Bethel Church (Redding, California)

By Holly Pivec

Pastor: Bill Johnson (became pastor in 1996) Founded: 1954 Associated with: Bethel Music; Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry; Bethel Leaders Network HISTORY Bethel Church became incorporated with the Assemblies of God denomination in 1954.1 In 1996, Bill Johnson, the current senior leader, accepted the senior pastor position after having pastored at another Assemblies of God church in nearby Weaverville, California. Johnson accepted, with one, non-negotiable condition: that his focus would always be the pursuit of revival, which in his view was inseparable from a pursuit of miracles.2 As a result of the more extreme emphases Johnson planned to bring to the church, about half of the 2,000-member congregation left.3 But soon after Johnson took the helm, alleged miracles – including healings of cases of cancer – reportedly began to occur.4 In 2006, Johnson led Bethel Church in a vote to leave the Assemblies of God and established it as an independent, non-denominational church. In a statement explaining the vote, Johnson wrote, “Our call feels unique enough theologically and practically from the call on the Assemblies of God that this change is appropriate.”5 Today, the congregation has more than 11,000 people, and the church is raising money to build a new $96 million campus. Healings and miracles occur regularly at the church, according to Johnson.6 It is often described as a “charismatic” church; but its teachings go far outside the bounds of classic charismatic teaching. INFLUENCE AND CONTROL Bethel is one of the most popular and controversial churches in the United States. It is best known for its music label, Bethel Music, which has produced some of today’s most popular Christian songs – used in worship services across the nation. The church is also notable for its Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM), which has an annual enrollment of more than 2,400 students from around the world.7 And Bethel actively recruits pastors to join the Bethel Leaders Network (BLN), an “apostolic family” of church leaders who desire to “belong to the Bethel family.”8 These leaders share the church’s commitment to a pursuit of revival and miraculous signs and wonders. Through the BLN, BSSM, Bethel Music, conferences, television, books, and social media, Bethel has spread its peculiar teachings and practices to churches worldwide. Along with its popularity, a cloud of controversy also surrounds Bethel – due, in part, to video footage of a mysterious, glittery “Glory Cloud” that made appearances during the church’s worship services in 2011 and 2012.9 Bethel followers saw in the cloud a sign of God’s presence, but some critics suggested that it was a staged publicity stunt.10 Another controversy ensued after pictures circulated online showing Bethel students and staff members taking part in a practice known as “grave soaking” or “grave sucking.”11 The chaotic “fire tunnels” at the church’s meetings have also garnered criticism.12 Additionally, a growing number of individuals have claimed to experience spiritual abuse and relational damage because of the church, including a former BSSM student, Lindsay Davis, who claims she was expelled from the school after publicly speaking out about it. And Dirk and Joan Miller claim they “lost” their daughter, Caitlin, after individuals at the church counseled her to break off contact with them.13 Bethel stirred up more controversy in December 2019. The church made national news after mobilizing its followers worldwide in “declaring” a resurrection for a two-year-old girl who died unexpectedly.14 After nearly a week of making declarations, the girl was not raised. Bethel’s declarations also failed to end the Covid-19 pandemic and the Carr Fire that devastated Northern California in 2018 – causing critics to challenge the validity of Bethel’s declarations.15 Bethel Church, page 2

DISTINCTIVE TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES Bethel’s teachings and practices align with those of a larger, global movement known as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). The leaders of this aberrant movement claim God has restored authoritative apostles and prophets to the church so they can give new divine revelation that Christians need to develop miraculous powers, take dominion of society, and set up God’s kingdom on earth.16 Johnson is one of the most influential of these present-day apostles.17 Bringing Heaven to Earth: Bethel’s hallmark teaching is that it is the task of the church to “bring heaven to earth.”18 In other words, Christians’ primary assignment is to make earth an unqualified reflection of heaven (where there is no sin, sickness, disease, etc.).19 The primary passage of Scripture Johnson points to is the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Of this prayer, Johnson writes: When we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” we’re praying for the King’s dominion and will to be realized right here, right now. . .. What is free to operate in Heaven – joy, peace, wisdom, health, wholeness, and all the other good promises we read about in the Bible – should be free to operate here on this planet, in your home, your church, your business, and your school. What is not free to operate there – sickness, disease, spiritual bondage, and sin – should not be free to operate here, period. That, in a nutshell, is our assignment as believers on earth.”20 Binding and Loosing Prayer: Johnson believes the Lord’s Prayer models a specific type of prayer known as “binding and loosing.” This type of prayer is believed to “bind” (or forbid) the works of Satan, including sickness, addictions, fear, troubled family relationships, and poverty. It also seeks to “loose” (or permit) God’s blessings, including health, peace of mind, strong marriages, successful businesses, and abundant finances. Indeed, Johnson claims the Lord’s Prayer shows that binding and loosing prayer is “the focus for all prayer.”21 He claims that believers’ authorization to bind and loose is found in Matthew 16:19, when Jesus gives Peter, one of his twelve disciples, the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.”22 According to Johnson, believers exercise their authority to bind and loose through their spoken words. In faith, they make verbal affirmations that are believed to be in line with God’s will and that release his power to create their desired reality. In much the way God spoke and brought the world into existence, believers today – who are created in the image of God – also have the power to bring things into existence through their spoken affirmations.23 These affirmations are known as declarations. Johnson teaches that declarations are more effective than traditional prayer because it is not necessary to petition God for something he has already authorized believers to do themselves.24 Johnson also claims Jesus’ words in Mark 11:23 teach verbal declarations.25 Activating Miraculous Gifts: Another core teaching of Bethel is that miraculous gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12 – including the gifts of prophesying, healing and speaking in tongues – can be “activated” in any Christian who desires them. The belief that miraculous gifts can be activated is the driving force behind many of Bethel’s classes, conferences, and programs, including the curriculum of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. BSSM is a center to train miracle workers. Its own students refer to it, fondly, as the “Christian Hogwarts.”26 How are BSSM students activated with miraculous gifts, such as prophesying? One way they are activated with a prophetic gift is by taking part in “prophetic activation exercises.” One such exercise involves inviting individuals who have never prophesied before to come to the front of a classroom. Those individuals are instructed to choose someone in the class they don’t know and say whatever comes to mind as a prophetic word for that person – as long as their words are “positive” and “life-affirming.” They are encouraged not to filter their words, but to say out loud what first popped into their head – even if it seems strange or doesn’t make sense to them.27 In another prophetic activation exercise, members of a class are placed in pairs. One member of each pair is told to close their eyes so they don’t know who their partner is. That member is told to ask God specific questions about their partner, such as “Is the person standing behind me male or female?”, “What color top is he wearing?”, “What month is her birthday?”, “What color eyes does he have?”, and “What is his favorite movie?” Then they open their eyes and share the answers they received from God with their partners.28 Students are told not to worry if the answers are mistaken because they will grow in their prophetic gift. After BSSM students are activated with miraculous gifts, they’re trained to go to churches, where they activate others. Governing Apostles and Prophets: Ungirding all Bethel’s distinctive teachings and practices is the central tenet of the New Apostolic Reformation – that present-day apostles and prophets must hold formal, governing offices in the church. This belief sets Bethel and the NAR movement apart from the views of other mainstream Christian churches. Bethel Church, page 3

Christians typically don’t believe that contemporary apostles and prophets must govern churches. Even those who believe that the miraculous gifts are still active in the church today, historically have not believed that there are prophets and apostles who hold specially recognized positions in church government. Bethel’s belief in governing apostles and prophets is clearly sated on the church website: “We embrace the biblical government of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.”29 The statement reflects the NAR “fivefold ministry” belief that the biblical government of the church is to consist of five, authoritative offices – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. Furthermore, in NAR, it is imperative that all Christians come into proper “alignment” with (or submission to) the fivefold ministry leaders, including especially the apostles and prophets. According to NAR, these are the two offices specifically authorized by God to give new revelation. Christians who align with apostles and prophets will come under their “spiritual covering,” meaning they will receive the spiritual protection and divine blessings promised to those who submit to God-given authority.30 Even pastors and other church leaders are expected to submit to the authority of apostles and prophets. These teachings about fivefold ministry, alignment, and spiritual covering can be seen in an information packet given to pastors who are interested in joining the BLN. It states, “Experience the blessing of alignment and spiritual covering with Bethel’s apostolic five-fold ministry leaders, such as Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and other fathers and mothers of the Bethel and BLN family.”31 The advertisement makes clear that a benefit of joining the network is the “spiritual covering” that is promised to church leaders who come into “alignment” with Bethel Church’s leaders, most notably the church’s chief apostle, Johnson, and its chief prophet, Vallotton.32 CHRISTIAN RESPONSE One common response can be given to all Bethel’s distinctive teachings and practices, as outlined above: they cannot be supported by Scripture. Bringing Heaven to Earth: Johnson teaches that it is the task of the church – indeed its primary task – to bring heaven to earth. Yet, historically, Christians have found their greatest assignment in the Great Commission, recounted in Matthew 28. But in contrast to the traditional — and most natural understanding — of Jesus’ commission, Johnson views Jesus’ assignment in Matthew 28:16-20 through the same lens he uses on the Lord’s Prayer: it is a commission to bring heaven to earth.33 This tortured reading of the prayer gives no indication of such a commission. Binding and Loosing Prayer: Johnson’s view of prayer could be related to His belief that God will give the church new understandings in the last days.34 Nothing in Matthew 16:19 – a key verse for Johnson’s argument – permits the idea that the authority to “bind” and “loose” consists in the authority to bind sickness and poverty or loose health and finances. This verse does not speak of prayer at all. No interpreters – apart from leaders in the prosperity/Word of Faith movement and the New Apostolic Reformation – have understood Matthew 16:19 this way. Rather, they have seen it as confirming the authority of church leaders to administer church discipline and to have the power to regular the internal affairs of the church.35 Johnson also misinterprets and misapplies Jesus’ words in Mark 11:23. It is true that “moving mountains” was a common Jewish metaphor for the removal of seemingly impossible situations. But, in light of Jesus’ fuller teaching, this verse teaches one to have faith in God to answer prayers. The type of prayer in view here is clearly petitionary. The emphasis is on the role of faith in effective, petitionary prayer – not declarations. Activating Miraculous Gift: The concept of activating the miraculous gifts is foreign to the New Testament. The apostle Paul wrote that the miraculous gifts are exactly that – gifts. They are not powers that can be learned by taking part in prophetic activation exercises or enrolling in classes in the BSSM. Gifts are distributed directly by the Holy Spirit to individuals as He alone decides (1 Cor. 12:11). They cannot be acquired by individuals at will. The apostle Paul makes it very clear that not all can have each of these gifts. Bethel’s teaching that the miraculous gifts can be activated in any who desire them directly conflicts with Scripture. Furthermore, many of the types of prophecy promoted during BSSM’s prophetic activation exercises have no biblical precedent. Using the biblical standard the act should not be viewed as genuine prophecy. Never do prophets in the Bible engage in playing prophetic guessing games. Nor are they shown seeking revelation about matters as trivial as people’s birthdates, clothing colors, or eye colors. Governing Apostles and Prophets: The Bible also does not support Bethel’s teaching that a biblical form of church government must consist of present-day apostles and prophets. The Bethel website does not cite any biblical passage in support of their teaching; it simply asserts it.36 But the key verse that NAR leaders typically point to, in support of this teaching, is Ephesians 4:13 (also Ephesians 2:20 and 1 Corinthians 12:28). The passage does not state that these individuals must hold governing offices or even that these are governing offices. Bethel Church, page 4

Scripture indicates that the governing office of apostle was temporary. Christ’s twelve apostles were explicitly commissioned by Christ – both before and following his resurrection (Matt. 10:1-7 and Acts 1:8).37 The apostle Paul was the last individual to whom the resurrected Lord appeared to (1 Cor. 15:8). Since seeing the resurrected Christ is a requirement for apostleship (1 Cor. 9:1), Paul seemed to view himself as being the last and final apostle of Christ. Additionally, Scripture gives no instructions for appointing future apostles, and no indication that any should be recognized following the deaths of the apostles of Christ. But it does provide instructions for the appointments of elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9). If God intended for apostles to govern the church in the next and every later generation, as Bethel claims, then surely the authors of Scripture would have made this clear. As far as prophets go, there is simply no evidence that New Testament prophets held governing offices in the early churches. Other than the apostles of Christ, who held an exclusive office, the only two church officers clearly seen in the New Testament are elders (also called overseers) and deacons. Thus, the idea that present-day prophets must govern churches also lacks scriptural support.

Notes 1 John C. Peterson, “Bethel Church (Redding, California),” World Religions and NAR teaching that apostles and prophets must govern the church. Spirituality Project, accessed May 30, 2020. https://wrldrels.org/2017/04/28/bethel- 18 Bill Johnson, Hosting the Presence: Unveiling Heaven’s Agenda (Shippensburg, PA: church-redding-california/. Destiny Image Publishers, 2012), 88, Kindle. 2 “Bill,” Bill Johnson Ministries, accessed May 30, 2020, 19 Johnson’s teaching aligns with dominion theology – the view that the church is to take https://web.archive.org/web/20181101093020/http://bjm.org/bill/. dominion over society and establish God’s earthly kingdom before Christ returns 3 Brad Christerson and Richard Flory, The Rise of Network Christianity: How (Johnson promotes a version of this theology which is called “Kingdom Now” that Independent Leaders Are Changing the Religious Landscape (New York: Oxford develops the idea of how dominion is to take place). University Press, 2017), 35-36, Kindle. 20 Johnson, The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind Expanded Edition: Access to 4 “Bill,” Bill Johnson Ministries, a Life of Miracles (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2014), 26. Johnson believes that https://web.archive.org/web/20181101093020/http://bjm.org/bill/. God will always heal a person of sickness or disease, no exceptions. Bill Johnson, God 5 Bill Johnson, “Bethel and the Assemblies of God,” iBethel.org, is Good: He Is Better Than You Think (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2016), 135. https://web.archive.org/web/20110701134709/http://www.ibethel.org/bethel-and-the- 21 Bill Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth: A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles assemblies-of-god. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2003), 35. 6 “Bill,” Bill Johnson Ministries, accessed May 30, 2020, 22 Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth, 36. https://web.archive.org/web/20181101093020/http://bjm.org/bill/. 23 Johnson teaches that, since God made man in his image, and God “spoke the worlds 7 “Movement Impact,” Arise and Build, accessed May 30, 2020, into being,” then human beings have a similar ability, through their speech, to change https://web.archive.org/web/20200529183419/https://ariseandbuild.net/impact/. problematic situations. Bethel TV, Power of Confession, audio, 36:00, Jan. 20, 2019; 8 Bethel Leaders Network Information Packet, Bethel, accessed May 30, 2020, accessed May 30, 2020, https://www.bethel.tv/en/podcasts/sermons/episodes/320. https://www.bethel.com/content/uploads/2018/11/BLN_Information_Packet-3.pdf. 24 Johnson, When Heaven Invades Earth, 41-42. 9 Bethel TV, Glory Cloud at Bethel, YouTube video, 3:07, December 19, 2011, accessed 25 Johnson, God is Good, 212. May 30, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvJMPccZR2Y. 26 Molly Hensley-Clancy, “Meet the ‘Young Saints’ of Bethel Who Go to College to 10 “Bethel ‘Glory Cloud’ Caught on Camera: Underwhelming Video of Guy Blaspheming Perform Miracles,” BuzzFeed News, October 12, 2017, accessed May 30, 2020, God’s Name Before It,” PNP News, January 11, 2018, accessed May 30, 2020, buzzfeednews.com/article/mollyhensleyclancy/meet-the-young-saints-of-bethel-who- https://pulpitandpen.org/2018/01/11/bethel-glory-cloud-caught-on-camera- go-to-college-to. underwhelming-video-of-guy-blaspheming-gods-name-before-it/. 27 The author observed this particular prophetic activation exercise during an adult 11 This practice involves lying on, or leaning against, the graves of well-known miracle- Sunday School class attended at Bethel Church called “Firestarters.” See, “The workers. The purpose is to “suck” up or “soak” up the miracle workers’ powers. See, Problem with Bethel Redding’s Firestarters ‘Prophetic Activation’ Class, Part 1,” Spirit Raideragent, Bethel Church Soaking Up the “Anointing” of Dead Men, or Grave- of Error, June 27, 2017, accessed May 30, 2020, Sucking, YouTube video, 5:45, December 9, 2011, accessed May 30, 2020, http://www.spiritoferror.org/2017/06/the-problem-with-the-firestarters-prophetic- https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=124&v=LrHPTs8cLls. activation-class-at-bethel-redding/6727. 12 The Outlet Church, Tunnel of Fire at Bethel Church 01/20/2012, YouTube video, 0:59, 28 This exercise is one of many suggested on the “BSSM School Planting” page. January 21, 2012, accessed May 30, 2020, 29 “Our Mission,” Bethel Redding, https://www.bethelredding.com/about/our-mission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqGLJ0b5lh4. 30 See documentation for these teachings about apostles, as well as refutations, in my co- 13 Apologia Studios, Defecting from Bethel, YouTube video, 50:05, April 24, 2019, authored books, A New Apostolic Reformation? and God’s Super-Apostles. accessed May 30, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TlYGF1_kJg. Jan 31 Bethel Leaders Network Information Packet, Bethel.com, accessed May 30, 2020, Markell, Wolves Not Sparing the Flock (Part 1), YouTube video, 57:00, June 16, 2018, https://www.bethel.com/content/uploads/2018/11/BLN_Information_Packet-3.pdf. accessed May 30, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgc0cM_GTBc. 32 Kris Vallotton, School of the Prophets: Advanced Training for Prophetic Ministry 14 Holly Pivec, “What’s Being Missed With the ‘Waking’ of Olive at Bethel Church, (Bloomington, MN: Chosen Books, 2015), Chapter 1. Redding,” Spirit of Error, December 19, 2019, accessed May 30, 2020, 33 Johnson’s description of the Great Commission as a dominion mandate, When Heaven http://www.spiritoferror.org/2019/12/whats-being-missed-with-the-waking-of-olive-at- Invades Earth, 8, and The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind Expanded bethel-church-redding/8840. Edition, 31. 15 Holly Pivec, “The NAR Antidote to Coronavirus,” Spirit of Error, March 21, 2020, 34 Holly Pivec, “Why Bill Johnson Says the Bible Is Not Enough,” Spirit of Error, accessed May 30, 2020, http://www.spiritoferror.org/2020/03/the-nar-antidote-to- January 25, 2018, accessed May 30, 2020, http://www.spiritoferror.org/2018/01/why- coronavirus/9000; Theresa Dedmon, “Beauty for Ashes,” Theresa Dedmon, July 30, bill-johnson-says-the-bible-is-not-enough/7702. 2018, https://www.theresadedmon.com/blog/beauty-for-ashes. 35 Craig S. Keener, Matthew, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers 16 To learn more about NAR, see: R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec, A New Apostolic Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1997), 289. See also Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement (Wooster, OH: Weaver Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Book Company, 2014; reprint, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018). Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992), 427. 17 Johnson does not necessarily accept the NAR label for himself, yet he holds to the key 36 “Our Mission,” Bethel Redding, https://www.bethelredding.com/about/our-mission. 37 Matthias, who replaced Judas, was selected by casting lots (Acts 1:24-26).

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