PLEASE DISREGARD MY POSITIVE STATEMENTS ABOUT MIKE BICKLE! IN 2016, I COULDN’T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH HIS MINISTRY. –J.B., 4/13/25–
At that time I could not find a single Christian leader who shared a similar interest in finding out if there were truths hidden in the New Age. Now we are beginning to hear more and more REVELATION THAT IS IN LINE WITH WHAT NEW AGERS HAVE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG and we are hearing more and more teaching about CHRISTIANS “TAKING BACK TRUTHS” FROM THE NEW AGE that really belong to citizens of the Kingdom of God…It wasn’t that I wanted to become a New Ager, I just wanted to find out if maybe they had uncovered some truths the church hadn’t. –Ellyn Davis, The Physics of Heaven–
The first time I heard about Bill Johnson and Bethel Church in Redding, California, was in college. A friend of mine from summer camp (I was a counselor) showed me a book from there: Kris Vallotton’s Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry (2005). I skimmed it over and read a section where Kris had an open vision of a guy and it brought him to repentance (pages 50-51). I was so moved by this, that I soon became very hungry for prophetic visions and dreams in my personal life. I also found that these experiences are not only to be expected by New Testament Christians, but that they are the primary way that the Holy Spirit communicates with prophets (Num. 12:6; Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17, etc). So, I was thankful for that little bit of Vallotton influence. I never bought the book or studied it thoroughly; I just began to pray and seek and contemplate the face of God, and listen to God, and the Holy Spirit began to speak specifically to me from time to time, in a theological framework of sermons by Leonard Ravenhill, David Wilkerson, and A. W. Tozer via sermonindex.net: a framework which I later identified as Wesleyan-holiness theology. That was in 2006.
My friend’s campus pastor had taken a personal leave of absence for several months; and traveled to Bethel Church to learn about miraculous gifts from their School of Supernatural Ministry. During this time, my friend rented his house, and an assistant pastor took over the leadership while he was gone. I had seen this Bethel Church as a sort of charismatic renewal movement, and I could see nothing wrong…although my actual knowledge or personal interest in Bethel was very limited. This pastor was a Derek Prince fan; and I had recently read They Shall Expel Demons, so I was a fan too. So, I just thought of Bill Johnson like a Derek Prince: just another helpful charismatic teacher on spiritual gifts, but more up to date. It was in 2006 that Bethel Church broke away from the Assemblies of God.
Spineless from the start Sucked into the part Circus comes to town You play the lead clown
Please, please, spreading his disease Living by his story Knees, knees, falling to your knees Suffer for his glory, you will
Time for lust, time for lie Time to kiss your life goodbye Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet Make a contribution and you’ll get the better seat Bow to leper messiah
Marvel at his tricks Need your Sunday fix Blind devotion came Rotting your brain
Chain, chain, join the endless chain Taken by his glamor Fame, fame, infection is the game Stinking drunk with power, we see
Time for lust, time for lie Time to kiss your life goodbye Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet Make a contribution and you’ll get the better seat Bow to leper messiah
Witchery, weakening Sees the sheep are gathering Set the trap, hypnotize Now you follow
Time for lust, time for lie Time to kiss your life goodbye Send me money, send me green, heaven you will meet Make a contribution and you’ll get the better seat Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie
–Metallica, “Leper Messiah”–
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There are some people, such as discernment ministries and heresy hunters, which are hyper prone to label any reports of miracles in charismatic churches as “New Age,” but I’m not like that. I wouldn’t say that about the Azusa Street revival, Assemblies of God (the Smith Wigglesworth era), the International House of Prayer (IHOP), the Brownsville Revival, or the Vineyard churches (the John Wimber era). While there’s always been Pentecostal leaders handling the demon possessed in such revivals, that’s not my concern here. In the case of Bethel Church, and especially after the publication of Judy Franklin and Ellyn Davis’ The Physics of Heaven (2012), one may fairly conclude that Bethel Church’s leaders in particular have been sliding into New Age views. It seems that ever since this book came out, they have gotten more off center theologically; and hundreds, if not thousands of videos have come out on YouTube about it. If this is true, then it would mean that Bethel Church might now be a source of demonic oppression and false teachings, rather than a church where people can find healing and deliverance.
YouTubers’ Concerns About Bethel Church
Here are the biggest problems I have with Bethel Church and Bill Johnson’s ministry. I’ll admit, a lot of these concerns have not been proven, but the top five in red have. The top four books quoted are all from Destiny Image Publishers.
1. Beni Johnson does “Christian” yoga (Healthy and Free, p. 71; against Deut. 18:9-14).
2. Bill says people should follow him “off the map” of the Bible (When Heaven, p. 76).
3. “Prophetic ministry is not to be focused on the sins of the world” (Dreaming, p. 89).
4. Bethel Church admits they accept some New Age views (The Physics of Heaven, p. 15).
6. Grave sucking (some say this is occult; it is weird; I’m not so sure: cp. 2 Kgs. 13:21).
7. Jenn Johnson compares the Holy Spirit to the genie in Aladdin.
8. Some people in Bethel apparently use the f-word and nobody corrects them.
9. Some people have expressed universalist “love” views (cp. Rob Bell’s Love Wins).
10. Painful electrical power coursing through the body (cp. kundalini awakening).
11. Seductive female musicians dancing with sexy attire; breathy singing during worship.
12. Non-judgmental tolerance of theological errors; hostility towards critics.
13. They don’t preach lordship salvation or repentance from sin…they scoff at it.
14. Seth Dahl has a vision of “Jesus” saying “please forgive Me” for a pastor’s sin.
15. Beni says “Wakey! Wakey!” to wake up some giant angels (cp. 1 Chron. 21:16).
16. Signing tithing contracts to remain a church member (against 2 Cor. 9:7).
17. Shepherding Movement / covering theology / authoritarianism (“culture of honor”).
18. No limit on the number of prophecies in church services (against 1 Cor. 14:29).
19. Deification of charismatic people as little gods (theosis / against Acts 14:14).
20. Eric Johnson said, “You’re not born evil” (denial of original sin, Psalm 51:5).
21. Young people wallowing on the floor in a “drunken spirit” (like an orgy).
22. One young man said he can use animals to prophesy words from God (cp. New Age).
23. Against open-air preaching of the Gospel (lordship salvation).
24. Bill Johnson drives an Aston Martin luxury car: materialism (James 5:5).
25. Gold dust: possibly a demonic omen for prosperity preaching (cp. fairy dust).
Universalism in John Crowder’s Jesus Trip Videos and the Holy Ghost Movie
John Crowder has shown signs of blasphemy, antinomianism, and universalism, as is evident on his Jesus Trip videos (see my video “Three Concerns About John Crowder”), and he is welcomed with open arms into Bethel Church as a speaker. There is a video of Brian “Head” Welch with John Crowder passing communion out to people–and John kisses two women on the head; and then in the Holy Ghost movie (2014), Welch says that God led him to join the cussing and sexually immoral band Korn again, after years before, he said to do that would be considered backsliding. (As a previous fan, I can tell you that only about three of their songs are clean.) In the Holy Ghost movie, Bill Johnson is revered as a leader in all of the charismatic ministries represented. Bethel Church is a kind of headquarters for this movement. This movie is so…meh. Over and over, the traditional evangelical lordship Gospel is disrespected, maligned, and ridiculed. Instead, a new universalist gospel of “love” emerges as what “God” is really trying to say through these…um…prophets. There is even a time when a “praise and worship leader” named Jake Hamilton goes into a Hindu temple (click link at 16:10); and sings a song to “god” and everyone just gets along. Afterwards, he says, “WE’RE NOT TRYING TO sit here and CONVERT thousands of PEOPLE” (21:28).
Bill Johnson Answers Some Concerns from Dr. Michael Brown
UPDATE: 10/27/16 – “Dr. Brown Answers Questions About the New Apostolic Reformation, Pastor Bill Johnson, and More” – says Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton reject grave sucking; Dr. Brown admits it may have been a mistake for him to have come on Benny Hinn’s show; Dr. Brown sees Hudson Taylor as a modern apostle (as I would); the Bethel “gospel” is basically telling people how “awesome” they are (Dr. Brown repudiates); spiritual experience more important than Bible study (Dr. Brown expressed concern over Todd Bentley’s angel emphasis); Bethel says God can’t make people sick (Dr. Brown disagrees, and admits that God smites people with disease); Dr. Brown says the commissioning of Todd Bentley by the “Revival Alliance” in 2008 at the Lakeland Revival (C. Peter Wagner, “THE REVIVAL ALLIANCE”: Che Ahn, John and Carol Arnott, Bill Johnson, Chuck Pierce in proxy, Wes and Stacey Campbell, Georgian Banov, Rick Joyner, and Randy Clark), was totally wrong, embarrassing, and divine punishment on the charismatic movement (basically the Toronto Blessing revival and its offspring); Dr. Brown believes Mike Bickle and Lou Engle are true men of God (as I do); Dr. Brown says you should tolerate nonessential doctrinal mistakes; Dr. Brown claims to have personally seen the cloud of the Lord once while preaching; and he is against people recklessly touting the title of Apostle.
UPDATE: 1/1/17 – Bill Johnson’s God Is Good is in stores; and in it he speaks against universalism (yay!) (p. 104) – this makes me respect him just a little more; hopefully more people in his movement will follow his lead on that point; because universalism is a major dividing line between charismatics and New Agers.
YouTube Exposé Videos on Bethel Church: References, Summaries, and Notes I personally don’t agree with everything on these videos. For instance, I believe in Christ-centered contemplative prayer, but I reject centering prayer. I believe people can be slain in the Spirit during true Gospel preaching; and I believe all of the miraculous gifts are for today. I just side against some of the “lawless enthusiasts” (to use Samuel Rutherford’s expression), that might be attending Bethel Church; and I am against them trying to hijack Pentecostal Christianity with antinomianism and universalism. I also want to say that I don’t agree with the insulting tone that permeates a lot of these videos. Although I summarize what these people are saying in these notes below, I have tried to personally avoid getting myself pulled into a belittling tone. I understand that there are people out there who are angry at Bethel Church; and it makes them feel better to slam them with harsh words. I also understand that there are Biblical conservatives out there who want to defend sound doctrine, and believe that to do this, they have to take on the character of “exposing a heretic” and labeling a “false prophet” for the demon-possessed maniac that he is. Look, this kind of rhetoric is not Christlike and is not productive. It will only distance Bethel people from the truth. The Bible says that we should “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15); not using insulting and Bethel-bashing hate speech. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not calling evil good here (Isa. 5:20). I believe its necessary to label things like blasphemy, antinomianism, universalism, lawlessness, authoritarianism, New Age, kundalini, etc. But these are not meant to be insults; they are names for sins and problems, and they should be brought out into the open and dealt with by whomever.
2. Bill Johnson on Wretched Radio with Todd Friel – 3/26/09 (Man cusses on stage with Todd Bentley at the Lakeland Revival and everyone laughs; Bill Johnson compares Todd Bentley to the woman caught in adultery; however, Todd wasn’t told “go and sin no more,” he’s still “married” to the adulteress: no regard for 1 Timothy and Titus).
3. New Apostolic Reformation Heresy – 2/15/12 (The NAR is the continuation of the Latter Rain movement started by William Branham, and continued through Paul Cain and Mike Bickle (IHOP): see DVD called The Life, Teachings, and Legacy of William Branham; in 1949 the Assemblies of God condemned the Latter Rain movement and again in 2000; I disagree that charismatic prophecy needs an open canon; I disagree with his rejection of contemplative prayer as only Catholic and not Biblical; the NAR thinks that doing special charismatic prayer is a better way to impact society than Gospel preaching and Bible teaching; dominionism is the NAR idea that they need to take over all world governments through NAR influence (like Rick Perry).
4. Bill Johnson’s and Mike Bickle’s False Teachings – 12/28/12 (I disagree with some things in this video. I think that Bickle himself has kept himself safe from supporting heresies that have cropped up by some of his friends; anti-theological attitude; charismatic cult followings of Johnson or Bickle due to the downplaying of Biblical authority; I disagree with this video’s cessationist view of Christ, as if the Scripture never said, “He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12); quotes Bill Johnson’s When Heaven Invades Earth, p. 76, where he says charismatics should be willing to go “off the map” of Bible knowledge in order to experience supernatural things; a man acting like a turkey at the Toronto Blessing, from which Bill Johnson got his power (“power animal” / New Age); Bickle and the “manifested sons of God,” sensual “bridal paradigm,” revelations for an elite end-times “Joel’s Army” (Latter Rain).
6. Bethel Church and the False Gospel of Kris Vallotton – 10/23/13 (Miano thinks Bethel Church is a spiritist cult; Paul Washer and Tony Miano met together in Norway in 2013 to denounce Bethel Church’s influence there; John Crowder’s meetings are blasphemous, orgy like, bong party like (see 2 Peter 2); Vallotton seems like a really nice guy, but Miano doesn’t know if he’s born again; we have to judge the fruit and words of prophets (Matthew 7:15-19); Bill said Jesus once taught Scripture out of context to make a point; Vallotton teaches non-judgmentalism (hence prophecies won’t be judged either); reply to Vallotton’s “7 Signs of a Poor Gospel” on Facebook; Vallotton: “Do I believe in a prosperity gospel? You bet”; materialism is against salvation (Matthew 19:16-30); Bethel Church believes sickness serves no sanctifying purpose; Reformed cessationists would be more persuaded to become charismatics if they would just be provided with documentation of serious physical healings: see Dr. David Lewis’ Healing: Fiction, Fantasy or Fact? (1989), provides the oft-requested documentation: about 30% of the people prayed for by JOHN WIMBER experienced total physical healing of serious sicknesses at the November 1985 Harrogate Conference; see also similar medical documentation of before-and-after cases for KATHRYN KUHLMAN‘s healings: I Believe In Miracles (1962), God Can Do It Again (1969), and Nothing Is Impossible with God (1974); Bill believes in kenosis (Arianism): that Jesus was not fully God while on earth; “honor theology” (shepherding / discipleship / covering theology / unquestioning submission to the pastor = “humility”); James 1:2: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds”; Luke 9:58: “Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head’” (in contrast to Bethel Church’s health-and-wealth triumphalism); Vallotton’s “gospel” is man-glorifying rather than Christ-glorifying and is not cross-centered).
7. Escaping Bethel Church, Bill Johnson and Jesus Culture – 10/29/13 (Probably kundalini spiritual power that electrically shocks, burns, and hurts your body; sensual women in worship; non-judgmental tolerance; no lordship salvation).
8. The New Apostolic Reformation – 11/11/13 (Mike Bickle says most of what is said by charismatic prophets is false, nauseating, and disgusting: and this makes me respect him more. Yes, there have been Latter Rain influences, but I still respect Bickle the most out of all the charismatic leaders today. I’ve never heard of antinomianism or universalism coming from IHOP like I’ve had with Bethel Church, but IHOP’s Onething 2016 conference features Bill Johnson and Todd White (both in the universalist Holy Ghost movie): so, is there a guilt-by-association thing going on here? I reject the “sufficiency of Scripture” cessationism expressed in this video).
9. Bethel Church’s Statement of Faith: They Don’t Believe It – 11/27/13 (I disagree with the cessationism of this video. $450 per year membership fee to be recognized as an “apostle” in the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (ICAL); reportedly, Todd Bentley was told by God, not to preach about Jesus, but to talk about angels and the supernatural; Nightline found no verifiable healings in Bentley’s Lakeland Revival; Bentley’s adultery, alcoholism, and remarriage to mistress, and endorsement by Bill Johnson and others to go back to ministry in that condition; grandiose prophecies made about Bentley, and the cover-up that followed; Bill Johnson wears glasses and yet, he claims walking in perfect “divine health” is the true gospel (positive confession view); Bill does not believe God is fully in control of the world, but that Christians have some control over events and circumstances through prayer; Bill depreciates the Bible and exalts the Holy Spirit instead (57:00ff); Miano believes Bill Johnson is a cunning deceiver: cunning means to “show skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion”; Bill said Jesus lived as a mere man emptied of all divine attributes while on earth (Arianism): denying the hypostatic union (fully God and fully man) (1:15:00ff); street praying, not street preaching (charismatics don’t really preach the Gospel much); charismatic experiences are like heroin is for addicts, and for this reason, they don’t have much of a desire to preach the Gospel; Eric Johnson said, “You’re not born evil” (denial of original sin, Pelagianism, Ps. 51:5) (1:34:00): from his sermon: “The Joy of Consecration” at 14:45; Miano: “We have to care more about the souls of these people than whether or not they want to be our friends”).
10. Why I Must Speak Out Against the NAR and Bethel Church – 12/13/13 (I disagree with Miano labeling Mike Bickle a false prophet; states that John Piper associated with Jesus Culture once at an event; they have a false Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4), false gospel, false Holy Spirit; Word of Faith prosperity gospel; Beni Johnson mocked Tony Miano’s call to repentance and faith (the lordship salvation gospel); they deny original sin (Eric Johnson); “honor the leaders” (authoritarianism / shepherding movement); John Crowder identified as a friend of Bethel Church).
11. Bethel Church and the NAR’s False Ideas of Glory – 12/21/13 – No limit on number of prophecies in church services (1 Cor. 14:29); I disagree with Miano’s cessationism; deification of charismatic Christians; Arian view of Jesus; still friends with Todd Bentley.
12. Jesus Culture: The Next Generation of Heretics – 5/31/14 – Exalting the presence of God over Bible study; I disagree with labeling John Wimber as a heretic, simply because Jesus Culture was influenced by Vineyard music (but they do say they are partnered with Bethel Church); Heather Clark (seductive musician); Bill Johnson blessed Todd Bentley at the false Lakeland Revival (and after); ecstatic prophecy by Jessa Bentley; they respect Benny Hinn.
13. Women From Bethel – 7/1/14 (Yoga; universalism; scoffing at lordship salvation).
14. THE BETHEL DESTINY – 7/19/14 (Bill Johnson says, “Prophetic ministry is not to be focused on the sins of the world” (Dreaming with God, p. 89): contradicts 1 Corinthians 14:24-25: “If an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’” (thankfully Gary Wilkerson’s David Wilkerson shows that his words of knowledge often operated this way); and also the words of Jesus in John 16:7-8, KJV: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” Bill Johnson is wrong whenever he may blatantly contradict this sin-exposing principle of the Holy Spirit’s ministry through New Testament prophets. Jesus’ way is to comfort people with the love of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 13) as their sins are exposed by visions and dreams and words of knowledge (1 Cor. 14:24-25). Jeremiah said that FALSE PROPHETS are the kinds of guys that prophesy smooth things; and absolutely refuse to share revelations about other people’s sins, and they refuse to preach against sin, because they want to flatter people in order to gain more popularity. “Beware of the Flatterer,” John Bunyan said in his Pilgrim’s Progress.
Jeremiah 14:10, 13-14: “This is what the Lord says about this people: ‘They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins.’ But I said, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in My name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.’” Jeremiah 23:11-12, 14-17: “Both prophet and priest are godless; even in my temple I find their wickedness…I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished…among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness…I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’”
FALSE PROPHETS WILL ALWAYS SPEAK COMFORT TO SINNERS LIVING IN THEIR SINS, JUST LIKE BILL JOHNSON DOES IN HIS BOOK DREAMING WITH GOD, ON PAGE 89; Bill admits on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural that he experienced a painful electrical power that coursed through his body (he thought it was a Holy Spirit baptism he received from Toronto Airport Vineyard, but it sounds more like a kundalini awakening); it is believed that the Assemblies of God’s 2000 position paper on “Endtime Revival” was a veiled rebuke to Bethel Church and the New Apostolic Reformation (prophetic movement); Jesus Culture musicians have sort of a high-minded attitude about their band being a movement; Bill rejects “He must increase, I must decrease” in Hosting the Presence (spirit of pride).
15. Lying Signs and Wonders – 10/26/14 (Universalism connected with many charismatics and their miracles; Beni says salvation comes by angels ringing bells; Benny Hinn teaches that born again Christians are little gods: refers to John Lanagan’s The New Age Propensities of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson; money-centered preaching and gold dust, gold filling miracles, jewels, diamonds).
16. Bill Johnson Exposed – 2/25/15 (Word of Faith, name it and claim it, and positive confession).
17. On the Road: The Dangers of Bethel Redding – 5/26/15 (I disagree with Miano’s statement “I don’t have a problem with a guy being rich” driving a ridiculously expensive sports car; Johnson drives a $250k Aston Martin; no preaching of repentance and faith (no lordship salvation); false claims of healing; Beni Johnson is co-pastor, exercising authority over men; Beni “earthing”; Beni says she can wake up giant angels in the desert by saying “Wakey! Wakey!”; Bethel an annoyance to their community; against open-air gospel preaching; one kid said he can use animals to prophesy words from God (sounds like “power animals” / New Age: this originated with John Arnott’s The Father’s Blessing, ch. 11: “The Prophetic: Animal Sounds and Insights” (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 1995): and it was because of this that John Wimber excommunicated the Toronto Airport church from the Vineyard).
18. BILL JOHNSON & THE NEW AGE – 9/14/15 (Grave sucking; young people wallowing on the floor in a “drunken spirit” (looks like an orgy); Beni likes reflexology; Physics of Heaven; mentions 2015 edition of Andrew Strom’sKundalini Warningwith updated material on Bill Johnson).
19. Bethel Blasphemy Alert – 9/22/15 (Seth Dahl, the Children’s Pastor, has a vision of Jesus holding him, and then says, “Please forgive Me,” on behalf of a pastor who said emotionally abusive things to him: JESUS ISN’T TO BLAME FOR ANYTHING…JESUS IS SINLESS! (1 John 3:5).
20. The Heretic Bill Johnson of Bethel Church – 12/24/15 (Says that Bill Johnson denies the deity of Christ (Arianism); signing tithing contracts for church membership; “apostolic” authoritarianism; reference to R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec’s A New Apostolic Reformation?).
21. Heidi Baker: Demonic Impartation – 10/9/14 (Heidi Baker at 3:53 at Bethel Church lays hands on a young man and imparts a painful spiritual power into his body, possibly a Christianized New Age demon experience known as a kundalini awakening, Baker expresses a universalist view in Holy Ghost). There is nothing painful or universalist about the baptism in the Holy Spirit!
24. Todd Bentley’s “Emma” Angel (Fairy Demon) – This is not from a video, but an article. It contains a quote which is found on many apologetics websites, and because the quote is exactly the same, it leads me to believe it is a true quote: but was later deleted, and publicly denied by Bentley at the Lakeland Revival. (In this video Bob Jones refers to a 3 foot spirit he saw called “ERMA,” not Emma, that represented the ascension of women into ministry (anti-Biblical; feminism; Jezebel spirit); at first he asked if it was an angel, but she said, “I AM NOT AN ANGEL–I AM A ‘BEING’ FROM AROUND THE THRONE”); The original article says that Bentley saw a vision of a young female angel named Emma who started the Kansas City prophetic movement (Mike Bickle and Bob Jones); the gold dust manifestations, and helped Bentley heal people at the Lakeland Revival. There is evidence that Bentley, like William Branham, was very angel-focused during his revival, rather than Christ-focused or even Holy Spirit focused. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 says that healings and miracles through prophets come from the Holy Spirit, not from their personal angels. While John 5:4 does mention angelic healing at the Pool of Bethesda, that is hardly the New Testament norm. The concept of angelic healing pervades the New Age, the occult, and all witchcraft cults. “Fairy dust” is also a real occult phenomenon that witches and psychics say can happen. Here’s the quote, originally from Todd Bentley’s 2003 article “Angelic Hosts” and its subtitle “EMMA, ANGEL OF THE PROPHETIC”:
“Now let me talk about an angelic experience with Emma. Twice Bob Jones asked me about this angel that was in Kansas City in 1980: ‘Todd, have you ever seen the angel by the name of Emma?’ He asked me as if he expected that this angel was appearing to me. Surprised, I said, ‘Bob, who is Emma?’ He told me that Emma was the angel that helped birth and start the whole prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. She was a mothering-type angel that helped nurture the prophetic as it broke out.
“Within a few weeks of Bob asking me about Emma, I was in a service in Beulah, North Dakota. In the middle of the service I was in conversation with Ivan and another person when in walks Emma. As I stared at the angel with open eyes, the Lord said, ‘Here’s Emma.’ I’m not kidding. She floated a couple of inches off the floor…Emma appeared beautiful and young–about 22 years old–but she was old at the same time. She seemed to carry the wisdom, virtue and grace of Proverbs 31 on her life. She glided into the room, emitting brilliant light and colors.Emma carried these bags and began pulling gold out of them. Then, as she walked up and down the aisles of the church, she began distributing gold dust. The Lord answered: ‘She is releasing the gold, which is both the revelation and the financial breakthrough that I am bringing into this church. I want you to prophesy that Emma showed up in this service–the same angel that appeared in Kansas City–as a sign that I am endorsing and releasing a prophetic spirit in the church on people.’
“Within three weeks of that visitation, the church had given me the biggest offering I had ever received to that point in my ministry. Thousands of dollars! Thousands!…During this visitation the pastor’s wife (it was an AoG church) got totally whacked by the Holy Ghost–she began running around barking like a dog or squawking like a chicken as a powerful prophetic spirit came on her. Also, as this prophetic anointing came on her, she started getting phone numbers of complete strangers and calling them up on the telephone and prophesying over them…Then angels started showing up in the church.’”
As we believe and confess the Scriptures of God sufficient to instruct and make perfect the man of God, so do we affirm and avow their authority to be from God, and not to depend on men or angels. We affirm, therefore, that those who say the Scriptures have no other authority save that which they have received from the Kirk are blasphemous against God and injurious to the true Kirk, which always hears and obeys the voice of her own Spouse and Pastor, but takes not upon her to be mistress over the same. —THE SCOTTISH CONFESSION—
19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. –1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 (KJV)–
20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? 22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. –Deuteronomy 18:20-22 (KJV)–
The passage evidently assumes such an occasion for consulting the prophet as was usual among the pagan, e. g., an impending battle or other such crisis (compare 1 Kings 22:11), in which his veracity would soon be put to the test. Failure of a prediction is set forth as a sure note of its being “presumptuous.” But from Deuteronomy 13:2ff we see that the fulfillment of a prediction would not decisively accredit him who uttered it: for the prophet or dreamer of dreams who endeavoured on the strength of miracles to seduce to idolatry was to be rejected and punished. Nothing therefore contrary to the revealed truth of God was to be accepted under any circumstances. —BARNES’ NOTES ON THE BIBLE, DEUTERONOMY 18:21–
National Library of Wales. 19th century engraving of John Knox.
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Dr. Jack Deere, Why I Am Still Surprised by the Voice of God (Zondervan, 2022).
Dr. Wayne Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy In the New Testament (Crossway, 2000).
Inside dark, suffocating shades Behind black blinds A price to pay Pains of becoming a lesser man Suffer from doctrines Stuck in my head Lies from the pits of Hell
Dwelling in wastelands (Never poisoned by the world Lead me to the deepest wells Never poisoned by the world) Grace, the only nourishment
Forced through the desert The burning heat strips my motives What is the true nature of the heart?
(Never poisoned by the world) Dwelling in wastelands (Never poisoned by the world Lead me to the deepest wells Never poisoned by the world) Grace, the only nourishment
Will my own good salvage my soul Will I follow to where You are? Will my own good salvage my soul Will I follow to where You are?
27 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into Hell. –Matthew 5:27-29 (NIV)–
Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you… therefore glorify God in your body. –1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV)–
Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. –Proverbs 7:10 (NIV)–
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. –Galatians 5:16 (ESV)–
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil! –Isaiah 5:20 (NIV)–
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A martyr, steadfast in faith, who stood fast as a conqueror amidst the racks and burning plates, was ordered by him to be smeared with honey and to be made to lie under a blazing sun with his hands tied behind his back, so that he who had already surmounted the heat of the frying-pan might be vanquished by the stings of flies. Another who was in the bloom of youth was taken by his command to some delightful pleasure gardens, and there amid white lilies and blushing roses, close by a gently murmuring stream, while overhead the soft whisper of the wind played among the leaves of the trees, was laid upon a deep luxurious feather-bed, bound with fetters of sweet garlands to prevent his escape. When all had withdrawn from him a harlot of great beauty drew near and began with voluptuous embrace to throw her arms around his neck, and, wicked even to relate! To handle his person, so that when once the lusts of the flesh were roused, she might accomplish her licentious purpose. What to do, and whither to turn, the soldier of Christ knew not. Unconquered by tortures he was being overcome by pleasure. At last with an inspiration from Heaven HE BIT OFF THE END OF HIS TONGUE AND SPAT IT IN HER FACE as she kissed him. Thus the sensations of lust were subdued by the intense pain which followed.
–St. Jerome, The Life of Paulus—
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Elizabeth Rice Handford, Your Clothes Say It for You (Sword of the Lord, 2000).
Dr. John R. Rice, Bobbed Hair, Bossy Wives, and Women Preachers (Sword, 1941).
Ronald Enroth, Churches That Abuse (Zondervan, 1992), p. 20. I disagree with Enroth that it should be considered “controlling” and “abusive” to draw a line in the sand about gender distinctions, provocative clothing, and outward presentation. The Bible teaches the complete opposite (Deut. 22:5; 1 Pet. 3:3; 1 Tim. 2:9; Prov. 7:10).
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, to declare his righteousness for THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST. –Romans 3:25 (KJV)–
We all like science. In fact, we couldn’t live without it. Science has helped us put man on the moon, put the Internet in our pockets, see 14 billion light-years into space, and unveil a universe of microbiological machines within each living cell. Science has given us life-saving vaccines against polio, smallpox and measles. Yet science owes an incredible debt to theology.1 History repeatedly demonstrates that where men have built their epistemic foundations upon Scripture, their science has flourished.2 But subsequent to the “Age of Enlightenment” (c. 1650–1800), science has ascended to the throne, happily usurping the Scriptures in every place she can. As Michael Bauman puts it, “Theology, the Queen of the Sciences, has been banished to the back of the bus by her own bigoted descendants.”3 We need to remember that man is fallible, and as the history of science has repeatedly shown, so is science. One of the most audacious and specious theories to fall under the broad umbrella of ‘science’ in the last 200 years is the notion that everything evolved over billions of years. The theory suffers from innumerable theological, philosophical and scientific problems. But in this article I would ask you to consider the following theological problems created by maintaining an evolutionary account of origins.
1. It makes death our friend instead of our enemy. Theistic evolutionists, in an endeavour to embrace both Darwin and Moses, claim that God created all the original kinds of animals and plants through a process of natural selection (contra Genesis 1–2). Natural selection is indeed a recognized phenomenon at work on our planet, empowered by the reality of death. But according to Genesis 3, death came as a result of Adam’s disobedience and God’s curse upon this earth.4 When we reject this history, we are compelled instead to view death, bloodshed, violence, disease and the general struggle for survival as the God-given blessings of a perfect world. Yet this makes little sense of 1 Corinthians 15:26, and construes the God of creation to be a moral monster.
History repeatedly demonstrates that where men have built their epistemic foundations upon Scripture, their science has flourished.
2. It calls into question the meaning of “good” because God called a world typified by death, disease, pain and strife, “good”. This has a direct bearing on how we think about God who is, in Himself, the ultimate standard of goodness (Mark 10:18) and how we construct our theodicy5—one of the greatest challenges in apologetics. Without the historicity of the fall of man and its ramifications on creation, the distinction between good and evil is lost.
3. It calls into question the authority of Scripture. An obvious contradiction exists between the record of our origins in Genesis and the popular story of evolution:
The source of Creation.
God created the world (Genesis 1:1). This is in contradiction to atheism and philosophical naturalism, one of the major premises inspiring the idea of evolution. Thus Dawkins writes, “Although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.6” Similarly, Peter Lawrence writes, “In this vital mission to discredit the supernatural, nothing has proved more important than The Origin of Species.”7
The order of Creation.
God created the earth before the creation of the solar system (Genesis 1:1 & 1:14–18).
God created light before He created the sun (Genesis 1:3, 16).
God created the plants before the creation of stars, moon and sun (Genesis 1:11).
God created the birds before the creation of land-dwelling animals (Genesis 1:20).
The mechanism of Creation.
God created all things out of nothing—not using pre-existing material (Hebrews 11:3).
God created all the plants and animals according to their kinds, instead of a single organism which evolved from one kind into another, and then into everything else (Genesis 1:12, 21, 24).
God created man directly from the dust of the earth, not from another animal (Genesis 2:7).
God created man in His image and gave Him dominion over the animals, thereby making Him distinct from the animals (Genesis 1:26).
The time of Creation.
God created the world in six days8 as opposed to vast ages/epochs of time (cf. Genesis 1, Exodus 20:11).
God created man at the beginning of time, not the end of time. Jesus claimed in Mark 10:6, “from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female’” … as opposed to at the end of creation. According to the evolutionary timescale, mankind appears only as an appendix at the end of billions or years of evolutionary struggle. So the real question is, “Was Jesus wrong?” (Other NT references to mankind being created at the beginning not the end of creation include Luke 11:50–51 and Romans 1:20). This has led some, like the prominent theistic evolutionist, Francis Collins, to write: “If Jesus as a finite human being erred from time to time, there is no reason at all to suppose that Moses, Paul, and John wrote Scripture without error. Rather, we are wise to assume that the biblical authors expressed themselves as human beings writing from the perspectives of their own finite, broken horizons.”9If true, this would bring into question everything else spoken by Jesus and would undermine the inspiration and infallibility of Scripture10.
The completion of Creation.
According to God’s Word, the creation of the universe has been completed (Genesis 2:3 and Exodus 20:11). God is no longer creating the cosmos. Yet on evolutionary terms, the universe and everything in it are still evolving.
The goodness of Creation.
As already mentioned, death, disease, cancer, pain and suffering came after the fall of man, not before. Evolution, via the uniformitarian interpretation of the fossil record, places all these fallen elements before man even appears on the scene. If God intended animals to kill each other in a perfect world, why does he describe the new heavens and new earth using language like: “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain” (Isaiah 65:25). It also makes no sense of Romans 8:20–22 and Revelation 21:4.
4. It sets a hermeneutical precedent. Two millennia worth of commentaries on the book of Genesis bear witness to the fact that the orthodox interpretation has been the straightforward, literal approach to the text, taking the creation narrative as history.11 But today there are many competing interpretations of Genesis. It is worth noting, therefore, that the framework hypothesis, day-age theory, gap-theory, analogical days theory, Genesis-as-myth, progressive creation and theistic evolutionary theories all find their origin in the 19th and 20th centuries. As Hall has observed, “It is a very difficult task to reproduce pre-1800 Christian literature that both employs rigorous exegetical methodology and that defends something other than a literal interpretation of Genesis 1–11.”12If we allow popular opinion to preside over the interpretation of the first book of the Bible, what stops us from butchering the other 65? If we’re going to put on naturalistic glasses to resolve the question of origins—is there anything to stop us taking that framework of interpretation elsewhere? Floating axe heads, the virgin birth, water turning into wine, the multiplication of loaves and fishes, Jesus walking on water and the resurrection of the dead are not even remotely feasible according to ‘science’. So should we let ‘science’ dictate here also? One compromise leads to another.
When Christians capitulate to canonizing popular opinion over the Word of God, non-Christians sit back and laugh because their suspicions are once again confirmed, i.e. science holds all the cards, not Scripture.
It makes a mockery of Christ and Christianity. Genesis is effectively relegated to the status of a ‘just-so’ story. When Christians capitulate to canonising popular opinion over the Word of God, non-Christians sit back and laugh because their suspicions are once again confirmed, i.e. science holds all the cards, not Scripture. Consider the claims of the 19th century skeptic, George Foote, who wrote, “And if man himself has descended, or ascended, from lower forms of life; if he has been developed through thousands of generations from a branch of the Simian family; it necessarily follows that the Garden of Eden is a fairy tale, that Adam and Eve were not the parents of the human race, that the Fall is an oriental legend, that Original Sin is a theological libel on humanity, that the Atonement is an unintelligible dogma, and the Incarnation a relic of ancient mythology.”13
It deprives us of real answers concerning origins, and leaves the biggest argument for naturalism, atheism or agnosticism unchallenged. Without evolution, these worldviews are entirely bankrupt. When we decide not to discuss or debate on matters of origin, we effectively leave the pagan world unchallenged. It becomes the Achilles’ heel of our apologetics. To leave the origins discussion merely at the “something or someone did it” level is entirely unhelpful because most of the world believes that a thing or a being made this universe. This is not where the debate is at. Even Dawkins14 and Hawking15 have recently conceded that aliens could have done it. The real problem here is the authority of God’s Word versus the evolutionary story of origins. It’s only when people submit to Scripture that they will find Christ. They won’t find Christ in science, although a careful reflection upon the magnificence of God’s creation might lead them to Scripture. Therefore, in order to effectively address the question of origins in a way that is relevant and helpful to people, we need to let the Bible speak (Romans 10:17)! If we are not prepared to accept the inspired eye-witness testimony of someone who was there at the beginning, who actually made it all and told us how He did it, we lose the only answers we have in this world to help the millions of people today who are asking those kinds of questions. For example, Marcus Dods (1834–1909), writing only a decade after Darwin, exhorted his readers, in the opening paragraph of his commentary on Genesis with: “If any one is in search of accurate information regarding the age of this earth, or its relation to the sun, moon, and stars, or regarding the order in which plants and animals have appeared upon it, he is referred to recent text-books in astronomy, geology, and palaeontology. No one for a moment dreams of referring a serious student of these subjects to the Bible as a source of information.”16Why do we so readily defer to the speculations of men on our origins when they were never there in the beginning to observe it? The only authority we have on the subject of creation is God—not man. Questions about origins are primarily theological (and historical), not scientific. If we disregard the Bible in our investigation we lose the only authoritative data we have!
It robs God of His glory. Evolutionists claim that this world is not the product of creative intelligence, but instead the result of a fantastic fortuitous fluke. Any theistic synthesis with evolution does little to improve upon this robbery. The claim that God made this world using a brutally wasteful, mindless, random process over billions of years undermines the infinite wisdom and creative brilliance employed in the careful construction of our universe. We give credit to artists, inventors, architects and engineers for their intelligent designs. Why do we rob God of the credit He deserves? Consider Psalm 19.
To conclude with the words of Robert Jastrow, “For the scientist who has lived by faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries…”17
Will you be with those at the top of the mountain?
Stark, R., For the Glory of God: how monotheism led to reformations, science, witch-hunts, and the end of slavery, Princeton University Press, New Jersey, 2003, p. 123. Return to text.
Berkhof, L., Systematic Theology, The Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh,1976, p. 153. Return to text.
Hall, D.W., A Brief Overview of the Exegesis of Genesis 1–11: Luther to Lyell, (In Mortenson, T. and Ury, T.H., (eds.) Coming to Grips with Genesis: biblical authority and the age of the earth, Master Books, pp. 53–78.), 2008, p. 54. Return to text.
Foote, G., Darwin on God, Progressive Publishing Company, London, 1889, p. 5. Return to text.
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