#WakeUpOlive And A Call For Compassion…And Accountability
Bethel Church and the empire it has wrought are extremely problematic. From its attempt to imbed itself into the political and economic life of Redding, California to its founders blind support for Trump to its establishment and support of “ex gay” groups. Bethel Church and the hurtful and hateful theologies that they support need to be unequivocally condemned.
And yet. Can one hold church leaders and members accountable for the massive harm that they do to marginalized groups and still have a measure of compassion, when one of their leaders is going through a hard time, without excusing the harmful theology that Bethel Church espouses? Yes.
Bethel Church has recently been in the news after the death of Kalley and Andrew Heiligenthal’s two year old daughter, Olive during the second week of December. Bethel Church, posted on Instagram that Kalley, who is a worship leader at Bethel and her husband, were asking believers to pray for the resurrection of their daughter. The post, said in part: “…We are asking for bold, unified prayers from the global church to stand with us in belief that He will raise this little girl back to life. Her time here is not done, and it is our time to believe boldly, and with confidence wield what King Jesus paid for. It’s time for her to come to life.”
The post has inspired a lot of discussions regarding what resurrection is/means, the connection between faith and science, and how Christians of various theological stripes interpret Biblical stories of miracles and what those stories mean today. All of these discussions are necessary.
The post has also sparked anger. Such anger and criticism directed towards Bethel Church, is justified. Bethel Church should be condemned for exploiting the grief of a family. Bethel Church needs to be held accountable for how their actions and theology harm vulnerable people.
But do I think the parents are “crazy” for wanting to do everything they can to have their daughter back? No. I can imagine that grief over the death of a beloved child can make people willing to do and try almost anything to have their baby back.
Do I blame the family for reaching out to hundreds of thousands of people (if not more), hoping for a miracle? No. Though, I do think serious questions need to be asked about Bethel Church’s intentions and motivations in publicly encouraging the family to request prayers for a resurrection. Is it because resurrection and the performing of miracles are vital to Bethel’s ministries? Maybe. But as an economic and theological powerhouse, are there any ulterior motives lurking beneath the surface? Probably.
Do I think serious questions regarding Biblical interpretation, theology, miracles or the lack thereof, should not be discussed? Of course not. In the future, I, myself plan on writing a post about resurrection and Progressive Christianity.
All I am asking is that in all the public debates regarding Bethel Church’s motivations and theology, that the little girl at the center of the storm is not forgotten: Olive Heiligenthal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5dkdrGFgcE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Not surprisingly, the resurrection has not occurred. In an update posted on Friday Dec 20th, Bethel posted a defense of their request and also explained: “…we are moving towards a memorial service and celebration of her life.” Olive Heiligenthal is not coming back. For her family, that news is devastating. Their lives will never be the same. As a result they deserve compassion and prayers. Not ridicule and mockery.
Bethel Church on the other hand, needs to know that this exploitation of the family’s grief is despicable.