When the Florida Outpouring first began, I gave Todd Bentley the benefit of the doubt.  What I mean is, I believed he was sincere, but sincerely misled and blind.  We see many like that; preachers and teachers who are in egregious error, but who really believe the error they are teaching.  I’m not so sure Todd Bentley fits into that category any more.  I believe he is a less than honest man.

What makes me feel this way?  I have set back and watched for months now as Todd Bentley’s star went into orbit.  As you might expect, when there is a new “celebrity” on the scene, people want to find out all they can about them.  Todd Bentley is no different.  When the questions started coming in, it was Todd Bentley’s answers that troubled me.  First and foremost was his answer to the questions about his tattoos.  When asked on Nightline about his tattoos, he said he got them when he was young…before he was saved.  But, if you’ll look at the picture below that was taken after he was already established in ministry, you will see that the tattoos are not present.  Neither are his facial piercings.  I’m not saying he didn’t have any tattoos at all, but the most visible ones are not there (the tattoos on his neck).  Also, most of these tattoos are supposed to be Christian tattoos.  If Bentley got these tattoos before he was saved, then why are all of them christian-themed?  As a sinner, he would not have wanted that type of theme on his body would he?  The point is, Bentley said he got all his tattoos before he was saved.  That was a lie.

 

Todd Bentley before receiving his tattoos. This picture was shot after he had already began to minister with Fresh Fire Ministries. Also visibly absent are his many facial piercings.

 

Another thing that troubled me was when he back-pedalled on the sex of the angel Emma.  For months we have been reading the account of how Bentley met Emma.  In every testimony we have read, in every vocal testimony he has given, he always referred to Emma as a “she.”  After the controversy about Emma began, Bentley removed her name from his site, and just referred to Emma as “a particular angel.”  All references to her sex and identity were deleted and replaced with ambiguous titles such as “the angel.”  Now, with the excerpts of Bentley’s new book making the circuit, it has been revealed that he is now referring to Emma as a “he.”

Below is an excerpt of Bentley’s account of Emma being female:

“Now let me talk about an angelic experience with Emma. Twice Bob Jones asked me about this angel that was in Kansas City in 1980: “Todd, have you ever seen the angel by the name of Emma?” He asked me as if he expected that this angel was appearing to me. Surprised, I said, “Bob, who is Emma?” He told me that Emma was the angel that helped birth and start the whole prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. She was a mothering-type angel that helped nurture the prophetic as it broke out. Within a few weeks of Bob asking me about Emma, I was in a service in Beulah, North Dakota. In the middle of the service I was in conversation with Ivan and another person when in walks Emma. As I stared at the angel with open eyes, the Lord said, “Here’s Emma.” I’m not kidding. She floated a couple of inches off the floor. It was almost like Kathryn Khulman in those old videos when she wore a white dress and looked like she was gliding across the platform. Emma appeared beautiful and young-about 22 years old-but she was old at the same time. She seemed to carry the wisdom, virtue and grace of Proverbs 31 on her life.

I believe Emma released a financial and prophetic anointing in that place. That was the first angel that I have ever seen in the form of a woman. Some angels I’ve seen seemed like they were neither male nor female. However, Emma appeared as a woman who was like a Deborah, like a mother in Zion. When she came, she began to mentor, nurture and opened up a prophetic well. The people in the church began having trances and visions and the pastor began getting words of knowledge and moving in healing. That congregation also saw more financial breakthrough than they had ever seen before.” 

She glided into the room, emitting brilliant light and colors. Emma carried these bags and began pulling gold out of them. Then, as she walked up and down the aisles of the church, she began putting gold dust on people. “God, what is happening?” I asked. The Lord answered: “She is releasing the gold, which is both the revelation and the financial breakthrough that I am bringing into this church. I want you to prophecy that Emma showed up in this service-the same angel that appeared in Kansas city-as a sign that I am endorsing and releasing a prophetic spirit in the church.” See, when angels come, they always come for a reason; we need to actually ask God what the purpose is. Within three weeks of that visitation, the church had given me the biggest offering I had ever received to that point in my ministry. Thousands of dollars! Thousands! Even though the entire community consisted of only three thousand people, weeks after I left the church the pastor testified that the church offerings had either doubled or tripled.  Source.

Now here is an excerpt from Todd Bentley’s book, “Reality of the Supernatural World,” where Emma’s name is removed, and the angel is referred to as a “he.”

“A while ago, Bob Jones told me about an angel that helped birth the entire prophetic movement in Kansas City in the 1980s. The Lord had sent this angel to help nurture the prophetic ministry (and gift), at a time when it was being re-established in the modern-day church in North America.

“He carried bags and pulled gold out of them. Then as he walked up and down the aisles, he put gold dust on people. “God, what is happening?” The Lord answered that the angel was releasing gold, which represents both the revelation and the financial breakthrough that He was bringing into that church. At the Lord’s direction, I announced that the same angel that appeared in Kansas City had showed up in the meeting as a sign that the Lord was endorsing and releasing a prophetic spirit in the church.” 

“A few weeks after our conversation, I attended a church service in Beulah, North Dakota. In the middle of the meeting an angel glided in. As I stared wide-eyed at the angel, I heard the Lord tell me that this was the same angel that was involved with the prophetic movement in Kansas City. The angel floated a couple of inches off the floor emitting a brilliant light and colors. He appeared young–about 22 years old–but old at the same time. It was as though he carried the wisdom, virtue, and grace of Proverbs 31.  Source.

According to Bentley in the first quote, God both referred to Emma as a “she” and by her name…Emma.  If that was God truly speaking to Him, wouldn’t it be the height of sin to change her sex, and to remove her name?  Of course, if Bentley made it up and God didn’t really speak to him, then it wouldn’t bother him to change words supposedly spoken by the Lord.

But, I digress.  My point and conclusion is that Bentley consistently tells what can be considered as untruths, or lies.  To simply remove the name and sex of the angel is a bit deceptive, but I could understand him doing that in the light of controversy.  I don’t agree with it, but I understand it.  However, he did more than just remove the angel’s name and change a few personal pronouns; he changed the angel’s sex from a “she” to a “he.”  That is what we call a blatant lie.

So, in closing, I’m no longer willing to give Bentley the benefit of the doubt.  Just through the two examples above he has shown that he is inconsistent with the truth, and is willing to rewrite the past in order to further his agenda.  The fact that this doesn’t trouble his followers frustratrates me beyond belief.  When someone’s story constantly changes, or when they’ve been caught in a blatant lie, it insists that the person is deceptive and can not be trusted…especially with something so dear as God’s Word.

Do we or do we not expect our ministers to be honest and trustworthy?  If they aren’t blameless and above reproach, then they carry no credibility.  To be blunt, Todd Bentley lied…more than once.  Where is the accountability?

Note:  I would like to thank Endtimes Prophetic Words for posting the source article where I got the above information.