13 – Jesus I Come to Thee: Jeremy Riddle Escaping Bethel Church and NAR Basics
Recently, Christian worship music leader Jeremy Riddle posted:
“I find myself increasingly troubled when I look at western Christian culture and see such a startling lack of representation or instruction on VITAL teachings in scripture; particularly the passages that warn and admonish.”
Jeremy Riddle’s Facebook profile
Bryan and Grant discuss why this is so significant and Jeremy Riddle’s theological background rooted in Bethel church and New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) theology. We discuss what NAR theology is, why it’s dangerous, and how to recognize it.
But First…
The Original Post
Jeremy Riddle’s Facebook post from April 10.
He posted a follow up a few days later
The Response
Lindsay Davis-Knotts, former BSSM student who got out and was featured in the 3 part Cultish expose.
Who is Jeremy Riddle?
- All Music biography
- Jeremy’s teaching through Bethel.tv
- Latest album just came out, called Holy Ground. He has mentioned the album was a “2 year process” which is the same period of time he claims he has been on the long journey of repentance.
What is New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) Theology?
- NPR Interview of C. Peter Wagner
- IHOPKC has been listed as a NAR organization, however, they reject that classification in a carefully worded press center document.
- A Puritan Board Discussion that contains a link of a NAR “prophet” Heidi Baker.
- Pirate Christian blog post “The Six Hallmarks of a NAR Church.”
Key Terms
What words do people who follow NAR theology typically use? Below are a few terms that adherents to this theology (whether or not they claim to actually hold to that theology)
- Dominion
- Demon/Demonic
- Apostolic – they believe the leaders have apostolic gifts like healing and more
- Kingdom
- Destiny
- Presence
- Glory
- Revival
- Unity
- Global Awakening
- Global
Videos of Bethel’s Curious Practices & Beliefs
- Forgiving sins at BSSM – claims that she has the ability to forgive sins
- Forgiveness that Leads to Joy – the speaker claims he had a vision where Jesus asked his forgiveness
- Holy Spirit like a sneaky blue genie (?) – Jenn Johnson describes how she associates the Holy Spirit with the genie from the cartoon Aladdin
- The glory cloud at Bethel – a video showing what Bethel believes is evidence of God’s presence.
- Why Your Church Shouldn’t Play Bethel or Hillsong Music – An episode of Wretched arguing that we ought not sing songs from either Bethel or Hillsong.
Thanks for listening
The Balm of Gilead podcast is a member of the Tech Reformation family of podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please share it with others. We enjoy hearing from you, so join us on our Discord and let us know what you’re thinking. If email is more your thing, write to us at thereis <at> balmcast <dot> com. Thanks again and we’ll see you next time, Lord willing.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS | More