Todd Bentley: The Messenger Is the Message

From the biblical perspective, the medium, message and messenger are inextricably intertwined. In the Old Testament, the prophets starved themselves, cooked over dung fires, married prostitutes and walked around naked to communicate God's message to His people. In the Gospels, Jesus is referred to as the Word, the Way, the Truth--He is the message, the Word of God in human flesh. In the Pastoral Epistles, the preacher's character is what validates or nullifies the gospel he preaches, and Paul spends just as much time delineating the character of the leader as he does defining the content of the leader's message. Even in the secular world, one's character can be held up to scrutiny to determine if his or her testimony is to be believed in a court of law.

But in the church today, this is often not the case.

In a recent letter published on its Website, Fresh Fire Ministries reveals more details of Lakeland "revival" champion Todd Bentley's moral failures. While it discusses his current adulterous lifestyle now that he is no longer in ministry, the letter also reveals his behavior while he was in ministry:

"The anointing can be addictive. ... Alcohol, movies and leisure time spent with a few of the younger, more impressionable members of his staff and road-crew began to replace the hours of soaking in the presence of God in which Todd had engaged during the early days of the outpouring. ... The legal separation from Shonnah was initiated completely by Todd and he has not seen her or the children since the last week in July."

But in spite of Bentley's failings, read how Fresh Fire continues to defend of the validity of the message and the "revival" that Bentley led while he was in this state:

"What Todd has done should not only be defined by his present failure. He has raised the bar on what is possible. He has broken a barrier of sorts for all of us and made a pathway into new possibilities. This is what you partnered with - not a man but a transferable anointing and an ability to reach into a combined realm of prophetic revelation and signs and wonders manifestation! ... Having known Todd well for many years, both his amazing strengths and his areas of weakness, we can say without reservation that the move of God in Lakeland, which began at Ignited Church, was genuine. ... We have never seen, in the history of this ministry, a greater quantity and quality of the miraculous demonstration of God’s healing power. ... As the Lord began to pour out His glory in Ignited Church and in the many venues that followed, Todd’s spirit was as pure as it has ever been and he was intensely hungry for more of God’s presence. ... Todd is a champion in the Global paradigm shift from a lethargic and dunamis-deficient church to an empowered body of believers carrying out the Great Commission in a mighty demonstration of the Spirit’s power."

And, ultimately, blame for the fiasco is linked to the devil. There is never once the thought that Todd's fall was a direct judgment from God for false teaching, fake miracles, a devaluing of the Word and the deception of many who are now shipwrecked in their faith after following him.

"How many believers have become almost vicious in their attack against Todd, demonizing not only him but his ministry and everything he has ever done? What sort of spirit do you think is behind this?"

Instead, the letter closes on a note of almost embarrassing triumphalism, and no suggestion that perhaps this ministry, built by a false prophet, on bad theology, with little accountability, just needs to be shut down.



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