I got a bunch of iTunes gifts cards for Christmas, and I have found a couple albums I am currently enjoying, but for the most part, a lot of Christian music sucks. Almost every worship song is playing the same 1-6-5-4 chord progression in the key of E, and most Christian sub-genres look and sound the exact same as their secular counterparts. I thought Christians were to be “in the world, but not of the world.” Is the Christian music industry an exception? Where are the creative artists?

I’ll be reserving my iTunes gift cards until I get some good recommendations. For now, these are some Christian artists I have been enjoying:

• Derek Webb
• Shane & Shane
• Indelible Grace Music
• Caedmon’s Call
• Scott Phillips

What artists have you been enjoying? Any recommendations for artists that glorify God and don’t try to look and sound like the status quo?

“What God’s Word really means when it says that man is justified and saved by faith alone is nothing else than this: Man is not saved by his own acts, but solely by the doing and dying of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the whole world. Over against this teaching modern theologians assert that in the salvation of man two kinds of activity must be noted: in the first place, there is something that God must do. His part is the most difficult, for He must accomplish the task of redeeming men. But in the second place something is required that man must do. For it will not do to admit persons to heaven, after they have been redeemed, without further parley (talk). Man must do something really great – he has to believe. This teaching overthrows the Gospel completely.” – C.F.W. Walther

I just saw that Todd Bentley is back at it again, now claiming to be restored. I first highlighted Todd Bentley in a brief video blog showing false prophets, and again when I exposed the demonic activity occurring at the Lakeland, Florida revival. But I never really explained who he is and where he came from. This is going to be a lengthy post, but it is more for reference material so just skim it if you want. I didn’t want to do a multi-part series on Bentley, I’d rather just get it all out in one post, so here goes.

Todd Bentley was a Canadian Christian evangelist who was the key leader of the Lakeland revival. He has a checkered past, including engaging in criminal gang activities when he was a teenager which resulted in a 1991 conviction for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old boy. Bentley was invited by Stephen Strader, the pastor of Ignited Church in Lakeland, Florida to lead a one-week revival beginning in early April 2008. The revival quickly became a religious and media carnival, attracting up to 10,000 attendees nightly with Bentley as the primary preacher. Bentley was known to forcefully kick, hit, smack or knock over participants. In one incident, a man was knocked over and lost a tooth. In another, an elderly woman was intentionally kicked in the face. Bentley held that the Holy Spirit led him to heal in these ways. Check out YouTube for tons of examples of this stuff, just type in “Todd Bentley,” also check out my vlog on false prophets. The two violent instances of healing listed above are relayed directly from Bentley in this video, which also addresses some other recent false mega-evangelists.

Let me begin with some direct quotes from Bentley. These mostly come directly from his book, abbreviated from here on out as JITM (a full list of sources is available at the bottom of this post). I hope nobody tries accusing me of not listening to what Bentley has to say, because I’ve seen enough of him on YouTube and have now read most of his book.

After hands were laid on him, Bentley received a personal angel. Writing about this, he believes God spoke to him concerning this personal angel:

“This is your angel, the angel from John 5 (at the pool of Bethesda). Everywhere you go the angel goes. I want you to be a part of taking healing revival to the nations. I don’t want you to have just a gift of healing. I want you to be a part of what has been prophesied, in breaking through and seeing the fulfillment of healing revival” (JITM, p. 239).

Two months after being saved, Bentley says:

“The heavens opened with a bright flash and a white dove materialized out of thin air and flew across the lake to a nearby tree. Although it was a single dove, it sounded as the flapping wings of ten thousand doves. The noise filled the sky and rumbled in my spirit; the sound of a ripping, rushing, and mighty wind filled my ears. As a result… I had received not only tongues, but also an enduement [sic] of power from on high for miracles, signs and wonders” (JITM, p. 83).

Speaking about his power, Bentley writes:

“… when people visited me at home, they’d get zapped by an invisible, electrical force field in whatever room I was in, and then bounce back. . . . Shonnah my wife went down under the power as I walked into the kitchen” (JITM, p. 86).

But this power wasn’t always divine. Bentley relates an incident that occurred during a worship service:

“I was overcome by a demon. I threw myself at the chairs and knocked them flying. I screamed, cursed, and writhed on the floor like a snake. Then I rolled and screamed and tried to avoid the four or five guys who tried to restrain and deliver me” (JITM, pp. 97-98).

Bentley records many other instances of being controlled by demons after being saved (JITM, p. 109). Bentley immediately began envisioning a large ministry like those of Reinhardt Bonnke and Benny Hinn (JITM, p. 113). He writes:

“I would imagine myself preaching in Africa and could picture stadiums filled with multitudes or see people healed and raised from the dead. It was like a sanctified day-dream” (JITM, p. 112).

While initially he recognized and even prayed against his own pride, he eventually came to the conclusion that he wasn’t proud at all. He was simply living a “kingdom principle,” which he defines as, “What you see, you be” (JITM, pp. 112-113). He talks a lot about his practice of “marinating and pickling in the Holy Spirit” (JITM, p. 117), during which he has seen “the tree of life” appear in his living room, and he also relays:

“Angels also started to appear during my soaking times. They’d come into my bedroom as pillars of shimmering light moving to and fro…. Once, just before my commissioning into ministry, a huge angel appeared in my living room. He stood about twenty feet tall and towered through the ceiling of the apartment above. His massive chest was level with my ceiling! (JITM, p. 133).

Need I remind anyone of 2 Corinthians 11:13-15?

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

But did people legitimately get healed under his ministry? Not really. In his book Christianity In Crisis, Hank Hanegraaff shares the stories of several folks who brought their children to the revival only to receive counterfeit healing or no help at all. He also shares how the individual responsible for keeping track of verified healings could not produce even one record of substantiated proof to those that requested it.

So what was the fruit of Bentley’s ministry? What happened to the revival? Wikipedia tells it well:

“Bentley announced his separation from his wife, Shonnah, in August 2008, and resigned from the Board of Fresh Fire. A statement released by the remaining Board members said ‘Todd Bentley has entered into an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff’, and that he will ‘refrain from all public ministry for a season to receive counsel in his personal life’.

In the wake of this some Christian commentators referred to their belief that the Bible holds ministers to high standards, and that marital unfaithfulness is incompatible with Christian leadership. Leaders who had aligned themselves with Bentley have spoken of their desire to see him and his family spiritually restored; a committee made up of Rick Joyner, Jack Deere, and Bill Johnson has been formed to oversee this process. However, on November 28 the Board of Fresh Fire stated that Bentley was not currently submitting to this process, and was in their opinion, guilty of adultery. It later became apparent that “his relocation to Fort Mill was repeatedly delayed due to problems securing a permanent visa.”

On March 9, 2009, Rick Joyner announced that Bentley had remarried. Bentley has relocated to Joyner’s ministry in Fort Mill, South Carolina where he will be involved in a “process of restoration,” although the authenticity of this will be debated.

Charisma magazine interviewed Rick Joyner who said that the couple acknowledged that the relationship was wrong and premature, but that the relationship did not begin until Bentley was convinced his first marriage could not be saved. Joyner told Charisma that they communicated that they were committed to their marriage and would “continue to serve the Lord in the best way that they can.”

Hmm, it makes a big difference that they only began having the affair after they were convinced his marriage could not be saved (note my sarcasm). Wow, what a blatant disregard for God’s teachings concerning adultery, divorce and remarriage. So while Bentley was leading the Lakeland revival, he was also having an adulterous affair with a female staff member, and when his sin was exposed the revival fell apart and many people were left hurt and confused. Not to mention the thousands of folks who came from all over the world and received demonic impartations under the guise of “anointings.”

Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-23:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

For more information about Todd Bentley, check out Deception Bytes, a blog by a man who once served under Rick Joyner’s ministry. He has written several posts about Bentley and his deception. I’m sure you will also find out quite a bit simply by Googling his name. I hope this was helpful.

SOURCES:

• JITM – Todd Bentley, Journey into the Miraculous: Experiencing the Touch of the Supernatural God. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 2008)
• Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Bentley.

Here’s some great blog posts I’ve read recently that you should check out:

• When Relevancy Downgrades to Plain Ol’ Imbecility
• The Problem of Evangelical Biblical Illiteracy
• The Pre-Schooler and the Pistol
• Make Plans, Not Resolutions
• Pastor? (A funny post about how it is “cool” to have a fancy job title other than “pastor.”

Enjoy!

Dick Rockenbach contacted me via email about this, then he posted it on Facebook:

This made me start wondering about codependency and the church’s relationship with clergy members. Here’s the definition of codependency from Way 2 Hope, an organization that helps those in codependent relationships:

Codependency is a condition that results in a dysfunctional relationship between the codependent and other people. A codependent is addicted to helping someone. They need to be needed. This addiction is sometimes so strong, the codependent will cause the other person to continue to be needy. This behavior is called enabling. The enabler will purposefully overlook someone abusing a child, will call in sick for someone suffering from addiction, will put roadblocks to prevent their child from becoming independent, or even keep a sick family member from getting the treatment that would make them well. These are behaviors common to codependents. A codependent often suffers from a ‘Messiah Complex’ where he sees problems with everyone and sees himself as the only person who can help. Here is where I need to work…trying to be ‘Mr. Fixit’ for everyone…even those who don’t feel they need anything fixed. A codependent counselor (common) will never think your sessions are done. In fact, they often create issues that weren’t there just so they can continue to feel they’re an important, no, essential part of your life. This is one of the reasons I always spend the first counseling session evaluating the problem and setting up a schedule of sessions to complete the work. If we’re not making progress, I don’t want to become the person you feel you have to take every problem to…it’s too addictive to me. That’s what codependence is…an addiction to being needed.

So how did this codependency develop? Clearly it is because of clergy-members’ addiction to being needed. This addiction is easy for any of us to fall into, but especially for those who are in positions where people come to them for help. But this doesn’t let the so-called “lay people” off the hook, either. They enable the clergy by continuing to look to them as having the answers to all of life’s problems. Thus the clergy maintain codependency among the “laity” by being all too eager to give an answer to any question, even when the answer is not or cannot be known, and the “laity” enable the clergy by remaining ignorant and relying on them for spiritual growth.

This has birthed not a few generations of biblically illiterate believers, returning us to the sacerdotalism that Martin Luther and the Reformers fought so hard to eradicate. Thanks to Sunday School (which, at its inception, was heavily opposed on grounds that it would destroy the father’s role as the spiritual head of his family), we now have codependency between humans rather than independence from man and dependence only upon Christ.

But it is not only clergy and laity who do this. This also happens among many other informal relationships, where those who are recognized as leaders become codependent with their followers/disciples, and home-based fellowships become cult-like in their codependency. Neither institutional nor organic ministry models are exempt.

But simply identifying the problem doesn’t help. What can be done to change this? The first important thing to understand is that codependency is possible for anyone because of mankind’s propensity towards sin, particularly pride and idolatry. Second, we must realize that we have a loving God who is able to set us free from codependent relationships and direct us toward Himself. Third, we must break the cycle. This means that leaders must be willing to admit when they don’t know the answers, and be willing to refer people to other sources for help and knowledge, teaching disciples to feed themselves, not just to wait for the leader’s spoon. Followers must stop enabling the leaders and begin seeking answers and help from other sources, most specifically from Christ Himself via His Word.

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will enable us in a positive way to break free from the spiritually dangerous cycle of codependency, moving on towards maturity and freedom in Christ.

It seems that Christophobia is rampant these days. Nothing causes such a stir as two simple words: “Jesus Christ.” Have you ever noticed that if a chaplain closes a prayer “in Jesus’ name,” it makes headlines, but if a religious leader prays to Allah, Benevolent Spirit, Jehovah, etc. no one bats an eye? Why is it that when people hit their thumb with a hammer they yell “JESUS CHRIST!” They don’t yell “BUDDHA” or “ALLAH!” It just doesn’t happen very often. It makes one wonder….

The folks who seem to fear the most when the politically incorrect name of Jesus is invoked are Christians. That’s the ironic part. I know lots of Christians who almost cringe at the mention of Jesus’ name in so-called “secular” realms.

And we seem to excuse this behavior. We seem to empathize when people hide their affiliation with Christ for job security, or to maintain a “normal” social image. Aside from DC Talk, no one wants to be labeled a “Jesus freak.”

[Jesus said,] “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).

I sometimes wonder if those who fear the name of Jesus really understand the profoundness of the Gospel. I wonder if they really know the depths of His love.

Sometimes they are unable to know the depths of His love because they do not know the depths of their sin. If your sin is small, then your Savior will also be small. But when we recognize how depraved we really are, we can only exclaim with St. Paul,

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).

“Everyone” includes you and me. Everyone includes your coworkers, the media, your students, your teachers, your boss, your family, your friends, and your neighbors. How can we pray for the Gospel to be spread when we are ashamed of it? Political correctness is part of our (fallen) culture. We are called to remain “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Peter 2:11), to be in the world but not of it (John 17:13-18). At times this will involve breaking cultural taboos. Even if it costs us our jobs or our very lives.

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35).

But take heart, we have a great and loving God. Be thankful.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” (1 Timothy 1:7-14).

In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But how often we leave Christ out of the picture. Or we introduce a false Christ who simply wants to better society and love people. We forget that He had to die for us, and that we must also die in order to become a part of His family. All sinners must die, for the wages of sin is death. They can either die eternally, or they can die baptismally. I saw this picture at Veith’s blog and thought it exemplified Jesus’ words in John 14:6 pretty well:

Is this picture accurate? Could it be improved? What thoughts does it elicit?

I was actually writing a post about the social gospel, and then I ran across Daniel and Heather’s blog post on the subject. I couldn’t have said it better….

I also recently discussed this on my post about preaching the gospel without words. Be sure to read the comments for the discussion and feel free to chime in!

“The Christian doctrine of sin in its classical form offends both rationalists and moralists by maintaining the seemingly absurd position that man sins inevitably and by a fateful necessity but that he is nevertheless to be held responsible for actions which are prompted by an ineluctable [inescapable] fate.” ~Reinhold Niebuhr

This was forwarded to me, it comes from Global Advance’s newsletter. I found it to be an excellent balanced perspective on the Haiti crisis:

Thoughts on the Disaster in Haiti by David Shibley.

The world has been shocked to see the devastation of an entire nation as a massive earthquake seems to have had its epicenter in the very densely populated downtown area of Port-au-Prince , Haiti ’s capital city. Already one of the poorest nations on Earth, this most recent horror has greatly compounded the agonies facing this island nation.

Calamities prompt us to ask, “Why?” There are no pat answers. A complete answer will come in heaven when all our questions will be fully resolved by our Father who loves us. Until then we may not be able to understand fully why such tragedies occur, but it’s important that we anchor our attitudes in Scripture. Here are several heart attitudes we should maintain.

1. Show compassion. Christians need to be the first responders in any crisis. God’s heart is for people. Every human being should feel a natural humanitarian impulse to help. But compassion is compounded in us as believers because “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Ro. 5:5). The Bible calls us to identify with those who suffer. We are to “weep with those who weep” (Ro. 12:15).

Christians should lead the world in responding to human need – and we do. It is a dazzling testimony when Christians rush to meet the needs of all who suffer, no matter what their faith. At the same time other religions are often sluggish in aiding their own adherents, if they respond at all. Our love speaks volumes. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).

2. Be slow to judge. In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti I heard some people say this was judgment on the nation. That is not for us to determine. It is true that two places in the Western Hemisphere that have been hit hardest by natural disasters – New Orleans and Haiti – are also the two areas where the occultic practice of voodoo has been most prevalent in the Western Hemisphere. And it is true that in 1791 a group of Haitian slaves plotting revolt against the French officially dedicated the nation to Satan. But it is also true that in 1997 many Haitian Christians gathered to renounce this act with repentance, prayer, and fasting. Today, statistics indicate that at least 22 percent of Haiti ’s people are evangelical Christians, and the number is rising. We need to remember that many Christians as well lost their lives in this disaster. I know of one Bible school in Port-au-Prince that lost 30 students.

We seem to need a place to pin the blame for tragedies we cannot understand. This was the case when the disciples saw a blind man and immediately assumed his condition was because of someone’s sin. “Who sinned,” they asked Jesus, “this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus replied that the man’s blindness was not because of the man’s sin or his parents’ (Jn. 9:1-3). It is humanity’s great thief, the devil, who comes “to steal, kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10).

3. Be quick to repent. Too often we cast aspersions on others without examining our own hearts. It was a common belief in Jesus’ day that the men who suffered sudden death when a tower fell on them were worse sinners than others. Jesus rejected such twisted reasoning. “Do you think they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem ? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Lu. 13:5). These are tough words from our Lord. But they call us to examine our own hearts before we judge the spiritual condition of others.

4. Remember that the earth is under the curse of sin. Not only did man fall with Adam’s sin but the earth itself was affected. The Bible says that the world “groans and labors in birth pangs” (Ro. 8:22). The result is the actual shifting of the earth that produces natural disasters. The fact is our planet is not yet restored. We look toward Christ’s coming rule when there will be “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pe. 3:13).

5. See natural disasters as a “wake-up call”. Jesus promised there would be an increase in natural convulsions just prior to His return. These phenomena would include “earthquakes in many parts of the world” (Mt. 24:7 NLT). These tragic events call us to “prepare to meet your God.” How should we respond to large-scale human disasters?

• Pray for those who suffer. Just as this earthquake caused shockwaves throughout Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic , your prayers can reverberate to the ends of the earth. There is no distance in prayer. The Bible says to “open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die” (Prov. 31:8). Your prayers can truly make a world of difference.
• Give generously. An important way to show heart-felt compassion is by giving to help alleviate suffering. When disasters strike, we honor the Lord by giving financially to Christian relief organizations that provide humanitarian aid to the victims. Compassion is measured in tangible ways such as giving and volunteering to help meet the needs of the victims of calamities. “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10).
• Pray that God will use this tragedy to bring people to Him. Many survivors are groping for answers. Those without Christ not only have been stripped of life’s basic necessities, they also have no hope. In tragedy’s aftermath many hearts are open to Jesus. He is the great “shelter in the time of storm” (Psa. 61:2-3.)
• Recommit to the urgency of evangelism. Suddenly lives can be snatched into eternity. This should press us to do all we can, while we can, to reach people for Christ. There is always a holy imperative in evangelism and missions. “Night is coming when no one can work” (Jn. 9:4).

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled . . . Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psa. 46:1-2, 10).

* * *

This article is based on a previous article written in January 2005 in the wake of the tsunami that hit twelve Asian nations. Global Advance is monitoring the situation in Haiti through two trusted missions organizations, one based in Haiti and the other in the Dominican Republic. As a missions organization ourselves, we are sending funds to be utilized for relief through these two on-site ministries. We will seek ways to encourage and equip Haitian pastors and Christian businesspersons in the days and months ahead.