Apparently there is a new controversy involving the former Lakeland evangelist leader Todd Bentley who had lost his position of leadership due to adultery and divorce and remarriage to the woman he had committed adultery with. His restoration was apparently unsuccessful and he has allegedly gone from bad to worse. It grieves me to even have to write about it, but I’m being asked questions about it, and I feel it needs to be addressed from a different standpoint than just finger-pointing and trying to figure out who to blame. I am posting here a letter to the editor I sent to Charisma for your consideration and prayer, all the while remembering that “but for the grace of God, go I.” I write it in brokenness and a humbled heart, knowing that all of us are held together by Jesus’ forgiveness and merciful grace:
“I am sure I am a minority voice here for a number of reasons, But as someone who was saved at 15 in 1969, filled with the Spirit a week later, and saved out of a heavy occult background and delivered from great darkness, I saw the Charismatic movement begin to go off the rails almost immediately after that. It was a wonderful thing God did in the Jesus movement and the early days of the “Charismatic” movement, but then came the prosperity gospel, off-base deliverance ministries, and the abominable and devastating Shepherding movement. All the while, I was wondering why the leaders didn’t have the discernment necessary to keep the boat from capsizing.
I still believe in all the gifts of the Spirit, prophecy, healing, etc. But the misuses have just grown exponentially since then. The “Toronto Blessing” where Todd started out as a “somewhat normal” believer, a movement that spawned the laughter movement that resulted in people barking like dogs, slithering like snakes and even oinking like a pig and calling it, “The anoinking of the Spirit” gave birth to the current spate of weirdness including angelology, gemology, justified necromancy (visiting with saints who are dead in heaven) and even Kaballah practices, especially in many messianic circles. I am sorry if this upsets people, but as ONE OF YOU I feel I have a right and a responsibility to say these things. Todd Bentley began seeing and hearing manifestations, began getting tatted up all the way on every arm and up his face, and then came the kicking people, the uncontrollable shaking. If you have the nerve to google “Hindu Impartation” videos, you will be shocked to see that they have the exact same manifestations you saw in Florida and continue to see in other meetings, Todd said a female angel brought him bags of money and told him he’d be seeing this every night. He made outrageous claims to have visited with departed saints. And all the while, the NAR folks etc anointed him, proclaimed him a worldwide apostle etc. Where was the discernment, forget about the adultery which got exposed later, I think anyone with even a MODICUM of discernment would have been absolutely grieved over it all, and would NEVER call it a move of God. Folks, we are in a time the bible says we will see signs and lying wonders. But none dare discern and call them such for fear of offending the Holy Spirit, or worse, “authorities.” And unfortunately a few that did discern were so abrasive and so quick to scream “heretic” that they lost the ability to be heard.But enough is enough. THIS.WAS.NOT.FROM.GOD. I warned about it in a book called Trojan Church in 2006 before he got exposed, and yet people persisted in following him. He got exposed, Rick Joyner “restored” him and now here is the result. And I am shocked by how everyone is jumping off the Titanic claiming they weren’t at all responsible.
I am praying that God sends a healthy dose of repentance and true revelation to all the leaders and people involved in this modern signs and wonders movement. If God turns some of the leaders around there may be some hope that they will end the folly and cry out for a true move of God. I write this with a grieved and a broken heart. Jesus, set us free. Apparently the evangelist Todd Bentley is in trouble again, and allegedly his restoration from ungodly activities was short-lived. I think it is important to post a few thoughts I shared on the Charisma news site:
“I am sure I am a minority voice here for a number of reasons, But as someone who was saved at 15 in 1969, filled with the Spirit a week later, and saved out of a heavy occult background and delivered from great darkness, I saw the Charismatic movement begin to go off the rails almost immediately after that. It was a wonderful thing God did in the Jesus movement and the early days of the “Charismatic” movement, but then came the prosperity gospel, off-base deliverance ministries, and the abominable and devastating Shepherding movement. All the while, I was wondering why the leaders didn’t have the discernment necessary to keep the boat from capsizing.
I still believe in all the gifts of the Spirit, prophecy, healing, etc. But the misuses have just grown exponentially since then. The “Toronto Blessing” where Todd started out as a “somewhat normal” believer, a movement that spawned the laughter movement that resulted in people barking like dogs, slithering like snakes and even oinking like a pig and calling it, “The anoinking of the Spirit” gave birth to the current spate of weirdness including angelology, gemology, justified necromancy (visiting with saints who are dead in heaven) and even Kaballah practices, especially in many messianic circles. I am sorry if this upsets people, but as ONE OF YOU I feel I have a right and a responsibility to say these things. Todd Bentley began seeing and hearing manifestations, began getting tatted up all the way on every arm and up his face, and then came the kicking people, the uncontrollable shaking. If you have the nerve to google “Hindu Impartation” videos, you will be shocked to see that they have the exact same manifestations you saw in Florida and continue to see in other meetings. Todd said a female angel brought him bags of money and told him he’d be seeing this every night. He made outrageous claims to have visited with departed saints. And all the while, the NAR folks etc anointed him, proclaimed him a worldwide apostle, etc. Where was the discernment, forget about the adultery which got exposed later, I think anyone with even a MODICUM of discernment would have been absolutely grieved over it all, and would NEVER call it a move of God. Folks, we are in a time the bible says we will see signs and lying wonders. But none dare discern and call them such for fear of offending the Holy Spirit, or worse, “authorities.” And unfortunately, a few that did discern were so abrasive and so quick to scream “heretic” that they lost the ability to be heard. But enough is enough. THIS.WAS.NOT.FROM.GOD. I warned about it in a book called Trojan Church in 2006 before he got exposed, and yet people persisted in following him. He got exposed, Rick Joyner “restored” him and now, here is the result. And I am shocked by how everyone is jumping off the Titanic claiming they weren’t at all responsible.
I am praying that God sends a healthy dose of repentance and true revelation to all the leaders and people involved in this modern signs and wonders movement. If God turns some of the leaders around there may be some hope that they will end the folly and cry out for a true move of God. I write this with a grieved and broken heart. Jesus, set us free.
Gregory R Reid
