Lakeland!

I'm assuming readers of this blog are folks who'd be hip to what's happening in Lakeland, FL.

But, lest you feel like the one un-hip reader, there's a healing revival happening there that, thanks to the power of the internet, has gone bigger than perhaps comparable healing revivals in recent years in Pensacola and Toronto.  Many thousand people a night, from all over the world, are congregating in a big tent and being preached to and prayed for by, among others, Todd Bentley. 

Todd is one fascinating guy.  He's young (32 now, if my math holds), converted at 18 from a colorful and by his own admission criminal past, and he quickly became an in-demand revival preacher.  We had him at our church several years back and, while I very much appreciated the faith and perhaps healing power at the gathering, he alienated quite a few people with what I've learned are his characteristic mannerisms--loud shouts as he prays for sick people (a characteristic shout: "BAM!") and expressive laying on of hands (he's not against pushing people over).

A good friend who visited Lakeland, who's had horrible health problems, smiled as he saw me and asked if I noticed anything different about him.  I did--his hearing aids were gone.  At Lakeland, the speaker had encouraged people just to receive whatever healing they were looking for right at their seats.  My friend put his fingers in his ears and asked God to heal them.  He hasn't worn his hearing aids since.  His hearing still isn't perfect...but he tells me it's as good without the hearing aids as it previously was with them.  My friend with Stage 4 colon cancer is there as I write this.  I'll keep you posted on what happens with him.

Lots has been controversial about Lakeland.  Nightline did a less-than-flattering look at it.  Todd Bentley does alienate some folks.  It's loud and Pentecostal.  One pastor compellingly talked with me about the ill effect Lakeland has had on many churches he knows. Their parishioners either go to Lakeland or watch its services on this internet TV station, GodTV.  And then they go to their pastors and say, "That's the real church right there.  Why aren't we like that?" And when the church won't or can't become like that (as of course it can't--churches have a much broader mandate than we see at Lakeland), the parishioners leave in a huff or foment revolt against the pastor.  My friend says the pastors he talks to hate Lakeland.

So...some texture.  That said, it's done no harm I can figure out at least on our end.  And my friend has jettisoned his hearing aids, and that makes me pretty happy.  And my friend with cancer is inspired to go there, and that makes me happy at the very least for the promise of healing of something so serious.

Last week I got acquainted with Mike Morrell and his blog on zoecarnate.com, which I've enjoyed, not least for this thoughtful blog on Lakeland, complete with a trove of links for more information.   One of Mike's commenters then pointed to Seth Barnes' very impressive set of links about Lakeland. Or you can take a gander at what Wikipedia says about Lakeland or Todd Bentley. 

What's your take on Lakeland?

Comments

[Matt]

Lakeland to me on the whole is summed up in one word: great.

I like that it ticks people off. I like that it stirs up churches to ask really good questions (at least the ones humble enough to do so), like if they are addressing the hunger for the supernatural in people's hearts--or not so much. I like that it calls us to stop taking ourselves (and our thinking) so seriously. I like that you have to be open to being a bit of a fool to even get it.

It reminds me of how Jesus would often say difficult or cryptic things to test people out, see how curious they really were, or how desperate for a real God who could help them. It was the common, gritty element of society that flocked to Jesus, because he had the goods--he would heal them, teach them, give them hope. It's really hard to dis someone who helped you not wear hearing aids anymore--a lot of the fluff and fear melts away against something like that.

Thinking in terms of the Peck stage theory (I find myself doing that a lot lately), Lakeland, particularly in its mystical elements, seems like Stage 4 in spades. Which would explain why the stage 2 part of the church is practically foaming at the mouth over the whole thing.

So all in all, it's good fun!

[Brian O]

I think it's interesting that Matt placed Lakeland in Stage 4, because I would expect it to be more of a Stage 2 gig. My best set of Pentecostal friends, in Peru, experience an overwhelming number of miracles. So, I'd say that a vital experience of God is obviously there. To me, though, experiencing the miraculous doesn't land you automatically in Stage 4. In the case of my Peruvian friends, there is a very strong component of getting their parishioners to believe and do the right things, and the "in" versus "out" boundaries are very sharp. That's not a criticism--it seems much better for the (largely Stage 1) culture they interact with than the type of church I would set up. But, to get back to the point, I think that being Stage 4 means that you both have a vital two-way interaction with God and that you tend toward Centered-Set thinking (another concept which comes up in Dave's book).

I don't know a whole lot of Pentecostals, so I really could be overgeneralizing, but that's why I assumed Lakeland would be Stage 2-ish. I suppose skeptics would accuse Bentley of being Stage 1--pushing folks over, etc., but I give him enough credit to at least believe there's not a huge Stage 1 component there.

That's just the way I've constructed the stages of faith categories. I'd be interested to hear what others think. I also bet that there are some other necessary Stage 4 characteristics, besides the two I listed.

[Anne]

I am deeply blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit that flows from Lakeland gatherings ~ there is a hunger that is tangible in God's people that gather there & an expectation that God is present & desiring to pour out more of Himself & able to fully heal ~ how refreshing!

I do believe that any move of the Holy Spirit will reveal weaknesses in the body of Christ ~ part of the cleansing process of the Bride ~ and some of those weaknesses are an immaturity to try to mimic or make every church 'become' a Lakeland. This is man's effort to contain, control & hold onto the wind of the Spirit ~ not possible, but we try nonetheless. So, are there problems, yes... is God's presence a problem ~ no ~ and thank God He is merciful & gracious with the way we fumble around trying to 'understand' His moves ~~~ I also believe that this is just a fore-taste of the 'out of the box' stuff the Lord will bring to earth that the Church needs to be able to receive ~ that's where the prayer is needed ~ can we accept the wild, wonder FULL 'no eye has seen' 'no ear has heard' kind of ways He will come & reveal Himself?? Can we accept the messenger in a cracked vessel? Can we enjoy the signs & wonders that He longs to pour out??

Unity is what the body needs ~ but only the Spirit can truly convict hearts and bring unity in the inner most parts! Revival is all about within first ~ reviving our spirits within ~ that's why Todd is a walking revival ~ the anointing to revive is all over him & in him. That's my take, so thanks for asking about Lakeland ~~~ come Holy Spirit ~ help us dip in the glory Lake!

[Matt]

@ Brian O--good thoughts on things re:Stage 2 v. Stage 4. One of the interesting things about Bentley is that he doesn't neatly fit into the established "categories" for church life--he dips into many different streams of the church and isn't easy to pin down as far as the origins of his theology and practice. There are contemplative aspects, prophetic movement stuff, charismatic elements, and pentecostal nuances as well, but he's a blend. A lot of old time pentecostal churches aren't that into him because of his "out of their box" mysticism. This is why I thought of Lakeland as Stage 4.

A lot of the criticism that has come has been from classic Stage 2 folks insisting that Lakeland and Bentley conform to the "rules" of revivals past. One of the biggies is the lack of emphasis on who's "in" or "out," which can be seen in the oft-expressed idea "they don't preach repentance enough..." What they are offering is an encounter with God first, repentance later as a process, which to me seems Stage 4 as well.

@Anne--I agree that those who leave their churches over Lakeland are responding immaturely, but I also think that an honest and humble pastor would want to do some soul searching as to why that is so. What is the hunger that's driving the people that are leaving? It's not a question of "becoming a mini-Lakeland" (though hey, that could be cool, too, if that is what the Spirit wants to do in a certain context) but saying "what is Lakeland showing us that we need to grow in?"

[Brian O]

@ Matt--Thanks for the extra details on Bentley and Lakeland. That definitely makes Lakeland more intriguing, and I see where you were coming from in your previous post regarding its Stage 4 aspects.

[marlster]

interesting to link Lakeland to Scott-Peck-stages. Seems like the criteria for stage 2 is outside (getting someone to follow beliefs) and stage 4 on inside (living values from the inside). I wonder if that is the best distinction. Doesn't always seem that someone that I don't like is forced from the outside?

Anyway - I was thinking of sociologist Rodney Stark who looks on religion from a human / sociology perspective. For him, religion is there to help us with our unsure bets. If we can't know for sure that our religious bets turn out right, we look to our environment to give us indications. So I wonder if stage 2 is a lot about social reinforcement (hence, the strict rules to reinforce social reinforment) whereas stage 3 and 4 are about stuff beyond social reinforcement. Isn't the great thing about Mother Teresa that she did it because she was moved on the inside and not because it was the popular thing to do? It seems to me that most examples that are cited for stage 4 have this quality of doing it for the sake of being the truthful thing to do.

So where does Lakeland fall? Hard to say but I get the same comments from folks who watch it every night: we want more of that intensity in our life (good) but we need all of you other church folks to comply (social reinforcement needed) otherwise we get frustrated and keep going to conferences to get our fix.