Grace upon grace – and who's actually picking up the stones?

Let me start here:

My heart is first and foremost with those who have been hurt. With those who have been deceived, manipulated or betrayed by people they trusted. That deserves our sympathy, our anger at injustice – and our clear voice. The Bible never gives us permission to stay silent when people are being exploited.

Jesus himself got angry. But he did not sin.

And that's exactly where the tension lies that we have to learn to live in.

Honestly:

I would rather be part of a community that sometimes believes in people too much, than a community that constantly tears each other down, casts suspicion on motives and doubts intentions.

What has hit me hardest lately is the speed with which Christians pick up stones. There's an almost euphoric energy in exposures. As if someone has finally given us permission to judge.

But Scripture says something else.

The letter of James reminds us that God alone is judge.

In Matthew 18 Jesus shows us a far more demanding – and slower – way: confrontation, conversation, a call to repentance and, if necessary, clear consequences. Not a public execution dressed up as love of the truth.

We need grace-filled communities.

Not naive. Not without boundaries.

But grace-filled.

We have to speak up loudly when something is wrong.

But we have to forgive just as quickly – even when there isn't yet full understanding or remorse. Otherwise we make room for bitterness and darkness. I don't know about you, but my life is simply too short to carry other people's offenses. Yes, we carry each other's burdens – but we are not called to carry hate.

That's also why I get uneasy when exposures get mixed up with theological agendas.

If your real errand is to shoot down the whole charismatic movement – then say so honestly.

But don't wrap it up in "care for the victims" if it's really about positioning.

👉 Let's not do the very thing we accuse others of: manipulation.

Don't throw stones if you live in a glass house yourself.

This week I've been physically together with one person from Bethel's Senior Leadership Team and have had close written dialogue with another. So I have no doubt at all about the remorse and self-examination I see.

Should more have been done earlier? Absolutely.

But it's also important to be precise:

Shawn Bolz was never employed at Bethel, and they never had leadership oversight of him – even though over the years they tried to confront him. He has done a number of seriously wrong things, and he carries the responsibility for that himself.

Bethel's SLT's failure therefore doesn't lie in direct action, but in a lack of action and action that came too late. And they have – rightly – taken responsibility for that.

The remorse and repentance I have seen most recently from Bethel's leadership has therefore given me greater respect for them. Not because they're perfect – but because they said: We should have done more. We showed misplaced mercy.

That's leadership.

And yes – I'm actually looking forward to Bill Johnson visiting our church in 2026.

Let me make one thing completely clear at the end:

What Shawn Bolz has done is deeply wrong. He – like all of us – will one day have to answer to God.

But that's exactly why we have to hold on to the double calling:

Truth and grace.

Accountability and restoration.

Justice and mercy.

Anything else doesn't bring us closer to Christ –

only further away from each other.