Bethel Church, notoriously known for its bizarre and outlandish claims, is led by a group of cult-like charismatic blowhards that lead the congregation in a series of bizarre, deceptive practices like grave-sucking, highly emotive music, and an obsession with false manifestations of the Holy Spirit. They claim to have special access to divine knowledge and revelation, and their sermons are typically punctuated by wild stories of supposed “prophecies” and miraculous interventions.

But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these stories are little more than outright lies that serve only the purposes of the cult leaders themselves. Lead “apostle” Kris Vallotton once regaled his flock with a tale of Jesus appearing to him in the bathtub and they regularly speak of demons being cast out of congregants with no evidence whatsoever.

Perhaps most disturbingly, the church openly baptized a homosexual who claimed that his sexuality was irrelevant to his relationship with God. While this might look like typical progressivism, it is clear that the church is only interested in protecting its investments in the pews, regardless of the cost.

In a recent clip from this past weekend, the church’s lead pastor tells the story of a woman who was supposedly shot by her ex-husband, had to have three toes amputated, and then, during the weekend service, a group of women prayed over her and literally watched the bone and the toes and the toenails regenerate right in front of their eyes.

Here’s the clip, along with the supposed testimony from this woman.

So here’s a question: if this truly happened, and this truly went on for thirty minutes, like Johnson claims, why couldn’t someone snap a picture of it? Or grab some video? Or, as he claims, a doctor looked at it, why can’t he produce this doctor’s testimony? The reason why is because it’s a lie, it didn’t happen, there is no evidence, and no real doctor is going to put his license on the line with such bizarre false claims.

When Jesus performed miraculous healings in the Scriptures, it was an instantaneous healing. It wasn’t a gaggle of court jesters with terrible doctrine salivating over some woman’s toes for a half hour while watching bone and tissue form. This is just so dumb it is beyond words.

The deception and manipulation practiced by the church’s leaders are evident to any discerning observer. Their constant boasting of supernatural experiences and divine knowledge is little more than a smokescreen for their own egotism and desire for power. It is a sad testament to the gullibility of their followers that they continue to buy into the church’s lies and distortions, despite all evidence to the contrary.