Todd Bentley, Called an Adulterer by Fresh Fire Ministries

This is an update to an earlier blog, Todd Bentley: A portrait of Failure and Unfaithfulness. in which I commented on Mr. Bentley's unfaithfulness to his wife, Shonnah Bentley. On November 28, Fresh Fire released another letter which recaps the last few months. It seems that the wacky preacher who we have come to know and love (at least for the hilarious YouTube clips) has remained resolute in his intentions to divorce his wife and pursue a sinful relationship with his mistress:

While it has been maintained that no physical contact happened between Todd and the former female intern until after he filed for legal separation from Shonnah, in the Boards’ eyes, the nature of the present relationship between Todd and his former staff member is that of adultery.

The Fresh Fire Board should be commended for their hope that Todd will repent of his sin and that God will restore him. I personally hope that God does not restore him to whatever it was he was doing before. You know. The screaming, laughing (cackling really), pushing people over, the shaking on the ground, the gibberish, and the icing on the cake: pretending that the third person of the holy trinity was behind the chaos.

The Fresh Fire Board disapproves of some people who take exception to Todd's wayward lifestyle and extreme Pentecostal-isms:

How many believers have become almost vicious in their attack against Todd, demonizing not only him but his ministry and everything he has ever done? What sort of spirit do you think is behind this?

My reply: The Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is very disapproving of adultery (Ex. 20:14) and divorce (Mal. 2:16). God is a God of peace, not of confusion (disorder, NRSV, 1 Cor. 14:33). Bentley's life and ministry are not (and were not) characterized by order. In the letter the Fresh Fire board they recall a 15 week period when they did not even take a day off!

Significant personal issues in Todd’s life and make-up, as well as, flaws in the functioning structure of our leadership resulted in an impossible pace to maintain… seven nights a week for more than 15 weeks on end. We fully accept the responsibility as a Board of Directors for this lapse in judgment; we should have required that not just Todd and the team, but the entire Outpouring rest a minimum of one day a week.

To me, this sounds like an accident waiting to happen in a healthy ministry. Add to it the strangeness which followed Bentley. Wow. It is just a staggering thought that it went on as long as it did.