Sienna Rhodes
Bethel Church, led by Pastors Bill and Beni Johnson, is one of the most influential charismatic churches in the world, impacting the worship practices, theological beliefs, and spiritual expectations of numerous churches and believers globally. The church has been criticized for its teachings, which depart significantly from biblical doctrine, promoting extra-biblical revelation, modern-day apostles and prophets, Word of Faith theology, and spiritual practices not rooted in Scripture. The church runs a ministry training center called the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, where students are taught to do the Bible and perform miracles. While Bethel Church emphasizes worship and miracles, its teachings have been deemed misleading and unbiblical by some, leading to calls for repentance and separation.
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What You'll Learn
Extra-biblical revelation
Bethel Church, a charismatic megachurch in Redding, California, is known for its popular music label, worship music, and the teachings of its controversial senior pastors, Bill and Beni Johnson. The church has been criticised for promoting extra-biblical revelation, modern-day apostles and prophets, Word of Faith theology, and spiritual practices not rooted in Scripture.
Bill Johnson, in his book 'Dreaming with God', writes:
> "It’s difficult to get the same fruit as the early Church when we value a book they didn’t have more than the Holy Spirit they did have. It’s not Father, Son and Holy Bible."
This view of Scripture, elevating modern revelation over the written Word, is a common criticism of Bethel Church. Johnson's teachings suggest that the Bible is either incomplete or insufficient, and that the words of modern-day prophets are necessary to supplement it. This is reflected in the church's emphasis on signs, wonders, and miracles, such as healing and deliverance, as evidence of a "real" gospel ministry.
Bethel Church's teachings on extra-biblical revelation include the belief that humans can speak things into existence by faith or even command God to do so. For example, at a Prophetic Fire Conference in 2008, Johnson told his audience to command God to "speak health into that hip" of someone with a degenerative condition. This belief in the power of words to create material objects is not only unbiblical but is also considered blasphemous by some.
Bethel Church also claims to frequently encounter unexplained phenomena during their services and in their everyday lives, such as falling gold dust, "angel" feathers, and a "glory cloud." While the church interprets these phenomena as signs of God's presence, critics argue that they are not supported by Scripture and reflect a low view of Scripture.
In summary, Bethel Church's promotion of extra-biblical revelation, as reflected in its elevation of modern revelation over the Bible, its emphasis on miracles and signs, and its interpretation of unexplained phenomena, is a significant point of controversy and has led to criticism from those who argue for a more traditional, biblical approach to Christian theology and practice.
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Modern-day apostles and prophets
Bethel Church in Redding, California, led by Bill Johnson, is one of the most influential charismatic churches in the world. It is a nondenominational church with approximately 9,000 members. The church has been criticised for its teachings, which depart significantly from biblical doctrine.
Bethel Church affirms the existence of modern-day apostles and prophets, which is a core belief of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. They believe in the restoration of apostles and prophets as governing offices in the Church. This belief is based on the interpretation that the early Church was led by apostles and prophets, and that their authority is preserved in Scripture.
The Bible mentions the word "apostle" 70 times in the New Testament, and there are 25 named apostles. Apostles are seen as those who have been called by God to a specific purpose or mission. Similarly, the word "prophet" is mentioned 122 times in the New Testament, indicating the importance of prophecy in the early Church. Prophets are those who speak on behalf of God, delivering His message to the people.
Bethel Church's affirmation of modern-day apostles and prophets is part of their emphasis on spiritual experiences and the power of Christians, especially in healing. They believe that healing and deliverance are evidence of a "real" gospel ministry and that physical healing was purchased in the atonement of Christ. This belief in guaranteed healing is supported by Johnson's statement, "There's no disease Jesus wouldn’t have healed." However, critics argue that while healing may happen, it is not guaranteed in this life.
Bethel Church's teachings on modern-day apostles and prophets, extra-biblical revelation, and guaranteed healing have led to warnings for Christians to avoid their resources and test everything by Scripture.
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Word of Faith theology
Bethel Church teaches that faith can bring about physical healing, and that this healing was purchased by Christ's atonement. This is a core part of their teachings, and is reflected in their statement of faith:
> "We believe in the victorious, redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides freedom from the power of the enemy – sin, lies, sickness, and torment."
Bethel Church also teaches that humans can command God to act, and that God's will is always to heal. This is reflected in a quote from Bill Johnson, a leader of the church:
> "How can God choose not to heal someone when He already purchased their healing? [...] When He bore stripes in His body He made a payment for our miracle. He already decided to heal. You can’t decide not to buy something after you’ve already bought it."
The Word of Faith theology also includes the belief in modern-day apostles and prophets, and extra-biblical revelation. This means that the teachings of modern prophets are seen as being on par with the Bible, and even that the Bible is incomplete without these additions. This has led to accusations that Bethel Church has a low view of Scripture, and that they undermine the sufficiency of Scripture.
Bethel Church also teaches that Christians should seek visceral encounters with Jesus, and that there should be a focus on the power of Christians, especially in healing. This has led to the criticism that Bethel Church omits discussion of important gospel issues, and elevates less important issues.
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Grave soaking
Bethel Church in Redding, California, has been criticised for its teachings, which some characterise as "suspect" or "heretical". The church is led by Pastors Bill and Beni Johnson, and is considered one of the most influential charismatic churches in the world. The church has been accused of promoting extra-biblical revelation, modern-day apostles and prophets, Word of Faith theology, and spiritual practices not rooted in Scripture.
One such practice is "grave soaking" or "grave sucking", which has been documented by students of the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM). This practice involves visiting the graves of famous Christians and engaging in spiritual activities such as worshipping, praying, and singing. The goal is to receive an "impartation" or "mantle" of the deceased person's anointing or spiritual power.
Some former BSSM students have shared their experiences with grave soaking, describing it as a traumatic part of their childhood. They recall being taken to graveyards by their parents and witnessing their parents engaging in grave soaking practices. These students refused to participate, finding it strange and uncomfortable.
While the church has denied teaching grave soaking, there is evidence suggesting that it was encouraged in the past. For example, a former BSSM student shared that during their time at the school from 2003 to 2006, they were encouraged to go to graves and pray for the dead to rise. Additionally, screenshots and archived web pages indicate that references to grave soaking were removed from the Bethel or BSSM website.
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Manufactured miracles
Bethel Church in Redding, California, is one of the most influential charismatic churches in the world. It is led by controversial pastors Bill and Beni Johnson, who became leaders of the church in 1996. The church is known for its popular music label, Bethel Music, and its teachings.
Bethel Church has been criticised for promoting extra-biblical revelation, modern-day apostles and prophets, Word of Faith theology, and spiritual practices not rooted in Scripture. The church has also been associated with certain phenomena interpreted as manifestations of God's presence and glory, including "glory clouds", gold dust, and "angel feathers".
Bethel Church focuses on manufactured miracles. It teaches that all miracles described in the Bible can be performed by believers today, including faith healing of everything from curing cancer to regrowing limbs, raising the dead, speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and prophecy. The church's Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry is a three-year full-time program where students learn to perform miracles and prophesy.
The school's website states that students will learn how to "do" the Bible, practice the presence of God, witness, heal the sick, prophesy, preach, pray, cast out demons, and more. Bethel teaches that physical healing was purchased in the atonement of Christ and that it is always God's will to heal. According to Bill Johnson, "How can God choose not to heal someone when He already purchased their healing?".
Critics argue that Bethel's teachings on miracles and healing are biblically inaccurate and misleading. They warn that the church's focus on manufactured miracles and extra-biblical revelation undermines the sufficiency of Scripture and leads people into confusion and even spiritual harm. Some former members have shared their experiences of spiritual abuse and demonic influence within the church.
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Frequently asked questions
No. While Bethel Church uses Christian language and emphasizes worship and miracles, its teachings and practices depart significantly from biblical doctrine. Bethel promotes extra-biblical revelation, modern-day apostles and prophets, Word of Faith theology, and spiritual practices not rooted in Scripture.
Some aberrant practices, such as "grave soaking" or "grave sucking," have been documented at Bethel Redding. Bethel Redding has also become associated with certain phenomena that are interpreted by the leadership and the congregation as manifesting the presence and glory of God, including the appearance of "glory clouds", gold dust, and "angel feathers" falling from the ceiling.
Christians should avoid Bethel's resources, test everything by Scripture, worship biblically, and gently warn others caught in doctrinal error.
