TODD BENTLEY AND THE SPIRIT OF THOR

By on Sep 3, 2012 in Current Issues, Features, Word Faith

By Bud Press of Christian Research Service

Can man make gods for himself? Yet they are not gods!
(Jeremiah 16:20)

 

Todd Bentley is known far and wide for his ability to spin tall tales with a wink and a grin, and sound convincing. He needs no introduction.

Stan Tyra is the Senior Pastor of Revolution Church in Rogers, Arkansas. He considers Bill Johnson and Graham Cooke as his “spiritual heroes!” (Twitter, May 4, 2010). To make matters worse, he welcomed Todd Bentley as a guest speaker to Revolution Church on July 29-30, 2012.

Source: http://www.freshfireusa.com/events/view/533-Arkansas

With that in mind, in a message to his church on August 11, 2012, Stan Tyra claimed he received the following “powerful word” from Todd Bentley:

Todd Bentley had a word for me last week. He gave that word kinda semi-publicly, and we shared it in the house because it’s important to us as a church. And he said that he saw a spirit of Thor on me.

Thor is a character that some of you probably familiar with. I really wasn’t that familiar with him until he told me. But Thor carries a hammer. And Todd said, “Stan, when you teach it’ll be like a hammer, and it will break things that are so that new things may be formed.” And that’s a powerful word to me.

The above statement was transcribed from Exposing A Religious Spirit Part 1, August 11, 2012, http://revolutionnwa.com/media.php?pageID=18…4:00 into the audio…[which is below]:


[mejsaudio src=”https://www.apprising.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Tyra-Thor.mp3″]

Pastors who turn their pulpits over to false teachers demonstrate a tremendous lack of discernment. Doing so is risky business, since the spiritual welfare of the congregation is a top priority. The Bible instructs pastors to guard their flocks and warn against false teachers, not welcome them with open arms (Matthew 7:15-20; 2 Peter 3:17-18; Acts 20:27-31; Jude 3).

The angel of light the Apostle Paul warned about in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 overshadows all false teachers, and produces false apostles and deceitful workers–all of whom disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. If, indeed, Stan Tyra is telling the truth, he’s bitten-off more than he can chew, so to say, due to the fact that the demonic activity surrounding Todd Bentley is real and infectious.

Besides, who in their right mind would want a “spirit of Thor” resting on them? More on that later.

Timeline of Tweets on Todd’s Twitter

Stan Tyra’s “spirit of Thor” statement has been the subject of discussion on Todd Bentley’s Twitter. That’s good. It needs to be discussed. Here is a brief timeline of the Tweets thus far:

August 27, 2012: an individual who goes by the name “ReformedMusicMan” Tweeted Todd Bentley and asked,

ReformedMusicMan Pastor Stan Tyra Receives spirit of Thor? Is this a joke? http://bit.ly/PMwRBy.

Todd Bentley crazy nonsense I know the man

August 28, 2012: best known as the “Captain” of Pirate Christian Radio, Chris Rosebrough got wind of Stan Tyra’s “spirit of Thor” statement, exposed it publicly on his radio program (http://bit.ly/PMwRBy), and Tweeted the following to Todd Bentley:

Chris Rosebrough Did you give Stan Tyra “the spirit of Thor”?

Todd Bentley no that’s crazy

August 30, 2012: Bud Press of Christian Research Service wrote the following e-mail to Todd Bentley on his Fresh Fire Ministries contact page:

Todd:

Recently, Pastor Stan Tyra stated publicly that you “saw a spirit of Thor” on him. Is he telling the truth or lying?

Thank you,

Bud Press, Research Consultant,
Christian Research Service
www.christianresearchservice.com

As of this writing, there has been no reply.

August 31, 2012: Chris Lawson is the President of the Spiritual Research Network, and a respected Christian apologist and cult evangelist. He Tweeted Todd Bentley and asked,

Chris Lawson StanTyra(sermon) claims you said “And he [Todd Bentley] said that he saw a spirit of Thor on me.” Is this true Mr. Bentley?

Todd Bentley No. The only spirit we want on people is Jesus!!!

Chris Lawson Todd, thanks for your reply. Is Pastor Stan Tyra lying?

Todd Bentley I already replied I don’t believe we can have any spirit but Jesus. This is a misinterpretation. So the answer is no

Chris Lawson Todd, Stan Tyra was very, very clear about what you said to him! Is Stan Tyra lying? Yes or No?

As of this writing, there has been no further comments from Todd Bentley.

August 31, 2012: Bud Press of Christian Research Service called Stan Tyra and left a message on his voice mail. The call was made to verify Tyra’s ”spirit of Thor” statement, and to discuss the issue.

September 1, 2012: Stan Tyra called Bud Press and confirmed that Todd Bentley made the “spirit of Thor” statement. Unfortunately, the conversation lasted only for a few minutes, because Tyra said he was being treated in a hospital for broken ribs and a back injury he sustained in a recent accident.

Thus, the reader is left to decide who is being honest and dishonest.

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. –Proverbs 3:3

Closing comments

While the internet contains ample information on Thor and other Norse “gods,” according to the New World Encyclopedia, there is much more to Thor than a hammer-carrying comic book hero, an action figure, and a main character for movie entertainment:

In Norse Mythology, Thor (Old Norse: Þórr) was a widely worshiped deity among the Viking peoples and revered as the “God of Thunder.” Historical evidence suggests that Thor was once understood as the “high god” of the Nordic pantheon, only to be displaced (in rather late pagan mythography) by the All-Father, Odin. Thor was the focus of numerous Norse folk tales and he was seen to be representative of the Viking lifestyle, perhaps due to his associations with physical prowess and straightforward (though at times vicious) conduct. [emp. theirs]

Source: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Thor

While Thor and other Norse “gods” are viewed as harmless mythology, they are false “gods” just the same, and were idolized and worshiped. They are the result of a polytheistic society, and are pagan. Indeed, the “spirit of Thor” is demonic, and is to be avoided at all costs.

The God of the Bible is exclusive to all man-made and mythological “gods”. Throughout the Bible, God warns against having anything to do with false gods. The following three Scriptures demonstrate that there are dire consequences to disobeying God’s warnings:

Exodus 20:3: You shall have no other gods before Me.

Deuteronomy 6:14-15: You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.

Jeremiah 25:6: …and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.

Finally, the movie, Thor, hit the theaters in the U.S. on May 6, 2011, and was a financial success. On May 8, 2011, Todd and Jessa Bentley wrote the following on their Twitter pages:

Todd Bentley Thor!! Oh ya in 3D
Jessa Bentley Thor!!! Amazing!!!! Best movie yet!!

It appears that both Todd and Jessa watched Thor about 14 months before Todd spoke in Steve Tyra’s church.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens. (Psalm 96:5)

Christian Research Service carries a variety of articles and information on Todd Bentley, other false teachers, and the New Apostolic Reformation. Visit our website at http://www.christianresearchservice.com/category/todd-bentley-punching-preacher/

The original appears here.

Further reading