Benny Hinn?

[royaltybyadoption]

You're right. That is a bit harsh. He could very well be a brother --- I have a hard time believing it when I see his callous disregard for truth and honesty, however.

He is in my prayers -- I wish him a truly humble and close relationship with God at this time.

 

[peacechild4]

YouTube - Unbeliever Received God's Power during Benny Hinn Crusade

I cant watch this without crying!! The Lord is so Lovely &
Wonderful. He's so Tender & Gentle. He is Almighty God & yet He
was so Courteous & Gentlemanly toward this absolutely sweet 70yrs
old. This shows us how incredibly rude we can be sometimes. Everytime I
think about it..I feel tears coming. Sigh.

 

[peacechild4]

YouTube - Benny Hinn - Deliverance From Demons (1)

 

[royaltybyadoption]

On yesterday's show he really lost grasp. He said that everyone's Christian life did not begin at the cross, or at their moment of conversion -- it began with the day of Pentecost.

I don't usually watch him because I get so upset with these quirky things, along with the ethics of the organization's administration.

It is wonderful that his organization is so well set up to reach people around the world, but what is he feeding people... His teaching is like those bagels with the fake blueberries.

Yes, his ethics leave much to be desired. Seems attaining more money is one of his higher callings.
Sometimes I just shake my head when I think of him...

 

[royaltybyadoption]

Benny Hinn fleeces poor people of their savings, which doesn't sound very loving or Godly to me. He tells them that their monetary contribution directly affects their faith and their likelihood of getting healed. The money factor is totally entwined in his message.

People keep saying "Don't touch the lord's annionted! Let God deal with Benny..." --but we are our brothers keeper! We are tasked with tending the sheep. If we see a wolf hurting a sheep, we are supposed to do something about it, not just sit there and hope God will sort it out.

I don't believe Benny Hinn has ever performed a ligitimate healing. its just circus tricks and power of suggestion like at any carnival side show.

There is a lot of truth to what you are saying. It's our responsibility to watch out for our brothers and sisters. Especially when there are those among us who are seemingly motivated by power and money. Those aren't the fruits of the spirit.

 

[irenemcg]

Mat 12:22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.
Mat 12:23 All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons."
Mat 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
Mat 12:26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
Mat 12:27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
Mat 12:28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Mat 12:29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
Mat 12:30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.
Mat 12:31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Mat 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

HI friends, I know that in this thread there are many people from varying church traditions, but maybe a check should be put in the spirit of anyone who wants to throw stones at a brother in Christ, and yes Benny Hinn is a man of God. I thoroughly believe Benny pays much more than lip service to God, he gives Him all the glory, I have attended His services.

If the Holy Spirit is as I say at work within Benny, is it not dangerous to condemn him?

 

[royaltybyadoption]

If the Holy Spirit is as I say at work within Benny, is it not dangerous to condemn him?

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." --Mathew 7:15 - 20

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." -- Galatians 5:22-23

The man we are talking about lacks these fruits.
Benny Hinn is known for placing 'curses' on anyone who opposes his ministry. He lashes out in anger at those who request transparency in his ministry.

“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” (Mat. 24:10-11)


Who is he accountable to, by the way (besides God?) The answer -- nobody. He refuses to give an account for his false messages and prophesies.

 

[royaltybyadoption]

Benny Hinn - A Prototype Cult Leader?

Let's check off the characteristics of Benny Hinn and his followers as the following list applies to them. A "YES" is for a characteristic that applies, a "NO" is for on that does not apply, and a "?" is for a characteristic that is in question.
YES (1) The group is focused on a living leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment. - Hinn is called “holy man of God” by all his followers. They call him the "anointed" man of God. His words are not to be questioned.
YES (2) The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members. – There it no longer any real evangelism being done by Hinn followers, just invitations to the crusade, some event, some other Third Wave gnostic revival meeting.
YES (3) The group is preoccupied with making money. – Hinn certainly is! At a suggested minimum donation of $50. per person Hinn walks out of cities with between $250,000 to $1,000,000. per crusade night. His followers are preoccupied with giving it to him to be sure to share in the “anointing” and get their "healing".
YES (4) Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished. - Girls at the crusade I passed out leaflets are a perfect example. They told people not to read anything negative about Benny. Questioning is met with stiff resistance, if not charges of being a "heretic hunter" or even a demoniac.

YES (5) Mind-numbing techniques (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, debilitating work routines) are used to suppress doubts about the group and its leader(s). – People were told to be at the Hinn crusade in Honolulu at 5 p.m. and it lasted till 11 p.m. Ear splitting volume on music and sound numbed people into a trance state. Hinn coerced people to repeat phrases some twenty times. This and other techniques in Hinn crusades are nothing more than brainwashing.
YES (6) The leadership dictates sometimes in great detail how members should think, act, and feel (for example: members must get permission from leaders to date, change jobs, get married; leaders may prescribe what types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to discipline children, and so forth). - Hinn and others are famous for personal prophesies over people and every aspect of their lives. They are told they will “feel” something when they get zapped, thus they are conditioned to act in a certain way to be accepted. In fact they are told not to think too much at all, and pay no heed to critics.
YES (7) The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity). – This one needs no explanation. The looks I saw on people's faces of laughter, scorn and even violent anger betrayed their claim to be "the anointed". Hinn has claimed to be little messiah, “I Am”, a little god. R.W. Shambach called him “The Anointed One” on his TV show.
YES (8) The group has a polarized us-versus-them mentality, which causes conflict with the wider society. – This is the continuation of the hyper Pentecostal attitude against those they perceive as not having had an “experience” of the Holy Spirit or no overt gifts taken to the extreme. Now you have to go up and shake, birth, make unintelligible noises, growl, hop around.
YES (9) The group's leader is not accountable to any authorities (as are, for example, military commanders and ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream denominations). – Hinn has never been accountable to anyone. He was thrown out of or left the AoG depending on who you talk to, he has never joined the ECFA, he has not stopped his terrible fundraising practices and telling people they are healed of AIDS when they are not even when busted by CNN and CBS.
YES (10) The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify means that members would have considered unethical before joining the group (for example: collecting money for bogus charities). – C. Peter Wagner, the man who coined the term "Third Wave", put forth in his 1976 book “Your Church Can Grow” that the ends DO justify the means. True Christians have blinded themselves to Benny Hinn's unethical fundraising ($50 minimum), the unseemly displays in his crusades blamed on the Holy Spirit, his opulent lifestyle, his false prophesies, his crazy heretical teachings. The end ... the “anointing” ... is all that counts, even if you have to lie, use deception and steal money from the poor to get there.

 

[bluemarkus]

benny hinn is not benny hinn he is born in israel and is an arab sorcerer.
if you wanna buy into that congrats but i´ll stick with something else.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I have been reading the collected works of Smith Wigglesworth, who was a very powerful healing evangelist who had his ministry in the early part of the 20th century. His ministry was characterised by genuine, documented healings of people who were given up by doctors. He prayed for as many people in their own homes as in meetings. Therefore, there is no doubt in my mind that he was a man approved of God, because God would have made His power present to heal if He disapproved of anything that Smith Wigglesworth did.

He said some interesting things that are relevant to this thread:

He said that when the Spirit of the Lord is present in a meeting, people's responses can be a mixture of Spirit and the flesh. It is difficult to know what is what, but he says that if it increases peoples faith and is edifying then it is within the will of God.

While I was typing this, I got the Scripture where Paul asked: "Who is Paul?, Peter, or Apollos? They are servants of God through whom you came to believe" (1 Corinthians 3:3-7). What comes to me about Benny Hinn is this: Are Christians strengthened in their faith through his ministry? Do people come to believe in Christ? If there are testimonies that support this, then the basis of his ministry is in the Spirit, although there could be mixtures of the flesh attached to it.

But are we not all fighting the battle between the flesh and the Spirit? Who is qualified to judge others when we are all in the same state (all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, There is none righteous, no not one)? Being born again does not suddenly give us the right to say to our brother or sister, "You are not right with God", because it would be like two flea ridden, dirty beggars sitting in a ditch and one turning to the other and saying, "You are filthy!" All of us in our natural state would turn right back to sin like a dog back his vomit, if the Holy Spirit left us. So, my view is that only those who have mastered the art of walking on water and stilling storms have the right to judge anyone, especially a man with a ministry that most of us would aspire to but have not yet reached.

So what if his ministry has a mixture of flesh and Spirit? There is no minister alive who can say that he or she is completely of the Spirit and has no aspect of the flesh. It is just that Benny Hinn is more in the public eye, that his perceived faults are more clearly seen.

So I come back to Gamaliel's words in the book of Acts: "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God" (Acts 5:38-39).

So on the basis of that, you on this thread who are calling Benny Hinn false, then this is my advice based on the above Scripture: Refrain from putting this man down and calling him false, and leave him alone, for if his ministry or his work be of man, it will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you be found even to be fighting against God Himself.

 

[razeontherock]

I've read this thread because I've never been able to form an opinion on BH.
I thought this guy's only post on CF was excellent:

Hey there Marine:

My best friend knows Benny personally. Benny is just like all the rest of us in some respects. He is FLAWED. Just like me and you, and everyone who criticizes him.

But Benny Hinn is leading THOUSANDS of people to Yeshua. Whoever is going to criticize him, let them show us THEIR fruit. Put up or shut up, I say.

Do I LIKE BH. No, not really. Does it MATTER if I like him? NO.

God could take Benny down, or pretty much any other believer if he wanted to, but HE'S busy using him to heal, baptize in the Holy Spirit, and Save THOUSANDS, maybe millions.

Benny is ANOINTED BY GOD, chosen, not because he's cool, but because he's weird! You have to be a little weird to do what he does.

Learn what you can, examine what he says carefully, and keep what matches the BOOK!

I also want to comment on the OP even though it was 4 years ago, or maybe BECAUSE it was 4 years ago:

read it and see that this individual grew Spiritually as a direct result of attending a BH meeting.

They went expecting BH to heal them
They dealt with frustration over this not happening
So they searched the Scriptures to learn right from wrong (the key part)
And came away with a much clearer understanding of God being the healer, and their relationship with Him was clearly strengthened! That, dear Brothers and Sisters, is FRUIT! I'm sure I'm kinda weird too, and I'm sure I don't bear that much fruit ... just sayin'

 

[razeontherock]

I re-post this for 2 reasons:

I would like any detractor of BH to watch the whole thing, then critique it here.

YouTube - Unbeliever Received God's Power during Benny Hinn Crusade

I think it's excellent.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I watched the whole clip and it is quite obvious that the Spirit of God was doing a wonderful work with that couple. That man's ear was opened. No one can say that this couple was not an ordinary genuine couple who were touched with the love of Jesus. Benny Hinn did not even know the ear had been healed until the husband told him. Then he tested the healing thoroughly using the man's wife to speak into his ear. I am convinced that this was a genuine demonstration of the power of God.

How can we explain what happened when Benny touched the man's jaw and the power of God went though the man. The man definitely experienced the power of God and didn't know what it was; but he knew something definitely happened. He wasn't imagining, even though he was puzzled by it and looked like a fish out of water. This is not the sign of a put-up job. This couple were not actors. What happened really happened to them, and the old man's reaction showed quite clearly that this had never happened to him before.

I can't explain how the whole choir fell down when he waved at them, but it happened. I wonder if the mass fallings down are a prophetic demonstration that God is present with His power. Read the book of Ezekiel. Stranger things happened to him there, and they were definitely prophetic demonstrations, and we don't call Ezekiel a fake because he did things out of the ordinary. Benny points to Jesus and says that it is not him but Jesus who is doing the healing and the blessing of people.

I am a skeptic in many ways of modern healing ministries like Benny Hinn, but what I saw on the video was real to me and I am prepared to ditch carnal reasoning about it and say, "Praise God for what He is doing for people through that ministry."

 

[razeontherock]

Earlier in the thread a question was raised about the Day of Pentecost. And it was put in a very mocking tone, that BH was off-base. Try this on for size:

"This Feast [of Weeks, Shavuot] was fulfilled by the coming of the promised Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) on the disciples of Yeshua in the Temple. It represents the beginning of the body of Messiah on Earth, in which ALL believers, redeemed through the blood of Messiah, are lifted up before ADONAI and set apart as holy (Acts 2, John 14:15-18, Ephesians 2:11-22).

Source of this quote: (but clearly not the source of the idea)

The Importance of the Biblical Feasts

Maybe whoever is knocking fellow believers ought to think twice? Just a thought.

 

[royaltybyadoption]

In reply to Oscarr's thoughtful post:

The man in question (Hinn) refuses to hold himself accountable to anyone. This is not a matter of discerning what percentage he is working in the flesh and in the Spirit.

Look at all of the cult leaders in the past who have avoided unaccountability -- David Koresh and Jim Jones to name a few. They also were considered men of God, and yet their fleshy 'errors' are not considered to be acceptable, now, are they?

 

[razeontherock]

Seems like a variant of Godwin's law.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

In reply to Oscarr's thoughtful post:

The man in question (Hinn) refuses to hold himself accountable to anyone. This is not a matter of discerning what percentage he is working in the flesh and in the Spirit.

Look at all of the cult leaders in the past who have avoided unaccountability -- David Koresh and Jim Jones to name a few. They also were considered men of God, and yet their fleshy 'errors' are not considered to be acceptable, now, are they?

How do we know he is not accountable to anyone? Usually a large ministry like this has a Board of Governors or Trustees behind it. The preacher is the public face of the ministry, but there is a group of elders behind the scenes to whom the evangelist is answerable. The evangelist does not have to be accountable to every Tom Dick or Harry who wants to be the judge of the way he conducts his ministry. If he has his own Board of Governors, he would be accountable to them.

I think that it is unfair to equate BH to people like David Koresh and Jim Jones. They were not Christian evangelists, leading people to Christ. They were pseudo religious figures seeking to build up a discipleship around them. But I don't see BH wanting to build a commune around him like the others mentioned.

 

[royaltybyadoption]

How do we know he is not accountable to anyone? Usually a large ministry like this has a Board of Governors or Trustees behind it. The preacher is the public face of the ministry, but there is a group of elders behind the scenes to whom the evangelist is answerable. The evangelist does not have to be accountable to every Tom Dick or Harry who wants to be the judge of the way he conducts his ministry. If he has his own Board of Governors, he would be accountable to them.

Such 'accountability' is cursory and not even worth mentioning. He has rejected the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability which Pat Robertson and Billy Graham have joined among over 1,100 other members. The man is rogue -- setting off alarms with many Christian watchdog organizations.

I think that it is unfair to equate BH to people like David Koresh and Jim Jones. They were not Christian evangelists, leading people to Christ. They were pseudo religious figures seeking to build up a discipleship around them. But I don't see BH wanting to build a commune around him like the others mentioned.[/quote]

Jim Jones was not 'pseudo religious' in any sense of the word. I suggest you watch the documentary, "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple." The similarities to Hinn are striking. They both come from Pentecostal fellowships and both went on their own, rejecting outside criticism from other Christian organizations. Both surrounded themselves with 'yes-men' type aides.

 

[royaltybyadoption]

The Bible teaches that all Christians should learn how to discern between orthodoxy and heresy. It tells us to test everything, and to then hold on to that which is good. (See: 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22

). This necessarily involves 'judging' - not of the person, but of his or her teachings and practices (to see whether or not they are Biblical).

Benny Hinn, however, claims that the same Holy Spirit who inspired Scripture tells him something different:

The Holy Ghost is upon me...The day is coming when those that attack us will drop dead. You say, 'What did he say?' I speak this under the anointing of the Spirit. Can I tell you something? Don't touch God's servants; it's deadly...Woe to you that touch God's servants. You're going to pay. 'And the day will come.' The Lord said that to me. He said, 'The day will come when I will punish instantly. Woe to those who touch my chosen.' They will fear us. Hear this: today they mock us; tomorrow they will fear us.
​

Source: Benny Hinn, "Miracle Invasion Ralley," Anaheim Convention Center November 22, 1991, quoted in Christianity in Crisis

, Hank Hanegraaff.

Instead of obeying God's Word, many of Benny Hinn's followers share his unbiblical rejection of accountability regarding his teachings and practices.

Note that the Bible foretold that there would come a time when certain people will simply not put up with sound doctrine, but instead seek out teachers and teachings which suit their own desires:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Source: 2 Timothy 4:2-3 NIV

This is a fitting description of the 'experience over doctrine' approach.

Benny Hinn : Apologetics research resources

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

When I looked at the clip, I watched it with an open mind. But I also watched it carefully to detect anything that would make me feel uncomfortable in my spirit. From the little piece that I saw, I could not detect anything that would have induced me to believe that BF was anyone other than a preacher wanting Jesus to save and heal people.

I don't know why he does not wish to align himself with other fraternities, but does he have to? It's not like Paul the Apostle going up to Jerusalem and conferring with the elders there after taking the Gospel to the Gentiles. The Christian church was more unified then. Today, the church is a disjointed, divided mess. It would be easy for a unique ministry to distrust fraternities that might be more representative of the church's problems and powerlessness, rather than moving effectively in the Holy Spirit.

When I see someone criticising and opposing a ministry, I want to find out more of the background of the person doing the criticising. What is there in the background and the type of church that is behind the person opposing the ministry? This gives clues to why the opposition is there.

For example, a person who belongs to an anti-Charismatic church and who has been trained to believe that Charismatics are of the devil, will give a totally different review of a ministry than a person who has had most of his Christian life in a Pentecostal/Charismatic environment and been trained in the gifts and ministries of the Spirit.

Usually, people who have soul-winning and healing ministries are too busy serving the Lord to worry about who is criticising them or what they are saying. There are too many people who have needs and who are getting them met through the ministry; even if that ministry has faults when open it up to criticism from Christians who believe their particular church is the "perfect" one without faults.