Those who can do...and a "tale of the tapes"

{Posted at Bene Diction Blogs on July 25, 2011] How does the old saying go? Anyways, Todd Bentley would like you to think that he is so adept at raising the dead that he can teach you to do the same. From an e-mail that he sent out July 7th to his e-mailing list. Emphasis mine:

Night 10 Recap: Everyone can Raise the Dead. Night # 10 in Virginia saw a huge release of the healing anointing in our region. Todd shared a message on how everyone can heal the sick and raise the dead and then released an impartation and ministered healing.... [signed] Brian Britton Senior Pastor Greensprings Chapel

Todd mentions "another small church" in the video that I link to below, so I think that Greenssprings Chapel is pretty small. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it implies that Todd is really having to start all over again. Has Todd Bentley ever been able to raise anyone from the dead? I have my doubts. But what I do not doubt, however, is that Todd has been proven to be, shall we say, economical with the truth when it comes to such matters. How unfortunate that Brian Britton doesn't read World magazine. If he had perused the May 23, 2009 issue, he would have come across the famous expose by Warren Cole Smith: "Heal or Heel". Ine the article, Smith reports that he did follow up work to track down people that Todd Bentley and his ministry had said were "healed" in the Lakeland revival. Two of the people that Bentley had said were healed had died and the story goes on to paraphrase an author who advocates divine healing for today as saying that Bentley's lack of proof was "a cause for concern." Wouldn't you expect Bentley to bring up one of the 30 odd people that he calaimed to have brought back from the dead at Lakeland and say something like "Don't merely believe what I say, open your eyes and ears..." ? Unless... he can't do it. And where is his apology for stating that people were healed when they were clearly not? Shouldn't an ethical minister seek to set the record straight where he can? Does Todd Bentley seek to make the work of the Warren Cole Smiths of the world, who wish to report accurately on what he does, easier? Well no. Here's an examples. From a "Day 12" e-mail sent out July 9: "Revival breaks out in WalMart" The hosting church is evidently putting highlight videos up on YouTube and those curious to know about the revival in the store are directed to this video here. There's a tale of two videos here. The first, posted here by gschapel on YouTube, introduces teenager Sophie, who was "touched" at Lakeland, and, according to Todd Bentley, has spent the 'last couple of years" helping with Todd Bentley's ministry. Indeed Todd and his wife have been "mentoring her". About 3:35 into the YouTube video, she starts the same story, which is recounted in the version of the video which is saved on the FreshFire website. [Listen for her quote about being "attracted to wheelchairs".]. It is the same story, shot on two different videos at two slightly different angles, about people she prayed for in a WalMart. Sorry to rain on Sophie's parade, but people in "motor scooters"--as compared to wheelchairs--are often able to stand and walk for brief periods of time (although she does say that the person she prayed for said that they couldn't stand or walk...) . And do note that she says "motor scooter" several times....but Todd Bentley keeps on repeating the word "wheelchair". Two different things Todd. People in motor scooters shouldn't walk for long periods of time. People in wheelchairs are unable to walk, period. If Sophie did help the people in the WalMart, that would be neat. I don't seek to doubt it right at this moment. However, the type of treatment difference between a "motor scooter" and a "wheelchair"--which I am personally knowledgeable about--fairly leads me to wonder how spectacular the incidents were. "Gschapel"'s fuller video is entitled "Rare Nerve disease cured' while the one from Fresh Fire Ministries which helpfully deletes the parts which may imply that Sophie--sorry miss--may have a vested interest in a better story--is here as "Revival in WalMart". Perhaps Todd Bentley can be healed of hype by the time he moves on to a Jacksonville, Fla. church in August. And hopefully,he is not mentoring Sophie, who seems like a bright young lady who wants to go all out for Jesus, in mendacity.