keeping a watchful eye on the wolves

Archive for October, 2009

A Letter to Mr. Todd Bentley’s fans

Letter to Mr. Todd Bentley’s fans (should there be any left)

The watchmen have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting, hoping, praying. Most unfortunately, what we are beginning to see saddens us greatly. Not only has Mr. Bentley been taken under the wings of Rick Joyner, but slowly, subtly, he is winning back the trust of the shaken sheep. Therefore, it is necessary for this sheep to step back into this blog for a brief moment and write an open letter to the fans of Todd Bentley. Since Wolf Tracks still receives a steady amount of hits every day, my hope is that someone who is unaware of the spiritual wool that is being pulled over their eyes will read this and be led to the truth.

To the dear sheep who are following Mr. Todd Bentley,

Do you believe that this ‘anointed prophet and healer’ who fell into grievous sin last year is now being restored? Have you been told that his ministry will be put on hold until his restoration process is complete and he is ready to come back? Have you been told that he has repented and is making things right? And have you looked closely to see what the restored Mr. Bentley looks like thus far?

In regards to his ministry being put on hold, the truth is that even though Mr. Bentley is not speaking publicly yet (other than the Morning Star restoration video clips) his new ministry (Fresh Fire USA) is up and running. Not only is he teaching how to restore your spiritual prime from his website (as if that is something ‘you’ can ‘do’), right now his website is promoting his ‘August teaching bundles’ and his ‘September healing bundles.’ His old books are also being sold on-line. [ See here:
http://www.freshfireusa.com/store/index.php/books/todd-s-books.html ]
This includes the ones about his miraculous journey and making the kingdom real in his life. Also on the website, Mr. Bentley has recently given his followers an update on his ‘great’ enjoyable summer, and says he is not in ministry right now (meanwhile he sells all his ‘ministry stuff’). [ See: http://www.freshfireusa.com/store/ ]

Does this make sense to you?

On his website/blog he gives a summer holiday update where he tells of his homesickness for Canada…

“New York actually opened a Tim Horton’s coffee shop. I was so excited that I had to visit the shop myself and prove it true. It was a real Canadian Tim Horton’s coffee shop. Curing my Canadian homesickness, I got my usual; double-double coffee, Tim bits and a Boston crème donut. Don’t worry! It was my cheat night.”
-Todd Bentley blog, New York City
http://www.freshfireusa.com/blog/?p=20

Cheat night? What a poor choice of words, unless his followers have so quickly forgotten about the ‘cheating’ that occurred while he was doing ministry on stage every day during the Florida “revival”, possibly even during the same month he brought his sick wife Shonnah and his children onto the stage and introduced them to the T.V. fans.

There are various other articles on both the website and the blog now, written by Mr. Bentley. As you browse and read them, you may be thinking that he sounds so mature and learned as he quotes Oswald Chambers and the Bible, as if he’s had his season with sin and he’s all grown up now, and it’s all okay. Do you believe him when he talks as if he knows, and is so near to, the Holy Spirit, while in the same breath he throws in a good word for false prophet Benny Hinn and tacks on a plug from his ‘ministry team’ for his old soaking CD ? (See here):

“Knowing who He is requires spending time in His presence and getting to know Him on an intimate level. It is not at all unlike living with a person, such as a wife, husband, or sibling. It is a partnership and a fellowship; we confide, make decisions, encourage, and champion each other! We eat, sleep, talk and have fun together; such is my relationship with the Holy Spirit” – Todd Bentley

http://www.freshfireusa.com/articles/34

This point might cause one to wonder which wife Mr. Bentley is comparing the Holy Spirit to, since he now is married to wife number two.

Another item his website is selling is something called the ‘healing school manuals.’ [ See here:
http://www.freshfireusa.com/store/index.php/books/manaul.html ]
Are the precious gifts of the Holy Spirit something to be merchandized or taught? Does God not give His gifts to those who love Him for free? Why is Mr. Bentley selling manuals on how to learn healing, if it is a gift from God?

Oh, but he said he is not in ministry right now. Yes, we forgot.

So is this why he is also selling books by other teachers and prophets on his website? [ See here:
http://www.freshfireusa.com/store/index.php/books/other-s-books.html ]
These include Patricia King and James Goll, TD Jakes, John Crowder and the new mystics, Kim Clement, and even John and Paula Sandford, who tapped into the Occult for their inner healing techniques. Todd Bentley’s website is also selling soaking music, as previously mentioned, to bring you into another realm through those portals that he so often taught about, where he g0t beamed up to have conversations with his angels and another Jesus with brown Bambi eyes.

Through this so called restoration, has he renounced any of these teachings and associations with snake oil salesmen and false prophets and unbiblical teaching? Has he publicly confessed? Has he made himself accountable to God alone?

While we can not judge his heart, we can see his actions and his choices, and we do know that he has put himself under the authority of Rick Joyner, the “inaccurate prophet” who has often made prophetical “mistakes” and values his claims of revelation knowledge above scripture. It is under this man that Todd Bentley is to be ‘restored’ at Morning Star Ministries.

The Bible explicitly warns us of this.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1

If, after reading this, you still want to follow Todd Bentley, please consider this. When a man falls into grievous sin, if his heart is truly after God, like King David, will he not bow the knee to his Holy God and take his rightful position in the dirt, casting all before Him? Should he not weep before the Lord in brokenness and turn from himself? Would he not bare all, and come clean, forsaking all, fearing God and not man, to the point of even giving up trying to save face with his adoring fans? If not, has such a man truly died to himself? Would such a man white wash his current state of affairs and say he gets along with his wife even better now, to make it seem right? The wife he left while in the ‘ministry’? The mother of his children? Is such a man in any position to start teaching God’s Holy Word, or to profit from any previous supposed ministry or service to God? What would show the most respect to our Holy God? What actions would honor His Holy Name?

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17

And what about those dear people in wheel chairs and on stretchers that came to the healing revival, the ones Bob Jones prophesied would get up on the stage in front of the TV cameras? Yes, the same ones who didn’t make the cut up onto the healing stage in Florida because they were too sick to parade on the platform? And what about their families whose hopes were dashed as they brought them back home in the same condition. What if their faith was crushed because they were told by the flamboyant Mr. Bentley to come down and get some, and they went home without a miracle? Even Todd Bentley’s shocking alchohol consumption (as stated by John Arnott of TACF) problem during these miracle crusades paled in comparison to these signs of a snake oil prophet/huckster whose bouncers passed the bucket every night for more gold. Have those things been addressed, or even confessed? Has this ‘anointed healer,’ whose sick wife was damaging his faith healer stage image, apologized for hurting the sheep and shaming the name of our precious Saviour? Or is it still about lies and money and cheat nights?

Barely a year after the whole mess was quickly tidied up, it appears that he is already profiting from his new ministry (which is supposedly on hold, remember?), thanks to Rick Joyner, the professional false prophecy ‘misunderstanding’ mop up man, for whom professional round table apology public relation sessions have been common place for decades.

So I ask you, all you faithful followers of Todd Bentley – is this what the Bible describes as good fruit, or is this the rotten fruit of the money tree? Do you believe what you are being told? Which shepherd are you going to follow?

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:20

Oh, precious sheep, if you truly belong to God, look to your Good Shepherd. He will never lie, abuse, or use you. He will never ask you to pay for His gifts. His prophecies always come true, because His Word is truth. Ask Him to show you the way, and follow Him today. Turn off the Morning Star webinars and turn to Jesus Christ, the way, the truth and the life. Listen to His voice today.

“TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.”
Hebrews 3:15

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” John 10:27

Possibly Related:

Mr. Bentley enters his rehab
July 16, 2009
http://ricksmiscellany.blogspot.com/2009/07/mr-bentley-enters-his-rehab.html

Bill Johnson on Wretched Radio with Todd Friel
http://www.youtube.com/v/gj0mdt2fk2A&hl=en&fs=1

Todd Bentley and Signs and Wonders
http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/signsandwonders.htm

[* Todd Bentley research article page – click HERE]

NEW>>>

Todd Bentley: The Webinar
http://www.benedictionblogson.com/2009/09/30/todd-bentley-the-webnar/

Bentley promotes Manifestation of the Sons of God theory:
Manifested Bentley, Part 1.
http://beyondgrace.blogspot.com/2009/10/manifested-bentley-part-1.html

Jessa Bentley Tells Her Story:
http://slaughteringthesheep.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/jessa-bentley-tells-her-story/

***NEW:
Six Simple Questions for Todd Bentley
by Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service
http://www.christianresearchservice.com
October 22, 2009
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/ToddBentley14.htm