Todd Bentley Rant
This, as it happens, is my second post related to Todd Bentley’s antics but it is going to be my last (my other post can be found here). If anyone wants to discuss the so called “Florida Revival” we can do so here but I am not planning to post any further blogs on the subject. This post should give you a pretty good idea of where I stand.
Todd Bentley:
I could not care less about your tattoos, your past history as a drug addict or a paedophile, your ridiculous visions of heaven, whether you see angels, and/or whether they are male or female, whether you make Bat Man sounds, or that you kick, punch, body slam people in, or not in, the spirit.1 None of this concerns me. I don’t even care whether you are “biblical” or not as, as far as I am concerned, “biblical” is a meaningless word; though, in some way, I have to admit, your carry-on is certainly no worse than some of the mad stuff I read in scripture.
But I do find offensive, the god you worship.
Your god seems to want to pander to the needs of a narcissistic, neurotic American Christian (sub)culture in desperate need of a bless-me-up. Of all of the problems inflicting our planet, your god chooses to focus on the needs of the rich, over fed, over consuming, few - and also, of course, any that can afford to increase their carbon footprint to jet over and join you.
I have said I don’t care about your visions of heaven but, actually, I do, in a way, because it is matters of this reality which concern me, not portals into other dimensions which may, or may not, exist. I don’t want a beam-me-up god, I want a god who is going to get down and dirty in the realities of this world.2
I realize there is need in America too, but where is the evidence that your “revival” is making any impact on that front? Certainly the infirm and ill flock to your meetings in need of healing, but I have not yet, for all my searching on the internet, found one shred of evidence that you are actually helping these people.3 I do note, though, that your “ministry” is proving to be very lucrative. Perhaps you could provide some transparency into your income and we would understand that all of the profits are being redirected to worthy cause.4 Perhaps you could also invest in some formal mechanism / process for verifying the healings that you claim occur in your meetings. This, it seems to me, would do nothing but increase your credibility, and would make sound sense, unless, of course, you do have something to hide.
You make claim to a whole host of miraculous happenings but the miracle I hope and long for, the biggest miracle of all, is that I/we might change. That, instead of worshipping the god of consumption and consumerism, I/we might discard such idolatry and look to the God who dwells with the poor and the marginalized, the powerless, and the defeated; this God, who challenges me to live a wholly different life of service and love, is the God I fail and I do not recognize him in Florida.
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3543/is_200104/ai_n8359026?tag=rbxcra.2.a.1, http://www.charismamag.com/articles/index.php?id=7032, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUTCWLoD4-4 [↩]
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zMRChoojZo [↩]
- http://fritchie.wordpress.com/2008/06/27/florida-outpouring-the-healings-and-the-evidence, Interesting viewing in this connection:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp_SXpy8q7w, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69p-vJfWudo [↩]
- Agencies exist facilitate such transparency: http://www.ministrywatch.com/mw2.1/pdf/tw1102.pdf [↩]
5 Responses to “Todd Bentley Rant”
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Miles
Said this on August 10th, 2008 at 10:11pm:I do understand your comments. Jesus got “down and dirty” and I think Todd often ministers in Africa so its not just for us rich westerners. God loves even me because of who he is not for my background. If God is using Todd he is once again showing that he uses the unconventional (think of Elijah, Joh the Baptist, Smith-Wigglesworth etc)to rattle our cage of religiosisty. If I understand Jesus correctly, its the hungry for God ’sinners’ that will press in and get there ahead of the ‘righteous’. As Todd has explained, he is a big sinner who has had a big salvation- I’m rejoicing because God has taken a rotten life and is tranforming it into a means of blessing for anyone who wants it.Its not perfect but neither is anyone else.
isc
Said this on October 3rd, 2008 at 9:37pm:Hmm.
I don’t remember Jesus getting famous, lapping it up (but I do remember what he said to Satan in the Desert when he tempted Jesus to those things).
I also don’t remember Jesus getting married and then divorcing his wife when he hit the Big Time, to go on a World Tour. Unlike Big Todd Bentley.
I’m not conservative when it comes to theology, ethics, politics or much else. But I do remember reading in an old Reformed Evangelical book of devotional theology that “if there’s no fruit of the Holy Spirit, then there is no Holy Spirit”.
And I do remember that Jesus (and Paul, for that matter) said something very similar.
Prophet of God? Not on any measure of “Christian” that has ever existed in the Church.
But some people just want to believe, right?
Getting There
Said this on October 8th, 2008 at 4:49pm:How do I link this to my blog? I really think this post nails it to the spot! This is the reason why I left my church.. they loved Todd Bently and my gut felt otherwise.. would you mind letting me know how I go about linking this article.. I will try to figure it out in the mean time.
AJ
Said this on October 9th, 2008 at 8:07am:Sorry guys, it has taken me a while to get round to responding to your comments.
Hey Miles
Thank you for taking time to comment.
Pick up on your points…
I have heard that he does have some sort of “ministry” in Africa, and I will try and find out more concerning that, but my point, in this post, is that, as far as I am concerned, he and the crowds of people he attracts to his meetings, are not concerned with poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, but other more lunatic things; and, with respect to those “unconventional” aspects of his “ministry”, I agree, and I think I have said in my post, there is certainly plenty of such crazy activity in the bible to keep him company.
As to whether a “rotten life” has been transformed, I think, is still open to question.
I think I have to agree with ISC on this one. For a man who supposdley has spent time actually in heaven, there seems to be very little fruit.
“Getting There”, hi and thank you for your comments on this blog, I have taken a quick gander at you blog and am have enjoyed reading some of your posts.
You can link here using the trackback url at the top of this comments section, or take the url from the top of your browser. Sorry your comments did not immediately show up but I have a filter which blocks first timers’ posts appearing until I have approved. In future you should not have any issues.
Len
Said this on October 25th, 2008 at 9:17pm:I have not followed what happened in Florida, although I have hear snippets. My comment here though is: Are you all ready to critisized in the same way as you are judging Todd Bentley and the work which God started? Jesus did not have any conditions when he said “judge not, so that you will also not be judged.”
Let us be wise with our mouths and our keyboards.