems he said the Bentleys had two years ago. Ahn told Charisma the Revival Alliance is doing all that we can do to bring correction and counsel to Todd. Stephen Strader, senior pastor of Ignited Church, where Bentley's revival meetings began, told Charisma the separation was for a period of time while [the couple] both continue to receive counseling. Strader said he only recently discovered the counseling sessions between the two had been ongoing for the past three years. The outpouring has put a tremendous strain on their [counseling] process because the process, for all intents and purposes, was almost suspended because of the exaggerated distance and the exaggerated seven-days-a-week schedule, Strader said. According to Strader, Bentley turned the leadership of the revival meetings over to him on Aug. 6 more than two weeks before the Aug. 23 date Bentley previously said would be his last service. Strader said Bentley would officially depart the revival during tonight's meeting in Lakeland, when Bentley is scheduled to thank the crowd and commission his interns to continue the revival. In their statement, the Fresh Fire board members said the ministry would focus on growing the Global Outpourings that have spread since April via GOD TV and the Internet. Rory and Wendy Alec, founders of GOD TV, said that even though last Friday was their network's final live broadcast of the Lakeland meetings, they believe the outpouring is a genuine move of God. We believe that it is important to recognize and defend the authenticity of this outpouring by the testimonies of the countless thousands who viewed on GOD TV or attended at Lakeland and were healed, set free and delivered through Jesus Christ, the Alecs said in a statement. Patricia King, founder of Extreme Prophetic TV and a close friend of Bentley's, told Charisma she is praying for wisdom about how to help people process the news of Bentley's separation. I am heart-broken over the situation, she said. I love Todd. I will always love Him. I will carry Him in my heart and prayers and never let go. Right now, though, I am in pain, deep pain, she added, for the body [of Christ], for Todd, for his family. Johnson said the Revival Alliance leaders want to help Bentley heal and experience restoration. None of the Revival Alliance members sweeps things under the carpet and ignore or deny tragedy, he said. Neither do we think great anointing is a replacement for character. We will now work hard to bring healing and restoration, considering it a privilege to stand with a brother in trouble, regardless of who is at fault.
Paul Steven Ghiringhelli
Due to the seriousness of this story, both publisher Stephen Strang and editor Lee Grady felt they should give their perspectives. You can read their comments in the Strang Report and Fire in My Bones columns that follow.
It's Time for Spiritual Fathers
By Steve Strang
It's time for the spiritual fathers to step up and help Todd Bentley, the former leader of the revival that has come to be known as the "Lakeland Outpouring."In light of the tragic news of the break-up of Bentley's marriage and some type of breakdown by Bentley himself (close associates are being tight-lipped), I believe his apostolic covering needs to minister not only to him but also to the larger body of Christ.In June, at the request of Stephen Strader, pastor of Lakeland, Florida's Ignited Church, Peter Wagner, head of the International Coalition of Apostles, agreed to lead an effort to address some of the concerns other ministers had voiced regarding the outpouring. As a result, Bentley and the revival in Lakeland were put under apostolic covering in what I consider a very healthy step. Too often in the "anything-goes-if-there's-an-'anointing' " charismatic environment there is no clear line of spiritual authority. But at Wagner's leading, Bentley submitted to the authority of three mature men of God--John Arnott, Che Ahn and Bill Johnson--who love him and who agreed to give him and his ministry apostolic oversightI know all three of these men personally. Each of them has a stellar reputation and is known for his desire to see revival come to the body of Christ. Each endorsed the Lakeland Outpouring and on June 23 laid hands on Bentley to commission him to lead that revivalAbout a week ago Wagner issued a statement about the commissioning process, which I believe was needed and very helpful. Little did any of us know that within a matter of days revelations would come out about Bentley. In 20/20 hindsight perhaps we should have seen it coming.
-Anyone who is in services 4 to 6 hours a day, 7 days a week for weeks on end is bound to have some type of breakdown.
-Anyone who covers himself with tattoos while in the ministry raises questions about his stability.
-Anyone who talks about the "Angel of the Healing Revival" that ministered to A.A. Allen and William Branham must have overlooked the fact that Allen and Branham both were discredited with moral shortcomings.
-Anyone who baptizes people in the name of the Father, the Son "and BAM" is playing lightly with the Holy Spirit and is bordering on blasphemy.
Many of us who long for revival saw the hungry people coming to Lakeland and witnessed the powerful anointing. We recognize that God can use flawed people (because He uses us!), yet we had major questions about Bentley. But rather than censoring him, we wanted to help correct the problems.
Now is the time for Bentley to be corrected. But it would also be good for Arnott, Ahn and Johnson, as well as other leaders such as Wagner, to issue a statement to the body of Christ to help the tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands who were affected by the outpouring understand what is going on spiritually.
Because all of these men endorsed the revival, it might even be appropriate for them to issue an apology. Some of Bentley's critics say an apology is necessary.
Perhaps some of the problems would have been prevented if men had spoken into Bentley's life several months ago. As good as it is to have an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff to help the injured, it is much better to have a fence at the top of the cliff to prevent someone from going over.
The Old Testament is full of the stories of flawed men God used powerfully. He continues to use flawed men and women today. But at the same time I believe God sets a higher standard for leaders in the church, requiring them to live righteous and holy lives. It is not right for the leaders who encourage us to follow God with utmost devotion to fall into divorce and other sins while the mocking world watches.
Strader, the pastor to whom Bentley handed "the baton of the Outpouring" earlier this month and who is continuing the services at his church, said that a television news crew was outside his church Tuesday covering what is happening. Newsmen are usually skeptical of high-profile preachers because they've seen them rise and fall in the past.
Strader told me that his church, which seats about 800, was packed with people wanting a touch from God. But he admitted that many have been devastated by the news about Bentley's marriage, including many of the young staff members who were employed by Bentley's ministry, Fresh Fire. Bentley, his wife, Shonnah, and their family, also, are clearly in turmoil.
Strader mentioned as we talked that we have to be careful not to shoot our wounded. I was reminded of his comment during my daily Bible reading this morning, which included Galatians 6, a passage that says we need to restore those who fall with a spirit of gentleness so that we don't fall into the same sin. But he also pointed out that there must be a reason why the story of Ananias and Sapphira is in the Bible as a warning to others
IMPORTANT NOTE FROM BISHOP HOLDRIDGE: I DO NOT IN ANY WAY AGREE WITH STEPHEN STRANG'S COMMENTS CONCERNING BROTHER AA ALLEN.
[ I invite you to read Wagner's statement, which was written before Bentley's pending divorce had become public.]
A Report From Peter
THE LAKELAND APOSTOLIC FINDINGS
From the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team
Written by C. Peter Wagner, Convening Apostle(As of 8-11-08)
Introduction
Few events in recent church history have drawn as much national and international attention as the Lakeland Outpouring, May-August 2008, led by evangelist Todd Bentley and his Fresh Fire Ministries team. A key factor contributing to this unusual phenomenon has been the decision of Rory and Wendy Alec to use GOD TV to televise the revival meetings internationally. As would be expected, true to the history of revivals, a powerful move of God like this inevitably draws serious attacks from the enemy and his forces of darkness. One outcome is a range of reactions to the phenomenon from those who focus on the hand of God in the ministry to those who focus on the damage that the enemy is doing. Because of the unprecedented number of people who have been affected one way or another by Lakeland and because of instant communication through technology, opinions and points of view easily become public domain, and the body of Christ can readily become polarized, which, of course, would be a victory for the enemy. Unfortunately, in the case of Lakeland, the enemy has been succeeding, more than he should, in producing widespread confusion and even chaos throughout large segments of the body of Christ. Throughout the early weeks of the Outpouring I watched it from time to time on TV, I followed the news items and rejoiced at what God was doing in Lakeland, but the matter was located toward the bottom of my priority scale. I also became aware of a rising number of criticisms and concerns about what was going on there, but I had very little interest in absorbing or analyzing them. This changed when I received a telephone call from Apostle Stephen Strader, Pastor of Ignited Church, and host of the Lakeland Outpouring. Stephen called me as the Presiding Apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA) of which he was a member. From first hand observation he described both the blessings and harsh opposition that they had begun to experience. Then he said, "Where are the apostles?" I believe the Holy Spirit spoke to me at that moment and said words to the effect, "Peter, you will need to answer that question." As I have written in my books, one of the roles of an apostle is to set things in order and another is to assure that the body of Christ is operating on the basis of sound, biblical doctrine. There was no question about the need-disorder reigned, and many of the Lakeland doctrines as well as practices were being called into question on an international scope. I believe that I was given a divine assignment that I hadn't even desired, namely to attempt to bring some kind of apostolic order to this widespread and potentially damaging confusion. While I was talking to Stephen, God kept bringing the word "alignment" to the front of my mind, so I questioned him on Todd Bentley's apostolic alignment. The upshot was that Todd believed in apostles and prophets, but he had never entered into a formal alignment. I did some more investigation over the next couple of days, and I was assured that this was indeed the case. As the picture developed, there were two pressing needs. One was to facilitate apostolic alignment for Todd and the other was to deal responsibly with the doctrinal and ministry style issues being discussed. Then the question became, Which should come first? Meanwhile I had been discussing these things with several friends, all of whom were also members of ICA and whose opinion I highly respected. I immediately discovered to my surprise that many of my friends had formed highly-charged and emotionally intense opinions. Some were advising me not to go to Lakeland to promote a formal alignment until the doctrinal issues first had been resolved. Others took the opposite position. I carefully considered what they said and weighed the pros and cons as best I could. My thinking was that I did not want to deal with doctrinal issues with any one but fellow apostles. I had recently attempted a similar process that had to do with a certain prophet, and I had failed in accomplishing my goal of bringing about a reconciliation of opposing parties. I felt that one of my mistakes had been attempting to deal directly with a prophet who was not aligned with me instead of dealing with an apostle with whom this person was in fact aligned. I certainly knew that I did not want to attempt to work directly with an evangelist such as Todd Bentley, especially one whom I had never met. If Todd was not apostolically aligned, this alignment needed to be formalized before I was prepared to go any further. I am well aware that some friends thought I should have stopped right there and pulled out. Perhaps I should have, but I felt that I would be disobeying the word from the Holy Spirit if I did. Some of my friends have not yet forgiven me for not taking their advice, and, who knows? Someday they might be telling me, "I told you so!" Regardless, I knew that alignment needed to come first. Chuck Pierce, with whom I am closely aligned prophetically, wholeheartedly agreed. I did my due diligence and discovered that Che Ahn was the ICA member who had the closest contact with Todd, and that Todd was willing to accept this alignment. Che felt that he should bring in Bill Johnson and John Arnott since all three of them were close to Todd and they lead the newly-formed Revival Alliance. Unbelievably, all four of us had one date in common open all summer, Monday, June 23, so we decided that we would propose it to Todd. He enthusiastically agreed and invited us to come.
By now the word was getting out and I was receiving a quantity of email correspondence from other apostles who were interested. I opened the door for those who desired to accompany us on the platform. I did not allow prophets, evangelists pastors, or teachers to join the group-apostles only. A total of 17 apostles participated representing three apostolic streams: ICA, Revival Alliance, and Morning Star (Rick Joyner). The Alignment Ceremony My role in the ceremony was to facilitate Todd's alignment with the three from Revival Alliance, who would then commission Todd as the evangelist to the Lakeland Outpouring. The others were invited to join in with short prayers or prophecies as led. I need to explain a couple of things at this point, because it turns out that some have misunderstood what I have just said. Some have thought that Todd is aligned with me, which is not the case. He is not a member of ICA. We are barely acquainted. Please note that purposely I have never come out and defended Todd against any of the accusations. I have attempted to maintain neutrality in order to deal with the issues as objectively as possible. Some have said that my very appearance in the ceremony constituted a de facto endorsement of the Lakeland Outpouring. I anticipated that this would be the case, and I felt I had to take the risk because I knew of no other way to proceed. So while it was an endorsement, I in no way meant it to imply that I was endorsing Lakeland's side of the controversial issues. For one thing I couldn't do that because I had not yet investigated them as I am doing now. I felt that the proper protocol was alignment first. However, I did feel, and still do, that what was wrong with the Outpouring should be corrected if at all possible rather than rejected out of hand. Others wondered if this was an ICA event. It was not. However, I cannot separate myself from my role as the ICA leader, and I so identified myself in my paper.
Thirteen of the 17 apostles on the platform were ICA members, and they agreed that Todd would be better with formal apostolic alignment than without it. I have been scolded by some for making an apostolic decree at the end of my presentation. They may be right. However, I believe in apostolic alignment so much, that my thought was that Todd would be blessed more after the alignment than before.Take note also that I mentioned a heightened level of discernment between truth and error which obviously has been called for.
The vows of alignment with Che, Bill, and John led to Todd's commissioning. Che Ahn was in charge of this. Notice that the only ones who laid on hands and commissioned were the three of them. Several prayed and prophesied. I want to make it clear that I did not commission Todd as some wrongly think. I didn't lay on hands, I didn't anoint with oil, in fact I moved to the back and neither my wife, Doris, nor I prayed or prophesied. I did this intentionally because I knew I would be wrongly positioned for the second part of my assignment if I did. With the alignment completed, I was ready to go on with the second part of the assignment, namely attempting to bring order out of the confusion concerning doctrines and ministry practices Bringing Order to the Issues I felt that I needed a team of apostles who were willing to work with me in order to identify the concerns that had been brought up, define them as carefully as possible, and come to an opinion that could be issued to the public. Ten other apostles have agreed to work with me in this project: Che Ahn, Bill Johnson, John Arnott, Chuck Pierce, Stephen Strader, Lee Grady, David Cannistraci, Steve Strang, Jeff Beacham, and Joe Askins. One of our first tasks was to develop a "Lakeland Spectrum" in order to help individuals concerned to know where they stood as over against others. We have a five point spectrum (1) Strong approval, (2) Concerned approval, (3) Neutral, (4) Conditional disapproval, (5) Strong disapproval. The members of our apostolic team range from 1 to 4.5, so we have a range of perspectives.We have been working on sorting out what we now have, and the list is down to 24 issues. We are taking this very seriously, and we understand that the process will take time. When we arrive at our conclusions we will release them to the public. John Arnott will be the point person to review our findings with Todd Bentley and the Fresh Fire Board of which he is a member. We will add to this report of the findings as soon as possible . . . .
Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion
Written by Lee Grady
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.
Comments from Bishop David Holdridge:
It is easy after a shipwreck for everyone to try to point fingers and try to determine who is to blame. In this case, we see the charismatic apostles being brought in. But to those of us who realize that they represent only a minority of the Body of Christ as a whole, we know that there is a larger problem. So many times we have seen problems in individual ministries. However the situation today in ministry is similar to the situation in past times concerning divorce. There really is no authority in the Body of Christ. If you mess up in one denomination, you go to another. We have the leaders of denominations and movements messing up but soon everyone is fine and functioning under a different name, organization or covering. The sin is with all of us. Until the Body of Christ answers our Lord's prayer of John 17: "that they might be one", we are responsible for the lack of spiritual unity, spiritual accountability, and believeabilty in our Christian witness.
Bishop Holdridge
To my friends and colleagues in the ministry-
I received the following articles last nite from Charisma magazine and am forwarding them to you concerning Rev. Todd Bentley recently known for the revival known as the Lakeland Outpouring. I will add my brief comments at the end of this email.
Bishop Holdridge
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Todd Bentley Separation Shocks Followers, Apostolic Overseers
By Paul Steven Ghiringhelli
Leaders of the apostolic movement are scrambling for answers after learning that revival leader Todd Bentley is separating from his wife. California pastor Bill Johnson, who with pastors John Arnott and Che Ahn represents Bentley's apostolic covering under a group called the Revival Alliance, said he was shocked by Bentley's announcement. This is an obvious tragedy, both for Todd and Shonnah and the move of God in Lakeland, Johnson said. They had problems a couple of years ago, and I got involved at that time to lend support and give counsel to Todd and his staff. In talking with Todd I was led to believe those issues were now in order. Obviously they weren't. During an impromptu meeting Monday, Bentley told the staff of his Fresh Fire Ministries that he and his wife, Shonnah, were separating. In a statement released Tuesday, the Fresh Fire board of directors said the meetings were not to blame for the breakup of Bentley's marriage, that the separation was not due to infidelity by either spouse and that they hoped the marriage would be restored. We know that many of you will have questions, for most of which we presently have no answers, the board members stated. Bentley has spent most of the last four months away from his home in Abbottsford, B.C., where his wife and three children reside. Shonnah Bentley has appeared on the platform with her husband in Lakeland periodically. The news did not come as a total surprise to the top three members of the Revival Alliance, an apostolic group that Bentley submitted himself to during a commissioning ceremony on June 23 in Lakeland. We are all of one heart in that we want to see their marriage restored, and just as important, see their hearts get healed from these points of weakness that have been there for years, Johnson said. At press time, Johnson said he had still not been able to make contact with Bentley. C. Peter Wagner, leader of the International Coalition of Apostles, convened and officiated at the Revival Alliance's commissioning ceremony in June. Wagner's wife, Doris, said he was shocked when he received the news of Bentley's separation while he was in Asia conducting a 10-day ministry trip. Arnott, an alliance member and founding pastor of the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, said he was also surprised when he got word Monday of Bentley's separation. I had hoped that the previous troubles had been resolved and worked through, he told Charisma, referring to marital problems he said the Bentleys had two years ago. Ahn told Charisma the Revival Alliance is doing all that we can do to bring correction and counsel to Todd. Stephen Strader, senior pastor of Ignited Church, where Bentley's revival meetings began, told Charisma the separation was for a period of time while [the couple] both continue to receive counseling. Strader said he only recently discovered the counseling sessions between the two had been ongoing for the past three years. The outpouring has put a tremendous strain on their [counseling] process because the process, for all intents and purposes, was almost suspended because of the exaggerated distance and the exaggerated seven-days-a-week schedule, Strader said. According to Strader, Bentley turned the leadership of the revival meetings over to him on Aug. 6 more than two weeks before the Aug. 23 date Bentley previously said would be his last service. Strader said Bentley would officially depart the revival during tonight's meeting in Lakeland, when Bentley is scheduled to thank the crowd and commission his interns to continue the revival. In their statement, the Fresh Fire board members said the ministry would focus on growing the Global Outpourings that have spread since April via GOD TV and the Internet. Rory and Wendy Alec, founders of GOD TV, said that even though last Friday was their network's final live broadcast of the Lakeland meetings, they believe the outpouring is a genuine move of God. We believe that it is important to recognize and defend the authenticity of this outpouring by the testimonies of the countless thousands who viewed on GOD TV or attended at Lakeland and were healed, set free and delivered through Jesus Christ, the Alecs said in a statement. Patricia King, founder of Extreme Prophetic TV and a close friend of Bentley's, told Charisma she is praying for wisdom about how to help people process the news of Bentley's separation. I am heart-broken over the situation, she said. I love Todd. I will always love Him. I will carry Him in my heart and prayers and never let go. Right now, though, I am in pain, deep pain, she added, for the body [of Christ], for Todd, for his family. Johnson said the Revival Alliance leaders want to help Bentley heal and experience restoration. None of the Revival Alliance members sweeps things under the carpet and ignore or deny tragedy, he said. Neither do we think great anointing is a replacement for character. We will now work hard to bring healing and restoration, considering it a privilege to stand with a brother in trouble, regardless of who is at fault.
Paul Steven Ghiringhelli
Due to the seriousness of this story, both publisher Stephen Strang and editor Lee Grady felt they should give their perspectives. You can read their comments in the Strang Report and Fire in My Bones columns that follow.
It's Time for Spiritual Fathers
By Steve Strang
It's time for the spiritual fathers to step up and help Todd Bentley, the former leader of the revival that has come to be known as the "Lakeland Outpouring."In light of the tragic news of the break-up of Bentley's marriage and some type of breakdown by Bentley himself (close associates are being tight-lipped), I believe his apostolic covering needs to minister not only to him but also to the larger body of Christ.In June, at the request of Stephen Strader, pastor of Lakeland, Florida's Ignited Church, Peter Wagner, head of the International Coalition of Apostles, agreed to lead an effort to address some of the concerns other ministers had voiced regarding the outpouring. As a result, Bentley and the revival in Lakeland were put under apostolic covering in what I consider a very healthy step. Too often in the "anything-goes-if-there's-an-'anointing' " charismatic environment there is no clear line of spiritual authority. But at Wagner's leading, Bentley submitted to the authority of three mature men of God--John Arnott, Che Ahn and Bill Johnson--who love him and who agreed to give him and his ministry apostolic oversightI know all three of these men personally. Each of them has a stellar reputation and is known for his desire to see revival come to the body of Christ. Each endorsed the Lakeland Outpouring and on June 23 laid hands on Bentley to commission him to lead that revivalAbout a week ago Wagner issued a statement about the commissioning process, which I believe was needed and very helpful. Little did any of us know that within a matter of days revelations would come out about Bentley. In 20/20 hindsight perhaps we should have seen it coming.
-Anyone who is in services 4 to 6 hours a day, 7 days a week for weeks on end is bound to have some type of breakdown.
-Anyone who covers himself with tattoos while in the ministry raises questions about his stability.
-Anyone who talks about the "Angel of the Healing Revival" that ministered to A.A. Allen and William Branham must have overlooked the fact that Allen and Branham both were discredited with moral shortcomings.
-Anyone who baptizes people in the name of the Father, the Son "and BAM" is playing lightly with the Holy Spirit and is bordering on blasphemy.
Many of us who long for revival saw the hungry people coming to Lakeland and witnessed the powerful anointing. We recognize that God can use flawed people (because He uses us!), yet we had major questions about Bentley. But rather than censoring him, we wanted to help correct the problems.
Now is the time for Bentley to be corrected. But it would also be good for Arnott, Ahn and Johnson, as well as other leaders such as Wagner, to issue a statement to the body of Christ to help the tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands who were affected by the outpouring understand what is going on spiritually.
Because all of these men endorsed the revival, it might even be appropriate for them to issue an apology. Some of Bentley's critics say an apology is necessary.
Perhaps some of the problems would have been prevented if men had spoken into Bentley's life several months ago. As good as it is to have an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff to help the injured, it is much better to have a fence at the top of the cliff to prevent someone from going over.
The Old Testament is full of the stories of flawed men God used powerfully. He continues to use flawed men and women today. But at the same time I believe God sets a higher standard for leaders in the church, requiring them to live righteous and holy lives. It is not right for the leaders who encourage us to follow God with utmost devotion to fall into divorce and other sins while the mocking world watches.
Strader, the pastor to whom Bentley handed "the baton of the Outpouring" earlier this month and who is continuing the services at his church, said that a television news crew was outside his church Tuesday covering what is happening. Newsmen are usually skeptical of high-profile preachers because they've seen them rise and fall in the past.
Strader told me that his church, which seats about 800, was packed with people wanting a touch from God. But he admitted that many have been devastated by the news about Bentley's marriage, including many of the young staff members who were employed by Bentley's ministry, Fresh Fire. Bentley, his wife, Shonnah, and their family, also, are clearly in turmoil.
Strader mentioned as we talked that we have to be careful not to shoot our wounded. I was reminded of his comment during my daily Bible reading this morning, which included Galatians 6, a passage that says we need to restore those who fall with a spirit of gentleness so that we don't fall into the same sin. But he also pointed out that there must be a reason why the story of Ananias and Sapphira is in the Bible as a warning to others
IMPORTANT NOTE FROM BISHOP HOLDRIDGE: I DO NOT IN ANY WAY AGREE WITH STEPHEN STRANG'S COMMENTS CONCERNING BROTHER AA ALLEN.
[ I invite you to read Wagner's statement, which was written before Bentley's pending divorce had become public.]
A Report From Peter
THE LAKELAND APOSTOLIC FINDINGS
From the Lakeland Outpouring Apostolic Team
Written by C. Peter Wagner, Convening Apostle(As of 8-11-08)
Introduction
Few events in recent church history have drawn as much national and international attention as the Lakeland Outpouring, May-August 2008, led by evangelist Todd Bentley and his Fresh Fire Ministries team. A key factor contributing to this unusual phenomenon has been the decision of Rory and Wendy Alec to use GOD TV to televise the revival meetings internationally. As would be expected, true to the history of revivals, a powerful move of God like this inevitably draws serious attacks from the enemy and his forces of darkness. One outcome is a range of reactions to the phenomenon from those who focus on the hand of God in the ministry to those who focus on the damage that the enemy is doing. Because of the unprecedented number of people who have been affected one way or another by Lakeland and because of instant communication through technology, opinions and points of view easily become public domain, and the body of Christ can readily become polarized, which, of course, would be a victory for the enemy. Unfortunately, in the case of Lakeland, the enemy has been succeeding, more than he should, in producing widespread confusion and even chaos throughout large segments of the body of Christ. Throughout the early weeks of the Outpouring I watched it from time to time on TV, I followed the news items and rejoiced at what God was doing in Lakeland, but the matter was located toward the bottom of my priority scale. I also became aware of a rising number of criticisms and concerns about what was going on there, but I had very little interest in absorbing or analyzing them. This changed when I received a telephone call from Apostle Stephen Strader, Pastor of Ignited Church, and host of the Lakeland Outpouring. Stephen called me as the Presiding Apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA) of which he was a member. From first hand observation he described both the blessings and harsh opposition that they had begun to experience. Then he said, "Where are the apostles?" I believe the Holy Spirit spoke to me at that moment and said words to the effect, "Peter, you will need to answer that question." As I have written in my books, one of the roles of an apostle is to set things in order and another is to assure that the body of Christ is operating on the basis of sound, biblical doctrine. There was no question about the need-disorder reigned, and many of the Lakeland doctrines as well as practices were being called into question on an international scope. I believe that I was given a divine assignment that I hadn't even desired, namely to attempt to bring some kind of apostolic order to this widespread and potentially damaging confusion. While I was talking to Stephen, God kept bringing the word "alignment" to the front of my mind, so I questioned him on Todd Bentley's apostolic alignment. The upshot was that Todd believed in apostles and prophets, but he had never entered into a formal alignment. I did some more investigation over the next couple of days, and I was assured that this was indeed the case. As the picture developed, there were two pressing needs. One was to facilitate apostolic alignment for Todd and the other was to deal responsibly with the doctrinal and ministry style issues being discussed. Then the question became, Which should come first? Meanwhile I had been discussing these things with several friends, all of whom were also members of ICA and whose opinion I highly respected. I immediately discovered to my surprise that many of my friends had formed highly-charged and emotionally intense opinions. Some were advising me not to go to Lakeland to promote a formal alignment until the doctrinal issues first had been resolved. Others took the opposite position. I carefully considered what they said and weighed the pros and cons as best I could. My thinking was that I did not want to deal with doctrinal issues with any one but fellow apostles. I had recently attempted a similar process that had to do with a certain prophet, and I had failed in accomplishing my goal of bringing about a reconciliation of opposing parties. I felt that one of my mistakes had been attempting to deal directly with a prophet who was not aligned with me instead of dealing with an apostle with whom this person was in fact aligned. I certainly knew that I did not want to attempt to work directly with an evangelist such as Todd Bentley, especially one whom I had never met. If Todd was not apostolically aligned, this alignment needed to be formalized before I was prepared to go any further. I am well aware that some friends thought I should have stopped right there and pulled out. Perhaps I should have, but I felt that I would be disobeying the word from the Holy Spirit if I did. Some of my friends have not yet forgiven me for not taking their advice, and, who knows? Someday they might be telling me, "I told you so!" Regardless, I knew that alignment needed to come first. Chuck Pierce, with whom I am closely aligned prophetically, wholeheartedly agreed. I did my due diligence and discovered that Che Ahn was the ICA member who had the closest contact with Todd, and that Todd was willing to accept this alignment. Che felt that he should bring in Bill Johnson and John Arnott since all three of them were close to Todd and they lead the newly-formed Revival Alliance. Unbelievably, all four of us had one date in common open all summer, Monday, June 23, so we decided that we would propose it to Todd. He enthusiastically agreed and invited us to come.
By now the word was getting out and I was receiving a quantity of email correspondence from other apostles who were interested. I opened the door for those who desired to accompany us on the platform. I did not allow prophets, evangelists pastors, or teachers to join the group-apostles only. A total of 17 apostles participated representing three apostolic streams: ICA, Revival Alliance, and Morning Star (Rick Joyner). The Alignment Ceremony My role in the ceremony was to facilitate Todd's alignment with the three from Revival Alliance, who would then commission Todd as the evangelist to the Lakeland Outpouring. The others were invited to join in with short prayers or prophecies as led. I need to explain a couple of things at this point, because it turns out that some have misunderstood what I have just said. Some have thought that Todd is aligned with me, which is not the case. He is not a member of ICA. We are barely acquainted. Please note that purposely I have never come out and defended Todd against any of the accusations. I have attempted to maintain neutrality in order to deal with the issues as objectively as possible. Some have said that my very appearance in the ceremony constituted a de facto endorsement of the Lakeland Outpouring. I anticipated that this would be the case, and I felt I had to take the risk because I knew of no other way to proceed. So while it was an endorsement, I in no way meant it to imply that I was endorsing Lakeland's side of the controversial issues. For one thing I couldn't do that because I had not yet investigated them as I am doing now. I felt that the proper protocol was alignment first. However, I did feel, and still do, that what was wrong with the Outpouring should be corrected if at all possible rather than rejected out of hand. Others wondered if this was an ICA event. It was not. However, I cannot separate myself from my role as the ICA leader, and I so identified myself in my paper.
Thirteen of the 17 apostles on the platform were ICA members, and they agreed that Todd would be better with formal apostolic alignment than without it. I have been scolded by some for making an apostolic decree at the end of my presentation. They may be right. However, I believe in apostolic alignment so much, that my thought was that Todd would be blessed more after the alignment than before.Take note also that I mentioned a heightened level of discernment between truth and error which obviously has been called for.
The vows of alignment with Che, Bill, and John led to Todd's commissioning. Che Ahn was in charge of this. Notice that the only ones who laid on hands and commissioned were the three of them. Several prayed and prophesied. I want to make it clear that I did not commission Todd as some wrongly think. I didn't lay on hands, I didn't anoint with oil, in fact I moved to the back and neither my wife, Doris, nor I prayed or prophesied. I did this intentionally because I knew I would be wrongly positioned for the second part of my assignment if I did. With the alignment completed, I was ready to go on with the second part of the assignment, namely attempting to bring order out of the confusion concerning doctrines and ministry practices Bringing Order to the Issues I felt that I needed a team of apostles who were willing to work with me in order to identify the concerns that had been brought up, define them as carefully as possible, and come to an opinion that could be issued to the public. Ten other apostles have agreed to work with me in this project: Che Ahn, Bill Johnson, John Arnott, Chuck Pierce, Stephen Strader, Lee Grady, David Cannistraci, Steve Strang, Jeff Beacham, and Joe Askins. One of our first tasks was to develop a "Lakeland Spectrum" in order to help individuals concerned to know where they stood as over against others. We have a five point spectrum (1) Strong approval, (2) Concerned approval, (3) Neutral, (4) Conditional disapproval, (5) Strong disapproval. The members of our apostolic team range from 1 to 4.5, so we have a range of perspectives.We have been working on sorting out what we now have, and the list is down to 24 issues. We are taking this very seriously, and we understand that the process will take time. When we arrive at our conclusions we will release them to the public. John Arnott will be the point person to review our findings with Todd Bentley and the Fresh Fire Board of which he is a member. We will add to this report of the findings as soon as possible . . . .
Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion
Written by Lee Grady
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.
Comments from Bishop David Holdridge:
It is easy after a shipwreck for everyone to try to point fingers and try to determine who is to blame. In this case, we see the charismatic apostles being brought in. But to those of us who realize that they represent only a minority of the Body of Christ as a whole, we know that there is a larger problem. So many times we have seen problems in individual ministries. However the situation today in ministry is similar to the situation in past times concerning divorce. There really is no authority in the Body of Christ. If you mess up in one denomination, you go to another. We have the leaders of denominations and movements messing up but soon everyone is fine and functioning under a different name, organization or covering. The sin is with all of us. Until the Body of Christ answers our Lord's prayer of John 17: "that they might be one", we are responsible for the lack of spiritual unity, spiritual accountability, and believeabilty in our Christian witness.
Bishop Holdridge
