Transformations or Deception

Updated to Include Latest Research on "Transformations II: The Glory Spreads"

Send Email to Tom Smith

September 3, 2001

In a film released by the Sentinel Group which is titled "Transformations" and which is narrated by George Otis Jr., we are presented with a series of four communities that are portrayed as having been radically transformed by revivals. The film says that each of these communities has been subjected to strategic spiritual warfare, using the approach promoted by the Sentinel Group and associated organizations. The implication is that if you follow their approach, this is the result that you can expect to see.

In August of 2001, the Sentinel Group released a sequel to Transformations, titled "Transformations II: the Glory Spreads". This was a deviation from the previous film in that one of the three locations reviewed had their revival over 50 years ago, well before the strategic spiritual warfare approach advocated by George Otis Jr. came into being.

We decided to do some research into the claims made in these films, and the following chart is a summary of what we have discovered to date. Because of the remoteness of these communities from our location, it has been difficult to research all of the claims, and our work continues.

Though the research is not yet finished on the Transformation II video, we felt that it was important to make available the data that we had because of the interest in this film.

You can find the current findings on Transformations II here:

Transformations II Findings

We have added a section to the page which provides some background and links for more information about a number of the people involved, or mentioned in the video. I hope that this will be of value to those who wish to go the extra step of doing their own research. We will be updating and adding to this page as time goes on.

Background to the People Involved

A site with some related information on George Otis Jr. and the Moral Government Theology which he teaches in his book, The God They Never Knew can be found here:

The "Spiritual Mapping" of Youth With A Mission

When the film was shown locally, it was done as part of a campaign to introduce "Strategic Prayer" and Spiritual Warfare" into the local church to create a local revival. One of the initial parts of this effort was to provide copies of a prayer guide titled 120 Days of Prayer for Your City - God's New Millenium for Your City. We have prepared a short review of some excerpts from this guide.

We want to see revival, but there are many movements today which are going around claiming revival that do not stand up to scrutiny of scripture (i.e. Toronto Blessing). We are therefore careful to check things out to ensure that when we do endorse a movement, it is the real thing and not a counterfeit. Many churches are using this film as a means to promote "programs" which are developed to make "revival" happen. Unfortunately, a revival manufactured of man is not a move of God, especially if it is based upon false expectations and teachings. We intend to present the results of this research on this page also as time goes forward, along with a overview of a number of the people involved, and a review of some of the literature used by, or endorsed by such groups.

This page is a work under construction. We intend to be expanding this page significantly as our research continues. Come back often.

SUMMARY OF INVESTIGATION INTO CLAIMS OF EACH VIDEO