REDDING (CA)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
January 22, 2026
By Jono Hall
(Opinion) Bible teacher and podcaster Mike Winger has released a bombshell, a 5-hour 50-minute video that has sent shock waves through the charismatic movement. Called “The Skeletons in Bethel’s Closet are Now Going to Speak,” it exposes fraudulent prophecies and sexual misconduct by southern California prophetic minister Shawn Bolz.
Winger provides a convincing case that Bolz’s ministry — which was strongly promoted by Bethel Church in Redding, California — was based on data mining Facebook and other public sources. Winger also documented several cases of alleged sexual misconduct by Bolz.
This was known to Bethel in 2020, and steps were taken in private to distance the church from Bolz. But in public, Bethel leaders continued to endorse Bolz and didn’t publicly distance themselves from Bolz until February 2025.
Winger released the video on Jan. 17. A day later at a Sunday service, Bethel pastor Kris Vallotton responded.
Revealing the Bethel operating system
Assuming he got to listen to all of Winger’s revelations only 30 hours after the video dropped, Vallotton was processing in real time.
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Instead of a response that would at least signal awareness that the accusations are serious enough to warrant careful handling, Vallotton gave an unscripted but revealing response.
And it is damning.
It shows how Bethel leadership thinks when confronted with documented patterns of abuse, false prophecy and institutional failure to protect victims.
They didn’t ask, “What did we miss?” or “Who did we fail to protect?” Instead, they asked, “Why is leadership so hard?” and “Why won’t people give us more grace?”
Here is the question that cuts to the heart of the matter: Do you love the body, or do you love your movement?
Vallotton’s Sunday evening sermon sadly answered that question. The movement must be protected. The prophetic ministry worldwide must not be damaged. The reputations of leaders must be preserved.
And the sheep? They can wait.
The wolf vs. broken person distinction
Vallotton sees the problem as divided into two categories of sinful leader: “wolves,” who are intentionally evil and “broken people,” who are unsafe but redeemable family members deserving extended grace.
How does someone qualify as a wolf? Almost every abuser has a broken background. Every predator can construct a narrative of trauma that “explains” their behavior.
Mass murderer Ted Bundy had a difficult childhood. Serial sex abuser Larry Nassar was described as kind by colleagues. The most dangerous people are often the most skilled at presenting their harm as woundedness.
Broken people who are promoted to positions of authority, and abuse that authority, become wolves, regardless of their intent. It is simple wisdom not to place broken people in roles where they can hurt others.
When leadership elevates someone, whose brokenness is known, and that person then damages those under them, there is intentionality in that harm. And the intent belongs to the leaders who placed them there.
Sin happens, but what happens when the church does nothing?
This is the thread running through nearly every recent church abuse scandal. The original sin is often not the biggest problem. People sin. People abuse. That’s grievous, but it’s not what destroys faith and leaves lasting devastation.
The deeper wound comes when victims summon the courage to report to those they believe will make it right. They go to the shepherds. And the shepherds, rather than protecting the sheep, make the original wrongdoing infinitely worse.
They minimize. They delay. They urge forgiveness without repentance. They keep the matter confidential. They question the victim’s motives or memory. They protect the institution. And through it all, they allow the wolf continued access to the flock.
This is where hope dies. The abuse itself is traumatic. But the betrayal by those who were supposed to protect you is soul-destroying.
Vallotton’s sermon follows this pattern: Extended mercy. Confidentiality. Reluctance to expose. Concern for the accused’s reputation. Sympathy for how hard it is to lead. Not a word about the victims whose trust was doubly violated, first by the abuser, then by the shepherds who should have stopped it.
Confidentiality – mercy or a shield?
Vallotton argues church leadership must maintain silence, even when accusations of wrongdoing happen. That breaking confidence can “end a minister’s life.” Leaders must rather “stay silent in the midst of accusation.”
This creates a system where the accused’s privacy always trumps the congregation’s safety. A pastor learns of predatory behavior in confidence. Under Vallotton’s framework, exposing it “ends” his ministry. So, he stays silent and more people are harmed.
Winger’s investigation includes leaked texts showing Vallotton himself privately banning Bolz from Bethel ministries, starting in 2020. But Bethel leadership never publicly warned the millions who follow Bolz’s teaching. Moreover, Bethel lead pastor Bill Johnson endorsed Bolz publicly as a “trusted friend” in 2023 on TBN.
How many more victims accumulated during those years of extended mercy? Every month of “time for repentance” is another month the congregation isn’t warned, another month potential victims are unprotected, another month the pattern continues.
Does Vallotton believe the words of the New Testament?
“As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear” (1 Timothy 5:20). Public sin requires public address. The purpose isn’t revenge. It’s protection and warning.
Social media as the villain
Vallotton spent significant time lamenting how social media allows “unvetted stories” to spread globally, mixing truth with “fake news” and destroying reputations permanently.
Interestingly, he says victims and whistleblowers could at least go to the news media. I can state clearly from personal experience that when victims have gone to the news media, it has elicited the same response from church leaders.
Many survivors go public precisely because internal processes failed them. When “biblical processes” become mechanisms for institutional self-protection, the press or social media becomes a sad necessity.
Plus, Winger’s video isn’t “unvetted.” It’s the product of many months of research, victim interviews, leaked texts, and documented evidence.
Does Vallotton believe Jesus was correct when he called out the Pharisees publicly by name and practice? Paul publicly named Alexander the coppersmith as a troublemaker. Exposure of harmful leaders is a biblical pattern when private confrontation fails.
Extended mercy without boundaries
Vallotton admits Bethel erred by “waiting too long” but frames this as having the “right heart.” He cites Revelation 2:21, giving Jezebel “time to repent” as justification for extended grace periods.
But he didn’t include the rest of the passage: “but she refuses to repent … I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation” (Rev 2:21-22). Time for repentance has limits. Ongoing tolerance of unrepentant sin isn’t mercy; it’s enabling.
Gifts separate from character
Citing Romans 11, Vallotton argues gifts persist despite character flaws. Judas ministered under Jesus. Solomon had wisdom despite immorality. Failed leaders’ past work isn’t invalidated, he says.
This brings up two questions. Can God use flawed people? Obviously yes. But should flawed people remain in leadership? Scripture says no.
Does Bethel follow Paul’s requirements for being an overseer? “An overseer must be above reproach” (1 Tim 3:2). “He must have a good reputation with outsiders” (1 Tim 3:7). Gifts are irrevocable; leadership positions are not.
Why this isn’t merciful
Vallotton frames his approach as “overly merciful,” erring on the side of grace. But mercy to whom?
It’s not mercy to victims. Every month of extended grace is another month they’re unprotected, unwarned, unbelieved.
It’s not mercy to the congregation. They’re kept ignorant of danger in their midst.
It’s not mercy to employees subjected to sexual misconduct by a leader everyone trusted. Their suffering continues while leadership waits for repentance.
It’s not even mercy to the abuser. Keeping someone in their sin isn’t mercy. It’s abandoning them to eternal consequences.
Vallotton’s response was a real-time window into how Bethel’s leadership processes accusations of cover-up: defend the institution, extend indefinite grace to the accused, reframe scrutiny as persecution, and never quite get around to the discipline Scripture commands.
What they believe is a framework where wolves are theoretically bad but practically impossible to identify. It’s where victims are theoretically valued but practically silenced, and where church discipline is theoretically biblical but functionally nonexistent.
The biggest scandal in the church today isn’t that people sin. It’s that when the wounded come to the shepherds for help, the shepherds hand them back to the wolves.
This commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of The Roys Report.
Jonathan “Jono” Hall is a former leader at the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOPKC). In fall 2023, he joined with former IHOPKC leaders to form The Advocate Group, calling for transparency and accountability of the prayer ministry. Jono and his wife, Shari, have five children and reside in Colorado.