Please Provide the Medical Evidence for the Healing of the Man with Stage 4 metastatic Cancer
EDITORIAL COMMENT:
The following is the substance of an email addressed by Philip Powell to Todd Bentley (outpouring@ignitedchurch.com) and Stephen Strader (stephenstrader@gmail.com) and copied to many on Philip’s personal email lists, including the official "Todd Bentley" apologist Dr Gary GREIG (garygre@earthlink.net). After the email was broadcast worldwide Philip Powell received a response of sorts from Steve Strader, which is published under the words of the original email below, followed by Philip Powell’s editorial comments. You be the judge. It would be good to see some pressure being put on these men to come clean on this issue or provide the evidence asked for.
This is a request of Todd Bentley. I am addressing it to him and to Stephen Strader who is obviously a major player in what went on in Florida and is now spreading throughout the world. However if anyone else on this mailing, which includes ALL who have been party to what has been an ongoing email discussion, in which I have been hesitant to participate, due to the volume of emails so far generated, can provide what I am seeking I will be grateful. I plan to include the many thousands on our own CWM EMAIL LISTS worldwide. Because some object to their email address being visible I have Bcc’d all apart from those addressed.
The following is part of a discussion I am having with a person called "CHRIS" whom I do not know and who has not so far identified himself other than as "Chris". You can read the blog at:
http://www.christian-witness.org/blog/?p=14#comments, where this email statement will also appear:
"CHRIS – do you honestly believe that God tells Todd Bentley (TB) to kick and punch people? I have seen a video of him kicking a man allegedly with Stage 4 metastatic cancer of the colon. He said he kicked one woman in the leg and another in the face. You say that it is sceptics who are publicizing this, which may be the case. However the point is he obviously did kick the man who was said to have cancer of the colon as the video records it. You are faced with a tri-lemma: 1) It was staged, in which case Bentley is a disgraceful deceiver, or 2) The man was actually kicked in which case he will have a basis to sue TB and I hope he does, or 3) The man was healed in which case it should be documented. Personally I am inclined to think it was staged. You say there is “proof” and Todd Bentley will provide medical evidence, so I will send him this blog and ask him to do as you say. I will let you and all know if he replies and what “evidence” he provides.
Large numbers of people from around the world continuing to go to Toronto proves nothing other than a “wicked and adulterous generation” always seek after signs. Have you read Paul Gowdy’s testimony? Paul was a leader associated with Toronto, who after nine years has come clean on what actually happened. He has denounced it and repented of his involvement in it. You can read the record here:
http://www.christian-witness.org/archives/cetf2007/toronto39.html
http://www.christian-witness.org/past_mailers/feb07mm.html
If you don’t trust our reporting then just google his name and see what comes up. Many organisations have published his story.
To claim, as you do, that the emphasis was upon “intimacy with God” is subjective. It cannot be scrutinised. Anyone can claim that sort of thing. The fact of the matter is that Toronto through the ministry of Rodney Howard-Browne and others is known worldwide for the laughing phenomenon. That is inescapable. Also as I have said, and I now repeat, the fruit of these movements is BAD. It is not good fruit and there is NO great revival as the promoters keep claiming. Where are the souls being saved? Where is society being changed as occurred in the previous revivals – the Wesleyan, those under Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield and the Welsh revival? Read Edwin Orr’s classic “The Second Great Evangelical Awakening” in which he documents how entire societies were changed in their moral climate etc. Yes even the Welsh pit ponies were affected.
You are wrong—dead wrong and I suspect that Todd Bentley will not provide any substantive evidence, though at your suggestion I will try to obtain whatever he has."
I sincerely promise to publish Todd Bentley’s "evidence" on our CWM blog and also to let all on this list know about it.
THE FOLLOWING WAS RECEIVED BY PHILIP POWELL ON JULY 2, 2008 and is published verbatim. Philip’s editorial comments follow in brackets {..}.
"watch the video from last night …. Todd specifically addresses the "violent" situations …. he preached towards the end of the service …. god.tv "god on demand" click on July 1 slide the locator towards the end of the service where he is preaching
regarding medical evidence … we have told you repeatedly… we have four people working on verification … we have MD who is contacting the family, and doctors … the problem is hippa laws… THE MEDICAL PROFESSION and lawyers will SUE US if we release info … our hands are tied… it is AGAINST THE LAW OF USA to reveal medical records … we are working on ways to do it appropriately… one way is to have the actual individual share their personal testimony without disclosing the hospital, doctor, etc. … unfortunately they are SCARED TO DEATH because the media hounds them… it’s like poperotzy!
I just PERSONALLY spoke to a family last night for half an hour… their child RAISED from the dead… the mother is a nurse… she is scared she will lose her job because she didn’t take the child to a doctor… the child was dead for over 20 minutes!!! drowned… verified by family and friends that were there at the party… but if she is identified — she can lose her job… some media have already heard about it and are trying to locate her through friends … not to mention the fact that heresy hunter like yourself – demanding verification – are writing horrible things about us and the people trying to testify
what do you want me to do??????"
Stephen Strader
stephenstrader@gmail.com
www.ignitedchurch.com
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EDITORIAL COMMENT BY PHILIP POWELL
{This is so obviously untrue as to be laughable. We have it on good authority that medical information may be disclosed with the approval of the patient. This is done all the time for medical insurance purposes, in trauma and malpractice litigation, and in televised and published accounts of dramatic health crises on TV shows etc. Steve Strader is evading the issue presumably because there is no medical evidence to support the claim about the man allegedly healed of Stage 4 metastatic cancer. The Arnold Palmer hospital has already denied one of their claims. None of the many claims to healing and even raising of the dead has been authentically verified to date. Just like “Chris” in our CWM blog, they offer to provide the evidence and then when evidence is requested they just find all sorts of excuses. Sadly the main “players” in this so called revival are so obviously strangers to the truth that we fear for all who are being influenced by them.
May God grant to us His Wisdom which comes from above and is "first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" JAMES 3: 17.
Sincerely yours in CHRIST,
Philip L. POWELL
http://www.christian-witness.org/blog
http://www.cwmfellowship.org
http://www.christian-witness.org
