"Revival," Deception, and a Great Fall (1 of 2)

The Lakeland revival has generated national attention, especially among Pentecostals but also within the mainstream media (for example, here and here). But this week the staff and fans of Todd Bentley's ministry received unwelcome news: Bentley and his wife are separating, and he will no longer be involved in the Lakeland meetings.

How did this happen? My intention in writing this post is not to dogpile on a man and ministry that have already received mountains of criticism. Nor is it to give the decisive answer into what has gone wrong in Lakeland. I simply desire to raise a few questions and reflect on how this situation should serve as a warning to Christians everywhere.

Bentley has made some wild claims about himself and his ministry: an angel spoke to him and commissioned him in a hotel room, thousands of people healed, several dozen people raised from the dead. Some may wonder how on earth such a ministry came to become so well-known and even popular. At least part of the answer is this: Despite the strangeness of his practice and wildness of his claims, many people have come away from these Lakeland meetings feeling that they have met with God. And someone who believes that God still heals, and who feels they have no other place to turn, might be willing to at least give Bentley a chance.

That is the situation Bill Dembski and his family found themselves in. They have a severely autistic son, and when Bentley came to Denton, Texas, they decided to go because God still heals, and He is free to use whatever means He sees fit. Dembski's name may sound familiar to some; he is a leading proponent of Intelligent Design and has written several books on the subject. Readers should also know that he is a friend from many years ago, when he did post-doc research at Northwestern University and was the instructor for my first philosophy class. And what Bill and his family discovered was a fake. Bill is very intelligent, but also very open to God working through unexpected means. When he shared his experiences, that sealed my evaluation of Bentley and the Lakeland revival.

None of Bentley's claims were verifiable. He also employed some ministry practices that some find questionable, including violence. The Baptist Press has helpfully documented his ministry and critics. A video of Bentley kicking a man with stage four colon cancer has been widely viewed on YouTube. His ministry is as obvious an example as I can think of today of taking advantage of gullible, spiritually hungry people who lack biblical knowledge and discernment. Even Charisma Magazine, a key outlet for the Charismatic and Pentecostal movement, has come to this conclusion.

I will continue with further reflection in my next post.