Mr. Bentley’s disingenuous argument

By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved Used by Permission.

Well, after a bit of a flurry, talk about Todd Bentley being banned from entering the UK might be dying down now in the blogosphere and English media.

Todd himself is unfazed. I am assuming that he is the one that posts on the “Fresh Fire USA” page on Facebook–it sounds like the way he expresses himself– and today, there is a post that his Norway crusade is going well. “National media reported a favourable story.” he posted.

But earlier on, he continued to be perturbed at the ban that prevents him from coming to Britain.. August 22, on the Fresh Fire USA Facebook Wall:

“Amazed at how the media can interpret a 1 time event 13 years ago and present it yo you as if when you pray for the sick we use violence. So not True.”

I was prescient enough, in this post, to guess that he might complain along these lines.

Todd, not everyone is prone to assume that you might be lying from the pulpit. Fortunately there is video evidence.

This video quotes several incidents that Bentley talked about at Lakeland. You’ll notice that there is not just “One” incident that is pointed to or shown.

And then there is the incident when the man who had a cancer who was kneed by Bentley on the Lakeland stage. You may see it here. What Todd says–”I don’t do that often”– does not mean “This is the only time that I have ever done this.” And, you’ll note, this was 4 years ago, not 13.

Todd Bentley is trying to lie.

Hope he doesn’t have the gall to say: “Do you believe me, or your own lying eyes?”

I suspect that I can make a bang on guess about why immigration officials earlier in Australia and now in Britain have banned him from entry. I suspect it has to do with his honesty in some way.

An earlier complaint, also cited in abbreviated form in the Guardian story that broke the news of the ban. I had a look on the Fresh Fire USA Facebook Wall and found it.

It reads like this:

Fresh Fire USA I was thinking of posting this and asking the question? What about all the other celebrities, musicians and others with a more colorful past than me that are permitted into the UK for shows. Some Examples are UFC and WWE Wrestlers, celebrities & many Rock stars. Is this really about my past and fear of potential violence or Freedom of Religion and attack on Faith, God & Healing? They have no legal basis for their accusation. I did all their visa process and fingerprinting & security. This decision was made before any of my application was processed. It is based on Internet, media and false perception they have not followed up on. I think this is big news! USA Immigration saw fit to receive me into the country. The UK Government never asked our side of the story or gave any process for discussion. Disappointing but God wins!

August 20 at 2:31pm via mobile · LikeUnlike · 9

His whining makes the rest of those who want to minister in Britain look bad, as I will explain.

Some comments:

1. Why does Bentley think of himself in the same context as “celebrities” and “musicians”. Why didn’t he think of himself in the context of a minister with a criminal past, say the late Chuck Colson of Watergate fame? “He tried to cover up a major abuse of political power and I am sure he was allowed into Britain. But he came in to bless through the power of Christ and spread the gospel.”

Is it because Todd doesn’t think of himself as a minister sometimes, but as a performer putting on an exciting show?

If you think that you entertain, what does that mean for the evangelism that you try to do?

Colson came to my mind within seconds as an example that Bentley could have used, a concrete one. One that Bentley could have used in lieu of a hypothetical one. And Colson has now died, so he cannot object.

Can he cite a specific example of where someone in the jobs he mentions is directly comparable to the “red flags” Bentley may have?

All this depends on where your mind is, I guess.

2. I don’t think that serving time at 15 for molesting a child could be dismissed as merely “colourful”. Or can Bentley cite say, a rock star who was similarly jailed for a sexual offense and then refused entry into Britain as a result?

3. Bentley has said in regards to his record that he feels it has been “erased”. I doubt that this means that you can’t mention to immigration officials. Presumably, if they did fingerprints and such, he would have undergone more than crossing the US-Canadian border. He would have had to say, at least on a form, if he had ever had a criminal record.

4. Bentley complains that this is legally unfair. Has he, or does he, intend to do something about it?

5. In the English public eye, he is being perceived as ultra violent. Isn’t the first priority to prove you are “non-violent” and non-dangerous? This is because any appeal to “freedom of religion” means freedom to kick, knee, hit, etc., when you heal as of now.

This makes it difficult for people to see Todd’s side. They might say “Certainly when you out it like that, we do not want it in Britain.” And the sad thing is that a lot of non-crazed ministers, who really would be having their freedom impinged on, may be caught in the trawl of the Bentley net.

6. It wouldn’t be anything special to have unfettered access to the United States, a “green card” or US citizenship, when you marry an American citizen resident in the US. And such is Jessa Bentley.

It would seem that Bentley is up to his old tricks of “misleading.” Perhaps the immigration authorities in Britain have grown tired of it, but that is only a guess.