People Are Stupid – Part 3: Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Church Revival

The idea that anyone would think that God told them to kick a man who has colon cancer is actually beyond stupid, and yet hundreds and thousands of people involved in the “revival” taking place at the Lakeland Church in Florida seem to have no problem with this idea at all. In fact, they have bought into Todd Bentley’s twisted presentation of the gospel hook, line and sinker (as my dad is fond of saying back home in Kentucky). This perversion of the gospel is nauseating to me, and I am ashamed that there are Christians who hang on Bentley’s every word and action. I would say something like, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” but I am afraid that many of them, especially Mr. Bentley, know exactly what it is that they are doing and approving of. So instead, I will will only say, “Lord, have mercy.

To read other responses to this “revival” and Todd Bentley, I encourage you to read Dave Warnock, who writes about this video in his post Reflecting on cancer healing - Todd Bentley style. There are also links in that post to other articles Warnock has written on the subject. You might also want to check out what Bene Diction Blog has to say, a response from Richard Hall at his connexions blog, and you can read what my blogging friend Henry Neufeld has written about this on his own blog by clicking here, though Henry is more kindly to Bentley and the Lakeland revival than I am.

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"People Are Stupid – Part 3: Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Church Revival" was published on July 1st, 2008 and is listed in Praying to the Porcelain God, Sad, so very, very Sad, Stupid Is As Stupid Does, Video.

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Comments on "People Are Stupid – Part 3: Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Church Revival": 15 Comments

cls wrote,

Justin Peters was on Way of the Master radio regarding this as well as Ingrid Schleuter’s “Crosstalk” on VCY America. They are both archived. This is what he wrote on his experience of Lakeland:
http://www.adventuresinchristianity.com/?L=blogs.blog&article=3494

And here is his site: http://www.justinpeters.org - be sure to see “demo.”

He spoke at my church and comes highly recommended by my pastor, Dr. John MacArthur.

Link | July 1st, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Melissa wrote,

Thanks for this post…Todd Bentley’s treatment of a very sick man is as you said NAUSEATING! I would love to know how that poor man is, both physically and spiritually. It really looked like a lawsuit to me, but these poor people are so bullied by those in the pulpits, that they are afraid if they speak up, they are “touching God’s anointed.” I invite you to visit my blog for more info about this subject. God bless you! http://viewfromthewall.blogspot.com/

Link | July 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Bobby Clements wrote,

I do not know Todd Bentley but I know God and I do watch to Todd Bentley on TV.
Only a fool will open his mouth to spit out what happens to be curses that come back to himself. Judge a person by his fruits…>>>> How many people has Todd Bentley lead to the Lord for Salvation. How many have you lead to the Lord personally? I went out today 7-22-08 and witnessed to several people in my neighborhood. You are now in a battle with God Himself for saying the things against His servant Todd Bentley. People (fools) also said lies from Satan about Jesus.
So, he could have got so excited in the Lord and made a slight mistake.>>>>>>> notice all the thousands of people that have come to God for re-dedication or Salvation because of his ministry. I feel sorry for you and your BIG MOUTH. As you suffer in the Cures you have brought upon yourself (according to the Bible), you will cry to God “OH, Lord, forgive me for I did not know what I was saying.”

Link | July 22nd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Will wrote,

Bobby,

First of all, thanks for stopping by. It looks like we are going to have to disagree on several things, however. When I reread what I wrote, I do not see any “curses” hurtled Mr. Bentley’s way. I did and do find his actions repugnant. The man with colon cancer is not the only person he has hit or kicked or otherwise physically abused during the Lakeland revival. The idea that God would tell him to do these things is ridiculous and puts a huge, dark cloud over everything else the man does. It is not a simple mistake that we are talking about here. It has to do with discernment and having a basic understanding of Christian discipleship and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. If you get these things wrong, then everything else is built on a shoddy foundation. Further, even though many news organizations have asked for documentation confirming any of the healings Bentley has supposedly done, not one iota of real evidence has been offered.

As far as comparing the number of people who have been “lead to the Lord for Salvation,” Bentley may well have done more than me in this area. I do not know. The question that arises for me is “What kind of God and what kind of salvation is Bentley leading his followers to?” Based upon what I have seen and heard, it is not the kind of God or salvation that I am interested in bringing people into contact with. Again, I find what he does and says nauseating.

As for my having a big mouth, you may be right . . . although a look in the mirror would seem to tell me that my mouth is no bigger than any other persons, and may pale in comparison to yours, since you have to resort to name-calling to get your supposed points across. Now there’s a real Christian and Christ-like attitude for you.

And as for your last point, I may indeed suffer in the future, but I do not believe it will be because of my remarks about Bentley or any other person of similar ilk. I firmly believe that what he and others do in the name of God is a disgrace to God’s Holy name and a stench in God’s nostrils, not to mention what it does for the image of Christianity in the eyes of the world.

If you would like an open debate about this, I am glad to do so with you in these comments, but if you are only going to prophesy my doom and name call, please don’t bother to reply. If you do any further comments will be promptly deleted (read the page “Blog EULA” for details).

Link | July 23rd, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Bobby Clements wrote,

Thank you for this opportunity to talk. I am not really talking just to you but I’m talking to the world by this internet because my Internet server brought me to you information and others will see it too.
1). It appears that you have never been to a church service (usually a Revival at a Penticostal service) that had supernatural healing during the service. I have. Or maybe you are not a Christian.
2). If those people at his service thought the way you seem to think, they would not have went up to him in the first place after knowing how he appeared to be.
3). Todd Bentley has told everybody several times during his TV services that it is not him at all who is doing the healing but it is God himself through Todd.
4). You must not have understood about what I ment about curses. God’s word (Bible) tells us how the things that we say can bring good or bad to or health and the happenings to us. Look up curses in the dictionary. I can tell you details later.
5). Yes, logically, I understand how it seems ridiculous for him to do what he does but look at all the people that who are ready to hear what God has to say through Todd. God told Jonah to go to a certain town to preach. Jonah ran and landed in the belly of a whale. God told Noah to build a big ship. God told Moses to go to Pharah … etc. Many other examples in the Bible of what God told his servants to do to accomplish His will. God’s Word says there is a time for everything. Just look at the Fruit of Todd’s services. Remember how people accused Jesus of being in the work of Satan because Jesus did miracles? Jesus said something like this: “Satan can’t be against himself or his kingdom will not stand” Therefore, we should never open mouth and say anything negative about any body who is working for the Kingdom of God.
6). The dark cloud you are talking about may be only from the lack of understanding.
7). Maybe you are getting nauseated about his actions because you have never read the Bible all the way through from Gen to Rev. which just makes a lack of understanding. I have read it 5 times from Gen. to Rev. now.
8).Read my letter again. I never called you a name. To say someone has “a big mouth” is just a non-offensive figure of speech that says that a person talks too much or is talking when he should only think it to be said instead of saying it.
9). You seem to do not understand about what makes God unhappy. A Luke-warm Christian makes God sick at His stomach because he said He spits them out of His mouth (according to the Bible).
10). I never called you a name because I’m too mature for that and I will be glad to continue talking with you in a business-like manner so God will be Glorified. I will never say anything bad about you but only give you Biblical wisdom. It’s late, I gotta go.

Link | July 24th, 2008 at 1:02 am
Bobby Clements wrote,

Hi Will,
It’s me again (Bobby). The first two times I responded to your blog, I didn’t have a clue who I was talking to so I responded as though I was talking to a website. After I read your information I have a better understanding of what is going on. Like you, I am divorced and 40 years old and I live in Bessemer, Alabama. During my life, by choice I has been a member of the: Baptist, Non-Denominational, Church of God, and Assembly of God church. I have found out by doing this, that all those churches (including the Methodist church) worship the same God. Because there are different types/styles/characters of people and “Birds of the feather flock together”, those churches were formed. They all have the same Salvation plan, believes in Jesus Christ’ birth & resurrection the same way and uses the same Bible (King James Version). It is so funny when I see from every one of them that each believes the other denomination is of an Occult.
Please don’t be mislead from my last few letters. I am not a Bible professor or pastor but just a faithful church member who is familiar with the Bible pretty much.

Link | July 24th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Bobby Clements wrote,

Where did Will go?…

Link | July 25th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Will wrote,

I am too busy getting ready for Sunday to much of anything else right now, Plus I had a wedding rehearsal this evening and a movie night at the parsonage tonight. Tomorrow it is a wedding and sermon work. I’ll respond to your comments more after the weekend.

Link | July 25th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Bobby Clements wrote,

Thank’s for telling me. I will continue to check this blog.

Link | July 25th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Bobby Clements wrote,

Hey Bro. Will,
I am not here to change your mind/beliefs but just to give you another view of the situation. If you want to delete our whole conversation and start a new conversation with someone else, that will be fine. Please pray about it first.
Consider this: * If only your denomination was correct. . . heaven would be a small place.
* God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (even His miracles).
* The miracles that happened in the Bible was not only for when Jesus was on earth but until he returns.
* If most (not all) of the Bible is correct, we would be worshiping a false god. Glory to God, “The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
* Jesus had long hair and other things that the Jews disagreed with so they crucified him. Todd Bentley is not what you are used to but he is bringing in the lost and dying world which our religious churches are not doing good enough.
* Don’t you remember that when we are doing things for the Lord, Satan attacks us hard. Just observe Mr. Bentley accordingly and consider that because he is reaching the lost world very fast, Satan is trying to destroy him through gossip from people that don’t understand how God really works.

Link | July 29th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Bobby Clements wrote,

Also, if God was not really healing all those people that said they got healed…Todd’s ministry would have already ended but it is going and going even around the world.

Link | July 29th, 2008 at 12:48 am
ray stone wrote,

Far too much emphasis has been placed upon Bentley. Sure, he’s controversial and frivolous, but that wouldn’t prevent God from using him. Few church leaders would endorse the antics or lifestyle of Samson, yet he was entrusted with an unprecented miracle ministry-which he never took seriously until it cost him his life. Israel rejected him-we, today, would call him false, especially when he started consorting with harlots, but God called him His judge. We can become so narrow minded with our religious piety that we become Pharisees. We can become so loose in our acceptance of all things that we become gullible. The key is balance. Clearly this move needs order, reverence and sound doctrine; otherwise it will go awash to fanaticism, error and delusion. Demons can’t wait for the opportunity to throw a geniune spiritual encounter into one of the aforemention in order to discredit God. Let the reader beware. For a great read, check out “A Step Into Deliverance” by T. Pugh. It’s a riveting autobiography about one pastor’s journey into the deliverance ministry. A real page-turner.

Link | August 2nd, 2008 at 10:01 pm
ray stone wrote,

Far too much emphasis has been placed upon Bentley. Sure, he’s controversial and frivolous, but that wouldn’t prevent God from using him. Few church leaders would endorse the antics or lifestyle of Samson, yet he was entrusted with an unprecented miracle ministry-which he never took seriously until it cost him his life. Israel rejected him-we, today, would call him false, especially when he started consorting with harlots, but God called him His judge. We can become so narrow minded with our religious piety that we become Pharisees. We can become so loose in our acceptance of all things that we become gullible. The key is balance. Clearly this move needs order, reverence and sound doctrine; otherwise it will go awash to fanaticism, error and delusion. Demons can’t wait for the opportunity to throw a geniune spiritual encounter into one of the aforemention in order to discredit God.

Link | August 2nd, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Bobby Clements wrote,

Yes, I agree. If God is not with him, then his ministry will perish. But on the other hand, if God is with him, then some of the people that went to him for healing really got an instant healing from God. When God is in the process of healing like with Todd’s ministry, not everybody gets healed because of sins, disbelief or etc. as it was during Jesus’ time.

Link | August 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Bobby Clements wrote,

Thank you for telling me about that book by T. Pugh. Maybe I can read it sometime.

Link | August 2nd, 2008 at 10:57 pm