A gathering of medical professionals who pray for their patients seems like a fantastic idea, in the right context. But there is more to Bethel Church’s upcoming Medical Healing Conference than meets the eye. The April event starring self-proclaimed “prophet” Bill Johnson invites medical professionals to experience Bethel and “marry the natural with the supernatural,” or the science of medicine with God.
You may be thinking, “Good! There’s nothing unbiblical about praying for patients or asking God to skillfully guide a surgeon’s hand.” And on this point I’d agree.
But this is no ordinary conference, and its goal, as you are about to see, is anything but biblical Christianity. I’d like to show you a glimpse behind the curtain.
If you know nothing about the dangerous unbiblical theology behind Bethel Church of Redding, Calif., and its lead pastor Bill Johnson, this report may surprise and concern you. I’ve included many links at the bottom of this article for you to begin to study and research why so many discerning Christians are warning and fleeing this movement. Please hold what you learn up to the light of truth in Scripture.
To “Pull Heaven to Earth”
First, the conference itself: In this video, Bethel conference organizer Paul Manwaring (remember this name), explains how the conference goes beyond medicine to spiritual impartations for attendees, and a how-to lesson on “pulling heaven to earth.”
Dr. David levy, M.D.
The Keynote speaker is Dr. David Levy, a Messianic Jewish surgeon from San Diego and author of Grey Matter, a book chronicling his introduction to praying for patients. I’ve reached out to Levy, hoping to alert him to what he is about to get into:
At 1:17 in the video, Manwaring says “He (Levy) is going to bring an impartation, that’s what this conference is about. It’s to activate an army of ministers who bring life where there’s death, and light where there’s darkness.”
Notice how it’s the conference participants who will bring life and light, rather than the true Life and Light of the world, Jesus Christ.
The “bringing heaven to earth” verbiage is part and parcel of the New Apostolic Reformation’s Kingdom Now or Dominionist movement, touting global revivals and taking over spheres of influence to hasten Jesus’ return to a better earth. That’s opposite of what Jesus teaches on the dismal condition of people and the rise of many false prophets before His return – in His timing.
Bethel’s Healers
Miracles and impartations are nothing new for false signs and wonders at Bethel, where Johnson has deceived many sheep with his many programs and schools:
- The School of Healing and Impartation run by Randy Clark, who played a catalytic role in the Toronto Blessing.
- The Bethel Healing Room and Healing School run by Kris Vallotto’s Bethel’s School of Supernatural graduate Chris Gore who uses Bethel’s mystical SOZO prayers to bring participants’ consciences to a different level to experience The Father
- Bethel’s slain-in-the-“spirit” Healing Crusades
- “Activating” the kids at Bethel Redding
Global Legacy Network
The Medical Healing conference itself is under the umbrella of the Health Care group within Bethel’s Global Legacy revival network. Here, network director explains the prophetic “word” Bill Johnson had that launched this global endeavor, which Manwaring says is purposefully without a statement of doctrine to contribute to worldwide revival.
Video Excerpt: “It’s not about all roads flowing back to Bethel; it’s about a flow out of Bethel that enables each one of you to be successful. It’s about revivalists everywhere. We have many people who are connected to us, who are doctors and business leaders, working the spheres of media and government.” Global Legacy’s Paul Manwaring
If these statements and links concern you and you would like to alert friends and study more about Bill Johnson’s Bethel movement, please save these links:
What does Bill Johnson teach?
Bill Johnson/Bethel Sermon Reviews (Chris Rosebrough, Fighting for the Faith)
Articles:
- Bethel Church endorses its “good friend Patricia King’s” Prophecy
- A Word about visions, voices, and convulsions
- Bethel Church’s “apostle” Bill Johnson: A comedy of errors, Part 1
- Bethel Church’s “Apostle” Bill Johnson: A comedy of errors, Part 2
- Victims of Johnson’s Sozo Ministry Speak Out
- Bethel’s Bill Johnson: “Jesus was so empty of Divine capacity…”
- The NEW Toronto: Bill Johnson’s Bethel church
- An Invasion of Error A Review of Bill Johnson—When Heaven Invades Earth by Bob DeWaay
- Are inner healing “SOZO,” and “Theophostic” ministries biblical?
- Activating the Kids at Bethel Redding
- The New Age Propensities of Bethel Church’s Bill Johnson
- When Bethel Invades Your Church
- Why I Must Speak Out Against the NAR and Bethel Church
- Bethel Church’s “apostle” Bill Johnson: A comedy of errors, Part 1
- Bethel Church’s “Apostle” Bill Johnson: A comedy of errors, Part 2
Bethel Church’s Music & Entertainment:
- Jesus Culture of Bethel Church and Practicing Raising the Dead – Ken Silva
- The “Jesus Culture” – a petri dish for growing young new heretics?
Watch And Weep [VIDEOS]:
- Bethel Church Tells Witch that She’s “On the Right Path” and “God is So Proud of Her!”
- Bill Johnson: “I’ve Never Seen Anything That Violent Before!”
- Bill Johnson’s Followers Imply: “He’s Equivalent to Jesus” and “The Apostles Were Pharisees”
- Try this Bethel Redding Snack Pack
- Gold dust rains at Bethel service
- Bethel Church DanceBethel Church children’s director and “trips to heaven, with kids”Creative Miracles at Bethel
- Bethel Church Dance
- Kundalini Spirit at Redding
- School of Worship – Prophetic Song
Read these White Papers on the New Apostolic Reformation and Contemplative Prayer
This article was originally published at BereanExaminer.com.
Thank you for this excellent article and all of the links. What a great resource this article is to people like me and others searching for hard evidence on Bethel’s false new age practices.
Two of my best friends – or rather former best friends sadly (since they refuse to talk to a Bible believing Christian) are lost in this movement. That was the reason I started studying the word intently to show myself approved so that I could test everything in the furnace of scripture. Below is my first effort at exposing the wickedness of this false movement:
http://followingjesuschrist3.com/2014/09/18/false-prophets-and-teachers/
I would not be too concerned because in Luke 9:49 we read about similar concerns: “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”Jesus said in Luke 9:50″Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
Ben – the problem is that they are not preaching the gospel message of Jesus Christ…the one that saves souls from hell. They do not care about the biblical message of sin, repentance and the cross of Christ. They simply like to show off their demonic superpowers. There is even a video of the famed Bethel “prophetess” in Turkey trying to heal a muslim lady. The turkish interpreter, who is a believer, asks her why she isn’t preaching the gospel (or giving her a Bible), and she says it isn’t necessary.
Do you not see? Hell will open wide for these people and their followers since they do not fall on their faces before the cross, believing, repenting and then following the biblical Jesus with their hearts. They all want to tell silly, vain stories, such as the Jesus Culture leader’s story about how She saw God the Father and he ripped a piece of his heart out and gave it to her (Kim Walker Smith). Doesn’t the Bible say that no one has ever seen the Father???(John 1:18, John 6:46) Yet she saw him – and he ripped out a piece of his heart for her. Hmmm. I wonder what spirit gave her that vision? No. Actually I don’t. Demons reign in Bethel and in IHOP, and millions all over the world will follow their wicked leaders into hell…where the worm never dies and the fire is never, ever quenched:
http://followingjesuschrist3.com/2014/12/28/hell-and-the-wrath-of-god-almighty-what-do-the-scriptures-say/
demons?
I think you are exaggerating.
So many christians are passive spectators, acting as besserwisser at the sideline of the action. I meet a few. They know better. But they really dont, they are theologians.
Their vision includes building large centers around the country where people can come for prayer and healing 24/7. They are training M.D.s and R.N.s to combine their medical expertise with the spiritual (occult) practices from Bethel Church, Redding. I think the time is ripe for people to be open to this because many occult mystical practices are already accepted and used in the medical field (such as energy healing, mindfulness, meditation, visualization, yoga).
I’m with Peter on this, I think the unknown is extremely scary for people in general. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to possibly consider that there are other ways to live and operate in the World. This may be something that is much more real then anyone can believe due to lack of faith. So as I read this I really began to feel the pull to the same old same old beloved SYSTEM that has just proven to be so affective as the World crumbles around us in disease and death and sickness! Yet here’s a group trying something new to not only improve the lives of those they do heal and they do touch but they are frankly doing the rest of this miserable place a favor. It’s contagious and I doubt anyone that has ever experienced the Spirit in any way whatsoever could not disagree. May we all be the lights that blast through the darkness and brings hope and the word of God BACK to Jesus’s Kingdom. God Bless
Trista:
That is a dangerous path of thought. God will never ever pour out his spirit in that type of community. He is not there, he has been crowded out.
This article is so silly! The things that are being picked apart are just the writer taking things out of context. Lol. I used to be like all you, always picking other people and ministries apart in the name of being a “discerning Christian.” I promise you guys, when you get freedom from your paranoia and actually start doing stuff that is advancing the kingdom of God, it’s so much better!!! Hope you all get to experience that!
So calling out error is wrong? Judgemental? Intolerant? I guess Paul was a paranoid person, he picked apart many so called teachers. We have been set free in Christ, not in man, if you read scripture you’d realize that we are all called to be discerning and warn of error. “Actually start doing stuff that is advancing the kingdom of God,” could you elaborate? What do we need to do to advance the kingdom of God?
Well said Amy, many cannot see it. I wonder if that is part of the delusion?
Witnessing delusion…sitting in a room watching a pastor instructing everyone how to “hear God” and teaching impartation to do signs and wonders. Everything in me is going, “danger, danger, why can’t they see it!” It’s that eerie feeling like the old movie where people are being replaced by alien pod people.
Of course, I said something; of course, no one listened to me.
Hi Maggie,
I was wondering if its part of the delusion God will send upon the world or the beginning of that illusion that will delude men into following the False Prophet and then the Antichrist at his revealing. It just bewilders me when I think about all the things happening in churchianity today, the open hostility against scripture by those that call themselves Christians. Theres a systemic attack on the veracity and the sufficiency of God’s word, this is exactly what Jesus and the apostles pointed to. Given the current state of geopolitics, economics, man made religions and Israel, well its not to hard to see where this is going fast.
I know what you mean, Manny. But also consider that the availability and sufficiency of the Bible, as well as the teaching of the true gospel, had been suppressed until the Reformation. Churchianity has been around a long time, and the Enemy just keeps recycling the old lies. Paul spoke about the super-apostles in his time and warned against being deceived by false teachers.
It is a good thing that the signs of Christ’s return are evident, as it keeps us alert and desiring that “none perish.” It is all in God’s timing and for His purposes.
I also found it very disturbing to hear the pastor say repeatedly that it is “fun” operating in the gifts of the Spirit. I’ve heard Bill Johnson say the same thing.
Manny, I definitely see the NAR and Word of Faith as delusion, the particular “working of error” that will lead people to believe a lie. The lie is that man can be as God. Both NAR and WoF teach this, to some degree. It’s not that most adherents would flat out say that they are “little gods,” but their attitudes and practices will lead to such an outcome.
It’s interesting that Mormons have been teaching this for 150 years and it was judged as heretical, but now it has become the norm through NAR and WoF because it has been repackaged. It’s all New Age, all of it. The wolves have crept in unawares and deceived many.
B, I so agree. They are using “secret” (occult) methods to “activate” what they think is the power of God. They are using the same methods of altered consciousness that all shamans, wiccans, and New Agers use to enter the spiritual (demonic) realm.
I do too. I’ve also noticed an uptick against scripture, it’s out in the open, people rebelling against God’s word under the excuse of social justice, errors in script, the necessity of scripture and embrace of apostasy, Universalism and inclusiveness…….”we are ALL God’s children.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
B and Maggie, take a quick look at what the kings of the East are doing! Along with the king of the North!
http://www.beltandroadforum.org/english/index.html
All the players are in place…….. Some crisis will ensue, a man will arise with an answer, the religious will follow!
“The steps may be small, but they’re all going in the same direction: away from a US/NATO-led world order and toward a world where there is a China/Russia-led alternative.
The latest example of this Chinese-led world order will be on display in Beijing in mid-May, when heads of state from 28 different nations convene the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. The forum comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity between China and a bevy of countries along China’s proposed trillion-dollar “Silk Road Economic Belt” and “Maritime Silk Road” known as the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI).
This diplomatic activity, much of which has been making headlines in recent weeks, includes:
A pledge to deepen cooperation between Greece and China as part of the BRI.
A commitment to strengthen ties between Egypt and China under the BRI framework.
An offer to involve India in the BRI, starting with the BRI forum in Beijing next month.
An agreement between Russia and China to “conjugate” their relationship in the BRI and in the Eurasian Economic Union.
And even, incredibly, an invitation for the US to join the “symphony” of the BRI and the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank .
India will be part of this……
Amy, my apologies for going off track, I just think it’s very interesting and important the way nations are living up as foretold, a clear indicators how little time we have left, and the urgency to get the Gospels to the unsaved.
Thank you for sharing the info, Manny. I have been aware for some time of the push for a one world order (like Tower of Babel). I guess this is a jockeying for the position of power in this scheme.
For the past year, I have been following a local supernatural school of healing. I see the trend to incorporate more socially credible practitioners like M.D.s and nurses, but the practices of impartation and the base teachings from Bethel/NAR are in place. The word “supernatural” is missing from the name of the healing school, as well. Over the course of the year, I have noticed more and more products (books, audio downloads) offered, as well as online and on-site training in their methods–all for a cost.
The M.D., along with an entourage from Bethel, travel to various churches in the area to offer healing and training. It is a mixture of current medical and NAR supernatural practices. I believe this speaks of the blurring that has already occurred between traditional Western medicine and the Eastern occult energy medicine: these are accepted practices in our society based on pragmatism.