Bill Johnson, the Bethel Cult in Redding California
The warnings for this church group should raise red flags for anyone involved with this movement!
The theology promoted by Bill Johnson (Senior Pastor at Bethel), along with teachers like Kris Vallotton, is what should be raising red flags for Bethel Church members and anyone looking at this group!
What these men teach is a far cry from orthodox Christianity. This movement falls more in line with the "Word Faith," "Signs & Wonders," New Age Mysticism, Hypnotherapy, and the "Prosperity Gospel" movements. These teachers are embracing such teachings as:
1. The demotion of God and the deification of man.
2. One can become a god, heal one's self and others.
3. Johnson teaches that Jesus was simply a man Who was somehow spiritually connected to God.
3. Jesus became sinful and had to be born again.
4. That Jesus went to hell.
5. Bethel's association with the New Apostolic Reformation embraces the many false teachings coming from this group, such as its modern Gnosticism. These include the teachings of the "Latter Rain", with self-appointed prophets like Bob Jones. Mr. Jones is reported to have had women come into his office and disrobe in front of him in order to get a supposed word from God.
6. A failure to heal is caused by a lack of faith.
This news from Bethel in 2010 should raise even more concerns:
"Rather than call police when their drinking partner fell — or was pushed — off a nearly 200-foot cliff, two students at a Redding Bible school tried first to reach the severely wounded man and pray him back to life, a lawsuit alleges." (Source)
"Angel feathers,"' "diamonds," and "gold dust" have also been reported to appear suddenly in services.
When "angel feathers" first started to fall at Bethel Church, Bill Johnson thought birds had nested in the air conditioning ducts, he said. (Source)
Bill Johnson responded apathetically to the gold glitter cloud that appeared at Bethel in 2009. Yet he deemed it a manifestation of the glory of the Lord.
(Source)
