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By Jim Coggins
THE EVANGELIST at the heart of the Florida Outpouring
remains largely unknown in his hometown of Abbotsford.
Todd Bentley grew up on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast,
where he was involved in “criminal activity, youth prisons, drugs,
sex, satanic music and bondage.” In his late teens, he was saved when
someone handed him a Bible. This is detailed in Bentley’s book Journey into the Miraculous (2008).
Bentley ended up in Abbotsford, where he was mentored
by Henry Schmidt, pastor of Living Faith Church.
Bentley’s colleague
Michael Bullett told BC
Christian News that when Bentley was injured
working at a sawmill in Mission, he decided to spend his usual working
hours during his recovery “seeking God.”
As a result, at age 22, Bentley launched what is now
Fresh Fire Ministries. Soon he was evangelizing all over the world.
Preaching over 300 times a year took its toll, and about three years ago
Bentley suffered burn-out for a time. Bullett says the experience took
Bentley “deeper in terms of character.”
Bentley is associated with Global Harvest Centre in
Abbotsford, an independent charismatic church. Bullett was senior pastor of
the church, but now works for Fresh Fire.
Bullett says Bentley is being mentored by people with
more ministry experience – who have taken on some of the
administrative load, have encouraged him to take a few days off per week
and have flown his family down to Florida to join him.
The Outpouring has been endorsed by John Arnott, pastor of Toronto
Airport Christian Fellowship. Arnott visited Florida with his wife Carol in
May, and stated: “It’s just amazing what God is doing here.
Carol and I are here tonight to absolutely bless this, with everything in
us.”
Korky Neufeld and Alf Dyck, two Abbotsford pastors
familiar with Bentley, say his strength – and weakness – is
that he “has no filter.” Since he has no Christian background
and no Bible school training, his ministry is not limited by inherited
Christian cultural baggage; but he has a tendency to accept and say
whatever comes into his mind.
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The old saying “No prophet is accepted in his
home town” may be true of Bentley. His events in Abbotsford attract
2,000 – 3,000 people, but the majority are not from the Fraser
Valley.
Another local pastor who is more critical of Bentley,
says he belongs to “a worldwide subculture, the extreme charismatic
fringe.”
Tyndale University College and Seminary professor James Beverley notes that
the Florida Outpouring is the latest in a series of charismatic phenomena
that includes the Kansas City Prophets (1990), the Holy Laughter movement
(1993), the Toronto Blessing (1994) and the Pensacola Outpouring (1995).
Those who endorse and mentor Bentley are mostly those
in this charismatic network.
Patricia King’s Extreme
Prophetic ministry (www.extremeprophetic.com) has an international
reputation even though she is not well known in her home base of Mission.
She helped develop the ‘Third Heaven
Visitation’ teaching that led Bentley to say he had visited with Paul
the apostle.
The charismatic movement is divided over Bentley, with
criticism coming from leaders such as Andrew Strom (who has written the
first book on Lakeland, True & False Revival:
An Insider’s Warning) and Charisma magazine editor Lee
Grady.
The polarization over Bentley’s ministry is amply
demonstrated by the extraordinary number of comments generated by the
online version of our feature article, at CanadianChristianity.com
August 2008
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