Lakeland revival
Encyclopedia
The Lakeland Revival or Florida Healing Outpouring was a Christian revival
which began on April 2, 2008, when Evangelist Todd Bentley
of Fresh Fire Ministries was invited to Ignited Church in Lakeland, Florida
, by Pastor Stephen Strader. Bentley was originally invited to be in Lakeland for only five days but remained there for over six months. Through its airing on GOD TV
, the revival became well known by Pentecostals and charismatic
s worldwide. By May 29, Bentley's ministry estimated that over 140,000 people from over 40 nations had visited, and 1.2 million had watched via the Internet. By June 30, over 400,000 people from over 100 nations had attended.
In June 2008, Nightline carried out an investigative report on Bentley. Some days after the broadcast, Fresh Fire Ministries released a statement announcing that Bentley was taking time off "to refresh and to rest" and their Lakeland broadcasts on GOD TV were put on hold. One week later, GOD TV announced Bentley would resume the Lakeland meetings and the broadcasts continued. Bentley's and Fresh Fire's leadership of the revival ended on August 11, but the revival continued until the last service on October 12, 2008, at Ignited Church.
The Florida Outpouring was in many ways similar to revivals that occurred in the 1990s, notably the Toronto Blessing
in Canada and the Brownsville Revival
in Pensacola, Florida. However, the Lakeland Revival had a greater focus on divine healing along with a call to evangelism
, was much shorter than these two revivals, and was nearly inseparable from Bentley. The revival displayed many "ecstatic manifestations" and some participants claimed "esoteric experiences", such as divinely inspired visions and prophecies. In addition to claims of numerous miraculous healings, there were at least 30 claims to cases of resurrection of the dead
.
. In the 1990s, Carpenter's Home Church experienced revivals influenced by the Toronto Blessing and Rodney Howard-Browne
.
were common at the Lakeland meetings. The New Testament
records many incidents of Jesus healing the sick, and belief in its contemporary practice is important for Pentecostal and charismatic
Christians. The hope of supernatural healing explains some of its popularity, as there were many first-person accounts of miracles. The lack of medical corroboration of the healings was questioned by mainstream
media; an ABC Report concluded "not a single miracle could be verified."
Participants in the revival were also known to sing, laugh, and shout ecstatically, and many would fall down under the influence of the Holy Spirit
, according to revival leaders.
and Marchant Stadium. After outgrowing its previous venues, the revival meetings moved to an air conditioned tent that seated 10,000. On August 3, the revival meetings returned to Ignited Church.
Bentley said that he would open the books for independent auditors. However, requests for financial disclosure from World Magazine
were met with a comment that Bentley was "too busy keeping up with what God is doing" to provide financial information.
During the revival, Bentley's spokesperson said that Bentley continued "to draw his standard salary, set by his board, from his office in Canada. It is a modest salary and is in the five-figure range," and that Fresh Fire Ministries is audited annually. A newspaper in Vancouver
reported that Bentley owned a home in Abbotsford, British Columbia
, Canada
, a 2007 GMC Sierra, and a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
The revival's impact was widespread due to the internet and satellite television. Stephen Strader has said that Ignited Church will launch an International Apostolic Center and Ignited Network of Ministries, designed to bring together Lakeland inspired revivals. Evangelist Hamilton Filmalter was commissioned by Todd Bentley to launch the Portland Outpouring. Within weeks Hamilton Filmalter put together a team that included Hearts of Fire International Ministries evangelist Reverend Aaron Winter.
, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God USA, of which Ignited Church is a member, issued a statement on revival in June 2008. While not mentioning Lakeland specifically, the statement cautioned against over emphasis on charismatic manifestations and miracles, stating that "Miraculous manifestations are never the test of a true revival. Fidelity to God's Word is the test".
Some skeptics challenged the revival on the basis of the evidence put forward for the healing testimonies and sermon content. Some criticism stemmed from some of Todd Bentley's unorthodox practices, which included shouting "Bam, Bam!" while praying for the sick and testifying to having had visions of an angel
named Emma. Bentley's most controversial claims consisted of twenty cases where he said the dead were raised. In an effort to verify reported healings, Bentley's staff said they welcomed as much documentation as people were willing to give, including verification from doctors. Nightline's June 2008 investigation was unable to independently verify any of the healings.
At times, the healing services were criticized in mainstream media and on internet blogs for the occasional violence done to the participants, in the tradition of Smith Wigglesworth
. Todd Bentley was known to forcefully kick, hit, smack or knock over participants. In one incident, a man was knocked over and lost a tooth. In another, an elderly woman was intentionally kicked in the face. Bentley held that the Holy Spirit led him to such actions, saying that those incidents were taken out of context and adding that miracles were happening simultaneously. Trevor Baker, who had invited Bentley to the Revival Fires Church in Dudley (UK), also defended these actions, saying: "He never does anything like that without first asking for the person's permission."
Christian revival
Christian revival is a term that generally refers to a specific period of increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or many churches, either regionally or globally...
which began on April 2, 2008, when Evangelist Todd Bentley
Todd Bentley
Todd Bentley is a Canadian Christian evangelist. He was the key figure of the Lakeland Revival. After a brief period of retirement connected with the breakdown of his marriage and subsequent re-marriage, he has returned to ministry....
of Fresh Fire Ministries was invited to Ignited Church in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...
, by Pastor Stephen Strader. Bentley was originally invited to be in Lakeland for only five days but remained there for over six months. Through its airing on GOD TV
GOD TV
GOD TV is an international Christian television broadcaster that transmits the GOD Channel from Jerusalem.The network’s Free-to-air signal is carried via multiple satellites 24-hours-a-day providing programming at no charge to viewers. This ranges from Bible teaching to motivational seminars,...
, the revival became well known by Pentecostals and charismatic
Charismatic Christianity
Charismatic Christianity is a Christian doctrine that maintains that modern-day believers experience miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual gifts as described in of the Bible...
s worldwide. By May 29, Bentley's ministry estimated that over 140,000 people from over 40 nations had visited, and 1.2 million had watched via the Internet. By June 30, over 400,000 people from over 100 nations had attended.
In June 2008, Nightline carried out an investigative report on Bentley. Some days after the broadcast, Fresh Fire Ministries released a statement announcing that Bentley was taking time off "to refresh and to rest" and their Lakeland broadcasts on GOD TV were put on hold. One week later, GOD TV announced Bentley would resume the Lakeland meetings and the broadcasts continued. Bentley's and Fresh Fire's leadership of the revival ended on August 11, but the revival continued until the last service on October 12, 2008, at Ignited Church.
The Florida Outpouring was in many ways similar to revivals that occurred in the 1990s, notably the Toronto Blessing
Toronto Blessing
The Toronto blessing, a term coined by British churches, describes the revival and resulting phenomena that began in January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church, now the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship , a neocharismatic evangelical Christian church located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
in Canada and the Brownsville Revival
Brownsville Revival
The Brownsville Revival was a widely-reported religious phenomenon that began within the Pentecostal movement on Father's Day June 18, 1995 at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida...
in Pensacola, Florida. However, the Lakeland Revival had a greater focus on divine healing along with a call to evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
, was much shorter than these two revivals, and was nearly inseparable from Bentley. The revival displayed many "ecstatic manifestations" and some participants claimed "esoteric experiences", such as divinely inspired visions and prophecies. In addition to claims of numerous miraculous healings, there were at least 30 claims to cases of resurrection of the dead
Resurrection of the dead
Resurrection of the Dead is a belief found in a number of eschatologies, most commonly in Christian, Islamic, Jewish and Zoroastrian. In general, the phrase refers to a specific event in the future; multiple prophesies in the histories of these religions assert that the dead will be brought back to...
.
Background
Ignited Church was originally a subsidiary of the now defunct but once prominent Carpenter's Home ChurchCarpenter's Home Church
Carpenter's Home Church was a prominent Assemblies of God megachurch in Lakeland, Florida. At its peak, the charismatic church claimed 5,000 attendees. The church closed amidst financial scandal and dwindling membership...
. In the 1990s, Carpenter's Home Church experienced revivals influenced by the Toronto Blessing and Rodney Howard-Browne
Rodney Howard-Browne
Rodney Howard-Browne is a charismatic Christian preacher and evangelist. He is pastor of The River at Tampa Bay, a church which he and his wife founded in 1996, and heads Revival Ministries International...
.
Services
The main focus of the services were on what supporters believe to be divine healing of conditions such as cancer, deafness, diabetes, and paralysis. Testimonies of miraculous healingsFaith healing
Faith healing is healing through spiritual means. The healing of a person is brought about by religious faith through prayer and/or rituals that, according to adherents, stimulate a divine presence and power toward correcting disease and disability. Belief in divine intervention in illness or...
were common at the Lakeland meetings. The New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
records many incidents of Jesus healing the sick, and belief in its contemporary practice is important for Pentecostal and charismatic
Charismatic Christianity
Charismatic Christianity is a Christian doctrine that maintains that modern-day believers experience miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and other spiritual gifts as described in of the Bible...
Christians. The hope of supernatural healing explains some of its popularity, as there were many first-person accounts of miracles. The lack of medical corroboration of the healings was questioned by mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
media; an ABC Report concluded "not a single miracle could be verified."
Participants in the revival were also known to sing, laugh, and shout ecstatically, and many would fall down under the influence of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, according to revival leaders.
Finances
The Lakeland Revival did not charge for attendance, but attendees could contribute to voluntary offerings that funded building and staff expenses. In response to questions about finances, Strader and Bentley stated in interviews that the Lakeland Revival had been funded entirely from these voluntary donations. The event changed venues on a number of occasions, starting at the Ignited Church and sister church in Auburndale, and moving to the $15,000 per night Lakeland CenterLakeland Center
The Lakeland Center is an 8,178-seat multi-purpose arena, in Lakeland, Florida. It opened in November 1974, as the Lakeland Civic Center, it gained its current name in June 1994....
and Marchant Stadium. After outgrowing its previous venues, the revival meetings moved to an air conditioned tent that seated 10,000. On August 3, the revival meetings returned to Ignited Church.
Bentley said that he would open the books for independent auditors. However, requests for financial disclosure from World Magazine
World magazine
World Magazines are magazines about specific foreign countries that help people of different countries, languages, and cultures to understand that country...
were met with a comment that Bentley was "too busy keeping up with what God is doing" to provide financial information.
During the revival, Bentley's spokesperson said that Bentley continued "to draw his standard salary, set by his board, from his office in Canada. It is a modest salary and is in the five-figure range," and that Fresh Fire Ministries is audited annually. A newspaper in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
reported that Bentley owned a home in Abbotsford, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, a 2007 GMC Sierra, and a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Decline and impact
Bentley severed his association with and departed the revival under controversial circumstances on August 11. He admitted to his staff in August that he and his wife were separating and resigned from Fresh Fire Ministries. The revival continued with visiting speakers at Ignited Church until October 12, 2008. While Ignited Church continued to proclaim ongoing revival services after this date, the previous worldwide interest had faded.The revival's impact was widespread due to the internet and satellite television. Stephen Strader has said that Ignited Church will launch an International Apostolic Center and Ignited Network of Ministries, designed to bring together Lakeland inspired revivals. Evangelist Hamilton Filmalter was commissioned by Todd Bentley to launch the Portland Outpouring. Within weeks Hamilton Filmalter put together a team that included Hearts of Fire International Ministries evangelist Reverend Aaron Winter.
Controversy
The revival generated some controversy among members of the Christian community, as some leaders questioned (or even outright rejected) its authenticity. In response to concerns raised over the revival, George O. WoodGeorge O. Wood
George O. Wood is an American Pentecostal minister. Since August 2007, he has been the General Superintendent of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America and has been Chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the...
, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God USA, of which Ignited Church is a member, issued a statement on revival in June 2008. While not mentioning Lakeland specifically, the statement cautioned against over emphasis on charismatic manifestations and miracles, stating that "Miraculous manifestations are never the test of a true revival. Fidelity to God's Word is the test".
Some skeptics challenged the revival on the basis of the evidence put forward for the healing testimonies and sermon content. Some criticism stemmed from some of Todd Bentley's unorthodox practices, which included shouting "Bam, Bam!" while praying for the sick and testifying to having had visions of an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
named Emma. Bentley's most controversial claims consisted of twenty cases where he said the dead were raised. In an effort to verify reported healings, Bentley's staff said they welcomed as much documentation as people were willing to give, including verification from doctors. Nightline's June 2008 investigation was unable to independently verify any of the healings.
At times, the healing services were criticized in mainstream media and on internet blogs for the occasional violence done to the participants, in the tradition of Smith Wigglesworth
Smith Wigglesworth
Smith Wigglesworth , was a British evangelist who was important in the early history of Pentecostalism.- Early life :...
. Todd Bentley was known to forcefully kick, hit, smack or knock over participants. In one incident, a man was knocked over and lost a tooth. In another, an elderly woman was intentionally kicked in the face. Bentley held that the Holy Spirit led him to such actions, saying that those incidents were taken out of context and adding that miracles were happening simultaneously. Trevor Baker, who had invited Bentley to the Revival Fires Church in Dudley (UK), also defended these actions, saying: "He never does anything like that without first asking for the person's permission."
External links
- Ignited Church
- Transform Internantional formerly Fresh Fire Ministries
- Wrecked for the Ordinary - "Does Todd Bentley Go Too Far?" (Live report from the revival)
- The Lakeland Revival & the End-Times Apostasy a critical look at the teachings at the Florida Outpouring