Posted on 08/12/2008 2:46:31 PM PDT by DocRock
LAKELAND | Evangelist Todd Bentley, who led a Pentecostal revival in Lakeland from a modest beginning to near-historic proportions, has filed for separation from his wife, a former spokesperson said Monday, and will not return to the ongoing revival.
Lynne Breidenbach, a local woman who had been a media liaison for Bentley during the months-long Florida Outpouring Revival, told The Ledger that Bentley announced to his staff Monday afternoon that he and his wife, Shonnah, had separated. The Bentleys have two daughters and a son and are Canadian citizens. Under Canadian law, separation is a preliminary step in divorce proceedings, lasting nine months. Breidenbach, who resigned as revival spokesperson Monday, called the news of the separation “very sad.”
“God uses fallen, flawed people. ... This doesn’t invalidate what Todd did,” she said.
The revival began April 2 at Ignited Church in Lakeland. Bentley announced two weeks ago that he would end his regular appearances at the revival on Aug. 23 to resume his traveling evangelistic work, but he was scheduled to lead services next week. The Rev. Stephen Strader, pastor of Ignited Church, said Tuesday that he was informed three weeks ago that Bentley and his wife had been undergoing marriage counseling for a few years.
“Last week, Todd shared with me that his wife had returned to Canada, and he’s following her this week. I’ve been assured by his people that there is no third party involved,” Strader said.
Bentley’s Fresh Fire Ministries Web site indicates that a September appearance by Bentley in England has been postponed. Phone calls to Fresh Fire Ministries in Abbotsford, British Columbia, were not returned Tuesday.
Shonnah Bentley has made few appearances on stage during the revival, which is now in its 133rd consecutive day.
Bentley, 32, announced earlier this month he would establish a U.S. base of operations in Lakeland. Fresh Fire Ministries recently purchased a lot in Oak Landing, a development in Mulberry.
Pentecostals and evangelicals historically have frowned on divorce, citing scriptural prohibitions. Ministers who were divorced usually had to give up their careers, but there have been some notable exceptions in recent years and attitudes appear to be changing.
J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma, a magazine for Pentecostals based in Orlando, said Tuesday the news of Bentley’s marital troubles would likely further polarize those following the revival.
“A large segment of the movement has been skeptical from day one. They’re going to see this as a natural progression. Others who have been following Todd are going to be spiritually shipwrecked. We’ve most definitely seen through this revival a lot of people are not grounded in Scripture, so for them, it won’t be an issue,” he said.
Strader invited Bentley to Lakeland to lead the revival. The twice-daily services were streamed live over the Internet and also televised by God TV, a small Christian network, and attendance grew quickly. Young people were drawn by Bentley’s unorthodox appearance — with tattoos, piercings and a goatee — which resembles a biker rather than a buttoned-down televangelist.
Many traveled to Lakeland from outside Florida and the United States, and the revival changed location three times in search of larger venues. At its peak, the revival drew at least 10,000 people to services at Joker Marchant Stadium in May.
From late June to Aug. 2, the revival took place under two large tents on the grounds of Sun n’ Fun Fly-in that could accommodate up to 10,000 people, but it has now returned to Ignited Church.
Bentley and the Florida Outpouring have been controversial, even among other Pentecostals. Bentley has been criticized for making extravagant claims of miraculous healing and even claimed dozens of people in various locations have been raised from the dead as a result of prayers offered at the Lakeland revival.
Bentley’s flamboyant style seemed borrowed at times from professional wrestling, which Bentley has said he watches. He often exclaims “Bam” as he touches or shoves people to “impart” healing, and in a video circulating on the Internet, he was seen driving his knee into the abdomen of a man who said he had colon cancer, causing the man to fall to his knees.
oh, yeah. the ministry gets hip....
***
now, if they weren't forced to be celibate, th -- oh, nevermind.
ping
This guy’s a total fraud. Sorry if that offends anyone, but he is.
Doesn’t offend me one bit.
Do you personally know Todd or anything other than what you have read about Freshfire ministries on the internet? I do, and this is very sad for all of us that do know him. I would be cautious about calling somebody a fraud without better knowledge than what you read on the internet.
Folks! Calm down....it’s ok....he’s a protestant! It’s ok....really!
It’s a bad year to be married to a pentacostal. First Paula White now this guy.
So much for Christ's teachings in Mark 10 regarding marriage and divorce:
7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
10 And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter.
11 And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
12 And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
SAY IT ISN”T SO!!! First Paula White, and then the whole Vicky Osteen thing.
My faith is shattered!
I suspect he will tell us the Holy Spirit told him it was OK...
I hear the Osteens have signed to be product spokespeople now...
I do not know Todd.
I do, however, know someone who drove several rallies to an event with the hopes of having a sick child prayed over. Their account of it spelled out that the whole event was carefully orchestrated, carefully controlled and very fraudulent. They were treated horribly and so were many people they talked to at the event who, like them, went there in good faith. Many left heartbroken. These folks left with a keener sense of the possibility that good Christian folks can often be easily manipulated.
Until I heard this first-hand account, I had no strong opinion.
Our family went three times driving 3.5 hours each way. We had the exact opposite experience. Our one daughter received prayer well after the meeting by the staff and they were very kind. We know dozens of others that have gone and did get healed, many that were on the stage being prayed for by Todd, several from our church and several in other churches. When you say orchestrated and fraudulant what do you mean? Describe that please, I saw nothing of the sort, and neither did my friends that went. We saw people being prayed for in the crowds, we saw compassion. I did not see what you describe. I am giving you a first, second, and third, hand account from the three times we went.
Interesting and I’m glad (seriously) that your experience was different.
Their experience was that first the service went until very, very late (several hours of music, an hour or so of preaching) so that the praying didn’t begin until 11 or so. It was then very difficult to get close to the stage, as they were physically separated from the stage by handlers. They were then asked to write out what their specific ailment to be prayed for was. Then it was communicated to them that they could not be prayed for. They were left feeling that their particular issue was not spectacular enough. By this time it was about midnight, so they protested and then they were told that if they waited for an hour and a half or so, then they would see what they could do. The left and went out into the parking lot and talked to others (including people in wheel chairs) who were treated the same. Then, as it happened, though they had NOT intended to stay, after an hour and a half they went inside. Lo and behold, everyone was gone. No one there but crickes chirping. I guess the team had sort of slipped out the back.
That was their story and their experience and their interpretation of it was that it was all a big manipulative set up.
Again, I am glad that your experience was different. I don’t have an issue with charismatic gifts generally, so long as they are exercised in accordance with Scriptural guidelines. I also know at least one person who claims healing from a revival in Florida. And I can tell you this person does not suffer from what they previously suffered from. Psychological? Healing? I don’t know.
But the story that I heard was very unflattering for this particular minister.
I wonder if it is possible that earlier Todd was genuine and sincere and that only recently he has sort of backslidden?
But that doesn't mean that Todd Bentley wasn't in error...
I agree whole heartedly with the first statement, I am not sure what error Todd is or isn’t in. I believe all ministers are in error at time in some form or another, not maliciously though.
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