NEW TODD BENTLEY DISASTER - Andrew Strom
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
by Andrew Strom
As many of you know, twelve years ago when Todd Bentley's
"Lakeland revival" was getting underway, this List was one of
the few "Spirit-filled"-type outlets that was trying to warn about
Todd Bentley's ministry. At the time we received a huge amount
of flak and anger from Christians around the world. It got even
worse when all the biggest "names" in Charismatic Christianity
got on the stage and anointed Todd - prophesying over him that
his ministry would greatly expand and prosper, etc.
Then - just a matter of weeks afterward, it all came tumbling
down. Todd was found to be in an adulterous relationship at the
revival - and soon he divorced his wife and married his mistress.
The Charismatic world was in shock. Where was the discernment
amongst those who had endorsed this thing? The Lakeland 'revival'
came to a swift end after that.
But sadly there was very little public repentance for this fiasco
from any of the ministries involved. Todd was quickly "restored"
by Rick Joyner - and simply got back on the ministry trail once
again - though at a much lower level than before. But none of
the 'big names' were seemingly willing to address the obvious
questions:- How had they got it so wrong? Was there any real
discernment at all? And what did it say about the whole
Charismatic movement that its top leaders could endorse such
a clearly-suspect movement in the first place?
For most, such questions were never confronted. In fact, the whole
thing seemed to be simply swept under the carpet as quickly as
possible. And speaking personally, my ministry was essentially
blackballed and turned into a "pariah" for ever having questioned
such things in the first place. And it has been that way ever since.
Of course, for Todd Bentley himself, the stage was slowly being
set for his eventual "comeback". In August 2018, Todd returned
to the big-time with a weekend at Bradner stadium in New York
entitled "Revival Harvest America." But dark clouds were already
gathering on the horizon. And just recently, these ugly facts have
once again exploded across the media. But this time, there has
been a sound and appropriate response from Spirit-filled leaders.
As reporter Julie Roys wrote last month: "Top Charismatic Leaders
Disqualify Todd Bentley From Ministry for "Steady Pattern of
Ungodly and Immoral Behavior."
"About 16 months after explosive accusations of harboring a
"perverse sexual addiction" and preying on interns, Fresh Fire
USA leader, Todd Bentley, has been disqualified from public
ministry by a panel of six charismatic, Christian leaders. The
panel, led by apologist Dr. Michael Brown, said in a statement
published today on Facebook:
"Based on our careful review of numerous first-hand reports, some
of them dating back to 2004, we state our theological opinion and
can say with one voice that, without a doubt, Todd is not qualified
to serve in leadership or ministry today. There are credible
accusations of a steady pattern of ungodly and immoral behavior,
confirmed by an independent investigator´s interviews dating from
2008 up through 2019, along with other testimonies dating back
to 2004. And while we only took into account first-hand reports,
there are many other second and third-hand reports repeating the
same accusations . . .
"Sadly, we see no signs of true, lasting repentance. Instead, we
see a steady pattern of compromised behavior, including credible
accusations of adultery, sexting (including the exchanging of
nude pictures or videos), vulgar language, and substance abuse.""
Kudos to Michael Brown and the other leaders for having the
courage to take such forthright action. No doubt they are getting
huge flak from some corners for doing so. But it simply had to
be done. They are certainly to be commended. And we know that
their statement has been very widely seen. So hopefully those of
us in the Body of Christ can now put this whole sorry episode
behind us.
VIDEO of my personal history with all this-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuBsvY5eujY&t=1431s
God bless you all.
Andrew Strom.