After denying the charge, Bethel was exposed for promoting necromancy, in the form of what is known as ‘grave-sucking’. Now Bethel and their leadership claim they are not responsible for promoting New Age occultism in the form of ‘tarot card readings’. This article refutes well known Bethel leader Kris Vallotton’s claims that this fringe group (ChristAlignment) does not represent Bethel. This article reveals Vallotton’s statement is very misleading.
Vallotton writes:
Someone told me there is an article stating that some Christians are now using “Christian Tarot Cards” (apparently called “Destiny Cards”), and that some people associated with Bethel were doing so.
This is insane! First of all, whoever is doing this needs to repent and stop the craziness in the “name of reaching people for Christ.” Secondly, Bethel has graduated 10,000 students, has 9000 people in their congregation and a couple million followers. For some reason when some “Christian” does something crazy, the media often want to blame the church they go to or the podcast they listen to etc…guilt by association. Believers are called to love the broken so we are privileged to have them named among us. But broken people often act broken. Assigning their broken condition to the people loving on them is like blaming doctors for their patients sickness!
There are also people who listen to our teaching and create strange and/or anti-biblical applications in our name. For example, people hear my teaching about God raising up Daniel’s who was numbered among the sorcerers, to reach the Nebuchadnezzar‘s of our day; and then they go out in the name of “Kris” and act like sorcerers! Yikes man…use your brain! That’s not what I said nor am I okay with it.
Loving people creatively is exciting but we need wisdom as we move into the cesspool called “the world”. Please stop the craziness!
Source: Kris Vallotton, FaceBook, https://www.facebook.com/kvministries/posts/10155315050078741, Published Dec 14 2017. (Accessed Dec 14 2017.)
The problem with this statement above is what a pro-Bethelite attendee asked below in the comments. Bob Howell wrote:
Hmmmm though. Yes Kris I agree that many accuse us of many things. (Grave sucking being one of the more “interesting” ones.) But let me ask, what is so different about that than people making prophetic drawings and then touching people with them so they get healed? I wonder if we are overreacting? They are just cards with pictures on them. They cannot hurt you. Or going to Burning Man and giving cold readings? Or certain prophet types that post the “word of the day” that sounds like something you’d read from inside a fortune cookie? We’re OK with that but not the use of a deck of cards? Not saying any of these are right, but these go on at Bethel, with their blessing, all the time. Something to consider. (BTW I am not endorsing the use of Tarot cards in any way.)
Source: Bob Howell, FaceBook, https://www.facebook.com/kvministries/posts/10155315050078741?comment_id=10155315101833741&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R9%22%7D, Published Dec 14 2017. (Accessed Dec 14 2017.)
At first glance at the ChristAlignment website, it appears their ‘Prophetic Artists’ were inspired by Bethel’s practice of ‘Prophetic Art’ to produce their tarot cards. The entire discourse of Bob Howell is worth reading among other commenters attending Bethel who confess they practice such things supposedly under the prompting of the ‘Holy Spirit’. In case this dialogue is censored or removed, click to read it here:
BETHEL DOESN’T ENDORSE CHRISTALIGNMENT TAROT MINISTRIES?
There will be another article examining this ministry further – in the mean time, Kris Vallotton is doing the same thing he did a few years ago when he denied Bethel’s involvement in promoting necromancy (communicating with the dead) that became known as ‘grave-sucking’.
Both Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton lied about Bethel’s involvement in this practice. Not only was Bill Johnson’s wife promoting grave-sucking, their Bethel Pastor, Ben Fitzgerald, publicly taught this at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) and uploaded videos to YouTube teaching and encouraging people to be ‘grave-suckers’.
GOD TV, Bethel, Lifestyle Christianity & IAHM endorsing demonic ‘grave-sucking’.
To this day, Bethel claims him as one of their pastors – this also confirmed by Ben Fitzgerald stating he is a Bethel Pastor on his Facebook page.
A timely reminder, Ben Fitzgerald was given free reign as a Bethel Youth pastor to practice this form of necromancy.
This practice seemed to originate from NAR Apostle Benny Hinn who would visit the grave of Kathryn Kuhlman to obtain her anointing. NAR Apostle Lou Engle wrote a book titled ‘Redigging the Wells of Revival’ in 1998 that didn’t go as extreme as Hinn. However, he encouraged people to tap into their NAR/NOLR history to make people aware of them to tap into revival which is how ‘The Call’ rose to prominence in the year 2000. Cal Pierce took this ‘redigging the wells’ language and used it to justify his visit to John G. Lake’s ministry and went to his grave to receive Lake’s anointing and ministry thus birthing the notorious ‘Healing Rooms Ministries’. This in turn was popularised by Apostle Patricia King and New Breed Todd Bentley. After Bentley, NAR spiritual extremist John Crowder became famous when he controversially laid his hands on the grave of cult leader Alexander Dowie, to suck up the anointing from his bones and release this impartation to people through the camera to his audience on YouTube.
In other words, not only did Bethel promote grave-sucking, Bethel is fully aware of this tarot card ministry. Why? Jen and Ken are the parents of Ben! In other words, Ben is not only aware of this ‘tarot card’ ministry, it’s his mother and stepfather who run it.
Screen shot of Bethel Pastor Ben Fitzgerald, standing with the staff of the ‘tarot card’ ministry. (Click image to enlarge and see the names.)
On the ChristAlignment website, you can see these staff here.
Click on the image below to see a collage of photos Christ Alignment has on their website of their staff:
Furthermore, Ben is completely aware of their practices, especially when he is tagged in FaceBook discussions where they are talking about Cherice Dominique Gates mastering “the animal and colour cards perfectly.” Gates was not only ‘knighted’ as a graduate from BSSM, her FaceBook wall claims she is part of the “Joy Department & Fashion Team at Awakening Europe.” This is damning, considering she is engaging in ‘tarot card’ reading while touring on the ministerial staff with Bethel pastor, Ben Fitzgerald. Why doesn’t this Bethel pastor have a problem with his own staff mastering, “animal and colour cards perfectly?”
This was back in 2016:
A really amazing day 3 in at Mind Body Spirit Melb with the CHRISTALIGNMENT team. Ben Fitzgeraldwould have been proud of new comer Charice Dominique Gates who was releasing encounters to everyone who came to her for a reading. She mastered the animal and colour cards perfectly. Whole team was amazing. We saw on a very personal level & prayed with over 200 people today. This guy Chris got healed and here is his testimony from today.
Source: KenandJenny Hodge, FaceBook, https://www.facebook.com/jenny.hodge.92/videos/1440783975949831/, Published Nov 21 2016. (Accessed Dec 13 2017.)
If that is not enough of an endorsement by Bethel, of the ChristAlignment tarot card ministry, even Bill Johnson’s friends endorse them. Here is Heidi Baker and Todd White (the NAR claim him to be a god in human flesh, aka New Breed):
From KenandJenny of Christ Alignment, accessed Dec 13 2017 – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1758679667493592&set=a.1743859938975565.1073741831.100000547270561&type=3&permPage=1
Ahab behind Baal (left) and Jezebel (right hand)
BETHEL CULTURE PROMOTING ANTI-CHRISTIANITY?
Kris Vallotton has been deceitful in his past statement regarding ‘grave-sucking’ and now his stataement on this so-called Bethel ‘tarot card’ ministry. This ‘tarot card’ ministry was practiced by Bethel student grads and endorsed by Bethel leaders. The connection is not just with Ben Fitzgerald but through Bill Johnson’s friends, Heidi Baker and ‘New Breed’ Todd White. Why are they not seeing the dangers of this ‘tarot card’ ministry?
This is because the theology of the NAR and New Age Movement are very similar. Not only is their idea of Jesus, the Spirit and truth subjective but they share the same theology of the spiritual man. We know because we were involved in the NAR in Australia and are familiar with this theology from Jubilee Church, Dayspring Church, Stairway Church, Hillsong, C3 and New Earth Tribe and are familiar with NAR fascination with witches, warlocks (their terminology) and the ideology of revolutionising new age events to modern day Jesus movements.
However, the NAR and New Age movement believe that a person is made up of spirit/soul/body (trichotomy) while Christianity teaches we are spirit/flesh (dichotomy) – see Galatians 5 for a simplistic view of this.
This ‘New Age’ theology of the NAR can be traced back to the New Order of the Latter Rain cult through the teachings of Frankin Hall, also popularized by the dangerous Watchman Nee. Furthermore, this New Age ‘trichotomy of man’ theology can be seen littered throughout the NAR, schools and healing rooms. So it comes as no surprise that NAR followers are attracted to occultism and forms of spiritism or necromancy.
Ben Fitzgerald and Bethel are proof of this – and this is exactly where ChristAlignment gets their ‘New Age’ theology from. If students are taught these new age anthropological philosophies and new age ‘reading’ practices in BSSM, they are literally engaging in forms of cold readings – occultism. Bob Howell confirmed they do indeed do cold readings at Bethel. Grave-sucking is a form of occultism that was practiced under the influence of Ben’s leadership at BSSM.
But further proof of Bethel student graduates being susceptible to this demonic practice are on full display when they graduate from BSSM Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry and walk right into practicing witchcraft of Jen and Ken Hodge’s ChristAlignment ministry:
“About to take a huge double team next week into Melb Sexpo event and Mind Body Spirit. It will be amazing. We are blessed to have several ex Bethel students on the team who are powerfully prophetic seers in their own right. Still possible room for ushers if interested.”
Source: Empowered by Training, FaceBook, https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1384332905009200&id=1301825756593249, Published Nov 09 2017, Accessed Dec 11 2017.
Jen Hodge writes,
Hey guys, this is an invitation for any Bethel students to join our Christalignment team as we minister at Sydney Mind Body Spirit in October. Dates are 27,28,29,30 at Olympic Park. As you know we are pastor Ben Fitzgeralds parents. We would be able to briefly train you to be ready to minister to the New Age. ( these are not tarot cards in photo) Please contact us if you are interested. As most of you are already highly prophetic you would love it.love Ken & Jen
Source: KenandJenny Hodge, FaceBook, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1299320310096199&set=gm.1138649959531921&type=3&permPage=1&ifg=1, Published June 21, 20016. (Accessed Dec 12, 2017.)
And why would people from Bethel be attracted to witchcraft? This is because Jen and Ken Hodge state that the teachings of Bill Johnson are, “at the very core of the Christalignment ministry” (click to read FB statement):
Source: KenandJenny Hodge, FaceBook, https://www.facebook.com/jenny.hodge.92/posts/1691313730896853, Published June 22 2017. (Accessed Dec 12 2017.)
In the video within the above FaceBook screen grab, Bill Johnson states that “God has anointed us to be agents of change.” And that is exactly what Jen and Ken are. Just like Bill, they are not disciples of Jesus Christ, they are New Age ‘agents of change’ being called by a ‘higher power’. We find proof of this in Jen and Ken’s ChristAlignment coven dialogue.
THEY CLAIM THEIR MINISTRY IS NOT ABOUT SALVATION OR MAKING DISCIPLES
Before tackling this – it’s worth noting that ‘Christ Alignment’ appears to be promoting same sex marriage. (But according to Bill Johnson, this is okay because Christians supposedly shouldn’t be distracted by politics.)
In NAR speak, Jen and Ken appear to push the ‘Gospel of the Kingdom’ to prepare people to supposedly hear the ‘gospel of salvation’ as taught by Apostles Os Hillman and Lance Wallnau. Bill Johnson talks about ‘throne-room living’ and being ‘carriers’ of the ‘presence’ to help bring about or advance the kingdom wherever believers go. The concept behind this is that believers are ‘Christianizing’ a culture by bringing influence (dominion theology) to change a culture. This teaching on bringing subjective experiences to a culture can be heard being espoused by Jen Hodge herself. As Jen Hodge says up front, their ministry is not about leading people to salvation and making disciples but to “to get them into a brand new relationship with God” (Heidi Baker style).
TRANSCRIPT SNIPPETS
“…The aim isn’t actually salvation. But the aim is to get them into a brand new relationship with God. Because all of them are non-Christians, and all of them have different ideas of God to what we do as Church people. So the aim is to really bring them into their very first glimpse of God, their very first relationship with God. Which is so important before they are able to come to Jesus…. If we stay in the church, no one’s going to hear about Jesus and not only that, they’re not going to have any encounters at all with God….
….And we’re really pleased with Christalignment, that we have actually developed a system, we’ve trained the team so they are able to release encounter onto people… But even without ‘word of knowledge’, we’ve developed a system where people can actually really, really encounter things at a much, much deeper level than they would normally be able to….”
Even satan has a relationship with God. So well done Jen.
This woman and her son are the FRUIT of Bethel. There is no way of looking around this.
One practices necromancy the other, pure new age occultism wrapped around spiritual words and somehow justified by scripture. Jen and Ken Hodge are recognized as ministers and network with the same NAR churches Bill Johnson does around Australia. In this case, the Hodge’s will soon be doing a worskhop at the NAR Stairway ‘Church’ in Melbourne, a place NAR Apostles like Johnson and Heidi Baker visit.
CONCLUSION
To conclude this article, we will publish below a Bethel School of Ministry article promoting how Bethel students can engage in the exact kind of occultism that Kris Vallotton denies Bethel promotes. At this point in the article – we hope Vallotton responds to our personal accusations against him for his deception in this ‘Bethelgate’ exposé:
The article at the end of this conclusion, can be read on the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry | School Planting website. This particular Bethel student writes how he and other students “ministered undercover at a psychic fair” offering “dream interpretations, healings, and spirit readings (prophetic words).” These Bethel students used “language that was not religious” and “built rapport by just loving” people. They did not say “Jesus, God, or Holy Spirit but rather called God the “Spirit of Creation.”
Kris Valloton – doesn’t this sound exactly like what Ken and Jen Hodge do in their ‘tarot card ministry’?
Do you not know that this article is on your own Bethel School of Ministry school planting website?
This particular Bethel student said that a young man came in for a “spirit reading.” This BSSM student then asked the young man if he would mind if he invited the “Spirit of Creation” into the tent, and he said that would be okay. How do we know that this was not a ChristAlignment booth? The conclusion of this adventure in the psychic fair by this Bethel student resonates in NAR anti-Christian behaviour and demonic interaction.
The student expressed how he was clearly offended and concerned with what he was involved in and later expressed confusion when his ‘god’ supposedly stated: “I was more interested in him encountering Me than what you guys were doing.” This was the first time I realized I am way more religious than God.”
And we wonder why Bethel students got involved in ‘grave-sucking’ and ‘tarot card’ ministries?
That was a demon, Vallotton!
And do you know why this Bethel student hardened his heart against the Holy Spirit and entertained paganism under the guise of ‘Christian ministry’? Because of the teachings of you and Bill Johnson. You, like most other NAR Apostles and Prophets use ‘offense’ as the governing standard to convince young people that “God will often use offense to show [them] different aspects of His unconditional nature” just to convince them into thinking others are “more religious than Jesus.”
This student now claims that they, “have discovered that the supernatural will always stir up religion and will offend the religious.” You, just like the student, have a standard that is anything but the Word of God. The title of this Bethel school article suggests what is driving Bethel, you and these students to embrace occultism: guilt and legalism:
“Are You More Religious Than Jesus?“
The truth is – God the Father gave us His Spirit so we can practice pure religion that is acceptable in His eyes. The culture you have created at Bethel is guilt and legalism, playing the “religious card’ on people to make them more susceptible the demonic while downplaying God’s omnipotence and omnipresence – and this is evil. Below is an article that refutes this ‘religious card’ that you play on people in Bethel and those outside of your cult-like movement who express valid concerns:
What is more offensive for all the right reasons? God and His Word. And this why Ben’s parents are apparently deleting and cleaning up their occultic rubbish from their ChristAlignment FaceBook and YouTube channels. And this is why you, Kris Vallotton, are cleaning up the Bethel image by lying to everyone how intrinsically involved your leadership and teachings are in promoting occultism. You are lying to people because God’s Word is offensive to you and this causes you to engage in damage control and deception.
We recently heard in the secular world this expression – “monsters hide from the light of the law”. In context, they were talking about pedophiles hiding from earthly laws. How much more do you and Bethel hide from Christ and His Word? His objective, eternal truth and gospel of salvation? It’s because you do this, that you hide behind facebook statements to stop people examining these dark practices in your movement.
Vallotton, you need to either repent for lying in your statement or repent for being an incompetent shepherd and resign from ministry.
Kris Valloton and Bill Johnson – this witchcraft happened under your watch and you continue to claim this is not Bethel’s doing. Would a godly shepherd allow Christ’s lambs to go into a den of wolves?
Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry | School Planting, writes,
Are You More Religious Than Jesus?
Jim is a Third Year BSSM student from Medowie, Australia. He is serving with BSSM School Planting and volunteering for Brandon Rice, a First Year Revival Group Pastor. In Medowie, Jim is on staff at a church and is planning to plant a school of supernatural ministry upon his return.
We are hoping that one of the lessons God taught him during his time at BSSM is that God will often use offense to show you different aspects of His unconditional nature.
Spending time in a supernatural culture has shown me that I am way more religious than Jesus.
I have discovered that the supernatural will always stir up religion and will offend the religious. If I saw God move in way that I did not agree with or could not imagine, I assumed it was not Him. I would become offended on His behalf.
God Is More Concerned with Hearts than Our Expectations
The first time I really noticed this was when I ministered undercover at a psychic fair. We offered dream interpretations, healings, and spirit readings (prophetic words). Sadly, many of the attendees had been hurt by Christians and the Church, so we used language that was not religious or would cause them to put walls up. We built rapport by just loving them. They eventually figured out we were Christians, but without us saying anything.
To reach the people at the psychic fair, we did not say Jesus, God, or Holy Spirit. Instead, we called God the “Spirit of Creation.” Honestly, this already had me on the verge of feeling offended.
A young man came into our booth for a “spirit reading.” I asked him if he would mind if I invited the “Spirit of Creation” into the tent, and he said that would be okay. After we prayed, we ministered to him with a bongo and maraca. The person I ministered with began to shake and wave the maraca over the young man’s head while I pounded out the most spiritual sounding beat on the bongo that my rhythmically challenged hands could manage. It felt like we were really just making fun of the new age scene, and afterward struck me as somewhat mean-spirited of us.
I DID IT, BUT IT ACTUALLY KIND OF OFFENDED ME
What made the situation even weirder was that as we invited the “Spirit of Creation” through what I thought was our mockery of the new age, Holy Spirit actually responded and fell in that tent. We were all overwhelmed by tangible peace and could feel His presence on us. The young man ended up having a vision of the Trinity and then giving his life to Jesus. It was absolutely beautiful.
I walked away from this experience very confused. I felt offended on God’s behalf about our behavior, and yet, He had moved in that moment. I asked Holy Spirit about it. I said “Holy Spirit, we were being absolute idiots. It felt like we were mocking other people, and You still fell. You used what we were doing even though what we were doing seemed offensive.”
He responded, “I was more interested in him encountering Me than what you guys were doing.” This was the first time I realized I am way more religious than God.
God doesn’t fit into our boxes. He doesn’t always move in the ways we expect Him to. He is more concerned with the hearts of people than with fitting into our expectations of Him.
Jesus Is Not Afraid of Offending Us
This tendency for the supernatural things of God to look different, to look uncomfortable, to look outrageous, can cause us to assume it is not God moving. We can have this tendency to want to protect His reputation, or protect our concept of how He looks. How often do we use offense rather than discernment to determine if something is from God?
In much of the church, we seem to be scared of offense and the mess it will create. We are afraid it will chase people away, and it just does not fit with our image of meek and mild Jesus. We assume offense cannot be from God, even though that is far from biblical. If we look at the Bible we can see that Jesus is not afraid of causing offense. One illustration of this can be found in John 5:16-19.
According to Jewish culture, Jesus breaking the Sabbath was bad enough. However, Jesus breaking the Sabbath and saying He broke it because He is equal with God, and God wanted Him to, was even worse! To the Jews, it would have come across as Jesus saying God was less concerned about the Sabbath than they were. As a result, they were offended, and to them, they were offended on God’s behalf. Because they were more religious than God, they missed out on the truth of what Jesus was saying, and the revelation He was trying to give them.
JESUS WAS NOT AFRAID OF OFFENDING PEOPLE
There are plenty of other examples of this in the Bible. Bill Johnson often says, “Jesus will offend the mind to reveal the heart.” For me, it was easy to see this in Scripture, but harder to apply that to my own life. I found I was willing to accept Jesus offending people in Scripture as fitting with His nature. And yet, if something offended me in my walk, I would rarely jump to, “Oh, Jesus is teaching me something.” My idea of how things should work, of how God should do things, actually prevented me from knowing and seeing God’s heart. Religion can keeps us from knowing the heart of God.
God Is Bigger Than My Boxes For Him
A few days after the psychic fair, I found myself prophesying over a woman and her yoga business. It was one of those moments where the words were out of my mouth before I realized what they were.
Yoga had always been something I had considered spiritually negative. I had always viewed it as new-age related, and a practice that God did not like. Then out of my mouth comes a prophetic word about God using her business to bring transformation and restoration to people’s lives. I was offended! How could that be God? How could God use something so wrong?
This was a lesson God kept repeating for me, and through that, I learned a tool I now use regularly. I asked Holy Spirit, “Are you offended right now?” He responded, “No, and so you don’t have a right to be either.” The religiousness in me was trying to prevent me from seeing God’s heart for this woman, and for the people around her.
In leading a school you are going to run into the supernatural. Remember, the supernatural often offends and often does not look how we expect it to, but that does not make it bad or not God. We need to use discernment to tell the difference between what is God, and what is not Him, but offense is not a sign that something is not God.
Now, whenever I see something that offends me, but does not feel demonic, I actually get quite excited. I ask Jesus if He is offended, and if He is not, then He is just showing me He is bigger than I previously thought. If I find myself getting offended about something that God is not offended by, it means that God is bigger than my boxes for Him, and He is helping me get free of religion. Next time you see something in your environment that offends you I’d encourage you to ask Him if He is offended. If you discover that He is not offended, view it as an opportunity for Him to show you how big He is. Jesus sometimes offends the mind to show the heart deeper revelation and deeper truth.
Source: Are You More Religious Than Jesus?, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry | School Planting, http://bssm.net/schoolplanting/2017/11/14/are-you-more-religious-than-jesus/, Accessed Dec 12 2017. [Archived]
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