The Todd White “Expose” is a Discernment Loss
The recent “expose” by YouTube apologist Mike Winger of charismatic charlatan Todd White’s abhorrent personal behavior may seem like a big win for biblical discernment. It is not. Instead, it reveals that the Carousel of Huckster Charismaticism will continue to turn even if Mike Winger can get Todd White to step off the ride.
Todd White, the non-sinning, Jesus-sexualizing, dreadlocked “miracle worker” who’s been running around performing parlor tricks he claims are divine healings, has apparently been exposed sporting the same corrupt character behind the scenes that he’s long shown openly via tales taller than the legs he’s “miraculously” lengthened on camera. This expose (versus the volumes of material exposing White’s public lies and comically false teaching) has apparently caused Winger to fear for his life:
Mike Winger, according to him, is potentially in grave danger for exposing the secret depravity of the long-exposed poster child of charismatic hucksterism, Todd White. And he may have a point. After all, while the nuclear-grade theological chicanery of the charismatic movement stemming from its subjective spirituality cannot be “exposed” without undermining the movement itself (with charismatics like Winger categorically unable), Winger has potentially hit a fellow charismatic in the one place they’ve been vulnerable: personal conduct. Todd White, Mike Bickle, Michael Brown, etc. have been perfectly safe anywhere on the “I hear personal revelations directly from God” spectrum as long as they were able to claim holy character publicly, but once they are exposed as actual sinners, the facade of their special access to God crumbles.
Make no mistake: Todd White isn’t an aberration. He’s a feature of a fundamentally corrupt movement. Mike Winger’s recent expose of White’s ministry might seem like a victory for discernment. But it’s nothing more than charismatic CYA (Cover Your Apostasy). The problem isn’t just White’s alleged financial improprieties, laughable claims of sinless perfection, or embarrassing “leg-lengthening.” The real issue is that White (or Bickle before him) threatens to tie sinful personal behavior to the subjective, “Spirit-led” spirituality that breeds it. He threatens the Holiness Golden Goose of charismaticism: personal, subjective, open-ended spirituality.
The charismatic movement
- Elevates personal “revelation” to the practical authority of Scripture
- Allows continuous, unverifiable “prophetic” claims
- Redefines biblical terms to escape accountability
- Creates an environment of apology for charlatans like White
Consider White’s ridiculous claims: leg-lengthening “miracles” that are nothing more than cheap magic tricks, assertions of personal holiness that defy basic Christian understanding of sanctification. Michael Brown (or Mike Winger, or whoever) relies on spiritual subjectivity to cover for these things. Brown defended White using his classic Brownwashing Two-step:
Brown: How do you know Todd’s leg lengthening isn’t legitimately a miracle?
It’s an old, cheap, parlor trick.
Brown: Even if it is, you don’t know Todd’s heart. You don’t know he is being purposefully deceptive.
Insert Benny Hinn, Bill Johnson, or whoever. Brownwash. Rinse. Repeat.
This is the logical conclusion of a movement that has abandoned biblical discernment. The charismatic movement doesn’t have a Todd White problem. It has a fundamental theological cancer that produces Todd Whites systematically. Guys like Winger will try to excise individual bad actors without addressing the underlying doctrinal rot. But you can’t reform a movement built on subjective spirituality by removing individual performers. The entire carnival is the problem. Until these leaders submit to Scripture as the sole authoritative revelation – instead of their feelings, “anointings,” and supposed direct downloads from the Almighty – we’ll keep seeing the same circus, just with different clowns.
Allowing guys like Winger to characterize personal character as the problem with Todd White only encourages the charismatic movement’s corrupt, anti-discernment, anti-biblical ground to remain undisturbed.
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Seems like I have heard this before: “One big problem with Charismatics is that they don’t police their own.”
Then, Charismatics (or, continuationists, whichever term is more accurate) like Mike Winger police their own, calling out Benny Hinn, Todd White, and others.
The response: “Doesn’t matter anyway, they have all abandoned biblical discernment.”
Is this a fair judgment?
The problem is that charismaticism is HERESY and denies Sola Scriptura.
Guzkik, Winger in the past defended White as a sincere brother in Christ, now Winger runs this story based on anonymous sources? All the while the doctrine gets a pass cuz according to Winger the people who penned the open letter are / were in ministry with Todd White, some even sat on his board which means they are probably just as heretical as he is! Either way the real issue is what Winger and Brown always do, they rarely if ever conclude that a false prophet is actually a false prophet, they end up being “brothers with some things off”. smh
Expoae the doctrine rather than the people. The problem is sissies like Winger will say charismaticism itself (Montanism) is not heresy. Montanism is heresy and IT is the problem, not just specific chariamatic loons.
Why, exactly, are you calling him a charismatic?
Lol. The cope from charismatics. Suddenly he’s not a charismatic. Lol. Heretics.
Winger is a charismatic, watch his video with Ruslan, he admits it. Winger admits he speaks in tongues aka gibberish.
Excellent article, thank you David!
Yep, in short, it is their drug, and they are drug addicts and drug dealers.
It’s all about the next high, the euphoria, emotion, feelings, comfort, pleasure, to the point of delirium. It is very self-centered. Very arrogant. All about me, me, me. And that leads to baseless subjectivity, because they begin to essentially determine what’s right or wrong based on how it makes them feel. Those extreme highs can also lead to extreme lows.
We are called to be sober-minded. And to take up our cross, which can often be unpleasant. Just as our Lord was so distressed that he sweat blood. Our peace and comfort comes from standing on the solid rock of that which is absolute, which God put into place, not standing on the relativist shifting sands. It is acceptance and contentment. It is stability. It’s knowing, without doubt, fully submitting to and trusting the Lord. It is essentially the opposite of the euphoric highs sought out by the charismatics.
But it should also be noted that there are many professing Christians outside the charismatic movement, who are not much different. Many even in the most conservative denominations. The tendency to be ruled by one’s own feelings, and to do what makes them feel good as opposed to what the Lord tells us to do, is a sin that is not exclusive to charismatics. It is rooted in lack of faith. Lack of full submission. Often lack of true repentance. It’s hanging onto control, and doing things the world’s way, as opposed to yielding to the Lord. It’s essentially a false gospel. Sometimes it is like a defense mechanism. We choose not to face reality because we don’t want to be discomforted. The truth is often unpleasant. But we are called to face it boldly, trusting fully in the Lord, fearing the Lord, knowing judgment is at hand. Our fear of Him must exceed our fear of the world.
It is unquestionably sinful, starting with the sin of pride, then perhaps sensuality. That resultant subjectivity inevitably will lead to wrongdoing for the sake of our own comfort. It is true Winger doesn’t strike at the cure but rather the symptoms. Often times, neither do we who are not charismatics. And for the same basic reason.
I believe this is why, as it is becoming more and more difficult these days, the Lord, in the second to last chapter of His word makes clear to us, in Rev. 28:8, that the cowardly and faithless will burn in the lake of fire. It is why we are told that those who endure to the end will be saved (Matt. 10:22, etc.). It is why even the elect may be deceived (Matt. 24:24).
typo: reference should’ve been Rev. 21:8
What Bauchum calls the SBC’s 11th Commandment. “thou shalt be nice”
It has the very same root cause. It is a manifestation of the same root problem.
If you’re going to do what’s right in this world, as God says is right, you’re going to be uncomfortable at times, and you’re also going to make others uncomfortable at times. That’s guaranteed.