The unravelling

Categories: uncategorized

Tags: Faith, church, revival, Todd Bentley

Date: 12 August 2008 21:34:08

Several bloggers have picked up on the fact that Todd Bentley, he of the alleged Lakeland Revival has separated from his wife.

I have to admit to being a huge sceptic of this revival, and I have been pretty horrified to hear some of the stories that have been reported of the way Todd Bentley has treated people and prayed for people. If this story is true it is unbelievably sad. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a very public figure who is being held up as being a Godly man when your personal life is crumbling around you. I am so sad for his wife and his two daughters who must be devastated by the whole thing. And yet, I am not terribly surprised by the story.

TV-evangelists scare me. I generally feel disturbed by their preaching and I hate the fact that so many of them seem to be involved in money-making prosperity-gospel scams. I loathe the name-it-and-claim-it and-it-will-be-yours style of faith. In my experience that rarely happens and then where are we left when all we have is disappointment? I feel that fear, hopelessness, lack of faith and questions (oh! so many questions) are all part of the journey of faith. What these 'evangelists' seem to do is invalidate this individual journey, it becomes a one-size-fits-all faith, instead of this gentle unravelling of hope and faith.

Also, it seems to me that when people become the leading figures of 'revivals' then there is often tragedy just around the corner. This is a sad story, whatever you think of Todd Bentley. Sad for him, his family, his church and sad for the genuine, gentle work of God.