Is Bethel a Prosperity Gospel Church?

Justin Peters

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Interests and income. Rebates and returns. Checks in the mail.

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Gifts and surprises. Finding money. Welcome to the program, ladies and gentlemen.

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I hope that this finds you and your family doing well today. I want to thank you so much for joining me for this podcast.

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A lot of people don't think of Bethel Church in Redding, California, pastored by Bill Johnson, as a prosperity gospel preaching church.

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But make no mistake about it, it absolutely is. Bethel Church is word of faith.

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It is New Apostolic Reformation. Those two movements are basically just kind of blending together now.

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They're becoming one and the same. There's much that could be said about the heresies of that church, and I'll have more coming on that later.

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I've already dealt with some of it. I want you to see the prosperity gospel aspect of this.

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When they do their offerings on Sunday morning, Sunday night, their services, they have two primary offering readings that they do.

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One of the Bethel staffers will get up and they'll put the words up on the screen. The staffer will lead people in reciting the reading on the screen, and then they take up the offering.

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There appears to be two primary offering readings. I think there's just two.

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I've only seen two different ones. They seem to use one more frequently than the other. I'm going to show you first the less frequently used offering reading.

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Watch this from Bethel Church service. This was just, as of this recording, just about a week and a half ago.

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This is what they call offering reading number two. Watch this. All right,

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Bethel Church, it is offering time. As our ushers come forward, if you need a giving envelope to give a check or a cash gift, please put your hand in the air and they'll give that to you.

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How many of you have felt like the devourer has come in a little bit on your finances recently?

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I tell you, inflation, rising costs. I want to read a promise from God's word out of Malachi.

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Listen to this. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house.

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Potatoes, turkeys, your tithe, right? And try me now in this, says the

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Lord of hosts. If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

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And listen to this. I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes.

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Amen? Say that. Rebuke the devourer. Ah, the good old

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Malachi 3 tithing text. Well, I'll do another video later why that is not what

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Malachi is talking about at all, tithing and all that. That's a whole other video. But notice how he begins.

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If you've been struggling financially, inflation is tough, then the not so subtle insinuation is we're about to take an offering and you need to give us your money.

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So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground. Y 'all, the

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QR code is up there. You can give that way. You can give as our ushers come forward. We're going to take the offering in just a moment.

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But first, this is why we attach our faith to our giving. So stand up.

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We are going to declare offering reading number 2. And then we'll take the offering together.

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Let's read it together. 3, 2, 1. As we receive today's offering, we are believing you for heaven opened, earth invaded, storehouses unlocked, and miracles created.

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Dreams and visions, angelic visitations, declarations, impartations, and divine manifestations.

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Anointings, giftings, and calls. Positions and promotions. Provisions and resources to go to the nations.

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Souls and more souls from every generation saved and set free carrying kingdom revelation.

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Thank you, Father, that as I join my value system to yours, you will shower favor, blessing, and increase upon me so I have more than enough to co -labor with heaven and see

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Jesus get his full reward. Hallelujah. One more time, say hallelujah.

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Hallelujah. Okay, so that is their offering reading number 2. And even though they end it with, oh, this is for the furtherance of the kingdom of God to bring souls in so Jesus can get his full reward, they throw that in there.

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But make no mistake about it. The very clear insinuation is that if you will give them your money, as he said before they started the reading, you'll have financial rewards.

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Inflation won't be such a big deal anymore. You will get money. You will get promotions.

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You will get all these things. And notice in the first part of this, it says that when you give, heaven will be opened, earth will be invaded, storehouses unlocked, and miracles created.

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I was tempted to put in a clip of the Grinch, Larry, not Larry. What's his name?

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Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey's Grinch. You know, that part when he says, I'm speaking in rhyme. So they're speaking in rhyme here.

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So if you give them your money, you get miracles created. Now, miracles in Bethel Church, the most common miracle of which they speak are miracles of healing.

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So if you're sick, if you have cancer, you have a sick kid, you have a child who has cancer, whatever, you've got muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, whatever, arthritis, you name it.

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If you're sick and you want a miracle, give your money. And I'm not stretching here.

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This is what they teach. If you need a miracle, you need to give your money.

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Now, that is their offering reading number two. So I want to show you offering reading number one.

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And this is from this past Sunday, which was November the 26th. I'm recording this on November 28th.

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So just this past Sunday, November 26th, they did offering reading number one, which, by the way, seems to be the most often used offering reading.

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But watch this. While it's offering time, why don't you go ahead and stand up. Take out what you have to give this morning.

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Thank you, Jesus. I just wanted to say a thank you to you guys. I was sitting there thinking, how blessed I feel to be part of such a generous family.

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As we're taking this Thanksgiving time, if you didn't know, we don't take the gifts, the offerings, tithes lightly.

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Your sacrifice, your obedience, your generosity, it inspires us. So just wanted to say a big thank you.

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We're going to go ahead and read offering reading number one. If you're joining us at home, go ahead and stand up as well and join us in making these declarations together.

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So here we go. As we receive today's offering, we are believing the

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Lord for jobs and better jobs, raises and bonuses, benefits, sales and commissions, favorable settlements, estates and inheritances, interests and income, rebates and returns, checks in the mail, gifts and surprises, finding money, debts paid off, expenses decreased, blessing and increase,

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Thank you, Lord, for meeting all financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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Hallelujah. Well, that one is certainly a bit more bold. I should probably say a bit more honest, actually, with what they really believe and what they really teach.

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So as with the first reading, they end this second reading with kind of the spiritualized, oh, it's for the kingdom of God and for souls and all that kind of stuff.

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But make no mistake about it. The emphasis is on what you will get if you give them your money.

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In fact, you notice that she said, pull out what you're going to give right now. Hold it in your hand as we recite this together.

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And if you give them your money, you are promised jobs and better jobs and raises and bonuses, benefits, sales commissions, favorable settlements.

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So you're going to get some kind of a legal judgment on your behalf and have financial windfall and estates and inheritances.

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So maybe you're going to get a nice big house on a whole bunch of land. And when your grandfather dies, your great uncle is going to leave you millions of dollars.

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So you're going to get an inheritance and all this if, if, if, if you will give them your money.

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The other section of this promises you that you will have interest in income, rebates, returns, checks in the mail, finding money.

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I mean, how much more blatant can you get? You give us your money and you're going to find unexpected checks in the mail, gifts and surprises, finding money.

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I mean, you're just going to be showered with a whole bunch of greenbacks if you give them your money.

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I'm surprised she didn't come out and promise people that if they would give Bethel their money, that they would have debt canceled, credit card debt canceled or their mortgages paid off.

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Thank you, Jesus. Go ahead and take out what you have to give. I felt like I was supposed to prophesy one thing over you.

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I heard the Lord say cancellation of debt before the end of the year. And so if you have debt, just as we give this money,

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I just want to pray over your household, a cancellation of debt. Father, I thank you for credit card debt being canceled.

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God, I thank you for you paying off mortgages. God, I thank you just for,

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I feel like there's going to be a rolling in of testimonies from on campus and our online church of cancellation or debts being paid off.

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So God, I thank you for that of every family in Jesus name. And as we pass the bucket so you can give online, why don't you join me in welcoming up the amazing

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Chris Valton. One stop shopping. You need to get out of debt. Give Bethel your money.

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You got credit card debt like most Americans do. Oh, give Bethel your money. Yeah. You need a mortgage paid off.

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Wouldn't it be nice to have that paid off? Well, just give Bethel your money. And oh, are you sick?

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You need a miracle. Hmm. Well, I think you know what you need to do, right? You know, these are complete charlatans and they will come out and they will say,

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I've heard them say this many times. Oh, oh, we're not telling you that you can buy a miracle. Really?

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Okay. So they, they say that you were, you can't buy a miracle. You can't buy a miracle. God owns everything.

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He, you know, cattle on a thousand. You can't buy a miracle. We're not telling you, you can buy a miracle.

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We're just telling you that if you will give us your money, God will give you a miracle. You told me not to think.

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It's a distinction without a difference. You're saying the same thing. So it's like they know what they're saying and they know they're going to get criticized.

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So where they, they try to cover it up, cover their back. We're not telling you, you can buy a miracle. We're just telling you, if you give us your money,

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God will give you a miracle. Complete their charlatans. One of the marks of a false teacher.

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Look at the book of second Peter. Look at, look at the book of Jude. Read verse verses 10, 11, 12.

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Jude describes false teachers and he says that they are, they are greedy. A false teacher is known for his greed and says that they care only for themselves.

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False teachers care only for themselves. And then of course, after she was through with her little offering speech.

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Let's welcome Chris Vallotton to the, to the pulpit. And I'll watch that too. That was a train wreck of a sermon in and of itself.

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This is nothing new with Bethel. Make no mistake about it. They are prosperity gospel. And some of you already know that they have had

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Kenneth Copeland in recently. Earlier this year, they had Kenneth Copeland in to preach at their church.

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And a lot of people, Oh, I can't believe it. Even the remnant radio guys, they criticized, they criticized

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Bethel for having Kenneth Copeland come in. I'll probably have more to say on that in the near future.

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But rightly so, but this is nothing new. Bill Johnson and Kenneth Copeland have been friends for at least three or four years now.

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Let me show you. This is a clip from the Southwest Believers Convention back in 2020.

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Now Southwest Believers Convention. This is Kenneth Copeland's big shindig, his national conference that he does every year, every summer in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Fort Worth Convention Center. They've been doing it for 40 years. In fact, 2020 was the 40th anniversary of the

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Southwest Believers Convention. I'll take this. I'll give Kathy, my wife, credit for this.

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But years ago, she started calling it the Southwest Unbelievers Convention. That's what it is. It's the Southwest Unbelievers Convention because Kenneth Copeland is not a believer.

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But at any rate, 40th anniversary, 2020. So they started it in 1980, of course.

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And so that's kind of a big milestone, you know, 40th anniversary of a conference you've been having every single year for 40 years.

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And so who you have come as your speaker at the 40th anniversary, that says a lot about who you are and what you believe.

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And so who did they have come as one of their keynote speakers at the Southwest Unbelievers Convention in the year 2020?

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Oh, Bill Johnson. I'm so thankful to Kenneth Copeland and this whole team to give me a chance to be with you.

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It's a real honor. So thanks. Glad you showed up. Glad you showed up. So 2020,

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Bill Johnson preaching at Kenneth Copeland's convention. And then three years later,

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Bill Johnson inviting Kenneth Copeland to preach at his church, quote unquote.

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Because I say quote unquote because Bethel Church is not a church. It does not meet the biblical definition of a true church.

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It's not a church. But Kenneth Copeland is the most egregious purveyor and promoter of the prosperity gospel in our lifetimes, in the modern era.

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He is blatant prosperity gospel. Even brags about preaching the name it and claim it, blab it and grab it message.

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Brags about it. No, we're part of the name it, claim it, reap it.

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Yes. That's who we are. Well, and George, hey, we named it, claimed it, blabbed it, grabbed it, and we have it.

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We do have it. We're the one with the airplane. Yeah. Yeah.

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Yeah. Airplane za. Za. And aside from that, he has uttered some of the most blood curdling, jaw dropping heresies and blasphemies.

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He is truly one of the darkest individuals I have ever come across.

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And I say, some of you have heard me say this, I stand by it. I do not have, there's not one ounce of hyperbole in what

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I'm about to say. I genuinely believe that Kenneth Copeland is demon possessed. I genuinely believe that.

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Because that's the only explanation for the kinds of heresies that this man has taught.

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He has arguably brought more reproach on the name of Christ than any other quote unquote evangelical in the last hundred years.

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If Kenneth Copeland is not a false teacher, no one is. No one is.

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If Kenneth Copeland is not a false teacher, the term has no meaning. And it says an awful lot about a pastor as to who he invites to fill his pulpit.

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Who a pastor has come in to fill his pulpit says a lot about who that man is and what he believes.

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And you open up your pulpit to a man like Kenneth Copeland, get out of the ministry.

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Like, don't pass go, don't collect $200, get out of the ministry.

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So is Bethel Church a prosperity gospel preaching church? You better believe it is.

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And I will have more on Bethel, Lord willing, in the near future.

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All right, dear ones, thank you very much for watching. Until our next time together, may the grace of our

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Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all.