J. Lee Grady – editor of Charisma magazine – has just posted an article (”Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion”) on the Lakeland revival that was led by evangelist Todd Bentley of Fresh Fire Ministries. This revival has gotten a lot of attention not only for the numerous testimonies of miraculous healings, but also for some YouTube videos on which Bentley claims to have been led by the Holy Spirit to – among other things – kick a woman in the head. While many have celebrated the “outpouring of the Spirit” at these events, there has been widespread concern about the content of Bentley’s message as well as the character of the man himself.
Sadly, according to this article, it appears that those concerns are now justified. Click here for the article.
I share this not because it stands as another example of why we as Christians must be discerning. Unfortunately, we are still far too easily taken in by reports of signs and wonders and exceedingly slow to asking far more important questions about which gospel is being preached and whether the character of the leadership accords with Scriptural requirements. Even as we acknowledge that, we should be made all the more conscious of the truth that “there, but for the grace of God, go I.” No one is perfect, no one is infallible, all of us are tempted and all of us are weak. The critical thing is that we maintain a humble approach to the Scripture as well as to our critics.
I hope that the facts alleged in this article are wrong. In the meantime, please join me in praying for the Bentley family as well as those who are most affected by these events.
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