“Prophet” Shawn Bolz Publicly Outed
Quiet Cover Up by Charismatic Leaders Comes to An End
What We Know
It’s quite upsetting.
The Christian public is just hearing the truth presently, as social media has been buzzing with the news that leadership at mega church Bethel in Redding, California knew that prophetic minister Shawn Bolz was faking his prophetic gift.
For those who may not be familiar, Shawn Bolz has been widely known as one of the most gifted young prophets in the Charismatic movement. He was often platformed by Bethel Redding and other prominent ministries. Bolz is host of his own podcast where he discusses ministry, current events, and pop culture, with a prophetic bent. He has also authored a handful of books, including an illustrated children’s book which aims to teach kids how to hear God’s voice.
Bolz was utilizing addresses, phone numbers, names, and other convincing data points to make his prophetic words feel extraordinarily trustworthy. Bolz always had a tablet, cell phone, or computer with him on during ministry. Reading notes, you might assume. Though, some critics urged people to consider the possibility that he was looking at Internet sources to find the incredible details that were included in his prophecies.
A particularly alarming text message has been leaked, from 2021, showing Kris Vallotton, of Bethel Redding, admitting that Bolz was no longer trusted by their leadership. Vallotton said that he had notified other ministry leaders that they ought not to platform Bolz and also had adopted a habit of sending text messages to friends who went on Bolz’s podcast, to tell them that Bolz was not to be trusted.
The body of Christ at large was deemed unworthy of this information, and now in 2025, we are getting the details thanks to leaks.
Links that best cover the main points of this news…
First up is the video that broke this story. The YouTube channel Minor Prophets was the first to publicly bring forward the text message from Kris Vallotton and to discuss the problematic implications of this information being withheld from the body of Christ.
Next up is another one of the videos flooding my algorithm this week. The Messed Up Church’s Steven Kozar narrates the video, going over the history of Bolz’s ministry, the current situation, and how this coverup isn’t unique. He makes the case that there is a network of Charismatic leaders who regularly cover for one another.
One particular story, that of Jubilee Dawn, is mentioned prominently in the midst of this breaking news. Jubilee Dawn is an ex-Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry student. She shared her story in a series of short videos on Tik Tok, and has recently added those videos to a YouTube channel also.
Below are two linked videos from her YouTube channel; the first is her telling her Shawn Bolz prophecy story & the second is her speaking about the current outing of Bolz & detailing a concise timeline of events.
I felt it would be appropriate to link a video from the Faith Reframed YouTube channel. Host, Jesse Westwood, is a Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry alumni. He has been following all things Bethel and posting videos sporadically since his channel launched a couple of years ago. This past week, he has increased his activity in order to cover this controversy. I think his take on this is especially insightful. He also goes over the responses that have come out, as the video is titled: Shawn Bolz RESPONDS.
Lastly, below Faith Reformed’s video, I have also linked another The Messed Up Church video, wherein narrator Steven Kozar quickly verifies the timeframe of the Bill Johnson and Shawn Bolz interview with TBN’s Sheila Walsh. Toward the end of Faith Reformed’s video, there is a question as to when this interview occurred, and Steve clears it up!
Final Thoughts… So Far
Typically, I don’t try to jump into the fray of current controversy, but this hit home. I was once a huge fan of Bethel. I spent my formative Christian years reading their most popular books & listening to hours upon hours of their teaching. I chose my home church based on a Bethel endorsement, and I attended a satellite version of BSSM at that church for three years.
Lord knows that in my many years within the Charismatic movement, I received prophetic words that were not from God. These prophetic words were emotionally driven guesses- mostly from well meaning people. The culture encouraged saying whatever you “felt” God was saying to your neighbor.
I valued the prophetic words. I had very little doubt. I had them all documented in a notebook, and I re-read them often. I pondered the words, considering how to live my life in a way that would fulfill them. Admittedly, I tend to be highly cautious and I won’t make a move without a lot of confidence that I’m doing what’s right. I thank God that this is my nature. Those “prophetic words” could have directed my life down a very different route if I was more of a go-getter.
My thoughts so far consist of the same conclusion that drove me to leave the Charismatic movement: These leaders are not safe.
Bethel leaders don’t consider the sheep, as good shepherds ought to do. Instead, they consider their own reputation, disobedient to God’s word, inconsiderate of the people who look to them for leadership. They whisper truth to their inner circle & suppresses the truth from the sheep.
I am sure more will develop on this. I recommend subscribing to any of the above channels on YouTube if you’d like further updates. I will be following this via The Messed Up Church and Faith Reframed’s channels.
Feel free to add a Comment on this article and we can keep the conversation going as updates continue to come out.
Be blessed, and please know that you are not alone.
