Posted by Joe on: 08.18.2008 /
In a scarily predictable plot twist, it has been announced that Todd ‘Punch-people-in-the-name-of-the-Lord’ Bentley has stepped down from his California based revival ministry. The reason?
Fresh Fire Board of Directors, we have discovered new information revealing that Todd Bentley has entered into an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff.
Possibly as a result, Todd and his wife Shonnah are currently separated. Golly gosh, an idiot awash with his own power and magnificence is found to be playing around. Quelle surprise!
Meanwhile, after years of extensive study, it is found that the Pope is Roman Catholic.
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Comment by: Drew
1 08/18/08 6:49 PM | Comment Link |Is Paris still the capital of France? Cheers.
Comment by: benjamin ady
2 08/18/08 9:07 PM | Comment Link |My response to this is to ask myself this question: “Who am I treating in such a way that I am setting them up for a similar fall?”
Comment by: Jason Horton
3 08/19/08 5:29 AM | Comment Link |I understand that there is some new research into the toilet habits of bears as well.
Comment by: Randy
4 08/19/08 11:49 AM | Comment Link |Sad…but mostly for the poor gal who was abused by this power monger in the name of Jesus.
I hope there is redemption in the end.
Comment by: benjamin ady
5 08/19/08 4:01 PM | Comment Link |Randy,
I’m glad to see you use the term “abuse” here.
I’d be curious to hear more from you about why/how it constitutes abuse in this situation.
And beyond that–is it possible for *us*, as … plebs, to misuse the power we choose to give away to celebrity leaders, en masse, in such away that *we*, as a large group of followers, are abusing the celebrity leader?
I’m thinking … Joel Osteen, Mark Driscoll, T.D. Jakes, etc. Are their followers, as a group, abusing them?
Comment by: Randy
6 08/19/08 4:15 PM | Comment Link |I wouldn’t think so. To my understanding abuse of power requires the abuser to actually have some kind of power or authority over others. When they use that power to manipulate others, to get what they want from them, to satiate their own lusts or addictions, then they are guilty of abuse…just as much as the wife beater or the sexual harrasser at work. I don’t know about Osteen or Jakes, but I think Driscoll might qualify as spiritually abusive by this definition (and that would be a rather third-party evaluation on my part, to be honest…just based on what I’ve heard from MANY others).
Just because the abused GIVE the abuser their power doesn’t mean they’ve abused the abuser. That would be like saying the battered wife is also guilty of abuse because she allows her husband to beat her. The battered wife may indeed be codependent, but she is hardly guilty of abuse herself.
Comment by: Randy
7 08/19/08 4:19 PM | Comment Link |PS…I only saw one video of the guy in question here, by the way. I’ve read one article about him and talked to a few people who actually know him. My evaluation of him is also a tad hasty, but based on the video of his message (where he bragged about kicking an old lady in the face because Jesus told him to), I’d say my evaluation is not too far off…
Comment by: Staci
8 08/19/08 6:47 PM | Comment Link |Yikes. Hm… this is sort of the extreme version of the rich eccentric person that would be called crazy if not for the rich part. This sounds like a person who would be called a sociopath if not for the powerful position part.
Or perhaps he should request a healing service for his hearing as it’s likely Jesus told him to LOOK her in the face. Just a suggestion.
Comment by: David H
9 08/19/08 11:18 PM | Comment Link |Just watched the movie “Lars and the Real Girl.” Great (albeit fairly sad) movie with a pastor who plays a curious role. At one point, the reverend says: “What would Jesus do.” It demonstrates both his heart and his lack of a clue. Jesus never faced the issue of how to handle a guy who wants to bring his “love doll” to church.
I would ask Rev. Todd WWJD, but it seems likely his response would demonstrate both his heart and his lack of a clue. I couldn’t imagine Christ kicking anyone in the face. But Todd Bentley has no qualms justifying far worse.
Comment by: Helen
10 08/20/08 7:35 AM | Comment Link |I just watched Lars and the Real Girl too and enjoyed it.
Last week I read about Todd being separated from his wife but I hadn’t heard about the emotional affair until I read this.
To me this illustrates one of the problems in the church: many people seem to care more about spectacle and presentation than character. So, inevitably, a series of people who are good at spectacle and presentation have turned out to lack the character a leader should have. (This happens in other areas as well as with Christian leaders)
I’m tired of spectacle and presentation and I’d always choose someone with character over someone who looks or sounds good or impressive.
What surprises me about Todd Bentley is that his violent acts didn’t send up a red flag.
Randy when I read about Todd Bentley’s separation I read a rueful article in Charisma magazine saying Christians should have known better. I was interested to read this part (emphasis mine)
What do you think about the tattoos comment? :)
Comment by: Randy
11 08/20/08 9:06 AM | Comment Link |Tattoos are clearly the mark of the beast.
Too bad the Charisma magazine folks didn’t include themselves in the group of Christians who should have known better (and done something about it). Interesting how prophetic we become after the fact.
One (and only one) of the problems with the high experience brands of Christianity is that experiences can become the unquestioned authority of God. They didn’t invent it (I don’t think) but the most authoritative and irrefutable statement a Christian can make is, “God told me to…” I mean, what are you going to say to that? “No He didn’t.”??? Or, “You’re a nutbag.”???
I wish someone in authority over this guy would have pulled his plug a long time ago. But then that’s another problem with the experiential brands…there is often nobody in that position of authority.
Comment by: Benjamin
12 08/20/08 1:03 PM | Comment Link |Randy, I think you raise a really important point here, which perhaps I was trying to get at earlier.
The thing is that a co-dependent person can … *leave* a relationship, and thus stop being abused, but unless they do the work on themselves, chances are they’re just going to end up in *another* co-dependent relationship. Isn’t the same thing true with church/para-church organizations? Abuse happens within a *system*, and getting rid of the abuser doesn’t magically fix the system. So for instance, Mars Hill could … get rid of Driscoll, and … unless the did the work of addressing what it was about *them* that made them attracted to such a leader, then they would probably just end up hiring another such leader.
I mean to say I was speaking with Jeff Van Vonderen once, and he was citing some research that showed that some relatively high percentage of churches who have to fire their pastor because of sexual immorality end up hiring another pastor who eventually gets caught in sexual immorality. He said something about how sometimes it can work far better for both the pastor and the congregation to actually work through the repentance and restoration thing, with the pastor addressing his/her issues AND the congregation addressing their issues.
Do I make any sense?
I mean isn’t part of the deal with the gospel this sort of nearly insane level of hope in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary?
Of *course* it’s a lot *easier* to just … toss the person aside, and get a new one.
Comment by: Helen
13 08/20/08 1:59 PM | Comment Link |Randy wrote:
This is also a problem with Bible-based independent evangelical churches which aren’t experiential per se. After many years at churches like that I realized it’s basically an honor system - you trust that if you ever had a serious concern you would be listened to at least and not thought worse of for your honesty. But there’s no guarantee it would go that way. Maybe they would get defensive and be upset with you and think of you as a negative influence in the church from then on.
Benjamin I think as a culture we do set people up for falls when we make them celebrities. I think it’s unfortunate this has become part of church culture - but then, culture in general does usually have a way of infiltrating the church so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.
Comment by: Elaine
14 08/24/08 9:46 AM | Comment Link |Yes, Benjamin I agree that it would be the healthier thing if those involved in the ministry would be transparent and work together to understand their part in creating an environment that senior leadership would act this way.
My experience has been that when it is the top guy, typically, he will not accept council nor correction. I’m guessing people were aware of this inappropriate relationship (adultry) for a while and maybe have been talking to Todd about it. (all secrets manifest themselves in our daily lives - one way or another)
When the “leader” is unwilling to take a hard look at himself, no one can make him do that.
Whether it is the Church, teacher, police, the mayor, the governor, or the President of the USA, etc. - it seems to be a human tendancy to think once we have selected/elected them - they are responsible for everything - we abdicate our power and blame them when things go wrong.
Another aspect to this whole things is that it is bizarre to me that Todd’s ministry could even exist and flourish - someone who beats people up because “God told him to”? Is that what Jesus modeled? (not even close.)
What does this say about the people who followed Todd? They must have been in a very hard place that they would accept this behavior as God inspired.