Kids with autism have a lot to deal with these days. That’s why the efforts of a fringe hypercharismatic evangelist out of Denmark should be particularly unnerving. He preaches that autism could potentially be caused by demons—and he’s due to bring his act to the United States twice in the coming months.
Torben Sondergaard, a former baker, launched “The Last Reformation” in 2011 in order to return the church to what he calls “the simple disciple life.” His idea of that life includes preaching that Christians must be baptized in water and speak in tongues in order to be saved.
But that’s a model of sanity compared to something he preached in 2016. That January, he claimed to have relieved a girl of autism by casting a demon out of her. No, I’m not kidding.
He also posted a video about it.
By the time Sondergaard came to Ireland for a seminar that spring, autism advocates there had seen those posts and were up in arms. Fiona O’Leary of Autism Rights Together, for instance, called his claims “very damaging” and “just terrible.”
In response to this criticism, Sondergaard called his critics “Pharisees.”
And yet, in the face of this, Sondergaard has acquired a decent-sized following here in the States. He’s looking to grow it this year. Next month, two people trained by him are holding a “kickstarting” session in Los Angeles, at which people will be trained on how to heal the sick and cast out demons. Sondergaard himself is coming to Asheville, North Carolina this fall for a “Pioneer Training School,” a fuller training session that will last for three weeks in September and October.
It’s not likely he’d be going anywhere in the States had more people known about his dangerous teachings about autism. Well, it’s time to call him out. Let him have it on his personal Facebook page, as well as the Last Reformation’s Facebook page. You can also give him an earful on Twitter.
More importantly, those of you in Southern California and western North Carolina—be warned. This guy is coming your way.