John Arnott on Todd Bentley Divorce & Excessive Drinking

Thanks to Jennifer for directing me to this latest release here from John Arnott (of the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship) on the Todd Bentley scandal.

“I have just re-read the article about the Lakeland Revival that I wrote two months ago for our most recent edition of Spread the Fire Magazine. It was a glowing report of the wonderful healings happening there. Now it is with sadness and disappointment that I am writing again to our friends and supporters. You may have already heard that Todd Bentley has announced his decision to separate from Shonnah, his wife. I am deeply saddened for the Body of Christ that has been disillusioned yet again.

{End times thoughts - Whose fault is it if people get disillusioned? Those like John Arnott that help spread the delusion in the first place?]

I grieve for all the dedicated Fresh Fire Team, Roy Fields and all the musicians and for Stephen Strader, the pastor of Ignited Church and all his faithful folks who have been serving so diligently. Had any of us known what was just ahead, perhaps we would have been able to intervene before things went into crisis.

{End times thoughts – Oh wow. Had any of us known?! Many knew and they intentionally kept quiet about it! This statement from Arnott directly contadicts other testimonies come in from other leaders that expressed the HAD known. It is pure hypocrisy. (See also his Charisma Magazine Statement where Arnott claims he knew about the problems two years ago.)

And even if they genuinely had not known and were not told by concerned parties, as parties claim they were, how prophetic were they not to have known?]

We at TACF, Catch the Fire, Partners in Harvest and the Revival Alliance want to stand with Todd and Shonnah and try to offer godly counsel and support. We all want to see the good that has come from this ministry and the Lakeland Revival redeemed.

{Godly counsel and support. Why was this not offered before? And what about Godly counsel and support re the lies and the charlatanism and false prophecy etc?  The Lakeland Revival cannot be redeemed as it was false and rotten at its core, and was led by false and rotten leaders (I do not just mean Bentley). Furthermore, is not Christ the redeemer, and not the neo apostolic movement that Arnott suggests it gets redeemed through somehow?]

I have known Todd for several years and have seen God work mightily through him.

{When was that then?]

I went to Lakeland to support what Todd and Fresh Fire were doing there because I believed that God was moving powerfully in the lives of thousands.  I also knew Todd would have many critics, just as I had had with the revival in Toronto.  I wanted to stand with him and say, “I am here for you. Don’t let anyone discourage what God is doing through you.”

I wanted to be available to Todd if he needed advice. I had no agenda other than to see what was happening in Lakeland continue and to see Todd nurture this revival successfully.  I wish I had known that he was struggling in his marriage, but unfortunately, I did not.

I am working now with Bill Johnson and Che Ahn to listen to each person who is close to the situation in order to give godly counsel and confront the presenting issues in God’s love. 

{Yet to hear you – or anyone – even confess the presenting issues? The affair is but a smokescreen.]

We are all receiving many phone calls and reading much correspondence about all these matters at the moment. Some of it is quite hopeful and some of it is not. However, I believe that God can break through.

We all want to provide any help we can to preserve the fruit of this outpouring. We are doing this for several reasons. First, we love the Body of Christ and the work God does through times of revival. We care very deeply about the impact of the church’s leaders and role models on the body of Christ and the world. We also care about Todd and Shonnah, the Fresh Fire Ministries staff and all who have been a vital part of the Lakeland Revival. They are our friends.

Todd has chosen to do something that is wrong according to Scripture,

{And since when have YOU cared about upholding scripture? If you cared about truth and righteousness and what GOD wants, you’d have dealt with Todd months ago.]

and his timing to announce it was equally inappropriate.

{No, it was perfect timing for the apostolic agenda. Absolutely perfect. Todd had nothing much to lose as he had already been exposed and Lakeland had shut down based on the revelations re lies and fraud! Throw this in and suddenly people start to feel sorry for him, to pray for his marriage instead of rebuking him for his fraud, and forget the real reasons why he and Lakeland was criticised and closed down, and Todd is questioned and not the revival. Restoration is also offered as a solution to get him back on the road. And the apostles get seen as heros and get promoted and the real issues at Lakeland are forgotten. It is genius. Deliberate conniving genius. The timing of the press releases has been timed to perfection, bit by bit, drip by drip. This was pre-planned!]

Everyone is asking, “What happened?” “Why didn’t anyone see this coming?”  We are making the answers to those questions a matter of prayer, and are as shocked and saddened by what has just happened as you are.

{Hypocrits!]

Furthermore, it has now come out that there has been some inappropriate behavior, both with excessive drinking and also with a female member of his staff.

{And there’s more!]

Please don’t jump to conclusions or assume the worst,

{Huh! But you have just told us the facts though….haven’t you?]

but this behavior is wrong before the Lord.

Let me encourage you to hold steady to your faith in God and give the redemptive process the time it requires

{Confession and repentence and acknowledgment of guilt must come before restoration. And I have seen none of that from Todd Bentley. It is not just a question of giving it some time for people to forget and then coming back into false ministry!]

and let’s see what God will do. Because I believe in God, I also believe that nothing is impossible with Him. He is able to take the worst situation and turn it into a great blessing.

{He is indeed. BUT Todd needs to repent.]

Be slow to speak out publicly and to judge prematurely.

{Uh Huh. Nice scriptural distortion there to try and shut up their critics and lovers of God’s word. But people have had months to ‘judge’ Todd Bentley by biblical criteria. So if they speak now then they are being slow to speak and hardly being premature. And that was even the case months ago when it was plain exactly what Todd Bentley was.

And John Arnott YOU and many of your associates are speaking out so you must have determined it is time to speak out. So if it is OK for you, why is it not OK for others? One rule for you and another for those you do not like what they say? This is called hypocrisy.]

It is time to treat these people with grace, like you would like to be treated when you fall or make a mistake.

{Sure. Treating people with grace though is NOT the same as not speaking out or not demanding a public apology from them when they have “made a mistake”. I am happy to treat with Bentley with grace – despite his heinous deeds that have NOT yet been spoken of – IF he repents and gets right with God. NOTHING would make me happier. But it is dependent on Todd’s actions. And if Todd does not truly repent of ALL his wrong doing then the way of grace is to shun him and have nothing to do with him as per biblical command.]

Be assured that nothing is being ‘swept under the carpet,’

{hah!]

 but we are bringing it out into the light of God’s truth in mercy

{for your own agendas – because you knew about this BEFORE}

so that we can interrupt Satan’s plan to use this to discredit Jesus Christ by destroying the lives of Todd, his family and his friends.

{Nice undermining there again of the critics. Todd destroys himself (and others) by his own evil dark deeds – unless he saves Himself by becoming born again genuinely for the first time by repenting.

Satan is the father of lies. Did Arnott care or do anything about stopping or interrupting Satan’s plan re the lies before? Obviously not.]

The Holy Spirit, who is perfect, must use imperfect people even in revival.

{Correct, although the definition of true revival is another thing. But The Holy Spirit does not cause these imperfect people He uses to lie or to falsely prophesy or preach another Jesus or another gospel…or to be lying drunken fornicators. I John indicates that Todd Bentley is not of God because of his behaviour and because also of his teachings. The Bible also says such men are anathema – so why then does Arnott harbour them and support them, as well as being one who peddles another gospel himself?]

Carol and I always urge Christians to pay close attention to the issues of integrity.

{Ha! For real? What so they can coverup?!}

The scripture admonishes each one of us, “Watch over your heart with all diligence; for out of it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) Christian leaders are held to the high standard of being exemplary in character and all other aspects of our personal lives.

{Exemplary?! This is hypocrisy at its best – or worst!]

When a leader fails, the news spreads so quickly to those outside the body of Christ heaping shame and reproach upon the name of Jesus Christ and the church. The enemy wants to use these failures to undo the work of the Holy Spirit if he can.

To those who were blessed in Lakeland, do not allow the seeds of hope and healing that were sown into you there be uprooted by this leader’s mistakes. It was God who touched you and no one can take that away unless you allow it. Continue to give God the praise and thanks.

I am aware that the devil wants to tempt some people to say, “I told you so.”

{’I told you so’ ain’t necessarily the devil speaking, Arnott…. God uses that line too, albeit He uses it for righteous reasons and in love, but in all holiness – and that also reflects his anger. God is not just loving, He is angry too – especially about men like Todd. There is also a difference between weeping a thing and crowing it.]

Do not allow yourself to become his instrument by using the sword of truth without mercy in this way.

{Truth with mercy rebukes – it does not ignore and do nothing.]

Before you cast a stone, remember that you are not without sin yourself. This is how pride can gain a subtle hold in your heart. What you sow now, you will reap in the future.

{Turn on the critics! Note how much John Arnott is putting down criticism of them by twisting and distorting scriptures for his own ends! Then he tries to make the critics even more afraid of speaking out about Todd and them by claiming that what you will sow you will reap, so you better not really think about it, and only say nice things of Todd and not warn about him.  

What you will sow you will reap? What sowing obedience and righteousness? The Lord rebuke you, you deciver and hypocrit, John Arnott!

And isn’t ‘what you will sow you will reap’ an apt line more to be spoken over the likes of men like Todd and other liars and sinners as a warning now? And if what they reap partially comes, then is it not a case of “I told you so”? (God is not afraid of using that line!)

The Bible commands us to refute error and rebuke sinful men.]

Had you lived during the reign of King David would you have judged him for his moral failure?

{Yes, by the biblical standard of ’judgments’ as all should have. We are all priests and kings now – kings rule and judge as do priests – and priests and kings judge the church as per scriptural command! If it was wrong and unloving and unspiritual to judge why were there appointed judges in Israel?!]

While he was in sin, God saw David’s heart and knew that he could be corrected and redeemed. His sin and God’s judgment on it as well as God’s redemption of the situation are recorded in Scripture for everyone to read.

{God did not consider it a small thing at all. David confessed and repented of it (he did not cover it up when confronted) but there were still consequences to pay for years afterwards, including the death of his child. A prophet rebuked David for his sin so was allowed to “judge” and “speak out” in the sense Arnott says we cannot.

Nobody is saying Todd cannot be forgiven here and redeemed. He can. BUT it is the way of humility, confession and repentence – none of which I think we will see]

My prayer since 1994 has been, “More, Lord! I want more of your love and power.”

[The Toronto Blessing was not of God though. So More of what? Delusion? Deception? Lying signs and wonders?]

I want God to send us more revival with all its accompanying blessings.

{More? How can he send YOU more when he has not sent you any? Unless you mean more delusion.

Does ‘accompanying blessings’ by the way mean offering money?]

I want to see many more conversions, healings and miracles.

{So do I. But it will not happen at Lakeland.]

More than that, however, I want to see these days led by honorable and trusted leaders who not only have powerful gifts but who are pure in heart and character.

{Oh boy, I want that! But where are they?

Arnott is of couse promoting himself and the apostles here – “honorable and trusted leaders who not only have powerful gifts but who are pure in heart and character” – the Wagner apostles “spiritual fathers” Lee Grady is calling on – but please, these men are not honorable, not trusted, not leaders in the body but wolves preying on the flock and false brethren, they are liars, they use false gifts, preach another gospel, some dabble in the occult and gnostic, aand they are far from pure in heart and character… as has been proven just by this Bentley debacle.]

May I enlist your prayers for Todd and Shonnah and their children at this time, that God, the Great Reverser, will miraculously turn this situation around?

{No, not as you want this situation turned around]

Much love to you all in Jesus,

{which Jesus?}

John Arnott
August 17, 2008″