September 6, 2025 • 15 mins
This is Episode 138 of Christian Research Journal Reads. This is an audio version of the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL article, “Christian Idolatry? Evaluating Bethel Church and Bill Johnson” by Anne Kennedy. This article was published exclusively online in the Christian Research Journal, Volume 48, number 03 (2025).https://www.equip.org/articles/christian-idolatry-evaluating-bethel-church-and-bill-johnson/
It was accompanied by the Postmodern Realties Episode 456: Christian Idolatry? Evaluating Bethel Church and Bill Johnson.
This podcast presents audio versions of Christian Research Journal articles. As the flagship publication of the Christian Research Institute, the Journal seeks to equip followers of Christ to think and to live Christianly—to exercise truth and experience life. Truth, especially essential Christian doctrine, forms the basis for how we live our lives in Christ. As the apostle Paul instructed Timothy in 1 Tim. 4:16, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”The Christian Research Journal enjoyed a print incarnation of almost 45 years. Now exclusively an online publication, the Journal consists of thousands of free articles. We hope that through these audio articles you are not only equipped to proclaim and defend your faith but that as a disciple you also draw closer to Christ in your walk with Him. You can find the written version of each article that is an episode of Christian Research Journal Reads at the website of the Christian Research Institute, equip.org. All Christian Research Journal articles at equip.org are completely free and do not require a subscription and are not under a paywall.All episodes will be available at the following podcast platforms with more being added daily! You can help spread the word about this new podcast by giving us a rating and review from the other channels we are listed on and telling others!You can view off our Website at the at this link and off our Journal main page.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/christian-research-journal-reads--6022978/support.
It was accompanied by the Postmodern Realties Episode 456: Christian Idolatry? Evaluating Bethel Church and Bill Johnson.
This podcast presents audio versions of Christian Research Journal articles. As the flagship publication of the Christian Research Institute, the Journal seeks to equip followers of Christ to think and to live Christianly—to exercise truth and experience life. Truth, especially essential Christian doctrine, forms the basis for how we live our lives in Christ. As the apostle Paul instructed Timothy in 1 Tim. 4:16, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”The Christian Research Journal enjoyed a print incarnation of almost 45 years. Now exclusively an online publication, the Journal consists of thousands of free articles. We hope that through these audio articles you are not only equipped to proclaim and defend your faith but that as a disciple you also draw closer to Christ in your walk with Him. You can find the written version of each article that is an episode of Christian Research Journal Reads at the website of the Christian Research Institute, equip.org. All Christian Research Journal articles at equip.org are completely free and do not require a subscription and are not under a paywall.All episodes will be available at the following podcast platforms with more being added daily! You can help spread the word about this new podcast by giving us a rating and review from the other channels we are listed on and telling others!You can view off our Website at the at this link and off our Journal main page.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/christian-research-journal-reads--6022978/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
This is episode one hundred and thirty eight of the
Christian Research Journal Reads Podcast. Christian Idolatry Evaluating Bethel Church
and Bill Johnson by Anne Kennedy. This article was published
exclusively online in Our Theological Trend's column of the Christian
(00:28):
Research Journal, Volume forty eight, number three in twenty twenty five.
The Christian Research Journal Reads Podcast presents audio versions of
Christian Research Journal articles. To read the full text of
this article and its documentation, please go to equip dot org.
(00:49):
That's e qu ip dot.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Rg Christian Idolatry Evaluating Bethel Church and Bill Johnson. This
article is by Anne Kennedy and is read by an
automated voice. On June fourteenth, twenty twenty five, Vance Bolter
allegedly stalked and murdered Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark,
and wounded Senator John Hoffman and Yvette, his wife. In
(01:17):
the days immediately following the shooting, David French wrote an
article in The New York Times titled the Problem of
the Christian Assassin. In the piece, French broadly hints that Bolter,
who attended the christ for All Nations Institute in the nineties,
is an evangelical Christian who belonged to the New Apostolic Reformation.
An Ar Bolter French wrote, wasn't just a political assassin.
(01:41):
He was a Christian assassin and a person deeply connected
to one of America's most radical religious movements. But is
the NAAR really an evangelical Christian movement? Nar might be
thought of as a loose affiliation of churches and organizations
that share common doctrines and styles of worship. The vang
guard of the na AR is Bethel Church in Reading, California,
(02:03):
led by the charismatic in both senses of the word,
Pastor Bill Johnson, who has stretched Bethel's influence over the
entire globe through the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry b
s s M. Like all heretical movements, it is Bethel's
proximity to the truth that generates confusion within American Christianity.
(02:23):
God has the power to raise the dead. He brought
forth the cosmos by his word. He is the omissioned
observer in the more intimate arrangements of life. The Christian
faithfully declares that the Lord is sovereign over the affairs
of presidents and school teachers, over the cattle on a
thousand hills over your soul and mind. Often it sounds
(02:45):
as though Bethel teachers believe that God is in control
and that the Bible is his trustworthy word, until you
listen a little closer and discover that is not the case. You,
as a holy spirit in well believer, have such an
important part to play that if you don't do it,
God won't act. I don't know if that made sense.
(03:05):
Almost ten years ago, a young man named Seth Doll
was invited to preach on stage at Bethel. Lacking training,
knowledge and gumption, this young preacher leaned over the podium
and claimed that Jesus had come to him in a
vision to apologize personally for pain caused. I'm laying on
the floor and in a vision, in an encounter with God.
(03:26):
In a vision, Jesus picks me up and holds me
so close that I can't see anything. And he holds
me so close, and Jesus starts to weep, and he says,
please forgive me, Please forgive me. I said, what are
you talking about? Please forgive you? He said, When that
pastor hurt you, it's as if I hurt you. Because
(03:46):
he's a member of my body, Please forgive me. The
young man's brow furrows as he speaks. It is almost
as if he knows it's not going well, and so
he tries to clarify his point. And I wept, and
I wept, and I wept as I forget Jesus for
something he didn't do, but some one else did. And
I didn't realize until that moment, holding it against them,
(04:08):
I was actually distancing myself from God. To distance myself
from them, I was distancing myself from God. In the
middle of the clip available online, the preacher says, I
don't know if that made sense. No, in Christian terms,
it doesn't make sense because it's not true. But by
the measure of Bethel's theology, because any prophet or apostle
(04:29):
can say anything at any time, and because the Scripture
is continually undermined as the trustworthy and definitive word of God,
the preacher is free to wander around in his own imagination,
trying to make sense of something he doesn't personally understand.
Who am I worshiping? The singer, eyes closed, hands clasped
(04:50):
around a microphone, leads the congregation as part of a
three hour Bethel worship night in passion, she sings about
sacred love, about seeing God face to face, about a
flame of fire. This, for a vast number of American
Christians to day, is the essence of worship. The music
rises and falls as one vocalist makes way for another.
(05:13):
Somewhere before the two hour mark, Bill Johnson ascends the
stage to honor his son and daughter in law, worship
leaders at Bethel for twenty five years. Toward the end,
there are some declare healings and the congregational Creedle declaration
of wealth. Otherwise, though the gathering sings hands raised, accompanied
by the band on stage. What could possibly be objectionable
(05:36):
about psalms of praise like God, I Look to You,
which vaguely draws on various sentiments from the psalms. Bethel
is one of the most popular sources of music in
evangelical churches. If you are an evangelical, whatever brand of
church you attend, there's a good chance you will have
sung some pieces produced by Bethel. It's the music initially
(05:57):
that makes its way into a congregation, and then as
the melodies become familiar and loved, the theology begins to
divide unwary Christians from each other. Open your Bible. At
first glance, it would appear that Pastor Bill Johnson has
deep affection for God's word. He refers to it as
to a companion and friend. If I were unsettled in
(06:19):
my Christian life, anxious or in trouble, and I wandered
into Bethel without knowing anything, I would find Pastor Johnson's
manner pastoral, kind and full of what all of us
need in life, no matter our spiritual condition. Hope consume
a lot of Bill Johnson's content. However, and an unsettling
theme emerges. The Bible is insufficient for rebuke, correction, teaching,
(06:43):
and training in righteousness contray to Timothy three sixteen. The
Christian also means to hear God's voice outside of the scriptures.
Pastor Johnson somehow manages to set the second person of
the Trinity, the Son of God incarnate in Jesus, at
odds with his own words. Jesus for Christians, the key
for interpreting the rest of the scriptures. In the preaching
(07:06):
of Bill Johnson becomes something of a talisman. He is
appended at the end of every sermon as a person
who died for your sins. He doesn't allow you to
hold on to bitterness or unforgiveness. But what he really
wants for you is to experience breakthrough. To do that,
you have to get your head and heart into the
right state, which is a complicated and onerous business. Johnson's
(07:28):
use of Jesus as an essence set apart from the
scriptures produces a similar, though arguably more subversive result as
the progressive attempt to create a canon within a cannon
based on love. Johnson is more subversive in the sense
that he affirms a conservative sexual ethic. He preaches fidelity
in marriage and abstinence before marriage. He is pro life
(07:50):
and against the rainbow acronym. Nevertheless, he strays from the
path of biblical fidelity when he insists that Jesus does
not intend for the Christian to sow for material or
physical deprivation, and that believers commanded to do greater works
than these should be able to raise the dead, eradicate sickness,
and perform visible signs and wonders, including creating an earth
(08:13):
that is the same as Heaven. It's your fault. The
most common objection to the claim that every Christian should
be able to raise the dead heal the sick, suffer
no material lackt and be emotionally happy in the Lord.
Is that God, in his providence doesn't always confer these
temporal blessings in this life. Jesus pointed out, you will
(08:36):
have trouble John sixteen thirty three. You have to pray
for your enemies because you will have them Matthew five
forty three forty four. When you suffer reproach and rejection,
you are to count yourself blessed, for you are walking
in the steps of Jesus. I must admit that this
objection makes a lot of sense to me, being a
(08:56):
person well versed not only in the scriptures but in
life in general. I don't get to have everything I
want the moment I wanted, and this is a grace,
for it is generally in times of suffering and deprivation
that my love for Jesus is revealed, both to me
and to others. Bethel Church does not take this view.
If you have not been materially blessed and temporarily healed,
(09:18):
it is because you have not had enough faith. One
shouldn't say that in a bold, crude way. However, Rather,
according to quantum physics, nothing happens in the cosmos without
a conscious observer, without spiritual sound, and without will and intention.
God called everything forth because he, the ultimate observer, sees
and knows everything, and he created the world by a
(09:41):
mystical quantum sound, and he intended to do it, but
he didn't do everything he intended to. He is waiting
for us, his creatures, to call forth more miracles. In fact,
like Hannah, one might say, the cosmos is pregnant with
unrealized and undeclared outcomes. You have enough faith to de
declare you're healing to raise the dead. As the Bethel
(10:03):
prophets on stage call out about creaky elbows, gut problems,
dislocated joints, and not enough money, it seems that some
among them must have something called faith. Sure, it is mechanistic,
it seems unrelated to a personal being, like God, the
Father who revealed himself and his son Jesus Christ, that
we might be redeemed from sin and raised to new life.
(10:26):
But is it wrong the physics of heresy. Heresy generally
arises when two truths that are meant to be held
tightly and paradoxically together are over explained, or one is
relinquished in favor of the other. Christians have to affirm
that God is sovereign over his creation, and yet that
each individual is responsible for his or her own choices. Likewise,
(10:50):
God embodies perfect justice and perfect mercy at the same time.
He is three and also one. Jesus is both truly
God and truly man in a misguided effort to bring
the benefits of Heaven to earth. Now Bethel smooths out
many difficulties regarding the Christian life. Clinging to the rich
and hopeful promise that God will bless those who love Him.
(11:13):
When confronted with suffering, self proclaimed prophets and apostles don't
do the hard work of digging in the scriptures for
the truth that God works even our suffering into our
good and his glory. Instead, they shift the burden back
onto the hapless believer. You suffer because you haven't brought
God's will to the earth through your faith power. This
(11:33):
distorts the true nature of Jesus and the work of
the Holy Spirit. He isn't any longer the person who
understands your tribulations and sorrows, your faithful high priest who
intercedes for you continually from Heaven Hebrews four fourteen sixteen.
The Spirit isn't your comfort, your guide John fourteen, fifteen
twenty one. Instead, through cacophonous and unbiblical words of knowledge,
(11:58):
the church goer spiritually bombs along the surface of the Bible,
grasping at the shiny baubles of wealth, physical health, and
vain imaginations of happiness. No laughing matter. The maniacal laughter
in the background of so much of what takes place
at Bethel is unnerving. Whenever Bill Johnson tells a joke,
even when it isn't particularly funny, he is greeted by
(12:20):
an over eager, keyed up crowd. He believes the laughter
is a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Coupled with the prophets who stand up and speak words
of knowledge, it lends Bethel a hyper spectacular feel. There
is the semblance of spirituality and worship, but the problem
is the object of that worship. It isn't the Jesus
(12:40):
we see in the Bible. Hours and hours of Bill
Johnson's preaching did not increase my sense of joy the
relief that Jesus, the real One, offers in his gospel.
If I as the worshiper have to do God's work
for him. If I can bring material blessings to me
by the power of my intentions and words, if Jesus
comes and apologizes to me, then the person I am
(13:03):
worshiping is myself, not God. The traditional word for this
form of worship is idolatry. It is what happens when
the Christian casts a picture of herself into the heavens
and calls it a God, instead of endeavoring to accept
God in the way he reveals himself. Bethel Church, under
the leadership of Bill Johnson, isn't leading people to know
(13:25):
and love the Lord, to hear the Gospel to become
sheep who follow the Good Shepherd through the shadow of
death into eternal life. Instead, he teaches spiritually hungry seekers
to look for themselves, to lean on their own understanding,
to acknowledge their own ways, and to expect to become
rich in consequence.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Thank you for listening to another episode from the Christian
Research Journal Reads podcast, which provides audio articles of Christian
Research Journal articles. If you go to equip dot org,
you will find a brand new article for the Christian
Research Journal published weekly. In addition, please subscribe to our
other podcasts. Wherever you find your favorite podcast, you will
(14:08):
find the Christian Research Journal Reads podcast, the Postmodern Realities podcast,
which features interviews with Christian Research Journal authors, our flagship podcast,
The Bible answer Man Broadcast, and the Hank Unplugged podcast,
where CRI President Hank Canagraph takes you out of the
(14:31):
studio and into his study to engage in in depth,
free flowing, essential Christian conversations on critical issues with some
of the most interesting and informative people on the planet.
At equip dot org, you will also find a lot
of resources to equip you, including many thousands of Christian
(14:52):
Research Journal articles. That's e quip dot org.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
The party incited from their county home
This is episode one hundred and thirty eight of the
Christian Research Journal Reads Podcast. Christian Idolatry Evaluating Bethel Church
and Bill Johnson by Anne Kennedy. This article was published
exclusively online in Our Theological Trend's column of the Christian
(00:28):
Research Journal, Volume forty eight, number three in twenty twenty five.
The Christian Research Journal Reads Podcast presents audio versions of
Christian Research Journal articles. To read the full text of
this article and its documentation, please go to equip dot org.
(00:49):
That's e qu ip dot.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Rg Christian Idolatry Evaluating Bethel Church and Bill Johnson. This
article is by Anne Kennedy and is read by an
automated voice. On June fourteenth, twenty twenty five, Vance Bolter
allegedly stalked and murdered Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark,
and wounded Senator John Hoffman and Yvette, his wife. In
(01:17):
the days immediately following the shooting, David French wrote an
article in The New York Times titled the Problem of
the Christian Assassin. In the piece, French broadly hints that Bolter,
who attended the christ for All Nations Institute in the nineties,
is an evangelical Christian who belonged to the New Apostolic Reformation.
An Ar Bolter French wrote, wasn't just a political assassin.
(01:41):
He was a Christian assassin and a person deeply connected
to one of America's most radical religious movements. But is
the NAAR really an evangelical Christian movement? Nar might be
thought of as a loose affiliation of churches and organizations
that share common doctrines and styles of worship. The vang
guard of the na AR is Bethel Church in Reading, California,
(02:03):
led by the charismatic in both senses of the word,
Pastor Bill Johnson, who has stretched Bethel's influence over the
entire globe through the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry b
s s M. Like all heretical movements, it is Bethel's
proximity to the truth that generates confusion within American Christianity.
(02:23):
God has the power to raise the dead. He brought
forth the cosmos by his word. He is the omissioned
observer in the more intimate arrangements of life. The Christian
faithfully declares that the Lord is sovereign over the affairs
of presidents and school teachers, over the cattle on a
thousand hills over your soul and mind. Often it sounds
(02:45):
as though Bethel teachers believe that God is in control
and that the Bible is his trustworthy word, until you
listen a little closer and discover that is not the case. You,
as a holy spirit in well believer, have such an
important part to play that if you don't do it,
God won't act. I don't know if that made sense.
(03:05):
Almost ten years ago, a young man named Seth Doll
was invited to preach on stage at Bethel. Lacking training,
knowledge and gumption, this young preacher leaned over the podium
and claimed that Jesus had come to him in a
vision to apologize personally for pain caused. I'm laying on
the floor and in a vision, in an encounter with God.
(03:26):
In a vision, Jesus picks me up and holds me
so close that I can't see anything. And he holds
me so close, and Jesus starts to weep, and he says,
please forgive me, Please forgive me. I said, what are
you talking about? Please forgive you? He said, When that
pastor hurt you, it's as if I hurt you. Because
(03:46):
he's a member of my body, Please forgive me. The
young man's brow furrows as he speaks. It is almost
as if he knows it's not going well, and so
he tries to clarify his point. And I wept, and
I wept, and I wept as I forget Jesus for
something he didn't do, but some one else did. And
I didn't realize until that moment, holding it against them,
(04:08):
I was actually distancing myself from God. To distance myself
from them, I was distancing myself from God. In the
middle of the clip available online, the preacher says, I
don't know if that made sense. No, in Christian terms,
it doesn't make sense because it's not true. But by
the measure of Bethel's theology, because any prophet or apostle
(04:29):
can say anything at any time, and because the Scripture
is continually undermined as the trustworthy and definitive word of God,
the preacher is free to wander around in his own imagination,
trying to make sense of something he doesn't personally understand.
Who am I worshiping? The singer, eyes closed, hands clasped
(04:50):
around a microphone, leads the congregation as part of a
three hour Bethel worship night in passion, she sings about
sacred love, about seeing God face to face, about a
flame of fire. This, for a vast number of American
Christians to day, is the essence of worship. The music
rises and falls as one vocalist makes way for another.
(05:13):
Somewhere before the two hour mark, Bill Johnson ascends the
stage to honor his son and daughter in law, worship
leaders at Bethel for twenty five years. Toward the end,
there are some declare healings and the congregational Creedle declaration
of wealth. Otherwise, though the gathering sings hands raised, accompanied
by the band on stage. What could possibly be objectionable
(05:36):
about psalms of praise like God, I Look to You,
which vaguely draws on various sentiments from the psalms. Bethel
is one of the most popular sources of music in
evangelical churches. If you are an evangelical, whatever brand of
church you attend, there's a good chance you will have
sung some pieces produced by Bethel. It's the music initially
(05:57):
that makes its way into a congregation, and then as
the melodies become familiar and loved, the theology begins to
divide unwary Christians from each other. Open your Bible. At
first glance, it would appear that Pastor Bill Johnson has
deep affection for God's word. He refers to it as
to a companion and friend. If I were unsettled in
(06:19):
my Christian life, anxious or in trouble, and I wandered
into Bethel without knowing anything, I would find Pastor Johnson's
manner pastoral, kind and full of what all of us
need in life, no matter our spiritual condition. Hope consume
a lot of Bill Johnson's content. However, and an unsettling
theme emerges. The Bible is insufficient for rebuke, correction, teaching,
(06:43):
and training in righteousness contray to Timothy three sixteen. The
Christian also means to hear God's voice outside of the scriptures.
Pastor Johnson somehow manages to set the second person of
the Trinity, the Son of God incarnate in Jesus, at
odds with his own words. Jesus for Christians, the key
for interpreting the rest of the scriptures. In the preaching
(07:06):
of Bill Johnson becomes something of a talisman. He is
appended at the end of every sermon as a person
who died for your sins. He doesn't allow you to
hold on to bitterness or unforgiveness. But what he really
wants for you is to experience breakthrough. To do that,
you have to get your head and heart into the
right state, which is a complicated and onerous business. Johnson's
(07:28):
use of Jesus as an essence set apart from the
scriptures produces a similar, though arguably more subversive result as
the progressive attempt to create a canon within a cannon
based on love. Johnson is more subversive in the sense
that he affirms a conservative sexual ethic. He preaches fidelity
in marriage and abstinence before marriage. He is pro life
(07:50):
and against the rainbow acronym. Nevertheless, he strays from the
path of biblical fidelity when he insists that Jesus does
not intend for the Christian to sow for material or
physical deprivation, and that believers commanded to do greater works
than these should be able to raise the dead, eradicate sickness,
and perform visible signs and wonders, including creating an earth
(08:13):
that is the same as Heaven. It's your fault. The
most common objection to the claim that every Christian should
be able to raise the dead heal the sick, suffer
no material lackt and be emotionally happy in the Lord.
Is that God, in his providence doesn't always confer these
temporal blessings in this life. Jesus pointed out, you will
(08:36):
have trouble John sixteen thirty three. You have to pray
for your enemies because you will have them Matthew five
forty three forty four. When you suffer reproach and rejection,
you are to count yourself blessed, for you are walking
in the steps of Jesus. I must admit that this
objection makes a lot of sense to me, being a
(08:56):
person well versed not only in the scriptures but in
life in general. I don't get to have everything I
want the moment I wanted, and this is a grace,
for it is generally in times of suffering and deprivation
that my love for Jesus is revealed, both to me
and to others. Bethel Church does not take this view.
If you have not been materially blessed and temporarily healed,
(09:18):
it is because you have not had enough faith. One
shouldn't say that in a bold, crude way. However, Rather,
according to quantum physics, nothing happens in the cosmos without
a conscious observer, without spiritual sound, and without will and intention.
God called everything forth because he, the ultimate observer, sees
and knows everything, and he created the world by a
(09:41):
mystical quantum sound, and he intended to do it, but
he didn't do everything he intended to. He is waiting
for us, his creatures, to call forth more miracles. In fact,
like Hannah, one might say, the cosmos is pregnant with
unrealized and undeclared outcomes. You have enough faith to de
declare you're healing to raise the dead. As the Bethel
(10:03):
prophets on stage call out about creaky elbows, gut problems,
dislocated joints, and not enough money, it seems that some
among them must have something called faith. Sure, it is mechanistic,
it seems unrelated to a personal being, like God, the
Father who revealed himself and his son Jesus Christ, that
we might be redeemed from sin and raised to new life.
(10:26):
But is it wrong the physics of heresy. Heresy generally
arises when two truths that are meant to be held
tightly and paradoxically together are over explained, or one is
relinquished in favor of the other. Christians have to affirm
that God is sovereign over his creation, and yet that
each individual is responsible for his or her own choices. Likewise,
(10:50):
God embodies perfect justice and perfect mercy at the same time.
He is three and also one. Jesus is both truly
God and truly man in a misguided effort to bring
the benefits of Heaven to earth. Now Bethel smooths out
many difficulties regarding the Christian life. Clinging to the rich
and hopeful promise that God will bless those who love Him.
(11:13):
When confronted with suffering, self proclaimed prophets and apostles don't
do the hard work of digging in the scriptures for
the truth that God works even our suffering into our
good and his glory. Instead, they shift the burden back
onto the hapless believer. You suffer because you haven't brought
God's will to the earth through your faith power. This
(11:33):
distorts the true nature of Jesus and the work of
the Holy Spirit. He isn't any longer the person who
understands your tribulations and sorrows, your faithful high priest who
intercedes for you continually from Heaven Hebrews four fourteen sixteen.
The Spirit isn't your comfort, your guide John fourteen, fifteen
twenty one. Instead, through cacophonous and unbiblical words of knowledge,
(11:58):
the church goer spiritually bombs along the surface of the Bible,
grasping at the shiny baubles of wealth, physical health, and
vain imaginations of happiness. No laughing matter. The maniacal laughter
in the background of so much of what takes place
at Bethel is unnerving. Whenever Bill Johnson tells a joke,
even when it isn't particularly funny, he is greeted by
(12:20):
an over eager, keyed up crowd. He believes the laughter
is a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Coupled with the prophets who stand up and speak words
of knowledge, it lends Bethel a hyper spectacular feel. There
is the semblance of spirituality and worship, but the problem
is the object of that worship. It isn't the Jesus
(12:40):
we see in the Bible. Hours and hours of Bill
Johnson's preaching did not increase my sense of joy the
relief that Jesus, the real One, offers in his gospel.
If I as the worshiper have to do God's work
for him. If I can bring material blessings to me
by the power of my intentions and words, if Jesus
comes and apologizes to me, then the person I am
(13:03):
worshiping is myself, not God. The traditional word for this
form of worship is idolatry. It is what happens when
the Christian casts a picture of herself into the heavens
and calls it a God, instead of endeavoring to accept
God in the way he reveals himself. Bethel Church, under
the leadership of Bill Johnson, isn't leading people to know
(13:25):
and love the Lord, to hear the Gospel to become
sheep who follow the Good Shepherd through the shadow of
death into eternal life. Instead, he teaches spiritually hungry seekers
to look for themselves, to lean on their own understanding,
to acknowledge their own ways, and to expect to become
rich in consequence.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Thank you for listening to another episode from the Christian
Research Journal Reads podcast, which provides audio articles of Christian
Research Journal articles. If you go to equip dot org,
you will find a brand new article for the Christian
Research Journal published weekly. In addition, please subscribe to our
other podcasts. Wherever you find your favorite podcast, you will
(14:08):
find the Christian Research Journal Reads podcast, the Postmodern Realities podcast,
which features interviews with Christian Research Journal authors, our flagship podcast,
The Bible answer Man Broadcast, and the Hank Unplugged podcast,
where CRI President Hank Canagraph takes you out of the
(14:31):
studio and into his study to engage in in depth,
free flowing, essential Christian conversations on critical issues with some
of the most interesting and informative people on the planet.
At equip dot org, you will also find a lot
of resources to equip you, including many thousands of Christian
(14:52):
Research Journal articles. That's e quip dot org.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
The party incited from their county home
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