I don't want to add much more comment to this sad situation, but when there are updates as significant as this I will post them... C. Peter Wagner writes...
Todd Bentley now carries the label of a liar and a deceiver. I'm sorry to mention it, but I felt personally deceived in the same way when Ted Haggard's sin was exposed and he was immediately removed from ministry...
Suffice it to say that there is more than I am going to mention. First of all, Todd has been removed from public ministry until further notice. He has resigned from the ministry he founded, Fresh Fire, so he is no longer a part of that board. It has become clear that he indulged in periodic drunkenness. He has no intention at the moment of reconciling with Shonna, nor does she with him. Their marriage has been torn for years by his emotional attachment with at least one other female whose physical contact went beyond hugging and kissing and holding hands. Enough said-maybe more details will be revealed later-but it was clearly immoral. All of this was skillfully concealed by lying and by swearing close associates who had observed his behavior to secrecy.
... the latter part of this reminds me very much of the stories that emerge from situations that have turned Cultic, even if they began with good intentions and did some good stuff... (for example, in my own "tradition" the infamous case of the "Nine O'Clock Service") Good work can be undone by poor accountability and an abusive and controlling character at the centre... this happens time and time again, why do some people ignore the warnings of others, why do we never seem to learn? Note again though that in the full document (
found here this has now been confirmed as a direct e-mail from Peter Wagner) no criticism is levelled at those (including Wagner himself!) who talked of holding Bentley in "Alignment" and accountability... quite the opposite in fact!
Wagner, unlike Arnott admits that he, and the "apostles" where well aware that "chaos and confusion had begin to invade the Outpouring" but he went against the warnings of the others...
I concluded that the best protocol was to do the alignment first, then deal with the issues that had been raised. My other friends disagreed and urged me to deal with Todd's problems first then do the alignment. I respected their point of view and I was very sorry that I had to follow God's leading for me personally instead of taking their advice. It was not a comfortable decision.
Typically then, he passes the blame for his mistakes on to God, rather than taking any personal responsibility (It's not my fault, God told me to!)... He goes on...
Stephen Strader, who has been keeping records, affirms that the evil that the prince of the power of the air had been subtly introducing into the Outpouring I started to be exposed and unraveled the day after the alignment, June 24!
Some questions then...
if that is correct and accurate what then was the "Chaos and confusion" that so worried Strader that he felt he needed to bring in Wagner in the first place? And what where the "problems" that Wagner and his friends where debating before the 24th June? Hmmm there's a bucket full of contradiction there as far as I can see!
I'll be honest with you, there is so much inconsistency in the statements from all the "apostles" involved (Strade, Joyner, Arnott and Wagner in particularly!) I can't help but question what exactly went on. Dutch Sheets, part of the Prophetic/Charismatic movement is worried about it too... he calls for more honesty from the leaders involved (statement found here) ....
Did leaders handling the Lakeland situation make mistakes? Yes- huge mistakes. Beyond the obvious fruit of salvations and healings, can good come from Lakeland, as some have suggested, even with the recent revelations concerning Todd Bentley? Yes, but only if there is complete honesty and transparency, the removal of all attempts at self-preservation, and absolute humility from all sides
Some of my closest friends endorsed and participated in the Lakeland meetings. For them I have both criticism-all of us lose credibility at this point if we're not completely honest-and affirmation. Should they have been more discerning and have listened to the warnings they received? Obviously. Should those who "aligned" Todd with spiritual fathers (which was a good thing and positioned him to receive help if he chooses to accept it) have realized to do so publicly was a mistake and could be interpreted by those watching in no other way than as a complete endorsement? Yes, they should have, especially when the event became a commissioning ceremony, complete with decrees and prophecies of going to higher levels, predictions of Todd's increasing world-wide influence and leading a world-wide revival, emphatic and prolific endorsements of his character, etc. How could those watching believe the evening was anything but an aligning, endorsing and commissioning ceremony? It was. It really doesn't matter who laid their hands on Todd-all share responsibility.
Sheets goes on to make the following challenges to his peers...
1 - We, the leaders of the charismatic community, have operated in an extremely low level of discernment. Frankly, we often don't even try to discern.
2 - We, the leaders of the charismatic church, spin our involvement and fail to acknowledge our responsibility when other leaders fall- all of which stems from our self-preservation and pride.
3 - Our procedures and standards of accountability are incredibly inadequate. We have provided camaraderie, not biblical accountability.
4 - We, the leaders of the charismatic church, have built on hype, sensation, innovation, programs, personality and charisma.
I don't want anyone to play the "Blame game" but we what we do need is for all folk involved to be honest about the situation and humble enough to face up to the mistakes they made, innocent or otherwise... if they won't it will all happen again far too soon!
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