Mike Winger's Big Problem With Bethel's Letter...  Now again to juxtapose this when these situations happen and they do happen that's the tragic part is like people are going to be evil and sinful that that's the reality of the situation but when these situations happen at other churches typically what happens and should happen is you immediately go through the proper channels and if there's a crime that's been committed you go to the authorities if there hasn't been a crime committed but it's consensual you you go and by the way clare GSA is a crime in a good amount of states now that's a relatively recent thing you go and deal with it, right? Like you deal with it and you make sure that people are held accountable. Um, so all of this is so so grieving um and even hard to to talk about it because these are real people's lives being impacted. And if Ben Armstrong actually uh kind of told himself this tale that this was really an affair and hasn't, you know, sinned in this way since then and now this is all being dug up and now this is going this is going to bring harm to his wife who he probably you know also gas lit in this situation. His kids. This is this is this is a massive mess that is being made because the foundations were in property land because folks were chasing prophetic culture instead of God's truth in terms of how do you deal with an elder who falls in this way. Right. Uh Mike Winger put out this statement which I thought was good. Bethl announcement about one of their senior leadership team. He says, "I do not think they were unaware of allegations of grooming and what uh looks like SA or clergy SA previously called an affair. At least I don't think the whole leadership team was unaware. Perhaps some of them. Jesse Westwood, who I just reigned from Faith Reframed, and Blae uh from Wake Up and Win have both done videos on this recently. Uh there's definitely more to this story than the letter implies." And this is uh the one that they read from uh from the pull pit. I thought uh this meme wonderfully summarizes why we're doing this. Spencer Dalton writes podcasters forcing Bethl to look at their coverup culture. And it's this meme where you he's forcing this lady to see this. And yeah, I think uh I think in light of all this stuff, there seems to have been a pattern. And that pattern is now being exposed. And I'm not saying that in a derogatory sense. I mean like what was beneath the surface has been brought to the surface and people are finally starting to see it for what it is. And that doesn't take away from any of the good things that people have experienced at Bethl. But it's a deeper question on the idea, can systems like this survive exposure like this, right? Because at the end of the day, justice matters because victims matter. because the Sarah matter and the Jubilees matter and their experience matters and I'm watching I mean so many more folks are finally coming out and saying hey I got this word and it derailed the trajectory of my life and I wish somebody would have told me right ultimately when these sit situations happen matters because leaders are still image bearsers and they are capable of repentance that's that's outside of the allegations the institutional processes but there's a human dignity here that um we don't we don't want to diminish that Bethl can repent in this and and seemingly has gone in the right direction. We don't want to diminish the fact that um there probably will need to be restitution in some of this. Um and and none of this is to say that I'm anti-holy spirit or I'm anti- the gifts of the spirit. Um but I am pro- light. Step in the light. I am protruuth. show the truth when these things get mitigated and and and and brushed under the rug. Um it just will make things worse. And so like a part of me, and you guys might think this is crazy, but a part of me feels for Ben Armstrong's family and and potentially where he's at. He might be in a great place today, but because this stuff was swept under the rug for a decade plus and framed as this consensual affair when really there was a pattern of Clare GSA, now his entire life is being uprooted. Now he's on under administrative leave. Now there's this investigation that's going to happen with the third party and these these victims are going to get revisited and there's going to be more calls with the senior leadership team. and and and I think there's probably awesome people that are on the senior leadership team, especially the younger folks. I've had a a bit of an interaction with with some of them um or or one of them, and I don't want to get into too many details, but there seems like there's some awesome people here, right? But the bigger question in all this is is a question about culture, a question about the customs, the norms of a specific community. And um I'm I'm glad that this sort of stuff is happening. I don't think it's just exclusive to charismatics. I think this stuff probably happens in all sorts of churches. Um, but there does seem to be a pattern that's connected to theology and an ideology around the stuff that Daniel Silk has put out like culture of honor, like unpunishable that has ripple effects on people's lives because it seems to prioritize leaders and people who are gifted over folks who are just everyday normal folks, right? uh interns and students and the the not elite, the not special people, right? And so it seems like some of these blind spots are being revealed to Bethl. Um my question is, are they how are they going to get through this, right? How are they going to maneuver through this? Because, you know, I think they have a massive building project that they're working on that's like a $60 million build building project like this that that's a probably a heavy lift for them financially. And so I'm curious like where is this going to go? But but what I what I am sure of, it definitely seems like the touch not the Lord's anointed and paralleling David and Saul and Saul not being killed by David even when he could be and how we're not to touch the Lord's anointed. Um that that that that's fading in church culture in general and specifically in charismatic culture. And I think that's good, right? because I think we need to have more loyalty to the the victims or the potential victims uh than loyalty to a platform or a brand or a name. 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And so, like, the the group of people that was there, I think it was great. We were able to see people who are truly seeking God. We got to see a ton of people who are special in we'll call it in the industry. >> One of our major takeaways has just been how God blesses in you being faithful. A lot of Christians just want to chase after success instead of chasing faithfulness. >> I think it's just been really effective how like everybody has been teaching you how they've been able to like follow Jesus and make disciples as they're going. >> It's a really classy summit. I am just very impressed with the quality and the structure and just very classy, very nice. >> Much as like we can get so much from online content, there's a huge difference between being here. None of these people are egotistical. They'll shake hands with you. >> I did the sponsorship back in November and just left it in God's hands and just prepared myself if he allowed it that I would be here. Here I am. >> People that you're going to meet are amazing. >> You're going to meet friends here and you're also going to be edified. I'm honestly amazed at at the diversity and the and the need. >> It's a super fun time. So, you guys are not going to want to miss out., Mike Winger's Big Problem With Bethel's Letter..., YouTube, 01khpxm0efns1jcpr6jr0yq2ry.