Todd Bentley's crimes continue...Jesus is coming...

In today's local paper, a "reverend" from a small town defended holy roller "healing" revivals, in particular the one currently making headlines in Lakeland, Florida. God is present in these events, stated the rev fervently, "Thousands have been saved ... hundreds of medically verifiable miracles of healing [have occurred.]"

If you don't believe that, the good rev declared: "Myself, I have had two people raised from the dead, numerous blind people, deaf people, cancer victims, stroke victims and all kind of diseases healed in my ministry."

"Jesus Christ!" responded one skeptic.


Todd Bentley, the frantic seller of Jesus and faux healings in Lakeland is back in the news for two reasons. It seems that when he was 14 years old, he was arrested for assault. That story came out in a couple of magazines back in 2001. What it failed to say was that he had sexually assaulted another young man. He went to jail for a few months, and "five years afterward he gave his life to Christ."

The sexual assault was only part of Bentley's youthful escapades. He has spoken publicly about "his near-fatal drug overdoses, criminal burlaries, physical abuse of his mother and several stints in prison." He did not say anything about his sexual assault for a long time because he feared "the inability of Christians to forgive certain sins."

One wonders if there were other "assaults" between his jail time and his Christ time?

Today, Bentley claims he has "been changed by the gospel." Today, the Elmer Gantry of Lakeland is married with children, and a couple of "ministers who provide pastoral covering for Bentley ...[say] they have full confidence that God has forgiven him for his juvenile crimes and that he is no way susceptible to repeat offenses of that nature." [What is "pastoral covering?"]

That may be the case, but he sure is deceiving a lot of folks in Lakeland with his religious hocus-pocus! He didn't give up his evil ways, he just put a Christian label on them and made them legit.

So, he goes on stage, rants and raves, yells "Bam!" and has been known to help along the healing process by hitting and kicking people.

And that's the good part. Bridget Pierkarski, MS, LMHC, saw a story on June 22 about the "Florida Outpouring Revival." She immediately penned the following letter to the Lakeland Ledger.

"...I simply have to speak up. I am a psychotherapist. Several weeks ago, the mother of a young adult patient of mine called for an appointment for her son. He had been stable for quite some time on his medications for schizophrenia. He had recently decompensated, and was hospitalized in order to stabilize him and restart his medications.

"He had attended one of Todd Bentley's gatherings and was told by Mr. Bentley that he was 'healed.' He stopped his medications, only to relapse into psychosis.

"The outcome could have been worse. My client has very risky behaviors when psychotic. He might have died. Please, if you think you have been 'healed' of mental or physical illness, please consult your doctor before stopping medications or treatment. Your life may depend on it."


Is this not another form of assault? If Bentley wasn't wrapped in religious robes, would the authorities not throw him in jail where he belongs? At the least he's defrauding people with his healing con!


But there's more. From filesfromtoni.blogspot.com comes the story as how on Saturday, June 7, "Todd Bentley read out a prophecy from Wendy Alec of GOD TV. It was done to hype the Sunday night show (8th June ...) for the kingly annointing to fall. Jesus apparently said via Wendy Alec ... that 'I am coming to Lakeland. I am coming in the clouds, surrounded by chariots and hosts of angels. I will set foot on stage in a divine personal one on one visitation to the revival.'"

Evidently "this is the same scam that Benny Hinn (another fakir par excellence) used" back in 2000.


As the famous circus man said, "There's a sucker born every minute."


Read more here. Watch a video here. An ABC news article here.