Reckless Christianity: The Destructive New Teachings and Practices of Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, and the Global Movement of Apostles and Prophets

by Holly Pivec, R. Douglas Geivett

Bethel Church in Redding, California, is one of the most popular and polarizing churches in America. Home to the award-winning Bethel Music label, its songs are among the most used in churches. Thousands of people visit the church each year, drawn by reports of miraculous healings, the manifestation of a glittering Glory Cloud, and other miracles. They’re convinced that the church is at the forefront of an end-time movement that is restoring miraculous power to the church-at-large and “bringing heaven to earth.” Yet others are concerned that Bethel has left the boundaries of Scripture and brought its followers into a dangerously speculative and experience-driven faith. They say that, in the name of training miracle workers, Bethel has introduced hazardous, perhaps even occultic, practices into the church. This has resulted in chaos, confusion, and damaged lives. In this book we examine the controversial teachings of the “Bethel Church Movement,” as it is called, which has transformed modern Christian practice, culture, and worship. We show its place in the broader New Apostolic Reformation, a worldwide movement of “apostles” and “prophets” intent on reconstructing the mission and the message of the Christian church.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity

376 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2023

Reviews

[Joshua Hale]

Very well researched, informative and a much needed work for the church today.

[Chuck]

Carefully and thoughtfully written and researched. Read it intentionally and don't skip the extensive footnotes. Stop and look up some of the citations of what they wrote. And when you've reached the final chapter, follow their advice. Avoid any alignment with Bethel. Be alert to NAR tactics and propaganda. Know what draws people to Bethel and be prepared to help those who ultimately realize the recklessness of Bethel is not God's way. Pivec's and Geivett's quote of the prophet Jeremiah was a tellingly "prophetic" response to Bethel and its global movement: "Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:32).

[Amanda Rae]

Great book; insightful. I can see the care and integrity the authors take to properly portray Bethel and other NAR leaders. The footnotes are almost an entire other book in themselves and are just as fun to read as the actual content!

I have become increasingly concerned about this moment since we had a missionary come who promoted some of these NAR doctrines few years ago. It has greatly disrupted our ministry, and I appreciated that the authors took note of how this movement "creeps" into churches and other ministries. It is indeed a reckless 'Christianity', and dangerous. I hope Holly and Doug write more books in the future! This is the second one I've read and been greatly helped by!

[Alecs]

Amazing, in-depth, look at the teachings and practices of Bethel. As someone who came out of, and is still recovering from NAR teachings, this book is very helpful and important.

[Sam Chretien]

Another fine example of fair clear thinking and writing . I’m looking forward to reading more and F these authors . Enjoy reading this book.

[Mary Slomkowski]

This is such an important read for believers today. It’s all too easy to get sucked into things like this is you’re not aware and discerning. Thanks to Holly and Doug for sounding the alarm.

[Michael Schmid]

Excellent, thoroughly researched and biblically based evaluation of the aberrant teachings and practices of Bethel Church and others who are part of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), building on the authors' previous books on the topic, in particular "Counterfeit Kingdom". A wake-up call to the danger and destructiveness of this movement for Christians who have been ignorant of it or who have neglected to take it seriously - and also a call to a return to and defense of biblical Christianity!

[Laci Curtis]

read it

This is a thorough explanation that will answer all your questions. If you know people who are gravitating to this movement this book will help you understand why. It grieves me to see so many people manipulated and lead astray. This is an excellent resource in not just what this movement pushes but also how you can respond.

[Justme]

What an utterly fascinating and horrifying look at the dangers of Bethel and the NAR.

[Tori]

Bethel Church, out of Redding, California, has its share of controversy but also more than its share of influence. Holly Pivec and Doug Geivett have written several books on the New Apostolic Reformation, the larger movement behind Bethel, but in this book, they focus specifically on Bill Johnson and the dangers of the teachings coming out of Bethel.

Holly and Doug do a good job of balancing the task of evaluating poor theology but also having love for the people who are in a movement that they are critical of. I had an opportunity to participate in a book group with the authors, and that trait is evident in them personally and in the book. Reckless Christianity is more on the scholarly side of writing. There are a lot of footnotes, and it takes time to digest all of the information. If you have some knowledge of the NAR/Word of Faith movement already, then you should definitely pick up this book. But if you are new to the topic, you may want to start out with one of Doug and Holly's earlier books such as Counterfit Kingdom. That or be prepared to do a lot of googling.

All in all, this is an excellent resource for people to understand the teachings of Bethel and the larger NAR movement. I would encourage you to pick it up, no matter your position or feelings about Bethel, and evaluate what Holly and Doug are saying for yourself.