A Bethel alum reflects on the ongoing sifting of the charismatic church

Earlier this year, in response to Mike Winger’s thorough YouTube exposés, the senior leaders of Bethel in Redding, Calif., publicly repented for how they failed regarding Shawn Bolz's documented fraud and abuse of prophecy, and alleged sexual impropriety.

For several years, they had promoted and platformed Bolz, who had been data-mining social media for information about people to whom he would minister, and present it from the stage as though the information was supernaturally-revealed prophetic insights about their lives. By presiding over a confusing culture of “unsanctified mercy" and a lack of accountability, the church leadership had effectively covered up Bolz's egregious sins. Since then, a deeper reckoning has ensued, and while it appears that some initial steps have been taken to address the theological and structural problems within the church that enabled this scandal, it remains to be seen what will come of the ministry and the future of charismatic expressions of the Christian faith more broadly. 

This particular episode has yielded much soul-searching among many well-meaning Christians (including me) who believe in the continuation and active operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church today but have been grieved by the abuse of those gifts. I continue to pray that an utmost regard for God’s righteous standards and the truth of His Word steer this ongoing process, and that it not be carried out hastily.

As I explained in late January, watching from afar what unfolded in this case caused me considerable anguish, in light of my personal history and affiliation with Bethel, as I am an alumnus of the ministry school. For that reason, I could not investigate and report on what I was hearing and seeing, given conflict-of-interest considerations and journalistic ethics issues. 

Yet in my mind, there is something extremely grievous when the Holy Spirit’s name and gifts are misused and abused in the manner that they were here. If you actually claim to speak for God through a supernatural gifting, but do so with deceptive, knowingly contrived "words of knowledge" and manipulation? Honestly, that requires some astonishing gall, Anninias and Sapphira-level audacity (see Acts 5). Truly, one must wonder: Where has the fear of the Lord gone? 

As I’ve reflected on my own involvement with Bethel over 10 years ago now and my connection to several great people still there in Redding, I recall mostly fond memories. Yet I offer the following for those still processing their confusion and heartache amid the fallout, and for fair-minded onlookers who raised concerns from the outside but were not heard. 

In light of what has been revealed in recent weeks, it may seem hard to believe now, but at Bethel’s ministry school, there actually was, and is, an eminently biblical anchor. Anyone who attended the Bible courses during the first and second year classes can attest that what was taught there was fairly standard doctrine that you’d hear in a typical Evangelical Christian church.

During the first year of the school, they used a Baptist theology textbook frequently used at Ouachita Baptist University, and Dann Farrelly, a seminary-trained teacher, skillfully guided us through the foundational truths of Scripture and theology. After each class, he hosted follow-up Q&A sessions (I always attended), and I consistently got the impression that, even if the supernatural was overemphasized at times, there was still an intentional effort to maintain a scriptural and doctrinally solid core.

There were also topical elective classes, called area of ministry trainings (AMTs), where we dove into specific issues and books of the Bible, like Galatians. During my third year, I helped lead a school-sponsored discussion group where we explored several major themes, examining various debates that have divided sincere believers over the centuries. Our goal was to engage the biblical text and Church history to deepen our understanding of the Word and the Gospel. We also had great guest speakers who came to teach, and an excellent presentation on a range of bioethics issues from Dr. Andre Van Mol stands out in my memory.

Some staff and others in Redding have told me in recent days that they’ve been shocked and disoriented by what has transpired, because so much of what they experienced there was good, and that it was among the most relationally healthy churches in which they’ve ever served. It’s not a perfect place, by any means, but unlike some church cultures they’ve known that were rife with backbiting and politicking, that wasn’t the case at Bethel, certainly not to the same degree. Even with its shortcomings, what permeates the atmosphere is a faith-filled confidence in God’s goodness, the belief that nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37), and because of that, we can come boldly before His throne (Hebrews 4:16) and believe for miraculous breakthrough in every area of life, no matter how dreadful and hopeless a situation may seem. 

Because at Bethel, faith is infused with a real, expectant hope — not to be confused with presumptuous entitlement — that God comes through and that He supernaturally intervenes in the lives of His people and in the nations in extraordinary, mind-blowing ways. Knowing who we are in Him, that we are not orphans but royal sons and daughters of the King and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), is crucial. Out of that knowledge of our identity in Jesus, the supernatural becomes natural, and nurtured by an intimate communion with the Holy Spirit.

If you were struggling with something gnarly, an awful besetting sin? At Bethel, you weren’t (and aren't) shamed for it. Your struggle and life story were honored in the best possible way, but the lay leaders and lead pastors would point you to biblical standards, they would get down in the trenches with you, and patiently sort through your problems. In many ways, they truly cared and loved people well, and still do.

“Jesus made you free from sin, not to sin,” you’d often hear Kris Vallotton and others declare from the stage. The average parishioner does not hesitate to come alongside you in your journey and pray fervently, fight the good fight of faith with you, and help you walk in the freedom from sin that Christ purchased on the cross. 

In the men’s groups I was a part of during my season there, those good guys, both the leaders and the students, ministered to me in ways that I continue to remember and treasure amid some profound struggles that I was enduring. I’ll never forget how they valued me and cheered me on during those dark moments. God spoke through them on several occasions, and the Holy Spirit convicted me that I had to make substantive changes to walk in holiness and reverential fear of the Lord. I remember shedding many tears there as He sifted me, challenging me through those godly brothers to consecrate my life more fully to Him. If that’s not evidence of God working there, I don’t know what is. That was Bethel at its best. 

During those years, I remember spending countless hours poring over the pages of the Bible, prayer-walking through the streets, and earnestly seeking God's face. If you invested in the process at Bethel School of Ministry, God was faithful to show up and perform transformative heart surgery. In the summer after my first year, when I was back home, a woman from my church told me: “I can see an incredible peace in your countenance that wasn’t there before. God is clearly doing something in you because you have changed.” 

And indeed, I had. 

It is dizzying when you encounter so much that was undeniably good and biblical, but then it becomes apparent that the environment had incubated and furthered something distorted. And soberingly, it's not the only church where I've encountered this kind of spiritual lurch. Such experiences have given me more compassion for those who’ve been wounded by that distortion more directly. Some call it “church hurt." And it really, really hurts. 

I’m now nearing my 10-year anniversary of working in journalism, an arduous season for which Bethel undoubtedly helped prepare me. I couldn’t possibly describe everything I’ve seen both inside and outside churches, including in groups with which I’ve been affiliated. To say the least, it has been humbling.

And I’m increasingly convinced that as the days tick by in this time of tumultuous global upheaval that we are seeing that God truly is like a refiner's fire and a launderer’s soap (Malachi 3:2); that He’s coming for a pure and spotless bride, without blemish or wrinkle (Ephesians 5:27); and that judgement first begins in His house (1 Peter 4:17). 

May that refining fire and cleansing purification continue, and may His people repent. The whole Body needs it more than ever.