Pretty accurate. Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 12, 2019, at 14:03, Billy Rojas <[email protected]> > wrote: > > TGC > > The Gospel Coalition > > > > 9 Things You Should Know About the Bethel Church Movement > > September 29, 2018 | Joe Carter > > TGC Australia recently published an article examining the theology and > practice of the Bethel movement. The Awakening Australia event—and its main > speaker, Bill Johnson—are increasing the awareness of the controversial > church throughout the continent. Here are nine things you should know about > the Johnsons and the Bethel movement. > > > > 1. Bethel Church is a charismatic megachurch in Redding, California, that is > primarily known for their popular music label (Bethel Music), worship music, > and the teachings of the controversial senior pastors, Bill and Beni Johnson. > The Johnsons became pastors of Bethel Church in 1996. In 2005, the > congregation withdrew from the Assemblies of God and became a > nondenominational church. Since then the church has increased to > approximately 9,000 members. > > > > 2. Bethel Music is a ministry of Bethel Church that includes a record label, > music publishing, and an artist collective that frequently holds tours and > events around the world. The president and co-founder of Bethel Music is > Brian Johnson, the son of Bill and Beni. One of the most famous musicians to > come out of Bethel Music is Jeremy Riddle. A song written by Riddle, Phil > Wickham, and Josh Farro titled “This Is Amazing Grace” was listed No. 1 on > Billboard’s Christian Airplay Songs chart for 2014. Other Bethel worship > songs are also popular in churches throughout the United States and > Australia. > > > > 3. The Johnsons are frequently criticized for their teachings, which often > veers from the suspect to the outright heretical. A prime example is Bill > Johnson’s “Jesus Christ is perfect theology,” which claims that it is always > God’s will to heal someone: > > How can God choose not to heal someone when He already purchased their > healing? Was His blood enough for all sin, or just certain sins? Were the > stripes He bore only for certain illnesses, or certain seasons of time? When > He bore stripes in His body He made a payment for our miracle. He already > decided to heal. You can’t decide not to buy something after you’ve already > bought it. > > There are no deficiencies on His end—neither the covenant is deficient, nor > His compassion or promises. All lack is on our end of the equation. The only > time someone wasn’t healed in the Bible (gospels) is when the disciples > prayed for them. For example, Mark 9 when they prayed for the tormented > child. They did not have breakthrough. But then, Jesus came and brought > healing and deliverance to the child. > > > > Jesus Christ is perfect theology—He is the will of God. We can’t lower the > standard of scripture to our level of experience . . . or in most cases, > inexperience. It’s a very uncomfortable realization—not everyone can handle > it. Most create doctrine that you can’t find in the person of Jesus. He is > the will of God. > > > > 4. Beni Johnson also teaches some peculiarly unorthodox views of angelology, > such as that there are “different kinds of angels: messenger angels, healing > angels, fiery angels” who have “fallen asleep.” In a blog post she wrote, “I > think that they have been bored for a long time and are ready to be put to > work.” She relates a story about one of her students at the Bethel > Supernatural School of Ministry who claims God told her to go to the chapel > and yell “WAKEY WAKEY!” As Johnson says, > > Nothing happened for about five minutes, so [the student] turned around to > cross the road to go over to a shop. As she turned around, she felt the > ground begin to shake and heard this huge yawn. She looked back at the > chapel, and a huge angel stepped out. All she could see were his feet because > he was that large. She asked him who he was, and he turned to her and said, > “I am the angel from the 1904 revival and you just woke me up.” She asked > him, “Why have you been asleep?” The angel answered and said, “Because no one > has been calling out for revival anymore.” > > > > 5. Some members of Bethel—including senior pastor Beni Johnson—have allegedly > engaged in the practice of “grave sucking” or “grave soaking”—lying on a > person’s grave to “soak up” the deceased’s “anointing.” In an interview, Bill > Johnson has said that neither he nor Bethel encourages the practice of grave > sucking. However, in his book The Physics of Heaven, Johnson says: > > There are anointings, mantles, revelations and mysteries that have lain > unclaimed, literally where they were left, because the generation that walked > in them never passed them on. I believe it’s possible for us to recover > realms of anointing, realms of insight, realms of God that have been untended > for decades simply by choosing to reclaim them and perpetuate them for future > generations. > > > > 6. Bethel Church claims to frequently encounter unexplained phenomena both > during their services and also in their everyday lives, such as falling gold > dust and “angel” feathers. (“The feathers, gold dust, etc. are not things we > do,” Johnson says. “They happen.”) They also claim to see a “glory cloud,” > the appearance of dust/smoke in their services that they say is a > supernatural sign of God’s presence, similar to the pillar of cloud that > traveled with Moses and the Israelites (Ex. 13:20–22). > > > > 7. Bethel churches frequently promote and teach and preach from The Passion > Translation, which Johnson describes as, “One of the greatest things to > happen with Bible translation in my lifetime.” As the sole translator, Brian > Simmons, says, “The Passion Translation is distinct from other modern English > Bible versions in that it is an essential equivalence translation.” But in a > review for Themelios, Andrew G. Shead concludes that Simmons abandons “all > interest in textual accuracy, playing fast and loose with the original > languages, and inserting so much new material into the text that it is at > least 50% longer than the original. The result is a strongly sectarian > translation that no longer counts as Scripture; by masquerading as a Bible it > threatens to bind entire churches in thrall to a false god.” > > > > 8. Bethel runs a ministry training center called the Bethel School of > Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). The school says that what makes the academic > instruction at BSSM unique is that it “is taught by apostles, prophets, > evangelists, pastors and teachers.” The school says, “Students will learn how > to read, understand, and ‘do’ the Bible, how to practice His presence, to > witness, heal the sick, prophesy, preach, pray, cast out demons and much > more.” > > > > 9. Bethel has a program similar to a church-planting network that “equips and > empowers leaders who desire to transform lives and communities through > schools of supernatural ministry (SSMs).” Part of the role of such schools is > to “pastor people with unique spiritual giftings.” As an article on the > school planting website explains, > > > > I knew a man who would know people’s secret sins the moment he laid eyes on > them. From what I know this was not a gifting he wanted or sought after, it > was just something he experienced. It was a testament to the character of > this man that he was also one of the best lovers of people that I’ve ever > known. I know quite a few people who, from a young age, saw into the > spiritual realm like you and I see into the physical realm. They see angels > and demons constantly, without actively looking for them. > > I don’t know about you, but until a couple of years ago this was different to > how I experienced the supernatural. I’ve never seen someone’s secret sin > written across their forehead. Until a couple of years ago, I had never seen > demons and angels flitting about, going about their business. I’ve never > fallen into a trance, and I’ve yet to be supernaturally transported anywhere. > Spiritual gifts manifest differently for different people, and there are > those out there who have very unique manifestations of spiritual gifts, and > very unique relationships with God as a result. > > > > People label them as mystics or seers. Personally, I believe this is what > should be normal for Christians, and is actually accessible to all of us. > > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
