Anti-Theology on Friday

Welcome to “Anti-Theology on Friday: Why I Sometimes Hate the Free Church Tradition”. Okay, so I’m playing around a bit with the introduction of yesterday’s post. You may have already heard Todd Bentley, the tattooed “evangelist” who has been leading the long-running “revival” (“The Florida Outpouring”) in Lakeland, Florida, since April 2, will be departing the scene after the August 23 service. The gigantic white tents littering the grounds of the Sun n’ Fun Fly-in, where the meetings have been held since June, will be removed after that evening’s meeting.

“The Florida Outpouring” started at Ignited Church with the 32-year-old Canadian as a guest evangelist. Scheduled originally to speak for a week, Bentley remained when large crowds began flocking to Lakeland. Thousands of individuals from across the globe have attended the services, which have been streamed live over the Internet. Some have claimed the Internet is the reason for the rapid growth of interest in the meetings, though leaders point to the “healings” of serious illnesses. The “evangelist” has even claimed over two dozen individuals have been raised from the dead as a result of the services.

Bentley is scheduled currently to lead “revivals” in Los Angeles, Louisville, Spokane, and overseas (including the UK and Sudan). Ignited Church plans on continuing the “revival” and holding services each night after the Canadian’s departure. Some have surmised his leaving is a result of a negative Nightline feature. Stephen Strader, one of the leaders at Ignited Church, will take the helm. He expects crowds to diminish, though, after Bentley leaves. Bentley plans on retaining an office in Lakeland, in addition to his Fresh Fire Ministries headquarters in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Despite the crowds and the claims, even some fellow Pentecostals question whether Bentley’s meetings have placed enough emphasis on preaching and calls for repentance. A recent set of guidelines from the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States, seems to question the Florida Outpouring’s emphasis on miracles. Local pastors have also expressed skepticism about exaggerated claims. None of the recent news reports covering the meetings have been able to verify a single claim of healing. Strader commented that privacy concerns and laws forbidding the release of medical records have prevented “revival” officials from releasing complete information about the identities and conditions of people claiming to be healed.

Here are some examples of Bentley’s anti-theology…

…during baptism…

…and speaking about kicking a woman in the face and choking a man and hitting another man and knocking the tooth out of a man’s mouth and leg-dropping a pastor healing…

…and “being obedient to the Lord” by kneeing a cancer patient.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this seems an apt description of Bentley’s antics and anti-theology:

UPDATE (July 26): Bentley is heading to California to “Open Portals in LA with Che Ahn.”  The meetings to be held in California are being called “33 Nights of Glory,” and will be hosted at the Ambassador Auditorium by Harvest International Ministry and Che Ahn.  Speakers will include Bill Johnson, Cindy Jacobs, Stacey Campbell and Jim Goll. Bentley is speaking tonight, tomorrow and Monday.     HT: Wolf Tracks