WARNING This post is long, but I would really love it if you could try and read all of it, /u/ElliotSwattidge.
I really love many principles of the Orthodox Church and hope you find much peace there! Thank you again for your thoughts!
First, thanks so much for this. I think that not only how you are responding to criticism of Bethel, but also statements like this, show a lot about who you are. From the bottom of my heart, God bless you.
I want to tackle a few things that you said, because I'd like to offer an alternate side to them. First, when I hear that Bethel had a sermon about not belittling other Christians because of their beliefs, I'm apt to believe that there's more going on. Allow me to explain.
In my experience and understanding of how Bethel operates, what's taking place here may honest to goodness be an expression of not belittling others for their beliefs. Unfortunately, from what I gather, what's driving that mindset isn't full blown love and grace, rather an attitude of "we know we have the truth, so we need to be a light to those other Christians around us so that we can share the truth with them".
Further, there's a lot of really terrible stuff that comes out of that place. Jenn Johnson, for instance, has compared the Holy Spirit to the "genie in Aladdin", going as far as to even say in her comparison between the two, "...and he's blue". I don't know if she actually believes that, but regardless, there's a point where you are speaking pretty terribly about God.
Or what of the practices of "Grave Sucking" (I want to puke even typing that term), shown in this video? And it's not that this guy is some rogue Bethel follower; he's simply demonstrating a practice that Bill Johnson clearly subscribes to (and seems to have somewhat "invented"). Here are Johnson's own words on "Grave Sucking":
There are anointings, mantles, revelations and mysteries that have lain unclaimed, literally where they were left because the generation that walked in them never passed them on. I believe it’s possible for us to recover realms of anointing, realms of insight, realms of God that have been untended for decades simply by choosing to reclaim them and perpetuate them for future generations.
None of what he's saying here is remotely Biblical. Like, what in the hell is he talking about? This is straight up heretical. Here's his wife taking part in the bullshit. I'm not one who goes around screaming "Witch!!!" or claiming that everything is somehow "worshipping the dead", and fact, I've maybe only ever seen like a small handful of things that I think legitimately fall into this category of deep idolatry and sin (save things that their practitioners straight up claim to be as such).
Or what about Bill Johnson's subscription kenosis (the belief that Jesus was only man while on Earth). This wild misinterpretation of [Phillipians 2:7] is categorically heretical. This is the exact stuff that the First Council of Nicaea combatted, as well as portions of the six Ecumenical Councils that followed. The hypostatic union of Christ was one of the very first points of formal doctrine formed by the Church.
As a final example (that is admittedly much more tame than the aforementioned points), please take a look at a quote by Dan McCollam, one of the worship pastors at The Mission in Vacaville, California, and is the director of the Mission School of Worship there. While the quote is short, it shows the complete lack of rooting in reality and understanding, both Biblical and traditional:
*You are 8 times more likely to remember a song you sang at church vs. the sermon. We [worship leaders/pastors] are the theologians. *
No, no you're not. It takes a very special type of arrogance to make this claim. I take great issue with modern worship music (and hate that we call singing shitty, shallow songs "worship"), and this is part of the reason why. The arrogance of 90% of worship leaders and pastors I've ever met or heard speak is astounding.
We have to record of Paul, the greatest theologian ever, "leading worship" or writing songs. The only account we have of him singing is in Acts 16:25, though it was simply Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns at about midnight. It was late, and it was just them.
Last I checked, C.S. Lewis wasn't a worship leader and songwriter, and was in fact critical of the delivery of worship music (see On Church Music). The saints did not "lead worship". They were too busy feeding the poor. They may have sang songs together, but the institutionalization of church music would probably have most of them speaking strong words against it.
This list can go on. We can talk about gold dust, angel feathers, and diamonds. We can talk about the violation of Paul's call to an orderly worship (which is by no means specific to Bethel).
Remember, all of this is in the driver's seat of Jesus Culture's musical message. They are Bethel worship, so this is what's backing it. I admit that there are some decent musicians amongst Jesus Culture, but that doesn't make what they say anymore valuable or good. It just means that they may be able to make some OK.
At the end of the day, though, they are participating in hype and hysteria. They are writing the soundtrack to Bethel's heresy.
So, I challenge you OP, to tell me why Bethel and Jesus Culture should be defended? Why should you, or anyone else, defend "Grave Sucking", the heresies that were defined in the Councils (and specifically to kenosis, the Council of Chalcedon)?
In my estimation, Bethel is the exact type of place that needs to be criticized, and don't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to being defended. Too often we see folks saying "well, it's not all bad", like that supposed to mean a blind eye gets turned. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Sometimes that's the case. When a church like Bethel, however, is clearly misleading people with heresy, idolatry, narcissism (because they are the epitome of the "Me-God" teachings), hype, and hysteria, then there's a hell of a lot more room for criticism and virtually no room for defense.
Please, OP, be careful. Don't get sucked into the Christian thing where because someone sounds nice and kind of talks about Jesus (or says "In Jesus' name" at the end of everything), then they are without a doubt Biblical Christians and should always be defended.
Sorry again for the wall of text. I'm interested to hear your response.
