Holding up the Bethel mirror

The other day, I shared a little e-book analysing the theological culture of the Bethel movement. If you missed it, you can download it here. 

I want to pick up on a couple of questions here before digging in to something that I think is significantly important.     I appreciate that there will be some of you who think I should have gone in harder and are wondering why I didn’t draw exactly the same conclusions that you did.   I hope that why I’ve taken the approach I have is self-evident in the book.   But specifically, no, I haven’t outright denounced Bethel as a cult or its leaders as frauds and wolves.  Why?  Well, because, at a distance, I don’t want to second guess intent and motive, I cannot read the hearts and minds of people sat in a room with me, let alone, all the way over in California. 

By the same token, perhaps some of you will be thinking that I’ve been too harsh.   Why have I not highlighted the positives of Bethel, particularly their heart for worship, to enjoy God’s presence and to seek revival.   You see, the same issue exists with that assessment.  It asks me to make observations that I cannot.  I haven’t visited Bethel, I’ve not experienced a church service there.  Again, I cannot see into hearts and minds to read motives and I’m not going to second guess them.

Moreover, in the end, motives and what goes on at Bethel itself doesn’t really matter.  Those are red-herrings. It might matter more if I were writing for those living in the Redding vicinity, for people considering joining Bethel.  It matter too if we were aware of a Bethel off-shoot, a branch being set up here (not merely a church that has been influenced by Bethel culture and teaching, that is attempting to replicate something of them). What I have access to is the actual words that people from Bethel have said in talks, interviews and in books.  And that’s what matters.   The motive and intent behind those words doesn’t matter, the objective meaning and the impact of them does.

Some of you perhaps wish that I hadn’t spent so much time writing about Bethel at all.   Isn’t it divisive to do so?   Well, I thought it might be helpful to revisit the reasons for doing so.  I don’t think it is healthy for a ministry to become one that just spends its time finding people to disagree with and attack.  However, here are a few things to remember.

1. Debate and discussion is one way that we learn.   Look back historically and you will see that a lot of the most significant theological teaching has arisen out of difference and disagreement.  How many books have been written in response to this or that issue?   Think about how you learn in the classroom if a student.  You will be invited to hear opposing views and to work out which you agree with in your assessments.
2. This reminds us that theology involves making some choices, sometimes between right and wrong, sometimes between healthy and unhealthy and sometimes between better and best.   That’s because pastoral ministry and church planting are about choices too.  When you prepare to preach, you will from time to time discover that one commentary comes to one conclusion about the text whilst another comes to a different one.  You have to assess and choose.   As you teach, you will realise that systematic theologies disagree on what justification is, how best to describe the Trinity, whether God knows and determines the future, how much free will we have and so on.  When planting a church you are going to have to make decisions about when and how you baptise people, how to celebrate communion, how many meetings to have, what worship style to go with and again, people will disagree.
3. There is a point when we have concerns that we should speak and warn.  As a shepherd/elder in the church, I appreciate that there are other elders/shepherds out there who have better sights on both dangers and opportunities ahead.  I appreciate when they signal to me.

This brings me to the key thing I wanted to talk about here.   One good reason for spending a bit of time looking at Bethel is to help us reflect on ourselves.  At this point I’m not thinking about whether or not we’ve imbibed the teaching but more about the subtle ways in which we are influenced by the same kind of things.

What this means is that Bethel culture holds up a mirror to our own cultures and helps us to reflect on the challenges we face.   Let’s be open with each other here.  Even for those who are resistant to the whole package, those who quickly dismiss the rumours of glory clouds and grave soakings, those who are most adamant that claims of healings are likely to be fake without the receipts, there is still something that pulls at the human heart strings isn’t there. There’s a desire to have an equivalent impact and influence.  We are not so far away.   In the words of Belinda Carlise, “we dream the same dreams, we want the same thing.”  If we look into the mirror and there isn’t an alertness to our own need for repentance, then that’s an even bigger warning sign than all the others.