Many have called or written to inquire what our position is regarding Todd Bentley, Fresh Fire Ministries, and the Lakeland "Revival."
While Dave and T. A. have not written specifically to critique Mr. Bentley's ministry or address the current phenomenon in Lakeland, Florida, they have written extensively on the matters that directly relate to the foundation of Todd's techniques and source of inspiration.
Topics they have addressed repeatedly since the 1980s include: charismatic and evangelical mysticism, the incursion of New Age metaphysics and mind-science occultism into the church, New Spirituality, spiritism, divination, visualization, inner healing techniques, false signs and wonders, false christs, false prophets, false teachers, humanistic psychology, contemplative spirituality, the fallacies of so-called "strategic level spiritual warfare," Kingdom-Now and Kingdom-Dominion theology, false revivals, and other related concerns.
These terms and topics may be researched on our website, and are also found in many books by Dave Hunt and/or T.A. McMahon, including The Seduction of Christianity, which explores and explains the roots of mind-science occultism (illumination and mysticism) prevalent in both charismatic and postmodern teachings; and Occult Invasion, which includes chapters on "Charismatic/Evangelical Occultism," and "Spiritual Warfare and Revival." The former has been in print by Harvest House publishers since 1985; the latter is scheduled for re-release this fall from TBC.
Our general assessment of the events and reported phenomena now occuring in Lakeland--and wherever Todd Bentley and a host of associated neo-prophetic and neo-apostolic "revivalists" gather--is that while the human containers have changed, the ancient doctrines dispensed from these containers have not. What we are witnessing is nothing "new" but simply a perpetuation and expansion of the "Toronto Blessing" and the "Pensacola Outpouring" that is partly fueled by viral marketing (aided greatly by the internet) and self-fulfilling predictions that encourage "hungry" sign-seeking believers to mass-migrate to Benny Hinn-style events.
