"Curious," said, Alice, a "church" that out of 79 reviews gets either a Five Starts or One Star. Que? Let's remember that the word Jesus uses for "church." "Ekklesia," actually means "Called-Out-Gathering," while the English word "church," a completely different word with a completely different meaning, grew out of the Old Norse word, "Kirkya." What was a Kirkya? It seems that, yes, the Norse people practiced "sacrifices," and these killings were often done in designated forest areas. Funny thing about that ancient world, whether an Akkadian or Norseman, etc., the concept of "God" was not yet an omnipotent, omnipresent being. If you wanted "God" to see your sacrifices or wonderous deeds, you had to "show them" and / or invite the gods to the party. A couple of examples: the walls inside Akkadian temples were covered with reports of wars where the Akkadian people, ancient Syria, Nineveh, etc., told their gods how many "millions" of their enemies the king had killed and beheaded that year, not thousands but millions. For the ancient world these numbers are fantastical, but who is to say that the "God" was there to observe and count the dead? In other word, many ancient kings had a "Press Secretary" to help manage the relationship with their king and the god of the king. Considering that, time travel over to the Norse people and call to mind the Viking tradition of the "berserker." In other to sit with Oden in his Hall, which was actually what Valhalla was, and his throne was encircled with silver spears by the way, you needed to distinguish yourself "visually." You needed to stick out on the battlefield, to draw the attention of the gods towards you. In other words, no, Viking gods were not necessarily omnipresent and omnipotent. Thus, the berserker got all hopped up on "Viking Uppers," perhaps even taking off his armor, maybe even clothing, and running amuck among the enemy. That will make you stick out, no? Remember when Jesus said (Matthew 6:6), "Go into your home, go into your closet, close the door, and your father in heaven can see you?" That sounds self-evident today, but we live in a post Matthew 6:6 world. In 30 AD Matthew 6:6 was a mind bender. So back to Viking home and hearth, - we are not 100% sure on how individuals got picked to be sacrificed to the Viking gods. Was the person taken in battle, was the person a local offender, or an ill person, perhaps even a great horse, - we aren't sure. Yet we are reasonably certain that the Norse had sacrificial forests, and the chieftain owned and / or controlled that space. That would then, thus, be a problem, for the gods would not see these dedications unless the gods were themselves present. So, you had to haul out all the statues of the gods and place them in view of that forest. That, too, was a problem. That meant putting a "god" out into the snow. That isn't good. You can't have snow fall on a god's head. What? That sounds ridiculous, no? Nobody would think that, right? Well, travel to Japan even today in wintertime and notice the red scarves over the heads of small stone Buddha. What is the cloth for? Correct, Archimedes, to keep the snow off his head. What does this have to do with Jesus? Well, back to the Vikings, and no, you could not put a Norse god out in the snow and not have that god hold a grudge. Thus, to be sure that your gods saw the "sacrifice" you had to have them in the audience. Welcome to the ancient world. And once there you needed to put them in a "shed." Essentially, Kirkya in Old Norse meant "God-Shed," and they brought this whole idea with them to England during their invasions. Yes, there was an ancient Greek word for Kirkya, too, but according to the Gospels, Jesus never used it to describe his "Called-Out-Gathering." Enter King James and burn William Tyndale at the stake in 1536 to bring James out. Why was William Tyndale burnt alive? Well, for one, check out the 1526 version of what is known as the Tyndale Bible. Go to Tyndale's translation of Philemon and see Philemon 1:2. The end of Philemon in Tyndale's 1526 version reads, ... and to the congregacion of thy houffe. Hop over to King James' 1611 translation at Philemon 1:2, where we get, "... and to the church in thy house:" In 1611, translating the Greek word for "Calling the Members out for a Meeting" was intentionally translated to a structure based on a word from Old Norse. That structure, according to the tradition, and in Scotland it was spelled Kirk directly from the Old Norse Kirkya, was owned by the chief / king. That miss translation was intentional. In Greek the word behind our English word "church" is Ekklesia, the "Called out Gathering of the Selected Members." It isn't just Bethel where they twist the Christian meaning of a "Fellowship" into a physical space with a roof controlled by a priest, but all American "churches" do it. It is just that the bigger the building, the bigger the lie. read more

So I went down to Bethel tonight to observe, having never experienced this apparently well-known Redding spectacle. Sure enough, it was just as lame and disturbing as I imagined it would be. It really is just disingenuous parlor tricks and bad psychological self-manipulation, and I found nothing at all profound or interesting about it in the slightest. Sat in the back, no one said a word to me nor I to them. It was surreal. To be fair, I think many of these people probably have worked this kind of reinforcement into their lives like people who self-medicate, so it does fill a psychological need. But that's where the blatant dishonesty and hypocrisy comes in: it is 100% mass-psychological, and I say this as someone trained in the field. But it purports to be something much more, when a quick reading of some basic Jung (on the nature of synchronicities and the working of the personal and collective unconscious), positive psychology, and behavioral reinforcement would quickly show what is going on. Of course it is very, very slick, and sugarcoated, and intentional, and subtly manipulative, and that's where its appeal is, and why it works so well. If you want your kid to clean their room or your parishoners to donate generously, you reward them with M&M's and slick easy-to-swallow pop culture, not tasteless fiber bars or actual profound content. Which brings me to the "offering" part of the service.... to which all I can say is, damn. They are really, completely, and totally shameless aren't they!? Wtf. They were reciting that believe-it-receive-it thing from the overhead projector like a magic mantra, prefaced by the Vallotton chick giving an account of some very minor synchronicity that any sober-minded person would not give a second thought to, as some kind of sensationalistic 'evidence' that by giving generously people are "partnering with God" like it's some kind of nu-capitalist God-is-my-CEO shite. Riiiiight. I mean, sure, believe that way, I don't care. But call a spade a spade; what they are doing is well-known to every pagan and heathen in the world, and has no special dispensation for the MonoTheos of Judeo-Christianity. This shit is old, OLD hat. Be pagan, that's great - I am, and the way I look at it the more the merrier. But FFS, just get it over with and drop the Christian pretenses; it's pagan ritual, sensationalism, mild trance practice and shamanic music/dance, little kids practicing at scrying, making offering at the temples for specific reasons, and animist magic-believing. Not kidding in the slightest. Psychologically understandable, and it's an organic social movement and valid as-such I suppose, but it's corrupt due to the rampant self-delusion and dishonesty involved. That (the money emphasis), and the slide toward yet more extreme subjectivism, is probably the main difference I saw between the service I just attended, and the Vineyard services I used to attend back in the 90's when all the insanity was still fresh and I was drinking the Kool-Aid myself. At least back then it was completely unhinged and novel and thus genuinely interesting, phenomenologically speaking. Now that "the fire has settled" a bit, they went and hinged it up with this theocratic postmillenialist '7 mountains' bullshit, and *that* is what makes it genuinely disturbing. They really do want to take over the city's, the country's, and the world's mass-mind and infrastructure, and to that I say oh hellllllll no. But they're babies, the lot of them. Watching it, I felt more empathy than what I expected. Still thankful that no one approached me though; then shit might've gotten a little more real... Review: 1/5 stars, because I think a lot of the people are genuine and well-intentioned, but I can think of a million better and more interesting outlets they could choose than that lame and milquetoast money-pit. read more

BEWARE! Cultish Kundalini Spirit practices are happening here. This church is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Their pastor has published books that directly contradict the bible. "I have found throughout Scripture at least 75 examples of things that the New Age has counterfeited, such as having a spirit guide, trances, meditation, auras, power objects, clairvoyance, clairaudience, and more. These actually belong to the church, but they have been stolen and cleverly repackaged." Physics of Heaven by Bill Johnson The practices here directly compare to that of the Kundalini spirit in the eastern cults. The Gospel is not enough for this church. They need to physically see and experience something tangible from God. They seek after the spirit realms because Jesus dying on the cross isn't enough. You don't have to dig too far to see that this church is not preaching the Gospel: We are all sinners. God's wrath should be poured out on us but instead, Christ died for us. If we put our faith and trust in him, we can avoid God's justice. Once saved, we evangelize! The bible should be central to every church. It is God's inarguable truth. When we (sinful humans) try to add or take away from it, bad things happen. "Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, 'No disaster shall come upon you.'" Jeremiah 23:16-17 2 Chronicles 33... Church, we must learn from the mistakes of the ones who have gone before us. read more

Bethel Church in Redding, CA. is a cult and filled with the Kundalini spirit. I have been a few times over the years and it keeps getting stranger. Their so called glory cloud is not real gold as Bill Johnson is a great deceiver. It is stunning how anyone can be at a church for almost an hour and not hear Jesus Christs name mentioned. They have a loud band with people running around with giant flags, spinning them. A few of them asked if they could lay hand on me and I couldn't get out of their fast enough. I knew they had all been indoctrinated into the ill gifts of the Kundalini spirit. Their gold dust falling from the ceiling is really ridiculous and I cannot believe that so many good people could fall for such nonsense. It is like Bill Johnson has some kind of spell over his initiates as they all seem brainwashed. Notice that all the 5 star ratings are from Bethel's foot soldiers who try to discredit anyone who has a honest opinion of their cult like status. If you can remember a few things this may be helpful to you. 1. small groups are more effective than mega churches. Bible study with prayer and praise outshine the spectacle of Bethal's nonsense. Know this- 1 John 2:27 King James Version- But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. The Holy Ghost will teach you into all truth, so study and show thyself approved from the mouth of three witnesses and search the scriptures daily to see if these things are true. read more

BETHEL IS NOT CHRISTIANITY!!!! Lead false pastor Bill Johnson denies the divinity of Jesus stating "Jesus set aside his divinity, choosing instead to live as man." Bill does not believe in God's sovereignty and recently said "not everyone dies in God's timing." He preaches the prosperity/health & wealth gospel. He has said prophesying is simply coming up with something you think God would say or think. His wife/co-false teacher has participated in "grave soaking." Another quote from Bethel: "the holy spirit is a magic genie." They have practices involving "honey barrels." One of their false pastors, Seth, spoke of a vision he had after another person hurt his feelings in which Jesus hugged him and said "please forgive me" (the perfect & holy God of the universe asking for forgiveness from US!?!?) This is just the tip of the iceberg, you can find out so much more by googling/YouTubing. I recommend "American Gospel," "Clouds Without Water," "Bill & Bethel Examined Biblically," listening to Lindsay Davis' story, and The Berean Millennial. Bethel cherry-picks parts of the Bible and completely ignores Scripture as a whole. The true gospel of Jesus and the sufficiency of the Bible is not enough for these people, they are obsessed with experiences, signs and wonders. Bill says it is an "insult to the gospel" for humans to not perform miracles like Jesus did (since Jesus was fully man before becoming God, they believe). It is genuinely heartbreaking. Please do research and stay away from Bethel, and pray that the souls being led astray will know the truth!!! read more

If you are Christian this place isn't for you, this place isn't for your families... This place is known as Be*hel to the locals.... Because they worship money... one of their head pastors Kris Vallotton brags about how he has a corvette while the homeless rate in Redding is way above average.... they ask for money "their god" 2-3 times per sermon and their #1 offering prayer is the worship of their god "the golden calf" and here is the exact quote "As we receive today's offering, We are believing the Lord for: Jobs and better jobs Raises and bonuses Benefits Sales and commissions Favorable settlements Estates and inheritances Interests and income Rebates and returns Checks in the mail Gifts and surprises Finding money Debts paid off Expenses decrease Blessing and increase Thank You, Lord, for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the Kingdom of God and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!!!" This is listed on their own website... here... https://www.bethel.com/offering-readings Golden calf, Golden Calf, Golden calf, Golden Calf, Golden calf, Golden Calf, If you want your children to worship money instead of God... just like these people do..... then send them to Be*hel Redding and that's exactly where they will end up. read more

Avoid them like the plague if you can... I personally don't mind Christians, but these guys are brainwashed! If they had the chance, they'd be like the creatures in the movie They Live. They're only a cult and just want your money, time, and energy (and maybe your soul... just maybe)... The followers pretty much believe that no matter if you're on death's door, they'll just pray. They also have special air ventilation ducts DESIGNED for their "glory dust" which is nothing more than a crap ton of gold craft glitter. It's only a trap for people who don't have a lot of self esteem who have had crap going on in their lives (such as drugs) and what have you. I also feel incredibly awkward even talking to them because they always mention their deity in almost every sentence... and because they creep me out, I usually temporarily mimic their behavior and when they close their eyes to pray for me because I gave them directions to some random place, I run like hell, but that's only if they confront me. Oh yes, I also believe that they're just going to take over Redding entirely and just make it less entertaining to live in... I mean, they've bought the Redding Convention Center, and an old grocery store for their sermons. read more

Bethel promotes anti-LGBTQIA+ activities including "conversion therapy" which is illegal in California. https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/2019/8/22/megachurch-glamorizing-conversion-therapy-instagram Bethel conducts "grave-sucking" activities where they lie on graves and attempt to absorb spiritual material from the deceased. https://churchwatchcentral.com/2019/04/10/bethel-and-their-apostolic-grave-sucking-culture-still-continues/ Bethel attempted to raise a baby from the dead. https://krcrtv.com/news/deprecated-shasta-county/bethel-church-and-family-pray-to-resurrect-2-year-old-girl-pronounced-dead#:~:text=REDDING%2C%20Calif.,says%20the%20child%20stopped%20breathing. Bethel not only eschewed any kind of Covid safety measures, they held events, deliberately putting people in danger. https://krcrtv.com/news/local/covid-19-cases-tied-to-bethel-double-as-a-leader-criticizes-mask-policies Bethel is actively infiltrating local businesses and politics to promote their interests, which include bigotry and false claims that they can "resurrect" people. https://anewscafe.com/2022/10/18/redding/redding-city-council-race-bethel-the-stirring-members-poised-as-council-majority/ If it looks like a cult, it's a cult. read more

This review is completely biased, but I am honest so read it anyway. I moved to redding almost 6 years ago to attend the ministry school at Bethel Church. I had no idea how great it was till I got here. I have never loved any church more than this one. The leadership is incredibly trustworthy, it is well-rounded, full of the presence of God, has good worship, great teaching and is chock full of hundreds of people completely passionate about God. If you like a church where you know things are happening, where it isn't about man-made formats and structure but about the presence of God, where people get healed, where the teaching makes life wonderful and where the people are balanced and loving then there are few better choices in church. It is not very conservative at all, but it also isn't boring or guilt-producing. There are also few churches that provide more resources such as excellent counseling, ministry to the poor, to the community, high value for worship, art, business, signs and wonders, honor, intercession, missions, opportunities to travel and grow as a person. It really is a great place to be. I have changed dramatically for the better since being here. read more

I attended Bethel's elementary school from the fourth grade to half way through the seventh grade. I had moved to Lake Arrowhead, and when I tested for their middle school, I was way behind. I had to take remedial courses in everything but English. When I had left Bethel I was getting pretty good grades, so I was not prepared to be that far behind. When I was attending the school, it was very obvious that the more money your parents gave to the school, the more you could get away with. It was disgusting. Now I live in Redding again, as an adult, and the Church has certainly grown. I really don't think it is a good thing. Bethel School of Ministry students are everywhere, and invasive. The worst part is they are so brain washed. It takes no digging or sleuthing to observe practices of the occult that are expressly forbidden in the scripture. On top of that, they painted over my favorite mural in town. That may sound a bit petty, but Redding really doesn't have a lot going for it, and it upsets me that they were ok with just painting over a beautiful mural that has been in this town for decades. This review is getting a bit drawn out, but essentially, Bethel is bad news. read more

Don't go to this church or their school of ministry. Bill Johnson is a false teacher involved in the Word of Faith movement and supports and holds conferences with other false teachers such as Benny Hinn, Todd Bentley, Peter Wagner, John Crowder, and others. He denies the deity of Christ and teaches that He had to be "born again," and teaches that all Christians can be healed through their faith. Bethel also at one point deceived many through their "glory cloud" phenomena, which turned out to be only craft-store-grade glitter coming from the AC ducts. They also engage in "manifestations of the Holy Spirit" that are not found anywhere in the Bible, including holy laughter, being "slain in the Spirit," and making weird animal noises. Bethel also places people's experiences over the Word of God. Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry engages in practices of the occult, meanwhile stating that they are only "seeking after signs and wonders." They also deceive people into thinking that they are healed, only to later discover a relapse in their medical condition. So in conclusion, run far from this church and find a Gospel-centered church that teaches the Word of God. read more

I attended Bethel Church for several years before coming to the realization that many of its teachings aren't grounded in Scripture or the practices of Jesus and the apostles. While I believe their intentions may be good, their approach to healing, particularly the aggressive insistence on immediate results through repeated prayer often causes more harm than help. As someone with a disability, I've personally experienced how their persistence can feel invasive and emotionally exhausting. In some cases, people feel pressured to falsely claim healing just to avoid further embarrassment or attention. It's disheartening to see a community that speaks of compassion inadvertently make people feel like projects rather than individuals. I also have serious concerns about the doctrinal direction and leadership at Bethel, which I believe can mislead those genuinely seeking truth. If you'd like to hear more about my experience or specific examples, feel free to reach out privately. My goal is not to attack anyone, but provide honest feedback. read more

This is not a good church. In fact, it's not a church at all, and no sane human should give this place even a moment of your time. This organization has done an incredible amount of damage to the local community in recent years. From being openly proud of being a covid superspreader, to buying up the VFW and raising the rent, to wrecking the local housing economy, to being openly anti LGBT, to promoting conversion therapy, they've essentially done all they could to push Redding back into the 1950s. They've even attempted to resurrect a deceased infant, which is an increasingly horrible thing for anyone to try and do. They've bought up countless starter homes in the community, and turned them into all night party houses. I've lived next to some of the soulless trash attending their so called school, and been kept awake night after night by the constant music, the fighting, the screaming, etc. Bethel is a horrible, sketchy organization, and I fear for the souls they brainwash into attending here. read more

I attended Bethel as a young hard working Christian pastor... i thought they would hire me... I was a young and foolish... the SLT "Satan's Leadership Team" told me that I was a natural at preaching and instructed me to keep practicing.... however... after a while Bill Johnson, Chris Vallotton and Dan Farrelly begin stealing or "Paraphrasing" my sermons and preaching them as their own.. while I was attending Bethel I was kicked twice, told that I was going to end up committing suicide twice by Chris Vallotton and Dave Harley... senior pastors... i was told several times that I was homosexual by Bill Johnson and other members of the Slt though I am not, i also got to minister as an agent of the Lord to many of the teenage kids who have been damaged by this place and hear their stories.... this Church will lead you and has lead other children away from the Lord they are Shepards of the Devil and if you are of the Lord you will oppose them. read more

I have been following Bethel Church and Kris Vallotton's work for many years. I constantly share Bethel content and his preaching. Yesterday I posted this meme on a post in his Facebook page regarding a discussion about poverty. Kris Vallotton not only immediately deleted it but also BLOCKED me permanently. This is how this 'prophet' handles critique. When you stop preaching the Gospel and start to use your privilege to make profit and distort Bible's message on social justice your God is no longer The God. Your God is you. I pray that God shakes him. If needed be that he looses all his possessions. His soul is worth more than the product of his capitalistic anti biblical mindset that he so conveniently use because of where he was born. Instead of thanking God for it he got arrogant and keeps making fun of the millions of Christians that starve all over the world. Shame on him. read more

Bethel's church teaches a different gospel and a different Christ. Their gospel is the health, wealth and prosperity gospel where it is always God's will for you to be prosperous materially and in good health. Like other cults text of Bible are taken out of context to fit their view and you are taught to disregard the Bible by "going off the map" and exercise your "creativity" in the "prophetic". They also subscribe to the kenotic view of Christ where "Jesus is a just a man in the right relationship with God, not as God, so we can also perform all these miracles"... so come to our school of Supernatural ministry (unaccredited) and learn how to perform in the miraculous. Church leader Bill Johnson also into the New Age demonstrates in his writings in the book "Physics of Heaven". His wife is also into necromancy, by lying on graves sucking anointing off of dead people. read more