"Several doubters and scoffers arose both in the media and on social media. The Daily Beast reported that Lindell has "thus far refused to provide proof" of Dines' miracle. But Lindell, in a sermon this past Sunday at James River, said there are reasons it has not been publicized." - Charisma News
This is the usual script for liars and false teachers. Anyone who dares oppose them must be a scoffer or doubter. For the record I do not doubt God for an instant I doubt any man like Bill Johnson who couldn't find a correct doctrine with two hands and a flashlight. Just like at Asbury, I do not doubt the kids who just wanted a little more of God than an organized church service could give them. I get that. What I doubt are the revival vultures circling around them once word got out. Suddenly hucksters like Greg Locke and Todd Bentley were there. Suddenly there were reports of exorcisms and videos of random dudes teaching poorly about praying for the manifestation of tongues with unsuspecting local folk. So, inquiring minds want to know now, why would you not be shouting this toes miracle from the rooftops?
'"As you know, there has been quite a furor on social media about what happened to the girl with the toes. They have taken on Kristi, who has had a lot of trauma in her life, and it makes me sad to see them do that because her miracle is real. "People say, 'Well, if it's genuine, why aren't you doing something to publicize it?' There are a couple of reasons for that. First, I'm less interested in proving to people what God did than I am in protecting sheep who are vulnerable. I'm going to protect sheep. My first concern is for her. "We have to have that heart. We have to discern what is right. [John Lindell's wife] Debbie is at the Joplin campus and is meeting with her and some of the others that were a part of that miracle. The News Leader asked if we would comment on it; they had been following things on social media. They have had a repeated history of not only a general bias against evangelical Christianity, but a targeted bias against James River." - Charisma News
This is where most of these charismaniacal stories go off the rails. Someone demands proof and suddenly there are a myriad of solemn sounding reasons why they just can't do that. One would think that the woman, not "girl" at 46 years old, would be gushing to tell such a supernatural and profound story of healing! I understand the back story sound horrific and traumatizing but we are talking about a woman who is born again by the power of God no? You are claiming that the God who created the universe grew back three toes on you and you cannot figure out why people want the details? You can't just go, "trust us." We do not trust you. That is the entire point. Targeted bias? Put on your big boy evangelical pants and deal with what YOU have started now.
'"I just felt like I'm not going to talk to an agency that has a history of not being unbiased. I can point to a bazillion examples of that. At the same time, we've had two national news agencies contact us and asked if we would do a story. And so, we are in the process of simply assessing Kristi and the circumstance. I want it to be good for her. What I want to assure you of, it's real. It is a legitimate miracle and we can provide the kind of proof that would be necessary. I've seen the picture of the toes. She was going to be fitted for a prosthesis. They have the molds and all of that. Again, the issue is, we've got to care for people first." Lindell says if you need proof this can happen, then "You haven't read the Gospels lately."
Don't fall for the sleight of hand by John Lindell here. The issue is not believing this CAN happen. The issue is not believing it DID happen. The first is not believing God but the second is not believing you. The problem in all of this story is not bias, people who don't like you, or even unbelief. The problem is you have created a national story and now want to pretend that everyone else infringing upon you. Of course, you have responsibilities to the woman but now you have responsibilities to the public as well. Pretending one is important and the other is not is unbiblical as well. If you could not provide proof, you never should have shared it so widely. The lost in this country have now latched on to your promotion of this story. There is now a website devoted to proving the story right called, "showmethetoes.com" This story is of YOUR creation. What better way of shutting up people who you think are biased against you than to show them the before and after of this miracle you are selling?
"He said to them, 'Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you'" (Matt. 17:20). "Jesus said, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, 'Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!' When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the foul spirit, saying to it, 'You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and enter him no more.'" (Mark 9:23-25) "Here's what we have to remind ourselves of," Lindell said. "There are people who doubted the miracles of Jesus. There are questions of who Jesus healed and why. There were people who remained unconvinced of the supernatural"it's always pretty much the same group, the Pharisees." Indeed. There will be Pharisees and scoffers. As believers, we shouldn't be surprised when their unbelief arises." - Charisma News
Yeah. Nice try. People who disagree with you are not automatically Pharisees. The majority of those that want proof are unsaved so comparing them to the teachers of law in Jesus' day is asinine. Unbelief has arisen because you told a fanciful tale of a major healing, along with alleged medical verification and then when asked for the receipts, you said, "trust me." Trust me that at a church service where Bill Johnson was preaching, God grew back three toes on a 46-year-old woman, which a doctor verified. Can I talk to the woman? Too traumatized. Can we speak to the doctor? You're a biased Pharisee. Right.
