In November 2022, Prophecy Today began a series of three articles Discerning False Prophecy, (read Parts One, Two and Three) exposing serious impropriety within the worldwide ‘prophetic movement’. This was followed, in the spring of 2024, by a further 3-part series entitled House of Cards Falling, which spelt out the wide-reaching effects of prophetic indiscretions and multiple sexual impropriety at the core of The International House of Prayer (IHOP), formerly led by Mike Bickle (see this week's News and Views for the latest on this story).

A prophet too popular?

The Discerning False Prophecy series considered historic misgivings in regard to the most infamous of US prophet-groups, the Kansas City Prophets, but focused particularly on the ministry of Paul Cain protégé, Shawn Bolz.

Over the previous ten or fifteen years, Bolz had become one of the most popular ‘prophets’ in the world – his outstanding accuracy in ‘words of knowledge’ being regarded as second to none. Bolz found a ready welcome almost everywhere – regularly rubbing shoulders with the elites of the charismatic world – speaking often from the platform of Bill Johnson’s Bethel Church in Redding, California, and elsewhere ministering alongside the likes of Heidi Baker, Rodney Howard Browne, Daniel Kolenda and a great many others. Leaders everywhere applauded him.

 Bolz found a ready welcome almost everywhere – regularly rubbing shoulder with the elites of the charismatic world ...

As I sought to make clear in my series, despite deep concerns over aspects of his ministry, I have nothing personal against Shawn Bolz. I don’t know the man, have had no personal interaction with him (despite genuine attempts to), and judging from videos I’ve seen of him, acknowledge that he comes over as a likeable, warm-hearted man with a relatable, down-to-earth ministry style.

The reason for my focus on him in Discerning False Prophecy, and again in this article, is because of: a) the scale of the scandal; b) Bolz’ ‘superstar’ status within the charismatic world, and c) the fact that he rather typifies numerous major concerns within the overall prophetic movement.

Doubling down

Shawn Bolz began coming under increasing scrutiny over a decade ago, with a number of sceptical bloggers and other commentators casting doubt on his prophetic gifting. It became evident to many that Bolz was using information gleaned from social media accounts, and personal Facebook profiles in particular, to supply him with precise data for his greatly-esteemed words of knowledge and prophecies.

As a consequence of such scrutiny, Bolz made a shrewd shift in his ministerial focus towards the close of the 2010s, deciding to concentrate mainly on teaching, and much less on sensational public displays of prophetic gifting. But rather than confess that he had been using false means of obtaining words of knowledge, Bolz doubled down, insisting he had never, and would never, resort to such deceitful practice.

 But rather than confess that he had been using false means of obtaining words of knowledge, Bolz doubled down, insisting he had never, and would never, resort to such deceitful practice.

His words sounded hollow, and his change in ministry style strongly suggested he was keenly aware he had been found out, that he was getting cold feet, and that he felt he had no option but to abandon the ‘words of knowledge’ for which he was so well known, and which had long given him a platform all over the globe.

Providing proof

Scrutiny of his supposedly supernatural ministry continued. Several commentators provided yet more evidence that Bolz was using fake means. Yet mounting evidence did not amount to proof. That came with Part 3 of PT’s Discerning False Prophecy in December 2023, when we demonstrated how a ‘word’ received by Bolz for a certain ‘Doris Rhoades’ confirmed beyond all reasonable doubt that he did not receive his ‘word’ from the Holy Spirit, but almost certainly came from an online search.²

Shawn Bolz had been well and truly exposed. At last, there was conclusive proof that this man was not what he claimed to be – but was, indeed, issuing false prophecies (at least much of the time). PT’s Discerning False Prophecy has since been viewed many thousands of times, and was mentioned just last week (Feb 2025) by cessationist researcher Justin PetersJustin Peters in his damning expose, ‘Charismatic Prophetic Corruption’.

Crucially, Peters also refers to an individual who had worked very closely with Bolz, and who said he or she,“knew the words of knowledge weren’t real.” (The former employee also accused Bolz of engaging in behaviours that “seemed to fit the descriptions of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment”.) In the early 2020s, this individual is believed to have presented leaders at Bethel Church with a dossier containing evidence and testimonies detailing how Bolz had been fabricating prophecies.

 But the megachurch refused to make any public statement, thus failing to alert the Church at large – and, at the very least, their own congregation – to Bolz’s evident lies and prophetic abuses.

Bland Bethel

Kris Vallotton, Johnson’s right-hand man at Bethel, flew out to confront Bolz – but the latter completely denied falsely producing ‘words of knowledge’. Vallotton apparently invited Bolz to come to Bethel, where several hundred random individuals would be gathered – people Bolz would not know – so that he could demonstrate his prophetic abilities and provide them with genuine ‘words’. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bolz declined the invitation.

Bethel disassociated itself from Bolz from that time, fully aware that he was acting deceitfully. But the megachurch refused to make any public statement, thus failing to alert the Church at large – and, at the very least, their own congregation – to Bolz’s evident lies and prophetic abuses. Indeed, Vallotton made the incredible excuse that he feared exposing Bolz might harm “the entire prophetic ministry worldwide.”

Bill JohnsonBill Johnson, too, kept disturbingly quiet about Bolz’ corruption, despite the damage it was clearly inflicting. As recently as 2023, Johnson appeared in a TV interview, sitting right next to Bolz, in which he confirmed that Bolz’s best-selling book ‘Translating God’ was one of the most exciting books he had ever read. Turning to Bolz, he added, “knowing the life that backs it up adds a power to it.” This, remember, was around three years after Johnson had banned Bolz from ministering on his platform due to prophetic abuse.

Just this week (Feb 3rd) Bethel was forced to come clean (or at least cleaner) in regard to its knowledge about Bolz, issuing a rather bland statement containing an apology-of-sorts for not previously clarifying what they had known about him for several years.

This, remember, was around three years after Johnson had banned Bolz from ministering on his platform due to prophetic abuse.

 Prophetic non-integrity

Bolz himself continues to refuse to come clean. Just a couple of weeks ago, he issued a ‘Statement of Commitment to Prophetic Integrity’ – the irony in the title being concerning, to say the least. In the opening lines, Shawn reiterates that “we would never condone and we would refute that we would ever find information online to prophesy over people.” Bolz’s use of the word ‘we’ is curious here. While he clearly employs one or two staff members (e.g. a PA), Bolz has always ministered on his own. Equally, bizarrely, while he has an About the Team page on his website, it makes reference to no-one but himself.

Recent revelations will certainly have dealt a major knock to Bolz’ reputation. Meanwhile, the ‘google prophet’ continues his public ministry, self-confessedly focusing on teaching and “media/entertainment”, while issuing daily inspirational output on his X/Twitter page.

Exposing falsehood

Big questions require to be answered. How can exposing falsehood within the prophetic movement harm that same movement, as Kris Vallotton feared it would? Is what he’s really saying that such revelation would expose the prophetic movement for what it truly is?

We’ve seen this so often – church ministries acting in the same way as secular ones, putting reputation above integrity, and covering up wrongdoing. Yet, as the gospel of John makes clear, anyone seeking to follow Jesus will endeavour to live a life where they live ‘in the light’:

We’ve seen this so often – church ministries acting in the same way as secular ones, putting reputation above integrity, and covering up wrongdoing.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (John 3:19-21)

Anyone seeking to preach the word of God will know that Jesus said, “there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” (Matt 10:26) It is not a good idea to cover up sin and deceit.

I remember, many years ago, hearing the youth leader of a church raving enthusiastically about this guy in America who was ultra-accurate in his prophecies – he could even tell people’s entire phone numbers! I hadn’t heard of Shawn Bolz at that point but remember feeling dubious about the sensational claims right from the very start. Something didn’t seem right about what I was being told. Nearly everything I learned about Bolz in subsequent days confirmed my initial suspicions.

Further questions

Christians everywhere should have been using spiritual discernment to test whether this man’s prophecies emanated from a divine source. The whole saga begs the question: why did Bethel leaders, of all people – and among them world-renown ‘prophets’ like Kris Vallotton – need a dossier of evidence presented to them before they could deem Shawn Bolz, a man known to them personally and who had ministered before them dozens of times, a fake? Where was their discernment?

Did no other esteemed ‘prophet’ discern there was something seriously amiss in the words and prophecies uttered by Shawn Bolz?

The same is true of all the other world-renown charismatic leaders that Bolz has worked alongside. And similar questions need to be asked of the prophetic movement in general – did no other esteemed ‘prophet’ discern there was something seriously amiss in the words and prophecies uttered by Shawn Bolz? If they didn’t, can they be considered genuine prophets at all? If they did, why on earth did they not call Bolz out – surely they had a ministerial duty to do so.

At the very least, will the charismatic Church at last admit that one of its foremost ‘prophets’ is nothing of the sort – but is something of a deceiver and a rogue?

Unlike Justin Peters whom I mentioned earlier, I am not a cessationist. I believe in a God who speaks, including through words of prophecy. I write about abuse in the prophetic movement in order to call it to account – so that prophetic words – and indeed those who issue them - are tested, so that God’s Name is honoured and lifted high … and, not least, so that people seeking the Truth may not be led astray, losing their faith.

As I suggested in the concluding paragraph to the Discerning False Prophecy series, is this not a case, in a very real and worrying sense, of the flock being led by the spiritually blind?

Endnotes
1. With thanks to the Rev Brian Macleod for the article title, and for first alerting me to Bolz’ updated ministry statement.
2. With grateful thanks to Jonathan Leaders for his helpful input re the Doris Rhoades story.