Todd Bentley has broken his silence about his personal situation with a statement which he has asked Rick Joyner to release. Rick has included this in a longer article which is a follow-up to the one which I posted extracts from last Friday.
Thanks to Dan Curant for the link.
Here is what Todd asked Rick to publish:
Todd Bentley asked me to convey his appreciation for all the prayers, expressions of love, and concern while he tries to navigate through this present situation. He is grieved by the trouble and confusion this has caused, especially to his friends, coworkers, and all who have trusted him. He wants to make a clear statement about it, acknowledging his responsibility in this and the mistakes he made, but he feels that he should first meet with Pastor Bill Johnson, who is out of the country and will not be available for a couple more weeks. He asks that you would continue to pray for him, and he thanks those who are willing to be patient. He wants to do this right and not hastily or superficially.
Rick adds, as part of a longer article:
I would like to accept personal responsibility for counseling Todd to wait until he has talked with Bill before trying to make the “full disclosure” of his mistakes. This needs to be done right and in a way that does not unnecessarily hurt even more people. In just a couple of weeks, things should have calmed down enough for a statement to be made. Impatience is not a fruit of the Spirit, and I have personally never seen anything done under the kind of duress and pressure that some are trying to exert at this time that ended up not being a mistake.
The only thing that I have received from the Lord about this matter directly is that “those who rush to judgment will be exposed.” This entire matter, including the Lakeland Outpouring, is a test. To me, the miracles, healings, salvations, and profoundly changed lives that resulted in people, some that I personally know, make all that is happening now still worth it, many times over.
Reflecting on the sometimes rash statements which others have made. Rick makes an interesting suggestion:
I think we should … maybe have a moratorium to allow everyone a chance to retract what they have written for the last couple of weeks.
This paragraph reveals a bit more about what is happening now:
I recommended to Todd to allow a panel of those who are considered true elders in the body of Christ, who could be impartial, to judge this situation, and he readily agreed. He did not make any demands or suggestions about who should be on the panel. He only said that he felt he should not cross the line and say anything negative about his wife, and that he intends to continue to love her and his children, and take care of them.
I will take Blue, with a hint of amber’s advice and refrain from further comment.
Peter – keep linking to the statements coming from the various leaders, as it serves people well to have access to information directly from people.
You initially made me aware of the danger of falling into gossip in this area, which I thank you for.
I have found this site a very useful tool to find what people are actually saying, rather than what people are being quoted as saying, if you see what I mean.
That statement from Todd which will follow once Bill Johnson gets back is going to be the most important statement by a Christian leader this year.
Thanks, Blue. I too am trying to avoid gossip, by reporting only statements from the small group of leaders close to Todd. I too am waiting for what Todd has to say after talking to Bill. But they may decide it is best for Todd to keep quiet, or express repentance in rather general terms, to protect the innocent or avoid making accusations against the guilty. That is why I don’t agree with those calling for Todd to tell every detail.
Peter, I wonder if you have seen the latest comment from Wagner?
I’m afraid that as much as I deplore the way some people are delighting in this, I don’t think it’s enough to say that we should have a moratorium. It begins to feel a bit like some have been saying that we shouldn’t have criticised Lakeland in the early days and we should say anything now. Is this any more than a Hinn-esque, ‘Touch not the Lord’s annointed’?
Graham, thanks for the link. I mentioned this also here, where I expressed some uncertainty about the genuineness of this article. If we now have two independent witnesses to it that tends to verify it, but since it is at least possible that Pastor Burt and Antagoniz are working together I still await confirmation of genuineness from Global Harvest Ministries.
Assuming for now these are Wagner’s genuine words, I wonder if he has genuine inside information about Todd, whom he hardly knows, and is authorised to reveal it, or if he is simply believing more than he should from hostile sources. In retrospect this may be just the kind of rash statement for which Wagner would like to make use of Joyner’s suggested moratorium.
I note that Wagner’s latest statement borrows a lot from the statement of 11th August “The Lakeland Apostolic Findings”, released just before the news of Todd’s separation from Shonnah broke, and posted by Pastor Burt. This statement adds the interesting clarification that on 23rd June, although 17 “apostles” were present, only Che Ahn, Bill Johnson and John Arnott laid hands on Todd, such that Todd is formally only under the supervision of these three, thus not of Peter Wagner or Rick Joyner. But Wagner is leader of the team of ten looking at concerns about Lakeland, whose findings are reported in this statement.
Again, Peter I thank you for your balanced approach. Myself and my wife have vowed not to guess or talk about what we think may have happened until Todd makes a statement. We are called at this moment to pray, not to judge.
I appreciate your blog.
Ferg
Thanks, Ferg. I agree. I am not going to speculate further on what may have happened, although I will continue to report further significant statements.
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I am appalled at the indecent haste with which the leading ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’ of the modern church lined up to speak ‘honour’ and ‘glory’ and ‘money, money, money’ over the ministry of Todd Bentley. I believe that God, Who is not mocked, allowed the subsequent revelations and humiliations to take place. And now, the politicking starts – it all stinks to high heaven.
Shame on you Todd Bentley – not for your human weaknesses, but for splitting the church and making a mockery of the Holiness of God.
Shame on you church leaders, who instead of stopping this charade, have now made yourselves as culpable as Bentley for the damage that has been done.
Repent publicly; humble yourselves publicly and the God of Grace will have mercy.
Ken, Todd asked for prayer and patience, and are you to respond with accusations against respected church leaders? Who spoke ‘money, money, money’ over Todd’s ministry? Yes, I do remember these words from a video, but only taken out of context. For the real story of these church leaders’ intervention, read what Peter Wagner has written.
I come with “blessing,” for my anti-spam word was “beracah.” 🙂
Thanks for this one, Peter, and I especially like the second quote from Rick. As I’ve maintained in blogosphere, “Only God knows the true nature of the Lakeland outpourings.”
Sorry, Peter. I haven’t been for a while and didn’t notice that.
I’m not sure what you mean by them working together, but I can vouch for Burt’s character and he has always been far more positive about Lakeland than me, so he had no axe to grind.
I also wonder how Wagner claims to know what he says he does.
Assuming for now these are Wagner’s genuine words, I wonder if he has genuine inside information about Todd, whom he hardly knows, and is authorised to reveal it, or if he is simply believing more than he should from hostile sources. In retrospect this may be just the kind of rash statement for which Wagner would like to make use of Joyner’s suggested moratorium.
Graham, see my follow-up post on what the Wagners have written.
Peter, thank-you, I have been so frustrated over this entire Todd Bentley thing.(ALL the NASTY judgemental comments from the body) I sometimes cannot believe what I am reading. I had to open my own blog,(for my own eyes) just so I could vent about the things being said. Thank you for the balance you bring to the entire situation…it is total confirmation to the way I think.
And there does need to be a moratorium, while people (esp leaders) rethink what they have written and the attitude of it. Again thanks. And thanks to Rick Joyner for having some wisdom….Godly wisdom.
The irony is interesting:
The cessationists got the gift of prophecy
The “healer” of marriages couldn’t heal his own
The “prophets” got it wrong
Those who criticised the criticisers have become critics as they try and distance themselves
The “Apostles” disagree amongst themselves about Todd “indiscretions”
etc etc