When Christians fail, what do we do?

In regard to the whole Todd Bentley thing, I do have some thoughts on what's going on now. It does appear, from what some leaders in the Charismatic movement have said, there have been people close to the Lakeland thing who expressed concerns about what was going on. But none of these leaders were loud enough, in my opinion, in speaking out about what was going on.

This isn't to keep beating Bentley. I sincerely hope he gets the hope he needs. God still loves him enough to bring him out of the pit he's in.

But there are some things that seem clear to me:

• Bentley needed people in his life who loved him enough to pull him aside and tell him to cut out the nonsense. That's what happened in this case, with the result that Cain has repented and is seeking help.
• It's never wrong to question what someone is teaching. Apparently, someone on GodTV said that anyone who questioned what was going on in Lakeland was demonic. That statement is, I believe, pretty demonic itself.
• The problem with questioning someone's teaching comes when you assume that the person who is teaching has some sort of evil intent. What was the intent of Bentley and his group during this revival? I haven't a clue. I can't judge intent, but I can say where I believe someone's teaching lacks biblical basis.
• God is absolutely able to stop something that is damaging to His people. He will protect His children, whether he uses other believers, or gets involved more directly.

I've got some more thoughts on what this says about the state of the church, but I'm too tired to keep typing coherently. (As though that's ever stopped me before!) These verses keep tripping through the cluttered back of my mind:

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Does this passage have any bearing on how we treat Bentley from here on out?

More thoughts on Todd Bentley, Lakeland, and spiritual correctness...

You know, I'm still processing a bunch of stuff about the Lakeland Revival business. For the past few months I've heard it from every angle--from "Lakeland thing is the real deal, you've got to get yourself down there to catch the anointing," to "Bentley and his crew are demon-following hucksters, dragging sheep to the slaughter." Both sides are completely sure that they are right, and that the other side is in deep error.

I'm not sure I'm clear about what I think concerning this particular piece of revival fever. But I am beginning to question how we deal with other believers that we think are wrong in their doctrines and/or practices. Here are a few things I am kicking around in my head. My thinking is still a bit fuzzy on this stuff, so I have no answers, just questions...

• how much "good theology" does a person need to be saved?
• what is the proper role for "fruit inspection" when it comes to judging a person or movement?
  
• how much error can a person have in his/her theology before I break off fellowship with them?
• if it's the Holy Spirit's job to lead us into truth, what is the role of other believers in that process?
• when another believer is exposed to be in sin or error, what should my response be?
• can a person be wrong without being evil?
  

I've actually got a lot more questions than I've got time for now. I'll have to sort them out in the days ahead. One thing I am pretty sure of: we're losing the idea of being loving AND truthful. It seems like too many of us are one or the other, but not both...

Quick thoughts on the Lakeland Revival and Todd Bentley...

I've been pretty quiet on the whole thing that's been going on in Lakeland, Florida. Mostly that's because listening to both the pro- and anti- Lakeland Revival camps have made me think more deeply about how we treat believers we have disagreements with.

But it seems now that Todd Bentley, the evangelist who has been at the center of these events, is having some marital difficulties. (Scroll about halfway the linked page to see the letter from the board of directors.)

There is a larger issue about the whole Lakeland Revival thing that I won't address now. But it is pretty safe to say that Bentley is a polarizing figure in the body of Christ. Some people have claimed that he has a powerful annointing from God. Others think he's literally doing the work of the devil, deceiving the people of God.

Here's my quick thought for now: whatever your view of Bentley and the Lakeland events, it's clear that he and his family are going through a horrible time. I believe he and his wife have kids, and all of them will be hurt by divorce. Can we please, for once, come together in love and pray for and support a brother and sister who are hurting? Is there any chance we can use this as an opportunity to heal hurting believers, instead of using it as an excuse to blast Bentley?

I mean, I thought Jesus said the world would know we were believers by our love for each other, not by our ability to kick another believer when he's down...

Apparently, babies CAN be thrown away...

It's been a pretty outrageous couple of weeks for the American legal system. I'm going to hold off on my opinions over the recent Supreme Court decisions. But this story really gets to me, and it happened not too far from me.

It's the story from 2005 of a USC student who gave birth, then threw her baby into a trash dumpster. A homeless man found the baby's body later on. The coroner concluded that the baby had been born alive. The county DA tried twice to charge her with murder, but the judge wouldn't allow it. (The woman claims that the baby was stillborn, contradicting the coroner.) The DA wasn't left with a lot of options, so they worked out a plea deal.

She pled no contest to a child endangerment charge. (Does that make sense? If the baby was stillborn, how did she endanger it? The whole thing is screwy.) Her sentence? The 30 days she's already served. That's it. 30 days and a stern lecture from the judge, and you can throw your baby away.

Here's the kicker: it isn't the first time this has happened with this woman. The year before, in 2004, she went to an LA hospital because she was bleeding. She told the doctors then that she had given birth to a stillborn baby. But she didn't know where the baby's body was, and it was never found. She wasn't arrested that time.

So that's 2 dead babies, and she gets a total of 1 month in jail. It just shows how little we really value children in this society. Despite the fact that every law and regulation that's passed seems to be about protecting the children. We really don't care. This case just illustrates the point...

Something I hadn't thought of before...

Luke 22:31-34

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death."

Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."

What does this say about the love of Jesus for His people? He could look into the eyes of a guy who was soon going to deny Him 3 times, and pray that Peter wouldn't lose faith as a result of what he was about to do. And, Jesus was already setting the stage for Peter's restoration. Before Peter even sinned!

That really is amazing love...

The spirit of Margaret Sanger lives on!

Margaret Sanger was a thoroughly evil human. She was a champion of negative eugenics, the belief that less "fit" races, like blacks, hispanics and Asians, should have their breeding limited through mandatory birth control, abortion and forced sterilization. She started a pro-birth control organization that was the predecessor of Planned Parenthood.

Although much of the radical feminist movement considers her a hero, the truth is she was evil, and her evil influence continues on through Planned Parenthood. I just found this audio of someone prank calling Planned Parenthood offices, and saying horribly racist things to see how the PP people would react.

Watch it, but let me warn you: you're likely to get really angry, and a little sick. Also, the subject isn't really kid-friendly, so be warned...



By the way, if you're wondering, PP is funded by your tax dollars. I'm sure you are as happy about that as I am.

"Wisdom" from 2 old Doors...

Some people get wiser as they age. Some people just get older. I was reminded of this sad fact last night when I was listening to an interview with two members of the rock group, The Doors. Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek told some great stories about the group and life with Jim Morrison. I've always been a fan of the group (and of Manzarek's work with X, one of my all-time favorites). Overall it was great to listen to.

One thing that I found very sad was their answer to a question about one of today's pop stars. The interviewer asked them about Britney Spears, and what advice they would give her to get herself straightened out. They both answered almost immediately, "Take LSD/Drop acid!"

What?!? That's the best you can come up with? You've got someone with obvious problems, and your recommendation is hallucinogenic drugs? They see LSD as a way to open people up to "higher consciousness," whatever that means. So what Britney needs is a good drug trip.

Maybe these guys forgot about all the people of their era that died because of the drugs they took. And all the others whose brains were fried while trying to gain that higher consciousness. Or maybe their own brains are so addled that they can't remember that part of the drug experience.

Anyway, it just reminded me again that there's a reason why I don't get my life advice from musicians. I've got an idea, Ray and Robbie. Why don't you sing, and leave it to this guy to solve the world's problems. I'm sure he's got a handle on it...

Is this what they mean by protecting the children?

As someone who has adopted 3 children from Los Angeles county, this story from the LA Times made me furious. Basically, the LA County Department of Child and Family Services are in charge of looking after kids who are in foster care. People give the department gift cards and other things to give the kids, basically to make their lives less miserable.

It seems that some of the workers in the department used the gift cards to buy themselves lunch and other perks. My favorite? Apparently they spent $14,000 for 160 tickets to the musical Wicked. The tickets were supposed to go to foster kids and their mentors. Turns out, only about 106 tickets went to the kids and the mentors. The others went to department employees, their families, and friends.

The people who did this are truly disgraceful. This does more than take gifts away from kids who could really use some kindness in their lives. This kind of action makes good folk less likely to give in the future, because they don't want to see their gifts go to county workers.

I hope everyone involved gets fired. And prosecuted. Unfortunately, they'll probably get 3 day suspension, and a nasty note in their file...

BREAKING NEWS: Homosexual warlocks should be boycotted!

I just read this article from the Christian Post. It talks about renewed calls for Christians to boycott the Harry Potter book series. (Yeah, I know it's a little late.) The reason? The author, J.K. Rowling, recently said that one of the characters was gay. This revelation has caused some believers to join the boycott bandwagon, which started when the first book came out several years ago.

To be honest, I haven't read any of the books. (I have seen a couple of the movies. Books take so long. Plus, there's reading involved.) But I understand that the whole witchcraft thing really bothers some Christians. Although it didn't seem to bother Christians who loved Lord of the Rings. But that's another story.

This gay thing baffles me though. From the article I read, it seems that nobody knew about this character's sexual orientation. So why is it an issue now? There's still nothing in the books that promotes homosexuality. So why the change in attitude? And, why are some Christians more concerned about the unrevealed homosexuality of a character than they are about the overt witchcraft? It's very confusing to me.

The larger question is, why do Christians regard homosexuals as the worst kind of sinners? There are all kinds of sins we let slide, or we accept people who struggle with these things: gossip, gluttony, idolatry, to name a few. But let someone come out that he is struggling with being gay. Then it gets awkward. He's a pariah.

I remember when Magic Johnson went public with his HIV diagnosis. The reaction from a large percentage of the Christians I knew then? HIV is what you get when you're that kind of person. No sympathy. No empathy.

I suggested at a Bible study I was teaching at the time that we treat people who get heart disease because they eat too much red meat the same way we treat people with HIV. After all, both are diseases caused by lifestyle. Needless to say, it didn't go over well.

I wonder why I don't church there any longer...