After 15 Years, Todd Bentley is Returning To Lakeland, FL, to Recapture the Fire of Infamous ‘Revival’

Charismatic prophet Todd Bentley, the only huckster in the whole of Christianity that Dr Michael Brown has ever bothered to condemn (and that only slightly), is up to no good again—the result of a string of angelic encounters and personal vision.

He announced on Facebook that that he’s returning to Lakeland, Fl, the site of his infamous ‘Lakeland Outpouring’ where he both became famous and then imploded in a sea of scandal, in order to put on a new revival and touch the hem of heaven for those who missed it the first time around.

We have written extensively about Todd, chronicling his malfeasance from lauded anointed revivalist and miracle worker to drunkard, adulterer, liar, and sheep-fleecer extraordinaire, all the while being lifted up by a cadre of ne’er-do-wells as a great and supernaturally gifted man of God.

Bentley went relatively radio silent in 2019, a year after being newly accused of drug use, adultery, and sexting, some of which he admitted. A “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) tribunal report was launched. They found that Bentley was guilty—a pointless summation, as Bentley had already checked out and declared the whole thing a scam and witch hunt anyway.

Despite these findings, Bentley has maintained a high level of ministry support, with the revelation of decades of grossly immoral behavior being viewed as “just a scratch” to his reputation. This should surprise no one, however, as charismatics and NAR adherents historically have enjoyed infinitesimally low levels of discernment when it comes to the sinful behavior of their leaders, and this case has sadly proved to be no different.

In the summer of 2008, Todd was flying high, filling stadiums with a world-renown revival in Lakeland, where he claimed to have raised multiple people from dead. He was getting so much attention that 17 high-profile charismatic “apostles,” including Bill Johnson, Jon Arnott, Rick Joyner, Che Ahn, and C. Peter Wagner, came together in a ceremony of “apostolic alignment” over 32-year old Todd Bentley, commissioning him to lead the Lakeland Revival and recognizing him as an evangelist doing the work of the Lord led by the Holy Spirit. We call this the Charismatic day of Infamy.

During the ceremony, Wagner asked the three apostles, Che Ahn, Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson, and John Arnot, “Do you perceive the grace of God given to Todd Bentley as an evangelist to lead the Lakeland Outpouring?

They answered: “I do.”

Wagner continued:

“This commissioning represents a powerful spiritual transaction taking place in the invisible world. With this in mind, I take the apostolic authority that God has given me and I decree to Todd Bentley:

– Your power will increase.

– Your authority will increase.

– Your favor will increase.

– Your influence will increase.

– Your revelation will increase.

I also decree that:

– A new supernatural strength will flow through this ministry.

– A new life force will penetrate this move of God.

– A government will be established to set things in their proper order.

– God will pour out a higher level of discernment to distinguish truth from error. 

– New relationships will surface to open gates for the future. […]

The people cheered. Todd cried and shook his head. The “apostle” sat back, satisfied at the historic nature of their coming together, wondering what glorious things the Lord would do next.

Within a month of his alignment ceremony, Bentley would announce that he was leaving Lakeland and stepping down. A few days later, he told the world he was divorcing his wife and it was revealed that during his time as leader of the revival, as he was getting aligned by the apostles, he had been engaging in “an unhealthy relationship on an emotional level with a female member of his staff.” He was also getting drunk all the time, spiraling into depression, anxiety, and babbling on stage in a series of pseudo-spiritual slurs.

The vaunted Lakeland Revival crashed into a smoldering heap of disillusionment immediately afterwards, the populace burned by a charlatan who was able to garner the endorsement of 17 charismatic “apostles,” all the while acting like a devil.

And now Bentley is going back to “re-dig the well.” Lord have mercy.

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