A brief reflection on the Godzone project and the theology of the Bethel congregation
The Godzone project is focused on the evangelization of young people in Slovakia, on proclaiming the gospel in a modern, creative and attractive way. The form of proclamation chosen by the project organizers does not need to be examined here. The focus of attention should be directed to the fact that the content of the message is in many ways marked and permeated by the theology of the Bethel church in Redding, California, which is a source of inspiration and with which the project is connected in a way. The Bethel church offers two packages in its online store called Enter the God Zone 1 by Heather Thompson, each containing six lessons for children about God's presence, its manifestations, which include healing and miracles, which will be discussed further. The teaching of God's presence, understood in the spirit of strongly cataphatic theology of immanence, and its supernatural manifestations form a substantial part of Bethel's theology. 2 "Everywhere I go becomes a perfect health zone" 3 – "Every place I go becomes a zone of perfect health" is, among other things, a practical consequence of Bethel's teaching, as we will see. The slogan Enter the GodZone appears in variations : in the goals of the Godzone project – "Enter the God Zone" 4 , in the name of the project tour and DVD, which captures "how Generation KIOBK was formed " . 5 It should be noted that the above may be dismissed by some as mere speculation, that the connection to Bethel, which is currently evident, did not exist at the time the project was created. Let's assume that the slogans, spread in the Slovak project, which have not been close to Christians in our latitudes so far and behind which a specific content is hidden, really only coincide by chance with Bethel's slogans with the same conceptual content. Another fact is the offer of books on the Godzone online shop. Given that Godzone wants to be an evangelistic project, bringing revival, the books offered testify to the direction in which it wants to further shape people, and what it offers in the life of faith to those who have been touched by an evangelistic event. Currently, there are fifteen titles in the online shop's offer. Some time ago, these were the first seven of the current offer: That by Craig Groeschel, founder of LifeChurch, considered the second largest church in the USA, the prayer journal [[NBSP ]] God's Names , The Word – New Testament and four others by Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church: Carrying His Presence , When Heaven Invades Earth , Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind and Supernatural Life of Royal Children (written in cooperation with Kris Vallotton 6 , one of the leaders and prophets of Bethel Church, co-founder of the School of Supernatural Ministry at Bethel). In the current offer, we can also find the title Culture of Respect 7 , whose author is Danny Silk, of course, one of the pastors of the Bethel congregation. 8 The formation of a young generation of Christians in the spirit of the specific theology of the Bethel church is strengthened not only by book titles. For example, on April 25-26 this year, the Godzone conference Heart of the King took place in Ružomberok, with Hunter Thompson as a special guest: "He will come to Ružomberok from across the ocean, from sunny California, where he serves as the worship leader at Bethel Church and is part of the Bethel Music project. This will be his first visit to Slovakia, so if you want to experience something new, this is a great opportunity." 9 However, sympathies towards Bethel are ultimately not hidden – participants in the project are offered theology promoted by Bethel, even from among Catholics, without any critical filter or warning about at least controversial points. Leading figures consider ties to Bethel to be unproblematic, as one should seek what unites us and can be inspired. When asked what a converted young person, or a reawakened Catholic, should accept from Bethel's teaching and what not, no one personally could answer me. Immediately upon entering the Godzone, the goal of Godzone is "to acquaint people with where they can go after being addressed by the message of the gospel." 10 [[ NBSP ]] The aforementioned literature is therefore more than telling in this regard, especially when we realize that even Catholic leaders of local 11 communities do not know what they themselves accept from Bethel and what not (assuming that such discernment and these two sets even exist and we are not just talking about the first of them). Bill Johnson and his wife Beni serve a growing number of churches that have partnered with them for revival. This apostolic network transcends denominational boundaries in building relationships that enable church leaders to walk in purity and power. The foundation of Bill Johnson's and Bethel's teaching is walking in God's presence and experiencing the Kingdom of God that Jesus Christ proclaimed. The teaching of the Kingdom of God, with elements of Kingdom Now theology, refers to biblical accounts of miracles performed by the hands of apostles who fulfilled Christ's missionary command and powerfully proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God. At creation, man was given the mission to rule in the created world, but Adam lost this power when he handed it over to the devil through sin. Christ regained the power over the world that the devil possessed, as he operated with it when tempting Jesus, through His death on the cross and handed it over to people, royal children. Jesus bore our pains and diseases, His blood paid for all sins, and as a result, we no longer have to suffer these diseases, because they were never God's will, as Jesus proved when He healed everyone, and Christians are therefore called to proclaim the Kingdom and remove all diseases in supernatural power, because God's will concerning them is evident in Christ's resurrection. 13 Bethel Church offers several schools and courses of various lengths. 14 Several believers from Slovakia have completed the offered schools. 15 The answer to the question regarding the participation of leaders of Catholic communities in our dioceses at Holy Mass and the need to encounter Jesus in the sacraments during the schools in Bethel is vague, at least based on the answers of people who sympathize with these leaders. These are, of course, second-hand statements, or rather non-statements, but in that case, the question of personal example and testimony naturally arises, as this aspect is extremely strong in the Godzone project. The argument that would operate with the difficulty of finding a Catholic church sounds absurd, given the travel of several thousand kilometers to the west coast of the USA and the existence of Google, as does skipping services due to the program or obstacles placed by the congregation. What good is it to a person if they gain the whole world… I do not know the exact content of these teachings in Bethel and to what extent the leaders themselves can defend the two-thousand-year-old, Catholic hermeneutics of Scripture and their faith. It is therefore questionable whether the teaching and interpretation of the Scripture that is spreading among young people is identical to the teaching of Bethel, or whether it is rather a misunderstood and extremely exaggerated principle of the Bethel approach to Scripture, miracles, healings, the reality of redemption, the Kingdom of God already here (overlooking or completely omitting "not yet"), Jesus' death and the overall reality of the world. Perhaps the best expression of this is the motto "as in heaven, so on earth" , which is spreading with a controversial interpretation thanks to the band GodKnows , one of the smaller communities of Piaro in Prievidza: Jesus taught us to pray "as in heaven, so on earth", and since there is no sin, death, pain, sickness, or lack in heaven, it should be the same on earth; there should be no sickness, pain, or lack here either. If such a thing occurs, it is not from God; Jesus has already paid for all of it, he bore it for us, and in God's power, these realities must be broken and sent away – one must pray for healings, break diseases, etc., or that these supernatural things naturally accompany those who have believed. Moreover, in the Great Commission, Jesus entrusted his disciples to do this, and after a brief exposition of this teaching at worship concerts, the band members subsequently utter prophecies and words of knowledge about ongoing healings that also happen at their prayer meetings, as they testify. This teaching of the Kingdom and the understanding of the phrase "as in heaven, so on earth" is comprehensively expressed by a band member, a teacher recognized by the Godzone project, for example, in his blog 17 and in teaching in the Godzone magazine 18 . More light on the question of whether this understanding of the Kingdom is merely a thoroughly developed teaching of Bethel or whether it is actually its Slovak language version 19 is shed by the official website of the Bethel church: God's action led Bill to a deeper understanding of the phrase "as in heaven, so on earth". Heaven is a model for our life and ministry. Jesus lived with this principle and did only what he saw his Father do. Learning to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit and the way to follow him will enable us to do Christ's works and destroy the works of the devil. Healings and deliverances must again become a common expression of this gospel of power. Bill and the family of the Bethel church have adopted this theme for their life and [ [NBSP]]ministry. Healings, from cancer to broken bones, from learning disabilities to emotional healing, happen regularly. This is the children's bread. These acts of God are not limited to revival meetings. The church is learning how to bring this anointing into schools, workplaces, and into neighborhoods with similar results. Bill teaches that we owe the world an encounter with God and that the gospel without power is not the gospel that Jesus proclaimed. 20 In Slovakia, such an understanding of the Kingdom of God and Jesus' example has resulted in slogans and phrases with a slightly militant-triumphalist undertone, expressing the victorious mentality and identity of God's children: army of the King, royal son, daughter, generation that cares about the Kingdom of God, walking in power, etc. These are correct titles in themselves, as are several aspects of Johnson's teaching, but in practice they are realized in an experience based on emotions, the desire for material and concrete expression of spiritual realities 21 (despite its seemingly extraordinarily spiritual concept of faith) and the manifestation of God's presence. It must be said here that young people are most confused by the fact that Johnson often and at first glance convincingly argues with Scripture, pointing to passages with expressions that clearly confirm his concept. Behind this confusion is the fact that expressions and concepts are offered as already interpreted – that is, with a conceptual content that is in favor of his understanding. It is amusing that often precisely the same verses are used by (not only) Catholic hermeneutics to justify their opposing views. Finally, we are faced with the very problem of interpreting God's revelation, since the question and problem is always only the interpretation, the interpretative key to God's word. A frequent phenomenon in the Slovak movement is pseudo-prophetism (e.g. the charism of knowledge in some cases is not subject to quality and careful discernment, then incorrect health "diagnoses" are formulated, which is, for example, the discrediting of "prophets"), which, due to its exaggerated subjectivism, is not willing and able to submit to the biblical principle of any verification and confrontation. Many young people, coming from practicing Catholic families, are not open to such an approach and interpretation of Scripture, which points to obvious gaps and inconsistencies in Johnson's understanding of the reality of redemption. The miracles and manifestations that allegedly happen in Bethel and at meetings in Slovakia, which have adopted this theology, are a confirmation of the authenticity of the new or revived interpretation of passages on God's power and the working of miracles. 22 Rationality and the ability to confront with the use of factual arguments in favor of the presented claims is in the vast majority suppressed – frequent arguments are phrases like "The Father will reveal it to you if you are open," 23 referring to the aforementioned peculiar interpretation of Scripture and in some cases also official church documents. A few decades ago, the Church had to defend that faith does not contradict reason and a believer can think critically. Here, as a result of the suppression, or rather the absence of expressing emotions, sharing and personal relationship with God, we encounter practical consequences which, in a synergistic effect with ignorance and misunderstanding of Catholic doctrine and rigid forms of piety, created fertile ground for the adoption of a concept with a rich representation of elements that seemed to be missing in the Catholic Church. The basic problem is therefore perhaps not so much the form of the project, which offers a concrete realization of the desire for community, self-expression and deepening the relationship with God, but the aforementioned content marked by the theology of Bethel, where the basic misunderstanding arose in the conception of reality as such and the reality of the Kingdom of God – although Jesus bore our diseases and sins, paid the ransom with his blood, received all power and the Kingdom of God is a reality that is truly a reality not only "afterwards", the truth remains that even after Christ's death the world did not return to the state before sin, when it would really be enough to renounce disease, i.e. the obvious work of the devil, and performing miracles would be in this sense really something natural, because they would actually be only an actualization of what Jesus had won, in individual cases of material, physical evil, about which we know that we no longer have to suffer. It is necessary to emphasize that it has never been Catholic doctrine that illness, death, poverty, and other ailments are God's will or God's gift, as some Catholics apparently believe. 24 Since we are dealing with a Protestant approach to the interpretation of Scripture, arguing with the understanding of several centuries of Christians will not help, and in this case, the approach to Scripture is somehow paranoidly immune even to (all) human experience of life and the logic of reason, since it stands uncompromisingly against the logic of faith, in which the supernatural becomes natural, as God allegedly promised. The argument must therefore be based only on Scripture, but even if we disregard the unwritten word of God, in the Bible we find enough places to refute the shaky idea of the Kingdom. For understandable reasons, evidence will also have to be taken only from the New Testament, because the Old Testament is ultimately considered relevant in this conception only to the extent that it supports the theology of prosperity, the victorious mentality of God's royal sons and daughters. Despite the fact that Jesus already bore our diseases, human nature was not endowed with original immunity to diseases and ailments that are a consequence of a nature marked by sin – illness was not in God's plan, therefore it is not his will. The reality, still affecting even redeemed people – even those who have accepted Jesus 25 – was also understood by St. Paul, otherwise he would have only prayed for Timothy, healed him and would not have written him quite natural instructions: "Do not drink only water anymore, but for your stomach and frequent illnesses use a little wine" ( 1 Tim 5:23). Let's leave aside Satan's sting – about which Paul says that it was given to him and the Lord did not depart from Paul despite his pleading (cf.[[NBSP] ] 1 Cor 12) – as one might say that it was not a physical illness. However, this is a matter of serious exegesis for biblical scholars and not for Godzone speakers. The Greek word astheneía , which Paul uses in this passage , is used several times in the New Testament and is translated as physical illness ( e.g. Lk 13:12;[[ NBSP]] Jn 11:4; Acts 4:9), weakness (Rom 8:26; Heb 7:28). The evangelist Matthew (8:16-17) offers an interpretation of an Old Testament prophecy, quoting Isaiah 53:4 and writes (this is one of[[NBSP ]] the passages that constitute and on which Bethel's theology stands!): «He healed all the sick, to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah said: "He took upon himself our weaknesses (Gr. astheneíai , Lat. infirmitates ) and bore our diseases."» Why Paul knows and writes about weaknesses, astheneíai – which apparently exist even after Christ's death, after Jesus bore them along with our diseases – let Bill Johnson or someone from the Godzone's clergy explain, as well as why the Lord told Paul that God's power is manifested in them 26 – and[[NBSP ]]not in the sense that God's power immediately removes them, even in prayer (Paul pleaded three times) – and why Paul even boasts about them and delights in them (cf. 2 Cor 11:30; 12,5.9.10). Paul preached the gospel to the Galatians in physical weakness, although Christ had already borne it for him, and the Galatians did not despise or reject them because of this trial concerning his body, but received him as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus (cf. Gal 4:13-14) and not as a man who does not proclaim and live the kingdom of God correctly and does not walk in power. [[NBSP ]] The following arguments require more attention and are perhaps not as straightforward as the Bethel understanding of verses taken out of context, which speak of miracles. Although the Lord sent the apostles to raise the dead, in the New Testament there are only two cases of resurrection – the resurrection of Tabitha (Acts 9:41), or Eutychus (Acts 20:10) – let us assume that these were not the only two deaths that Peter and Paul encountered, or to which Peter was called, although we know that not everything is written down. Nowhere do we find mention of the sign accompanying those who believe, which the Lord promised: "If they drink anything deadly, it will not harm them " ( Mark 16:18). In the Acts of the Apostles, it is written that Peter healed a man who had been lame from birth, whom they laid daily at the Beautiful Gate of the temple (it was on the east side opposite Solomon's colonnade, where Jesus walked, as John writes, although it is obvious that the lame man did not have to be there at the same time as the Lord). The man was over forty years old (cf. Acts 3:1-4:22). Why did the Lord Jesus not heal him, when it is very likely that they could have met, but only the apostles? They did not heal en masse either, because Paul distinguished whether someone had faith and could be healed (cf. Acts 14:9). A strong argument is also the observation of another theologian. John writes that by the pool by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there were five colonnades: " In them lay a multitude of invalids, blind and crippled." But John nowhere writes that, apart from the man who had been ill for thirty-eight years, the Lord had healed anyone else from the multitude of the sick. Moreover, the Jews persecuted Jesus because the sick man carried his bed after being healed. If there had been more of them, the Jews would certainly have noticed and taken advantage of it (cf. John 5:1-18). The signs and miracles that the apostles performed and that accompanied the Church throughout history cannot be denied. However, the possibility of a spiritual actualization of the Lord's words cannot be denied, and in this spirit, we can also see the statements that Jesus bore all our diseases, weaknesses, and death. As we saw above, Jesus truly burdened himself with our sorrows when he patiently bore them with people and devoted himself to them with love until night. Such an interpretation is more faithful to the biblical message, and its practical consequence for us is the knowledge that Jesus still patiently bears and shares our diseases with us and devotes himself to us. In this sense, the sacred writer Matthew also understood the bearing of diseases and the fulfillment of the prophecy, since Jesus at that time did not experience any physical suffering. Moreover, a comprehensive view of Revelation shows that Jesus healed some diseases remotely at the intervention of another person, sometimes healing was a process, sometimes it happened in a single moment, sometimes people waited for their turn (why the Lord made them wait when he could have healed everyone at once, let Johnson explain), he let Lazarus die despite knowing about the disease. Finally, healings are not a necessary consequence of the coming of the Kingdom (not in this earthly phase), but a sign of its coming – it does not mean that the resurrected Lazarus and many healed were already protected from further diseases and did not die. It is also worth considering the fact that Paul could not see for three days after meeting Jesus. In a strictly materialistic and only literal understanding, we should never suffer again, but even physical death , which Jesus also really underwent for us, is still a reality of human life – and from Revelation we know that death, as we know it now, is the consequence of sin par excellence (cf. Gen 2:17; Wis 2:24; Rom 5:12; 6:23; 7:13) and yet people have been dying for centuries. Simply, the mystery of iniquity still works (cf. 2 Thess 2:7), there is misery in the world, the consequence of sin, disease, death and creation is still writhing in labor pains until the sons of God appear (cf. Rom 8: 19-23) 27 , until God is truly all in all (cf. 1 Cor 15:28), the corruptible will not put on incorruption (cf. 15:53ff) and only then will Christ's redemption, which we now experience on a spiritual level, fully affect our physical reality, when death and disease will be definitively destroyed, when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, where there is no more death, sorrow, lamentation or pain (cf. Rev 21:4). I think it is also necessary to point out that, in addition to cessationism (it was necessary to choose a Slovak transcription), which claims that lower charisms, such as glossolalia, xenolalia, the charism of performing miracles, healing, ceased after the initial proclamation of the apostles, there is at least an equally valid theological view, continuationism, which claims – for example, also based on the statements of St. Paul – that these charisms were not tied only to the first proclamation and did not cease. If, in practice, young people are met by consecrated persons only with an a priori rejection of anything that goes beyond the framework of the personal experience of these consecrated persons, it is not at all surprising that they seek deeper knowledge where it is offered to them. Proponents of cessationism must admit that theologically, on a theoretical level, the problem is not clearly resolved, although they present it as such. It would also be necessary to acquaint wider circles more deeply, for example, with the teaching of St. John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, who knew about charisms, wrote about them, and offered specific guidelines. At least for Catholics, the spiritual richness and experience of the Church could indicate the direction to take. The sobriety of John's teaching also confirms a methodologically correct approach to miracles and signs. It is appropriate to temper the enthusiasm for miracles, even those in Bethel, with the right approach to miracles as such – they cannot be a criterion for the truth of claims, because according to such a key, occultism in all its forms, the teachings of Eastern religions, all kinds of church congregations, etc., and finally the erroneous teachings and religion of the antichrist would also have to be declared true, since St. John the Apostle writes that the false prophet will confirm all lies with signs. We see that an incorrect methodological approach is applied here, evaluating truth according to the preacher and his deeds. The existence of false prophets and the rejection of the truth of the Gospel based on the moral errors of Christians have been nourished by this approach throughout history. In people, especially young people, there is a great desire for spirituality, for the Word of God. This explains why people readily contribute, for example, to pastors of the Apostolic Church to cover the costs of attending school in Bethel 28 , or to the band eSPé for a worship school. It is precisely because of this hunger for God that it might be appropriate to examine the background of the Bethel church. Bill Johnson collaborates with a multitude of other churches and pastors who observe the same phenomena materializing and remaining at their gatherings: gold dust, gold teeth, precious stones, manna, feathers, "cloud of glory," angelic manifestations, and the like. 29 One cannot ignore the fact that these churches speak of using practices very similar to those of, for example, New Age, even if they give them Christian names, opening themselves at least to a suspicious sphere of the spiritual world. We must cautiously consider false accusations and biased presentation of information 30 , but the manifestations captured in various videos cannot be considered by any sane person as the power of the Holy Spirit and the way a normal person, let alone a Christian, should manifest. 31 In this context, although it is not a scientific argument, the fact that many people whom I have known for several years as people of a sincere relationship with God, faithful, deep prayer, and firm personal faith, independently of each other did not have a good feeling about the Godzone project, something bothered them, and it was not a question of the project's form, gains significance for me. Perhaps a charismatic spiritual sensitivity was manifested here, although they did not yet know the content, and when they became acquainted with the teaching presented by the project, a reality that we believers have named sensus fidei manifested itself. The Godzone project and its teaching are widespread; it is no longer a matter of a specific diocese. It is clear that the Bethel congregation influences the perception of the Kingdom and the experience of Christianity. It is important to know the clear position of the project leaders and responsible persons, those who oversee the project – in what direction they want to shape the youth, where they want to direct the Church in Slovakia, and how much they want to receive and pass on from the congregation in California, and if it is not all intentional, whether they are willing to see the concrete fruit of what and how it is presented, that it confuses many people. 32 It would be good to know the experiences of people who received formation in Bethel, and the content of what they heard, saw, and experienced. The reception of the spirit of Bethel and the formation in it is problematic from a theological point of view, as can be seen, but I think that equally serious are many indications of opening up to a strange spiritual world and its manifestations, as outlined in the conclusion. The accusations of New Age and occult elements are concrete and are not anonymous.1. https://shop.ibethel.org/products/enter-the-god-zone ,[ [ NBSP]] https://shop.ibethel.org/products/enter-the-god-zone-2
2. http://www.bethelredding.com/new-here : We are a community of believers that are very passionate about the things of God. And because of this, we have a passion for people, our city, and our world. Our rich history has shaped our core values. Our culture is characterized by worship, the presence of God, family, revival, miracles and healings, and a culture of honor.
3. http://www.ibethel.org/offering-readings . The site offers prayers of thanksgiving, full of "victorious mentality": "I am powerful and what I believe changes the world! Therefore , today I declare: God is in a good mood. He loves me at all times… I am important. The way He created me is amazing… With God, nothing is impossible!"
The aforementioned cataphatic spirituality and Protestant prosperity theology can easily be found here ("open heaven, land under invasion, unlocked shops, visible miracles, dreams and visions, angelic visitations… divine manifestations… souls from every generation, saved and liberated, carrying the revelation of the Kingdom") etc.
4. [[NBSP] ] http://www.godzone.sk/vizia-a-ciele
5. [[NBSP] ] http://shop.godzone.sk/sk/dvd/182-enter-the-godzone.html
6. [[NBSP] ] http://www.kvministries.com/about
7. http://shop.godzone.sk/sk/knihy/270-kultura-ucty-danny-silk.html ; The mentioned culture of honor [ [NBSP]] is one of the main characteristics of Bethel Church ( http://www.bethelredding.com/new-here )
8. [[NBSP] ] http://www.ibethel.org/users/dannyandsherisilk
9. [[NBSP] ] http://worshiplife.sk/magazin/-/blogs/spolu-spoznavat-srdce-krala;jsessionid=D256B4BD55E453E311CB3D9415E28A76?p_p_auth=W5LrIWce
10 . http://www.godzone.sk/vizia-a-ciele
11 . We can no longer call several communities parishes, because they only share a geographical location with the parish.
12. http://www.ibethel.org/users/billandbenijohnson , about cooperation also briefly in the video at: http://www.bethelredding.com/new-here
13 . http://bjm.org/qa/is-it-always-gods-will-to-heal-someone/
14 . http://www.ibethel.org/schools , cf. also: http://www.bethelredding.com/ministries , Bethel's theology is also spread through the now independent Jesus Culture http://new.jesusculture.com/about/
15
- leader of the Eliáš community in Nová Dubnica:
- The Elijah Community sent two of its members to the Bethel Healing School, May 19-23, http://www.ibethel.org/events/2013/09/bethel-healing-school
- The band eSPé, it should be reiterated that its leader is Julo Slovák, also the leader of the SP community and the leader of the Godzone project implementation team, attended the Bethel School of Praise during the summer of last year:
16
. http://shop.godzone.sk/sk/cd/242-godknows-ako-v-nebi-tak-i-na-zemi.html , "On earth as it is in heaven" is comparably easy to spot at http://www.piar.sk/?page_id=15 , as well as at http://www.bethelredding.com/
17 . http://andrejkmotorka.tumblr.com/post/85998390704/rozdiel-medzi-krizom-a-prekliatim
18 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ6zkrfHN0I (from 21:06)
19 For example, "Wow! You know what? God is in a good mood!" from the blog http://www.mojakomunita.sk/web/klodec is also just a translated phrase God is in a good mood from http://www.ibethel.org/offering-readings .
20
. http://www.ibethel.org/users/billandbenijohnson ; or also: http://www.bethelredding.com/ – On earth as it is in heaven is as easily noticeable as on http://www.piar.sk/?page_id=15
21 . For example, a member left the SP community after it was constantly emphasized that she had to experience miracles. Whoever does not experience them is essentially "outside". The immaturity of members of such communities is often manifested on a human level – if someone experiences a specific human, social or mental problem, difficulty, they are implicitly condemned for their unbelief – real concern and the effort to find available human solutions is a sign of little faith, such a person does not live the victorious mentality of a child of God, that God takes care of everything. Health problems are often solved by posting a status on social networks with a request for prayer for various diseases. The question is to what extent this is human immaturity and to what extent it is the fruit of formation.
22 . e.g.: 1 Cor 4:20: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." Mt 4:23: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people."
17 . http://andrejkmotorka.tumblr.com/post/85998390704/rozdiel-medzi-krizom-a-prekliatim
18 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ6zkrfHN0I (from 21:06)
19 For example, "Wow! You know what? God is in a good mood!" from the blog http://www.mojakomunita.sk/web/klodec is also just a translated phrase God is in a good mood from http://www.ibethel.org/offering-readings .
20
. http://www.ibethel.org/users/billandbenijohnson ; or also: http://www.bethelredding.com/ – On earth as it is in heaven is as easily noticeable as on http://www.piar.sk/?page_id=15
21 . For example, a member left the SP community after it was constantly emphasized that she had to experience miracles. Whoever does not experience them is essentially "outside". The immaturity of members of such communities is often manifested on a human level – if someone experiences a specific human, social or mental problem, difficulty, they are implicitly condemned for their unbelief – real concern and the effort to find available human solutions is a sign of little faith, such a person does not live the victorious mentality of a child of God, that God takes care of everything. Health problems are often solved by posting a status on social networks with a request for prayer for various diseases. The question is to what extent this is human immaturity and to what extent it is the fruit of formation.
22 . e.g.: 1 Cor 4:20: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." Mt 4:23: "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people."
Mt 8:16: "He healed all who were sick."
Mt 10:8: "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons."
Jn 14:12: "Whoever believes in me will do the works I do; he will do even greater things because I am going to the Father."
23 . The desire for a personal relationship with God is certainly correctly expressed in the familiarity of addressing God as "Dad", "Daddy", but other, equally valid divine titles and levels of relationship with God are often forgotten.
24 . "If God sent diseases to people to draw them to Him, to awaken their love for Him… hospitals would be centers of unheard-of renewal. When you stand face to face with illness, it is easy to get angry with God and even easier to resign and attribute it to "His will". But God showed what His will is in the resurrection of Christ. Illness and death is not, was not and will never be His will. Today, when you face illness, do not let your knowledge of God as your Father be blurred. Stand in trust and confess that "by His wounds we were healed." Stand up to evil in the courage of faith." quote: https://www.facebook.com/spolocenstvoelias?fref=ts Also mentioned blog: http://andrejkmotorka.tumblr.com/post/85998390704/rozdiel-medzi-krizom-a-prekliatim
25 . In Godzon's teaching, the content of the concepts of saved-redeemed-salvation is again obscured, although the connection between them is undeniable and they are not entirely abstractly distant from each other. However, these theological nuances clearly do not belong to the category of spiritual milk doctrine. Similarly, it is with the question of sinfulness, holiness in Bill Johnson's books. The repentance that Christ called for, and that precisely when proclaiming the Kingdom, is also extremely in the background, and that precisely under the influence of constant mind-massage with slogans about the fact that Christ has already paid for everything and we no longer have to bear, suffer anything, but only accept what he has won. Again, we are at the question of interpretation, since as Catholics we also believe these facts, but we see the topic in the whole context, where, for example, the topic of forgiveness and retention of sins has its place, which in its consequences does not quite fit into the Bethel understanding of redemption.
26 . 2 Cor 12:9: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness ( astheneia). "
27 . In the teaching of the Godzone magazine, the pain of creation and its waiting for the sons of God is explained by the fact that all nature is waiting for us to understand the kingdom of God and to begin to apply the power that Christ has won for us. In that case, we find ourselves in a vicious circle – the apostles were accompanied by signs, but Paul still claims that creation is marked by sin until now – that is, in the time when he writes, at the time of the most powerful signs to which the Bethel teaching refers.
28 . https://www.facebook.com/PosliZakovcovDoBethelu?fref=ts">http://www.poslizakovcovdobethelu.blogspot.sk/; https://www.facebook.com/PosliZakovcovDoBethelu?fref=ts
29 . Bethel Church is an important church of the New Apostolic Reformation movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Apostolic_Reformation ). Indeed, just one example to illustrate: http://www.patriciaking.com/ask-patricia/ , the controversial Todd Bentley and others.
23 . The desire for a personal relationship with God is certainly correctly expressed in the familiarity of addressing God as "Dad", "Daddy", but other, equally valid divine titles and levels of relationship with God are often forgotten.
24 . "If God sent diseases to people to draw them to Him, to awaken their love for Him… hospitals would be centers of unheard-of renewal. When you stand face to face with illness, it is easy to get angry with God and even easier to resign and attribute it to "His will". But God showed what His will is in the resurrection of Christ. Illness and death is not, was not and will never be His will. Today, when you face illness, do not let your knowledge of God as your Father be blurred. Stand in trust and confess that "by His wounds we were healed." Stand up to evil in the courage of faith." quote: https://www.facebook.com/spolocenstvoelias?fref=ts Also mentioned blog: http://andrejkmotorka.tumblr.com/post/85998390704/rozdiel-medzi-krizom-a-prekliatim
25 . In Godzon's teaching, the content of the concepts of saved-redeemed-salvation is again obscured, although the connection between them is undeniable and they are not entirely abstractly distant from each other. However, these theological nuances clearly do not belong to the category of spiritual milk doctrine. Similarly, it is with the question of sinfulness, holiness in Bill Johnson's books. The repentance that Christ called for, and that precisely when proclaiming the Kingdom, is also extremely in the background, and that precisely under the influence of constant mind-massage with slogans about the fact that Christ has already paid for everything and we no longer have to bear, suffer anything, but only accept what he has won. Again, we are at the question of interpretation, since as Catholics we also believe these facts, but we see the topic in the whole context, where, for example, the topic of forgiveness and retention of sins has its place, which in its consequences does not quite fit into the Bethel understanding of redemption.
26 . 2 Cor 12:9: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness ( astheneia). "
27 . In the teaching of the Godzone magazine, the pain of creation and its waiting for the sons of God is explained by the fact that all nature is waiting for us to understand the kingdom of God and to begin to apply the power that Christ has won for us. In that case, we find ourselves in a vicious circle – the apostles were accompanied by signs, but Paul still claims that creation is marked by sin until now – that is, in the time when he writes, at the time of the most powerful signs to which the Bethel teaching refers.
28 . https://www.facebook.com/PosliZakovcovDoBethelu?fref=ts">http://www.poslizakovcovdobethelu.blogspot.sk/; https://www.facebook.com/PosliZakovcovDoBethelu?fref=ts
29 . Bethel Church is an important church of the New Apostolic Reformation movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Apostolic_Reformation ). Indeed, just one example to illustrate: http://www.patriciaking.com/ask-patricia/ , the controversial Todd Bentley and others.
One of the critics of these false phenomena is, for example, http://www.yasmeensuri.com/yasmeensuri/Welcome.html ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ya1sOM_5L0 )
The Internet is full of videos and photos of such objects materialized at prayer meetings, in the places where they were held.
30 . Andrew Storm is one of the biggest critics – the extent to which his information and its presentation are hysterical, paranoid and biased would be worth examining, his contributions are, if nothing else, a good collage of the manifestations of the "Spirit": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWeUNoR30_0 ; a reaction to his presentation, for example: http://andrewstromresponse.com/On the other hand, the uncut official video from Bethel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8t3-IW6TVw – I consider it extremely important to emphasize that the physical reaction to the prophecies in the video only occurred upon touch and laying on of hands – this gesture is not absolutized by anyone in Catholic charismatic renewal, it is always just a sign of human closeness, laying hands on the head has its order (not like in Bethel). Several people to whom I showed this video, what they thought, said the same thing independently of each other – the prayer in tongues, gestures and reactions in them caused them unease, nervousness and disgust.
30 . Andrew Storm is one of the biggest critics – the extent to which his information and its presentation are hysterical, paranoid and biased would be worth examining, his contributions are, if nothing else, a good collage of the manifestations of the "Spirit": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWeUNoR30_0 ; a reaction to his presentation, for example: http://andrewstromresponse.com/On the other hand, the uncut official video from Bethel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8t3-IW6TVw – I consider it extremely important to emphasize that the physical reaction to the prophecies in the video only occurred upon touch and laying on of hands – this gesture is not absolutized by anyone in Catholic charismatic renewal, it is always just a sign of human closeness, laying hands on the head has its order (not like in Bethel). Several people to whom I showed this video, what they thought, said the same thing independently of each other – the prayer in tongues, gestures and reactions in them caused them unease, nervousness and disgust.
Among the well-known practices that have a special background in Bethel is the "fire tunnel", e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqGLJ0b5lh4
o children ministry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZxijRzkyrA 31
. Something of this can perhaps be guessed from a passage in Johnson's book Bearing His Presence (pp. 76-78) , in which he speaks of how God descended upon a girl who had no experience with spiritual gifts, let alone prophetic ones, in a way that frightened everyone. He wanted to speak through her. After watching a few videos of alleged manifestations of the Spirit, which can only be described as terrifying, this report leaves even greater questions about what it could have been, when it surprised even such experienced "prophets". To operate with, as Johnson further apologizes, that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, but according to his definition and to substantiate it with the biblical account of Paul's fall from the horse, which at first glance is also inaccurate, is an insult to intellect and sound reasoning.
32 . For example, the emergence of de facto groups in parishes, their separation from parish life, the abandonment of sacramental life – certainly not in all cases, but there are people who have openly said that they no longer need to confess because they confess to the Father. The teaching in the spirit of Bethel, often just reports from specific chapters of Johnson's books, takes place at various levels; it would certainly be good to monitor what young people present at the Dasas. In one excerpt from the notes of one girl, I immediately recognized the 2nd chapter of Johnson's Bearing His Presence.
You can also download the document in PDF or Word/DOC format with a better view at the following links
Brief_reflection_on_the_Godzone_project_and_the_theology_of_the_Bethel_church.doc
Brief_reflection_on_the_Godzone_project_and_the_theology_of_the_Bethel_church.pdf
. Something of this can perhaps be guessed from a passage in Johnson's book Bearing His Presence (pp. 76-78) , in which he speaks of how God descended upon a girl who had no experience with spiritual gifts, let alone prophetic ones, in a way that frightened everyone. He wanted to speak through her. After watching a few videos of alleged manifestations of the Spirit, which can only be described as terrifying, this report leaves even greater questions about what it could have been, when it surprised even such experienced "prophets". To operate with, as Johnson further apologizes, that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, but according to his definition and to substantiate it with the biblical account of Paul's fall from the horse, which at first glance is also inaccurate, is an insult to intellect and sound reasoning.
32 . For example, the emergence of de facto groups in parishes, their separation from parish life, the abandonment of sacramental life – certainly not in all cases, but there are people who have openly said that they no longer need to confess because they confess to the Father. The teaching in the spirit of Bethel, often just reports from specific chapters of Johnson's books, takes place at various levels; it would certainly be good to monitor what young people present at the Dasas. In one excerpt from the notes of one girl, I immediately recognized the 2nd chapter of Johnson's Bearing His Presence.
You can also download the document in PDF or Word/DOC format with a better view at the following links
Brief_reflection_on_the_Godzone_project_and_the_theology_of_the_Bethel_church.doc
Brief_reflection_on_the_Godzone_project_and_the_theology_of_the_Bethel_church.pdf