Bethel Church, which is best known for blaspheming the Holy Spirit, preaching a false gospel, and putting into practice such things that would make even witches cringe—things such as grave sucking—is pastored by its lead “apostle,” Bill Johnson, who has made some of the most outrageous claims in the history of Christianity. In a recent clip from a few weeks ago, Johnson told 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. Right.
But just as bizarre as their teachings and occult-like practices is the way they practice baptism. For Bethel Church, baptism doesn’t fall within the bounds of orthodoxy—neither in the Baptist view nor the Presbyterian view. For Bethel, baptism is simply an entry into fulfilling your own dreams and desires. Sort of a genie-in-bottle approach to reaching your “destiny.”
Several weeks ago, Bethel baptized an open homosexual Disney star for no other reason than he simply wanted to. But in a more recent session, and even more bizarre, Bethel baptized a woman who said she wanted to be baptized because she knows that God is calling her to be a warrior for Him in the animal kingdom, and that she can’t do it without God.
For this Bethel circus, there is never any testimony of God’s grace in one’s life, one’s repentance and faith, and one’s commitment to follow Jesus. It’s always “I’m getting baptized” because “I want God to help me” do such and such. And there’s never any correction or guidance from the pastors performing the baptism.
Make a 
The Modern American Soft “Jesus” is an Idol
The modern American imagination is an idol factory, and it has manufactured a version of Jesus that never existed. In this version, Jesus is soft-spoken, endlessly agreeable, and almost allergic to confrontation. He floats through the Gospels like a spiritual...
