For many years from the time it began, Pentecostalism was a sideline within Protestant Christianity, regarded as an aberration by many Christians; part of the “lunatic fringe”, as some saw it. Indeed, G.Campbell Morgan graphically called them “the last vomit of Satan”. And R. A. Torrey accused them of being founded by a sodomite. And it is still so regarded by many Evangelical Christians, with any number of books written against the movement by well-known and popular authors.
But ironically, Pentecostalism’s worst enemies are those within its own walls, men and women who not only do not display the fruit of the Spirit but exemplify the works of the flesh (Gal 5:19-23). Sadly, these frauds are the face of Pentecostalism, and its leading and most public figures. They are the televangelists who live like kings and queens in their huge palaces, ruthlessly fleecing their devoted and gullible followers of their hard-earned money, to feed their insatiable lust for earthly possessions and power.
Heaven for sale
Many men and women televangelists have made themselves fabulously rich at the expense of the faithful Christians who follow them and believe their teaching. Promising healing and wealth, they brazenly lie to their audiences that if they will be faithful and “sow a seed of faith” in the form of a cash donation to them, God will open the windows of heaven and pour out his blessing on them in the form of money and physical prosperity. Their personal wealth has become so great that they can and do build extravagant and ostentatious palatial homes for themselves, dress in the most expensive clothes, own their own personal jet airplanes, and spend fortunes on themselves to indulge their every fancy; and they build huge church complexes on huge properties to accommodate huge congregations.
A well-known televangelist, John Avanzini, spoke contemptuously of poor (i.e. non-wealthy) pastors, and said that he wouldn’t even talk to such a pastor (DVD – “The Blind and the Dead” by Texe Marrs). But John Avanzini’s sin is discovered in these words from God: “My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?….Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?….But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (Jas 2:1, 5, 9).
On TV I saw a slick black pastor in an African country wringing the congregation for all he was worth, tantalising them by holding out the prospect of their owning a Ferrari if they would give him money. What on earth would a poor African villager want or do with a Ferrari?
Even now (2017), Benny Hinn still uses his same old techniques and promises in order to fleece faithful Christians of their money, which continues to pour into his yawning coffers, as he brazenly uses the bible to squeeze his followers for more and yet more. In the DVD “The Blind and the Dead”, we see Benny Hinn talking to an audience and laughingly saying he doesn’t want to wait until heaven where the streets are paved with gold; he says “I want it now! By the time I get there, my bills will be paid and the gold on the streets won’t help me. I’ve got bills to pay here. I need it now!” Laughing as he speaks, he unashamedly reveals his covetousness and repudiates the scriptures which warn against it (1 Tim 6:10).
Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers
These televangelists are also false prophets and scripture abounds with warnings about them. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?” (Matt 7:15-16 NRSV). And Paul warned, “For such boasters are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness. Their end will match their deeds” (2 Cor 11:13-15).
Benny Hinn
When on the stage Benny Hinn storms across the stage like a god, frantically hurling power in every direction, like Zeus hurling his thunderbolts. It is pure showmanship – but also real power emanating from him. And most of the Pentecostal televangelists have similar power and, like Hinn, are characterised by abounding arrogance, superiority, and pride as, god-like, they strut around the stage, bestowing the gift of the Holy Spirit, of whom they’re the self-appointed custodians and dispensers, to a devoted and gullible people over whom they hold sway. Even Judas Iscariot, betrayer of Jesus, was able to cast out demons and heal people (Lk 9:1-6); he was also a thief and helped himself to the donations of Jesus’ supporters (Jn 12:1-6).
Of his many false prophecies, Hinn once told his audience and the world that the Lord told him that in 1994 or 1995 God was going to destroy the homosexual community of America by fire. He also told them that God told him Fidel Castro would die in the 90’s – see link:
http://www.equip.org/hank_speaks_out/benny-hinns-false-prophecies/
I also saw and heard him say, as he came onto the stage at the beginning of one of his meetings, that God had revealed to him that morning that He is not a Trinity; that there aren’t three of them, as the Church has always believed – there are nine of them!
Obviously, these prophecies have not been proved to be false as the time prophesied for them has long since passed. According to scripture, this makes Benny Hinn a false prophet (Deut 18:20-22).
If the people who support Benny Hinn took heed of this command and warning, he and the others like him would disappear, and both the Church and the world would be better for it. But Christians are too ignorant of doctrine now, and experience means far more to them. Indeed, one Pentecostal man, owner of a bookshop which sold Pentecostal books exclusively, once told me this very thing, that experience carries more weight with him than doctrine.
Kenneth Copeland
Along with fellow televangelists such as Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, Oral Roberts, Joyce Meyer, and others of the Word of Faith theology, one of Pastor Copeland’s heresies states that Jesus’ death on the cross did not atone for sin; atonement was achieved after he died when he descended to hell and was born again. And he refers to Jesus’ “emaciated, poured out, little, wormy spirit without legal right” which was tormented by every devil in hell.
There is not a word of any of Copeland’s teaching of what Jesus did in hell, either in scripture or history. Jesus achieved our salvation from the cross, not from hell. The gospels tell us that Jesus’ last words from the cross were, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). This tells us that Jesus had accomplished the work of atonement as a result of his death on the cross. This is confirmed in the letter of Hebrews: “…by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb 10:14). This purification for sins refers to the cross.
And Paul also assures us that it was by his death on the cross that Jesus reconciled both Jews and Gentiles to God and to each other (Eph 2:11-16; Col 2:14). Paul also specifically says that Jesus accomplished it in his flesh, not his spirit, contrary to what Kenneth says (Eph 2:16). Furthermore, Paul tells us that Jesus did the very opposite of what Pastor Copeland would have us believe: “…he disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it” (Col 2:15).
And as for God having “faith-filled words” to speak into the depths of hell, God doesn’t have faith! God is God! God didn’t create the universe by faith-filled words either, as Pastor Copeland says in his Study Bible (Genesis 1) and other places. He created the universe by wisdom, understanding, and power (Prov 3:19-20; Jer 10:12).
God speaks and his command must be fulfilled – not by God’s faith but by his sovereign fiat or command! God doesn’t speak by faith because he is the Creator and holds the universe in his all-powerful hand. In whom or what would or could God have faith anyway? The universe? NO! Fate? NO! God is God and therefore there is absolutely no possibility that what he declares or orders or commands will not happen. God is God and he “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Eph 1:11 KJV).
The Source of their Power is questionable
The presence of the flesh in Pentecostal churches has become more blatant and obvious now as we see the new breed of Pentecostal leaders One such is Todd Bentley, a brutish figure trying to cultivate a “bad boy” image by covering his skin with tattoos and shaving his head. God doesn’t need us to do these things to preach the gospel; this is just worldliness and witchcraft (1 Thess 5:22).
Todd Bentley
On YouTube, for example, you can watch Todd Bentley laughingly boast how the Holy Spirit pointed out an old woman who was praying, facing him as she stood close to the platform; the Spirit told him to go and kick the woman in the head. So, Bentley did just that, and sent her crashing to the floor. In another YouTube video you can see a man who had been brought to Bentley for healing. He had advanced cancer in the stomach and had to be supported by another person because he was so ill and weak he could hardly walk. Bentley, looking at him, ran up to him and punched him in the stomach as hard as he could. Needless to say, the man doubled over in agony and dropped to the floor; he may well have died soon after this event.
It is far beyond reasonable to expect that Jesus would have instructed Peter or Paul or any other apostle to kick one of his people in the head, or to punch a person who had come to them for healing. All those who were healed in Scripture went away whole and rejoicing.
Bentley sees angels everywhere and even knows them by their names; he also has pagan drumbeat music in his services, and to the beat of these drums he presents a woman who prophesies in a drunken, slurring way and who can hardly stand erect because she is so overcome by the spirit within her. Whether it is the Holy Spirit or an unclean demonic spirt, I don’t know, as spirit power, whatever the source, can have similar manifestations. But I can’t help but wonder about its source.
Sadly, this weekly scenario is all about Todd Bentley. It is his regular platform where, while he may pay lip service to Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit, he is in reality promoting himself. It is “The Todd Bentley Road Show”. He does not display a shred of humility or holiness as he has his church members metaphorically eating out of his hands. And his adultery and immoral lifestyle have been all over the internet. There must be gales of laughter in hell as the demons look approvingly on Todd Bentley and his antics.
Heidi Baker
Baker is a more appealing figure in that she doesn’t have the worldly appearance of Bentley; rather, she has a kind of motherly demeanour. To see her on YouTube is alarming, however, as she goes into trances herself and brings others to the same, some of whom writhe and scream as they’re invaded by a spirit. Again, I can’t say which spirit it is but, to my inexperienced eye, not being connected to a Spirit-filled church, these are nightmarish scenes one would expect to see only in horror movies; yet here they are in reality, under the name of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Many of these televangelists have been tainted by one or more characteristics which are rampant within Pentecostalism: immorality, adultery, multiple divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, embezzlement, theft, fraud, lies, deceit, arrogance, pride, hatred of any who expose them, greed, covetousness, and false teaching. Their false witness causes those who admire and love them to become discouraged and confused; they grieve the Holy Spirit, and open the Gospel to the ridicule of its enemies.
Scenes of hell
As I watched the DVD “The Blind and the Dead”, and “The Great Apostasy: The Lost Sign”, I was absolutely appalled as I saw what seemed to me to be chaos, insanity and utter ungodliness. Some of the most senior and well-known Pentecostal leaders such as Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, John Avanzini, Rodney Howard-Browne, and many others whose names and ministries I’ve not heard before, were in this video.
Rodney Howard-Browne seemed OK and I could have sat under his preaching comfortably. I must confess I also like watching Kenneth Copeland on his TV show. Even so, I disagree with his theology, as I mentioned. Seeing him on this DVD displaying behaviour that is so bizarre, I was dismayed to see the antics that went on in their “worship” meeting shown on this video. I felt like I was looking at scenes from hell.
And watching Copeland and Hagin, along with other Pentecostal leaders and a whole congregation laughing uncontrollably, pogo-sticking, barking and howling like dogs, men and women moving around the open floor-space on hands and knees like animals, people rolling on the floor in uncontrollable fits of laughter, men and women gradually sliding off their chairs onto the floor in a sadly undignified manner – it sounded and looked like the cackling of demons – hideous, ugly, degrading, and frightening.
Manifestations and supernatural powers
But I believe that some of these behaviours are manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit when he comes upon a person; what else can we expect when the frail human body is filled with the awesome power of God himself? The prophet Daniel fell down and lay helpless at the appearance of the archangel Michael (Dan 10:1-19) – how much more when it is God who is present before us or in us? The prophet Isaiah was convicted of his sin and unworthiness as a fallen human being before the absolute holiness of God, and his sin was symbolically removed so that he could respond rightly to God (Isa 6:1-8). The prophet Ezekiel likewise fell to the ground as God appeared to him, and he had to be supernaturally strengthened in order to stand up (Eze 1:1—2:3). The apostle John was overcome (Rev 1:9-18), as was the apostle Peter in the presence of Christ as his humanity slipped aside slightly and Pater caught a glimpse of God himself. Such was his awareness of deity before him that he was powerfully convicted of his sinfulness as a fallen creature before God, and urged the Lord to leave him because of it (Lk 5:8). The whole Church was filled and baptised with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and there was pandemonium as they were speaking in tongues, with what looked like flames emanating from their heads (Acts 2:1-12); interestingly, the unbelievers who were present thought those who manifesting this power were drunk (verse 13). And following that, the Church was exercising deeds of supernatural power, as decreed in Acts 2:14-21). Thus, the Hristian church was born and it continues to this day with all the spiritual and supernatural gifts, which are the permanent heritage of the Church.
A caution
“Some fear is good. Wild things may be perfectly safe, but wildness is a criterion neither of safety nor of godliness. The bizarre can be dangerously evil. And in the twentieth century we have been warned by the tragic examples of Jim Jones, David Berg and Sun Myung Moon. Destructive cults exist” (White, J. 1988, p. 42-43). Further down the page, White quotes Jonathan Edwards, one of the leaders of the Great Awakening: “Though there are false affections [emotions] in religion, and in some respects raised high: yet undoubtedly these are also true, holy, and solid affections; and the higher these are raised, the better. And when they are raised to an extremely great height, they are not to be suspected merely because of their degree, but on the contrary to be esteemed” (White, J. 1988, p. 43 quoting Edwards, vol 1, p.367).
The Toronto Blessing
So, I believe that the Toronto Blessing was a move of renewal and revival by the Holy Spirit. I also believe that these same manifestations are seen in occult-type meetings. So, their source can only be determined by the fruit they produce.
During the 1990s, when the Toronto Blessing was in full swing, Guy Chevreau, one of the leading pastors from Airport Church in Canada where it began, visited the regional town in Australia where I live for his Catch the Fire conference. I’d never been to a Charismatic church but I really wanted to be there for his meetings – I was desperately hoping to be baptised in the Holy Spirit; I earnestly wanted to “catch the fire” for myself.
In the first of the daytime meetings, there was a woman in her 30s sitting on one end of the row of seats I was sitting in. During the meeting I heard her softly laughing. Because I’d read some of the books about the Toronto Blessing, I suspected that this was the “holy laughter” which characterised their meetings.
When the meeting was over, I approached her and asked if she’d mind telling me why she was laughing. She told me that Jesus had come to her and taken her back in time to her childhood, during which something traumatic had happened to her. She’d lived with the burden of it ever since. But when Jesus took her back there, he reset the traumatic experience, and then brought her back to the present, virtually enabling her to relive her life from then up to the present. The trauma had been abolished by his power and she was set free. This was the cause of her laughing. She was very happy, as you could imagine, and was crying tears of joy and renewal.
I was so moved by this event and so thankful to Jesus for his kindness to her. This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit I mentioned, and not the polluted fruit of Satan.
(For more detail about the Toronto Blessing, see – Toronto Blessing – Wikipedia).
The Weeds and the Wheat (Matt 13:24-30, 36-45)
I wondered how so many of these televangelists can call look in the mirror, identify as Christian, and teach in the name of Jesus, when everything they do is totally opposed to everything he exemplified and taught. If some of the most prominent leaders and teachers can give notably false prophecies, teach false doctrine, are led by the Holy Spirit, how can they get caught up in sexual immorality, adultery and divorce, or embezzle or steal large sums of money from their own churches, what does this say about them, and even the Pentecostal movement at large? What does it say about the spirit that motivates and energises them?
On the other hand, why is it that despite Paul’s writings about charismatic spiritual gifts which the Holy Spirit gave and continues to give to the Church, the passages which discuss them have been made invisible to evangelicals because they are always ignored, passed over when read in church, never acknowledged, shunned, denied, rejected. This pernicious teaching has seriously affected me negatively, so that, as a Reformed Christian, when I see the bizarre and even sinful behaviours of leaders such as those I’ve mentioned here, I’ve condemned and rejected the work of the Holy Spirit. According to Jesus, this is the sin against the Holy Spirit (Matt 12:22-32) and, thanks to evangelical teaching, I’ve been guilty of it.
But the gracious Holy Spirit hasn’t allowed me to leave it there. For years, on and off, I’ve revisited the problem but always, eventually, for reasons which are too private for me to divulge here, I come back for another look.
And what I’ve finally realised and accepted is that spiritual experience alone is no indication of a person’s spiritual state or of their relationship with God. The church at Corinth, for example, demonstrated the best and the worst manifestations and effects of spiritual power, because wherever there is a work of power by the Holy Spirit, Satan will also be found there, counterfeiting and corrupting everything. The spiritual gifts were being abused and sexual immorality was present there; and yet, Paul didn’t tell the church members to separate, he told them to fix it.
There is also a glaring historical example of Satan’s polluting influence in confusing the fruit of the Spirit and the works of the flesh (Gal 5:19-23). It occurred during the Kentucky Revival camp meetings, during the Second Great Awakening series of revivals from the 1790s to 1830s. During these Revival meetings, a preaching tower was erected, from the top of which the preacher could see the multitudes, and his voice be more effectively projected to reach them. However, even while he was preaching the Gospel, prostitutes were underneath him, brazenly “entertaining” their clients within the tower’s framework.
Furthermore, there were separate camp quarters for the men and the women. But there was so much traffic between the two that guards had to patrol between them all night, every night. One journalist, a critic of the bizarre and wicked goings-on during the revival, wryly commented in his newspaper article, that there were more children born of the flesh than of the Spirit.
And another report tells of normally respectable and conservative women who, when under the power of the (demonic) spirit, would rip open their blouse to reveal their breasts. And thus were the weeds once again sown among the wheat (Matt ch 13), and the holy name of God brought into disrepute.
Examples such as these from Scripture and history can be found in any Pentecostal church today. I understand now, and I’m content. And I believe that God is gracious (Rom 6:1). Supernatural manifestations which produce effects such as the women of the Kentucky Revival displayed don’t automatically condemn the person who manifests them; I’m sure that many of those women (as our examples) had been born again under the preaching at the camp meeting and, when they arrived back at home, became godly women and served God faithfully.
But what of these televangelists who deceive their followers, steal their money, and leave them with a false hope? I’m content to leave them to the justice and mercy of Jesus. But he does tell us: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers’” (Matt 7:21-23).
Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references are from “New Revised Standard Version Bible, Catholic Edition, copyright 1993 and 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches in the United States of America, and are used by permission”.
White, J, “When the Spirit Comes with Power” 1988, publ. Hodder and Stoughton, Sevenoaks, Kent.