Comments on: Whiskey Priests, Todd Bentley, the Lakeland Revival and Why “the Wicked” Prosper https://anitamathias.com/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/ Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art Thu, 14 Nov 2013 01:12:37 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 By: Anita Mathias https://anitamathias.com/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17005 Sun, 16 Sep 2012 12:00:11 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17005 Thanks, PLT. Very interesting. I was, obviously, in church on this occasion, and can testify that not the slightest hint of reservation was voiced from the pulpit. Quite the contrary. As I wrote, they wanted to transfer “the anointing” to the congregation in that “fire tunnel.”

In fact, within a few months, one of the 3 kings fired another; the PCC circulated a letter of protest against Charlie Cleverly, signed by many lay leaders; many of the best people left St. Aldate's; almost all the pastoral staff and many support staff have left in the following year or two; giving was down, so that there was a staff redundancy programme, in which the less supportive lost their jobs. In many ways, the chaos and pain at St. Aldate's, Oxford mirrored those at Lakeland.

But, thank goodness, God does work through a seriously flawed cloud of witnesses in Oxford as at Lakeland, or else who could stand?

]]> By: Paradise Lost In Translation https://anitamathias.com/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17004 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 19:57:31 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17004 Actually to be fair & accurate, Simon went because he was asked to go as he is wise, weighs things carefully & is a natural sceptic to boot! & they all went to check out what was going on. Simon wrote (& sent to me) a private very detailed document detailing all the reasons he was unhappy & had huge reservations about what was going on. He made exactly your point, however, that God was using Todd,despite Todd, despite everything else, God was responding to people's hunger, not Todd's flaws.

]]> By: Anita https://anitamathias.com/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17003 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 23:35:41 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17003 Edward,
Thanks for visiting and commenting.
I don't remember if Cleverly, Ponsonby and Hickson actually endorsed Bentley from the pulpit. I think they went to Florida to check him out. But they did feel they had received “an impartation,” and the “fire tunnel” was a way for them to lay hands on every member of the congregation for us to receive a “prophetic impartation,” too.
Whether some or all received it is, as I said, invisible to the naked eye. I am certainly growing in awareness and practice of the “prophetic.” I did go through another fire tunnel in 2010 in an Aldate's co-sponsored conference led by John Arnott etc. from Toronto. The conference certainly heightened my sensitivity to the Spirit.
Happy New Year,
Anita

]]> By: Red https://anitamathias.com/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17002 Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:03:16 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17002 I agree, very thought provoking… I think its difficult to say that peopel can have a short term experience but are unchanged long term, because as mere witnesses we just cannot say what God has done in their hearts, or what seeds have been planted for some future date. So many things can seem one thing but turn out to be something else and we just cannot know the mind of God.
I agree with the Todd Bentley thing I think that had more to do with how he was 'managed' that anything else – how is working 7 days a week, of God? no Sabbath rest? But I also believe that if God uses someone in a powerful way that the devil will be putting even more pressure on them and even more temptations their way. It stands to reason doesn't it? and in that respect TB was just a victim of temptation. He was used in a mighty way but he was and is still human. None of us are perfect and he just shows us that even when God has his hand on someone in a big way, they are not immune to attacks of temptation etc.
It is sad that he did give in because it just takes credilibility away from the amazing miracles that did happen there…
Personally I don't think that we can say one sin is worse than another (other than grieving the Holy Spirit which is biblical) and I am not sure it is even worse if it is hidden, we might think that, there is a certain vulneability to someone who admits or openly sins, but only God can say whether it is worse if is hidden surely?

I am not on any level with Todd Bentley but I know that God has slowed me down in order to spend more time with him, and it has
been and is amazing! I truly believe that prayer and time spent with God has to be the foundation of anything that we do in his name. How can we expect to know his will if we dont listen to him? Thats why what happened to Todd is such a shame, it sounds like in the beginning he had it right, spending time in prayer etc, perhaps if that had continued he wouldnt have fallen from grace in that way. Anything that takes our focus from God and his will, we should be wary of…
Really interesting post, have so many more questions… will ponder some more…

]]> By: Edward Green https://anitamathias.com/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17001 Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:21:34 +0000 http://anitamathias.com/blog/2011/12/23/whiskey-priests-todd-bentley-the-lakeland-revival-and-why-the-wicked-prosper/#comment-17001 Very thought provoking.

I never felt comfortable with Todd Bentley and am not convinced by veracity of the spiritual phenomena or miracles that took place.

For me the greatest 'sin' of the revival was, much like the Toronto blessing (which I had many ecstatic experiences within), mistaking emotional response and (mass) hysteria for the work of the Holy Spirit.

Not that I am opposed to such experiences as part of faith, just the way they can be packaged and interpreted.

The other sin was the placing of one man (or woman) on such a pedestal that they could fall so far.

Todd's personal failings are minor in comparison to these wider structural sins.

I had no idea that such prominent Anglicans had embraced the movement. In doing so do they invalidate and call into question their own ministry?

But the comparison with the Whiskey Priest is fascinating. Because the difference there is that the Bread and Wine do become Christ's Body and Blood – an assured miracle that goes beyond any emotional experience. It strikes me that aspects of Christianity constantly yearn for assured miracles whilst ignoring one that the church believed in from the earliest days.

And whilst the Whiskey Priest was no saint, for catholic Christians we wait for people to die before we recognise their sainthood and through the Spirit seek to join our prayers with theirs. Here when the prayers of earth and heaven are in harmony remarkable miracles do indeed occur.

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