Bethel: A deep dive into the controversial California church

If you’ve heard of Bethel, Redding, California then chances are that you associate them first with their music - a lot of churches sing worship songs composed and produced by Bethel or associated organisations like Jesus Culture.

Secondly, you may think of their reputation as a hyper-charismatic church with a commitment to revivalism.

Thirdly, you may associate them with controversy.

Controversy

The controversy has taken two forms.

First of all, there are issues relating to the hyper-charismatic aspects of church life with reports of weird and wonderful practices such as “grave sucking/soaking” - where people reportedly visit the graves of famous Christians and lie on them to try and soak up some of their anointing. ^[1]

Then, secondly, there are claims of manifestations such as glory clouds, feathers falling from the ceiling and sprinklings of gold dust. ^[2] To the enthusiast, these are objective examples of God’s manifest presence - to the sceptic, these are examples of the magician’s smoke and mirrors.

Similarly, supporters point to reports of an abundance of miracles including healings, deliverances, and resurrections, whilst sceptics point to a lack of documented evidence.

The other side to the controversy relates to Bethel's culture, specifically concerning recent reports of scandal, including allegations that one visiting speaker claimed prophetic words that were derived from social media "data mining"; another report being that one of the staff team has been involved in multiple examples of grooming interns.

The concern is not just that these scandals have happened, but as reported by YouTuber Mike Winger, there seems to have been a history of failing to properly deal with sin and instead to cover up. ^[3]

For our purposes, it is advisable not to focus on the salacious and the novel. Rather, what I want to do here is to identify the key beliefs that shape the culture of Bethel. At this stage, we may be asking, “What has this got to do with us?” "Isn’t it someone else’s problem?" However, highlighting how belief can shape culture may help hold up a mirror to our own cultures to see how faulty beliefs can shape unhealthy culture.

I am going to highlight six areas where Bethel’s theology is questionable.

Now, these are not unique errors to them and perhaps each one in isolation would not be too big of a deal - but it is how these errors come together, to create something that moves a church away from where it should be, that matters. ^[4]

1 Heaven on Earth

Bethel is essentially a revivalist movement. The church experienced growth in the context of the Toronto Blessing, and leaders have described a concern to see revivals continue rather than just fizzling out. ^[5]

There is a belief that Heaven is meant to be experienced here on Earth now, because the Lord’s prayer says, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” ^[6] The presumption from this is that Heaven is the place where the supernatural is experienced, so supernatural miracles should be the norm in the church. Believers should not only experience divine healing but divine health.

2 Apostles …but not as we know them

I appreciate that Evangelicals Now readers will have diverse views on the existence of “apostles” today. There would be agreement that capital “A” Apostles were foundational to the church - the requirement was that they had spent time with Jesus and their responsibility was to bring the revelation of that gospel to the church. However, whilst some evangelicals believe that there are no more apostles, others - especially within the new church movement - do see a place for small “a” apostles: people who are invited into churches, and have a level of "authority" (a bit more than advice), particularly with churches they were involved in planting.

However, there is a movement that talks about apostles and also prophets in a different way - not to be confused with apostolic networks in the UK such as New Frontiers and Ichthus. This is sometimes referred to as the New Apostolic Reformation. Bethel sits within this movement. From that perspective, apostles are those who have a special insight into Heaven from which they are able to create the blue-print for bringing Heaven here on Earth.

As Danny Silk explains: “Apostolic leaders are focused on Heaven, and their mission is to see Heaven’s supernatural reality established on the [Earth]. They long to see the evidence of Heaven’s touch in the environment they lead or influence. Having this motivation at the foundation of a church leads to an entirely different emphasis in the church’s governing priorities. The apostle will make the presence of God, the worship of God, and the agenda of Heaven the top priorities in the environment. An apostolic government is designed to protect these priorities.” ^[7]

3 Dominion

Bill Johnson, senior leader at Bethel, is an advocate for the idea of a Seven Mountain Mandate - that Christians are to not only influence but exercise dominion in seven spheres: religion, politics, the media, arts, science, education, and business.

Bill Johnson says: “We have been given authority over this planet. It was first given to us in the commission God gave to mankind in Genesis (see Gen. 1:28-29) and was then restored to us by Jesus after His resurrection (see Matt. 28:18).” ^[8]

We have seen previously that this ideology is one of the strands in contemporary Christian Nationalist thinking. It is part and parcel of the idea that Heaven is invading Earth, taking the battle to the gates of Hell. It also fits within a can-do, success culture of the kind you are likely to see in California, where the church is located.

4 Kenosis

Bill Johnson has claimed that when Jesus came to earth, He “laid aside his divinity”. This is a form of the error usually known as Kenoticism. It’s based on a misunderstanding of Philippians 2v5-8 where Jesus is described as emptying Himself.

Johnson says: “Jesus lived His earthly life with human limitations. He laid his divinity aside as He sought to fulfil the assignment given to Him by the Father: to live life as a man without sin, and then die in the place of mankind for sin.” ^[9]

Johnson’s reasoning is that we should see Jesus as an example that we can follow. Jesus did His miracles as a man, dependent on the Holy Spirit in order that we too could do the same miracles, and enjoy the same power.

“'Jesus could not heal the sick. Neither could He deliver the tormented from demons or raise the dead. To believe otherwise is to ignore what He said about Himself, and more importantly, to miss the purpose of His self-imposed restriction to live as a man. Jesus Christ said of Himself, 'The Son can do nothing.' [In] the Greek language that word nothing has a unique meaning—it means NOTHING, just like it does in English! He had NO supernatural capabilities whatsoever! While He is 100 percent God, He chose to live with the same limitations that man would face once He was redeemed. He made that point over and over again. Jesus became the model for all who would embrace the invitation to invade the impossible in His name. He performed miracles, wonders, and signs, as a man in right relationship to God…not as God. If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if He did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue His lifestyle. Recapturing this simple truth changes everything…and makes possible a full restoration of the ministry of Jesus in His Church." ^[10]

There are a few serious problems with this kind of teaching. Not only does it make a mess of our understanding of Christ’s nature (Christology) but we are also left with an over-divided Trinity that loses its oneness, a God who changes, and is not simple. (When talking about God, we say that He is "simple". This is intended as the opposite of complex rather than "complicated" or "clever".)

5 Rhema

Banning Liebscher, the founder of Jesus Culture writes: “I think we are to do more than just pray 'over' things. I think we should use Christ’s rhema—both what He has said and is saying—to pray about them. I don’t pray over my finances, children, nation, and future; I pray what He has said about my finances, children, nation, and future." ^[11]

The idea that rhema is a special thing where God speaks powerfully, distinct from logos, is another example of muddle and misunderstanding. In fact, there is an overlap in how the words are used in the New Testament.

However, this idea of special words that create faith is also central to the Word of Faith or Prosperity movement. Much of what is said from Bethel with an emphasis on health and success sounds very similar to Prosperity Teaching.

6 A 'culture of honour'

There has been much talk in relation to the recent issues of a “culture of honour” based on the title of a book by Danny Silk, a key leader at Bethel.

The idea behind this is first that you properly honour people by naming them correctly, hence the emphasis on respect for apostles and prophets. He writes: “Honor [sic] creates life-giving and life-promoting relationships. The key here is 'accurately acknowledging who people are.' We can only do this when we recognize their God-given identities and roles." ^[12]

And adds: “A culture of honor is created as a community of people learns to discern and receive people in their God-given identities… These are the relationships that attract and sustain the outpouring of God’s presence and power in our midst. The names 'apostle,' 'prophet,' 'teacher,' 'pastor,' and 'evangelist' and their distinctive anointings, mindsets, and gifts create a network of relationships designed to bring the focus and priorities of Heaven to [Earth]. Names like 'free sons' and 'children of light' define the way we must honor and relate to one another, particularly when addressing areas of behavior and relationships that need discipline and restoration. Descriptive names like 'royalty,' 'wealthy,' and 'benefactor' shape our relationships with our resources and with the wider community that the Church is called to bless and encounter with the love and power of Heaven." ^[13]

Secondly, rather than focusing on what is wrong in a person’s life, we honour their new identity and status. So, when challenging and counselling people, you seek to “call out the gold “ from within them, or remind them of their better self.

It is possible to see where such thinking might go awry. It is difficult to challenge and correct leaders if they are seen not just as wise and godly people but as your apostolic link to Heaven. Further, those people will be seen as having more gold to draw out hence you get a situation where their restoration is prioritised whilst those affected by their sin who are likely to be younger in faith and have a much lower status are seen as having little gold and therefore risk becoming forgotten.

So what should we do with Bethel?

I think that there are three unhelpful things that we could do but shouldn't do in response to Bethel.

First, we can be drawn into a focus on the bizarre and the salacious. To do so draws us into gossip and encourages hypocrisy and complacency.

Secondly, we can be tempted to play down the nature of the problem, not seeing it as that serious. I’ve already noted that the individual errors identified above might not be seen as the worst of heresy on their own. The problem is the sum total.

Thirdly, we can play down the problem by seeing it as distant and irrelevant. I want to argue that it is near and relevant whether or not you are charismatic, continuist or cessationist.

There are two reasons why it is relevant which shape the ways in which we should respond.

First of all, it is relevant because Bethel’s theology and culture does have an influence. This may be more obviously so in charismatic contexts where Bethel teaching may have been given more prominence. However, remember that members of your church may well be accessing and paying more attention to talks online or books from Amazon than they do to the content from their own pulpits.

Further, one thing that has challenged me, is how we can consider ourselves to be getting rid of the extreme stuff but still exposed to and susceptible to the influence of a culture. To put it bluntly, it is easy to be drawn to the ideal of breakthrough, success, significance and impact that we see in Bethel culture. Could it be possible that “we dream the same dreams, we want the same things”, to quote Belinda Carlisle?

This leads into the second way to respond. Bethel culture holds up a mirror to our own cultures. I would encourage you to respond by reflecting on how your own church’s culture and values are shaped by what you believe. Is there need for reformation in our churches? How often do we risk saying “there but for the grace of God go I” when in fact we have already gone there but did not know it?

References

1. Bethel leadership deny teaching this. See here Does Bethel Church Teach Grave Soaking? | Rediscover Bethel - YouTube However, it’s important to be clear that what they deny is the idea that they would talk to/pray to the dead. Bill Johnson does however talk about seeking to honour revival figures of the past, visiting places associated with them, with a sense that such places are special. Additionally there is extensive anecdotal commentary from those claiming to have been involved in such practices. This, combined with pictures of key people including the late Beni Johnson lying over graves, leaves the matter decidedly ambiguous.
2. Glory Clouds and Gold Dust, Signs and Wonders | Rediscover Bethel
3. The skeletons in Bethel's closet are now going to speak
4. This article provides a summary overview of the issues. I flesh them out in more detail in a short, free e-book Bethel the Deep Dive.
5. The church was originally part of the Assemblies of God denomination and some of the beliefs and practices including an emphasis on Divine health and healing may reflect this. Bill Johnson became senior leader in 1996. See Bethel Church (Redding) - Wikipedia
6. Silk, Danny. Culture of Honor: Sustaining a Supernatural Environment (pp. 61). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
7. Silk, Danny. Culture of Honor: Sustaining a Supernatural Environment (pp. 61). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
8. Wallnau, Lance; Johnson, Bill. Invading Babylon: The 7 Mountain Mandate (p. 21). Destiny Image, Inc. Kindle Edition.”
9. Johnson, Bill. When Heaven Invades Earth: A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles (p. 88). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
10. Johnson, Bill. When Heaven Invades Earth: A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles (p. 24). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
11. Liebscher, Banning. Rooted: The Hidden Places Where God Develops You (p. 123). PRH Christian Publishing. Kindle Edition.
12. Silk, Danny. Culture of Honor: Sustaining a Supernatural Enviornment (p. 26). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.
13. Silk, Danny. Culture of Honor: Sustaining a Supernatural Enviornment (p. 26). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition.