Prosperity Preachers
Benny Hinn
The prosperity preacher with the highest profile and biggest reach is Benny Hinn (1952- ). Hinn was raised in a Greek Orthodox home but attended a Catholic school and joined a Pentecostal church as a teenager. In the 1970’s, he was profoundly impacted by the ministry of the foremost faith-healer of the era Kathryn Kuhlman (an ecumenical and controversial figure). In 1983, he founded Orlando Christian Center and began holding healing services. These grew into “Miracle Crusades” held in large stadiums around the world. A TV show called This is Your Day was launched by Hinn in 1990 and was eventually broadcast globally by principal Christian TV networks, with a potential audience in the hundreds of millions. In 1999 he resigned from his church to focus entirely on the healing crusades. Reportedly, tens of millions attend his crusades each year. The largest event took place in Bangalore, India, with over seven million – he claims – in attendance (the next largest 3.5 million in the Philippines). He claims to have preached to over a billion people, through his crusades and television.
Hinn’s prosperity message is part and parcel of his healing crusades. Despite decades of healing crusades, his claims of miracles to this day remain unverified and dubious. Numerous investigative reports conducted by major news agencies – including the Los Angeles Times, NBC’s Dateline, the CBC’s The Fifth Estate, and the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes – could not uncover one legitimate healing. Churches and para-church organisations have also investigated claims of healing, however, again none have shown to be a real miracle.
If blind eyes were opened, if the deaf could hear, if the lame did walk etc this would be seen by all and recorded by film crews; and photos/videos of a person’s prior state, doctor’s reports, the testimony of family and friends would be undeniable evidence. But, there is not one legitimate miracle recorded. (Hinn of course claims otherwise, however, whenever a careful independent examination is made of the evidence there is never any real miraculous change discernible in the person’s physical well-being. The record of miracles performed by Jesus and the Apostles were undeniable and, when examined and tested by the authorities of the day, were found to be genuine and authentic (for example, John 9:1-41 and Acts 3:4-16)).
At Hinn’s healing crusade, people who are manifestly physically handicapped are directed to a particular seating area and are never allowed on stage without strict qualification i.e. that they can demonstrate an apparent healing has already taken place. Typically, Hinn prays a general prayer for healing and gives ‘words of knowledge’ about particular illnesses that are allegedly being healed at that moment. It is the people who respond affirming that they believe that something supernatural has occurred to them who are brought before Hinn on stage.
In 1999, The Fifth Estate interviewed one of the men Hinn hired and used to screen the people who were brought to the stage. He explained the process they used to keep the sick and infirm from ever making it onto the stage:
“They have staff members that go through, give them a quick interview, and they’ll ask them: ‘What’s wrong with you?’ ‘Oh, I’ve had rheumatoid arthritis of my left shoulder. I can’t lift it… ‘Can you lift your shoulder? Because if you can’t lift your shoulder, you can’t go on stage.’”
Hinn’s stage performance at his crusades has the hallmarks of utilizing mere methods of hypnosis, and not demonstrations of the power of God through gifts of the Holy Spirit (see https://skepticalinquirer.org/2002/05/benny-hinn-healer-or-hypnotist/).
(See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7O8uMWiKFg for a detailed expose on Hinn’s sham healings etc.)
Hinn’s Prosperity Teaching
Hinn has been an advocate of the prosperity doctrine for decades. Worse though is that he has used this false teaching to solicit funds from the weak, sickly and vulnerable who attend his healing crusades. Costi Hinn (nephew of Benny and former employee who has recently written a book exposing the errors of his uncle and condemning the prosperity gospel) writes:
“In one sermon I heard growing up, my uncle taught us that if we wanted God to do something for us, we needed to do something for him. This applied to everything—especially miracles. Whenever possible, Benny would preach to the masses that if they wanted a miracle for their sickness and disease, they needed to give money to God.”
(God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies)
“Growing up in the Hinn family empire was like belonging to some hybrid of the royal family and the mafia. Our lifestyle was lavish, our loyalty was enforced, and our version of the gospel was big business. Though Jesus Christ was still a part of our gospel, he was more of a magic genie than the King of Kings. Rubbing him the right way—by giving money and having enough faith—would unlock your spiritual inheritance. God’s goal was not his glory but our gain. His grace was not to set us free from sin but to make us rich. The abundant life he offered wasn’t eternal, it was now. We lived the prosperity gospel.”
(https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2017/october/benny-hinn-costi-uncle-prosperity-preaching-testimony.html)
Costi Hinn explains the influence on his uncle of Oral Roberts seed-faith principle i.e. give a little to God to get a lot back from Him:
“Giving to God was the secret to unlocking your dreams. It was the secret to job promotions. It was access to our divine bank account…
One of Uncle Benny’s heroes who taught him about this system of believing, giving, and receiving was Oral Roberts. It seemed he could open the windows of heaven and cause them to rain down blessings on his own life. It was a simple money-in, money-out transaction, with God as the banker.
Roberts had used his teachings on money and faith to rise out of obscurity and into stardom, then helped others do the same. Now, so was my uncle.”
(God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies)
Recently, Benny Hinn said that he was renouncing the prosperity doctrine on the show Your Loveworld on 3 September 2019:
“I’m correcting my own theology, and you need to all know it…
I’m done with it. I will never again ask you to give a thousand or whatever amount, because I think the Holy Ghost is just fed up with it…I think that hurts the gospel…
If I hear one more time, ‘Break the back of debt with a thousand dollars,’ I’m going to rebuke them. I think that’s buying the gospel. That’s buying the blessing. That’s grieving the Holy Spirit…
I think giving has become such a gimmick that it’s making me sick to my stomach. I think it’s time we say it like it is: The gospel is not for sale. And the blessings of God are not for sale, and miracles are not for sale. And prosperity is not for sale.”
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TQQirZI9Eo&feature=youtu.be)
However, less than a fortnight later, Benny Hinn was again promoting the prosperity doctrine during the show The Anointing Changes Everything aired by his ministry on 12 September:
“We agree for financial prosperity. For financial blessing for an amazing time of abundance to come for everyone watching this programme…Now you know what you have to do, you have to sow seed…there is a number on the screen you call that now and sow your seed and believe your miracle is on the way.”
(www.facebook.com/BennyHinnMinistries/videos/494288137799728/)
It is not the first time that Benny Hinn has renounced the prosperity doctrine only to go right back to it again (see https://christian.net/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-nwsl/crn0070a.txt and https://www.christianpost.com/news/televangelist-benny-hinn-admits-going-too-far-with-prosperity-gospel-in-wake-of-billy-grahams-death-219011/).
He has also been widely criticized for:
- aberrant ‘revelations’ (for example ‘we become little gods’, ‘Jesus took on the satanic nature’, ‘each member of trinity is a triune being … there’s nine of them’, ‘Adam was a superhuman who could fly into space’, ‘I am Benny Jehovah’ etc);
- necromancy (he visits the graves of Kathryn Kuhlman and Aimie Semple McPherson where he encounters ‘the anointing which lingers over their bodies’);
- lavish lifestyle – he owned a private jet, a multi-million dollar mansion and several other homes, staid in luxury hotels, engaged in extravagant shopping sprees etc., made possible by the reported up to $100m per annum his ministry received; and
- misleading exaggerations, unverifiable claims and failed prophecies.
In 2010 his wife, Suzanne, filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. This was shortly after the National Enquirer published photographs of Benny Hinn and Paula White* walking out of a Rome hotel hand-in-hand – yet they both deny having an affair with each other while together in Rome. In 2013, Benny and Suzanne were remarried.
(*Paula White, is a popular US televangelist, hosting her own show Paula White Today and, like Hinn, preaches the prosperity doctrine. From 2014-2019, she was the pastor of New Destiny Christian Center, a megachurch in Florida. She was appointed by President Donald Trump as the chair of his Evangelical Advisory Board. She delivered the invocation at his inauguration and so became the first female clergy member to do so. She has been married three times.)
Ecumenism
Hinn is well known for his acceptance and praise for the Roman Catholic Church. He acknowledges the influence of Catholicism upon him:
“My upbringing, of course, was Catholic in that I attended the Catholic school in Jaffa, Israel. And so my mentality basically is a Catholic mentality. When I was born again, I was Catholic in my ways. I was very Catholic in my ideas, in my behaviour.”
(Christianity Today Sept 3, 1991)
Hinn believes that Catholics experience more miracles than Pentecostals because of the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist:
“They just released a study that more people are healed in a Catholic church than in Pentecostal churches… [I believe this is] because Catholic people revere the Eucharist.
More people get healed in a Catholic church during communion than Pentecostals… because to us [i.e. Pentecostals] it’s symbolic.
Well Jesus didn’t say, ‘This is symbolic of body,’ he said, ‘This is my body’; [he didn’t say,] ‘This is symbolic of my blood,’ he said, ‘This is my blood.’
And I believe, I always have believed, that in the Spirit it is his body, in the Spirit it is his blood, so you revere it. There’s healing in communion. Absolutely, I’ve seen it happen in my own ministry.”
He also attributes the apparent higher healing rate amongst Catholics because they stay loyal to the Catholic Church whereas Pentecostals “church hop”:
“And there’s healing in the Catholic churches because these people are devoted and show up every Sunday. They don’t church hop. We hop, they don’t. That’s why we’re sick, and many of them are healed.”
He goes on to talk about the miracles he saw in Coptic Christian communities, saying that they have miracles for similar reasons to Catholics.
(https://churchpop.com/2016/10/27/pentecostal-benny-hinn-says-catholics-have-more-miracles-credits-eucharist/)
In the course of describing a Catholic communion service, at a convent with a group of nuns in which he took part, Hinn stated that:
“…he suddenly felt numb, then felt someone step in front of him. The sensation became so real that he then reached out and touched a robe which had a silky feeling, a beautiful softness to the robe. … The next thing I was feeling was actually the form of a body, the shape of a body. And my body … went totally numb… And God really gave me a revelation that night, that when we partake communion, it’s not just communion… We are partaking Christ Jesus himself. He did not say, “Take, eat, this represents my body.” He said, “This is my body, broken for you…” When you partake communion, you’re partaking Christ, and that heals your body. When you partake Jesus how can you stay weak … [or] sick? … And so tonight, as we partake communion, we’re not partaking bread. We’re partaking what He said we would be partaking of: “This is my body.””
(Fisher and Goedelman, The Confusing World Of Benny Hinn, quoting Praise The Lord Show, TBN, Dec 27, 1994)
On the Larry King show, Hinn claimed legitimate healings by God occurred at Catholic shrines:
“Look, God has given us, Larry, many sources of healing. Look at Lourdes. People have been healed going to Lourdes and Fatima.”
(cited here http://www.letusreason.org/Pent39.htm)
Hinn attended the funeral service of Pope John Paul II declaring it “to be a very very special day in the history of Christianity”, that the Pope was “dear” and that “he touched my life as well as millions”.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgMA0ZDGxn8)
See Ecumenism
| The Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church is called by many ‘Christian’ but that is far from the truth – it is a cult like the Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses. Catholicism preaches a false gospel – salvation is through works (the sacraments) and not through faith in Christ alone. It presents a false Christ – the eucharist, where magically the body and the blood of ‘Jesus’ appear, transformed from the wafer and the wine. It practices a false baptism – only those who submit to the Pope and are baptised into the Catholic Church (not Christ) are declared saved (provided, of course, if they live past infancy into adulthood that they dutifully perform the sacraments). It believes in a false ‘scriptures’ – the Catholic Church defines the ‘Word of God’ to be the Bible together with the ‘Traditions’ of the church. (The Traditions are completely antagonistic to the Bible and form the basic directives for most of the corrupt practices of Catholicism.) It operates under the control of a false priesthood – the Papacy, archbishops, bishops and priests who stand between God and the people. It worships a false Godhead – the Catholic Church deifies Mary; they worship her and pray to her, declaring her to be the Mother of God, a title never found in the Scriptures, thereby making her equal to God. |
In promoting the Roman Catholic Church, Hinn identifies himself with a false religion that is the principal opponent to the true Jesus Christ, the true gospel and the true church of God. Jesus warned of men Like Hinn:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.”
Matthew 7:15-16
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland (1936 – ) is a televangelist and reportedly the richest of the prosperity preachers (his estimated wealth is $300 to $750 million – the next closest is Pat Robertson at $100 million). He recently launched his own TV Network Victory Channel. His show Believer’s Voice of Victory reaches 2.3 billion potential viewers (his web-site claims). And his monthly magazine by the same title has more than 362,000 subscribers worldwide (he has offices in England, the Philippines, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and Hong Kong).
Copeland claims his ministry has brought 122 million people to believe in Jesus Christ.
Kenneth Copeland Ministries is located on a 1,500-acre campus in Texas. The grounds include a church (headed by Copeland’s son-in-law and daughter) as well as a private airstrip and hangar for his $17 million jet and other aircraft. Copeland reportedly lives in a $6 million lakefront mansion funded by the church.
Like Benny Hinn, Copeland is another protégé of Oral Roberts. Copeland was a student at Oral Roberts University and was employed by Roberts as his personal pilot. Roberts’ seed-faith principle is at the core of Copeland’s ministry.
Copeland writes in his book The Laws of Prosperity that God guarantees a hundredfold return on the tithe:
“Do you want a hundredfold return on your money? Give and let God multiply it back to you. No bank in the world offers this kind of return!”
But it comes with a proviso. The tithe, Copeland explains, must be given to churches that are preaching the ‘truth of God’s Word’. Quoting Malachi 3:10-11:
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it…”
Copeland elaborates on what the storehouse means:
“The Word says to bring the tithes into the storehouse so that there would be MEAT in His house. A storehouse is where the food is. I know thousands of people attending churches of all denominations that receive no spiritual food whatsoever from their churches. How could that be a storehouse?…
I would not consider putting God’s tithe into a dead work. If you want to put money in a church that is dead—not ministering to people—then put your money into it, but it is important to put the tithe into a storehouse that is feeding the life of God to the people. Many churches and foundations serve as Satan’s reservoir to keep finances out of the revival that is in the earth today.”
By implication that means “the storehouse” is himself as a preacher, self-declared prophet, and teacher of the ‘meat of God’s Word’. Therefore, if you want to be absolutely certain of receiving the hundred-fold return, you would be best to give your tithe to Copeland.
Aberrant Teachings
Again like Benny Hinn, Copeland teaches extra-biblical ‘revelations’ which depart from biblical truth. For example:
- He described God as having a physical body, “very much like you and me….A being that stands somewhere around 6’2,” 6’3,” that weighs somewhere in the neighbourhood of a couple of hundred pounds…has a [hand]span nine inches across.”
“God is spirit...” and is omnipresent (John 4:24, Psalms 139:8-9). In Isaiah 66:1 God says “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool”; not an apt description for a being bound in a “6’2,” 6’3″ body. It is specifically only Jesus, as the second person of the Godhead, who took upon flesh i.e. a body (John 1:1, 14).
- He makes Adam into the same class as God, “God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself…Adam is as much like God as you could get, just the same as Jesus … Adam, in the Garden of Eden, was God manifested in the flesh.”
Man was made only in “the image of God”, not a member of the God-head, and specifically “lower than the angels” (Genesis 1:26, Hebrews 2:7). Jesus is unique being both God and man (Philippians 2:6-8, John 1:1&14). Adam was strictly not “the same as Jesus” nor was he “God manifested in the flesh” (these are tantamount to blasphemous statements).
- He changed the nature of Jesus on the cross to a fallen sin-nature, “[Jesus] accepted the sin nature of Satan”.
As God, Jesus is immutable; He is the same “yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus bore the penalty for sin upon the cross as an atoning sacrifice (Romans 4:25, Hebrews 7:27, 1 John 2:2). He remained sinless and yet experience the consequence and penalty for sin on our behalf. Thus, He did not take on “the sin nature of Satan” which would have altered His very being; no longer God manifest in the flesh but a fallen satanic being.
- He described the sufferings of Jesus in hell, “He allowed the devil to drag Him into the depths of hell…He allowed Himself to come under Satan’s control…every demon in hell came down on Him to annihilate Him…They tortured Him beyond anything anybody had ever conceived. For three days He suffered everything there is to suffer.”
Jesus’ sufferings finished at the cross and He commended His spirit to his Father as He breathed His last and died (John 19:30, Luke 23:46). He had said to the penitent thief on the cross next to him “…today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
(http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/copelnd2.htm)
Many other examples could be given. Copeland’s extra-biblical ‘revelations’ equate with gnosticism (i.e. hidden knowledge which is not self-evident from a plain interpretation of the scriptures). It is a very dangerous and powerful deception. In general, these ‘revelations’ lower the stature and nature of God, and raise the stature and nature of man. As such, they should be understood as originating from a deceiving and lying spirit, and not the Holy Spirit; and therefore should be dismissed and disregarded. They represent an echo of Satan’s grand deception in the Garden: “…you will be like God…” (Genesis 3:5).
These ‘revelations’ distinguish his teaching from others thereby attracting a following to himself and soliciting giving from his followers to himself as the teacher of ‘the true meat of the Word’:
Acts 20:30-31
Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!
Ecumenism
Copeland has become a recent advocate for the reunification of the Protestant and Catholic churches.
At Copeland’s 2014 Southwest Believer’s Conference, Tony Palmer (former director of Kenneth Copeland Ministries’ (KCM) South Africa Office, an Episcopal Bishop, ecumenical advocate and friend of Pope Francis) spoke concerning the reunification of Catholics and Evangelicals (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA4EPOfic5A). He prefaced his address as it being historic. Copeland said people will be talking about that evening for a long, long time. Palmer left KCM to be employed by the Catholic Church in Rome, when Benedict was Pope, to be involved with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. (Kenneth and Gloria Copeland financially supported him in his move to Rome.) In his address, Palmer presented an ecumenical ‘Jesus’ who was in all denominations:
“Jesus is sacramental [i.e. Catholic] … and evangelical … and contemplative … and charismatic … do you only want one denomination of Jesus? Jump in get it all.”
The sacramental’ Jesus’ is a false Jesus who appears in the wafer and wine through the erroneous belief of transubstantiation. The contemplative ‘Jesus’ is a false Jesus who appears in the silence of a self- induced meditative state. (See Contemplative Prayer . )
Palmer described his long-standing friendship with Pope Francis, and regarded him as a spiritual father. At a meeting with the Pope, Palmer said that they “made a covenant to work together for the unity of the church”. Also at that meeting, Palmer informed the Pope that he was shortly to attend Copeland’s pastors’ conference and could the Pope present a message. So a video by the Pope was created specifically for the conference. In the prelude to the video being played, Palmer said:
“… [that he came in] the spirit of Elijah [which] is the spirit of reconciliation … Catholic means universal … if you are born again you are Catholic … redeem what belongs to you …
[The split from Rome by the Protestant revolt led by Luther which caused] division is diabolic … the presence of God … glues us together not the doctrines … God will sort out all our doctrines when we get upstairs … Christian unity is the basis of our credibility …
The world will not believe until we are one … division destroys our credibility. It is fear that keeps us separated … fear is false evidence appearing real … most of our fear is based on propaganda …
[Referring to the 1999 reunification of the Catholic and Lutheran churches, this brought] an end to the protest of Luther. Brother’s and sister’s, Luther’s protest is over, is yours’? … if there is no more protest, how can there be a Protestant church. Maybe we are all Catholics again … we now preach the same gospel … we should throw as much resources and energy into the ministry of reconciliation as we do to the ministry of evangelisation …”
Contrary to Palmer’s bold assertion that Luther’s protest has ended, nothing could be further from the truth. The Catholic church has not turned from the false doctrines and practices that Luther protested against. (Palmer’s quoting of a particular line in the 1999 Catholic-Lutheran reunification document is misleading. The way in which the Catholic church interprets Biblical terms and concepts is contrary and antagonistic to the evangelical method of interpretation. The Catholic church looks to tradition and the church fathers; evangelicals look to scripture alone.) Luther’s protest remains an ever present indictment against the Catholic Church. His split from the Catholic Church that founded the Protestant church is not “diabolical” but was initiated by the Holy Spirit and mandated by God’s Word (Revelation 18:4). Disassociation from false believers, i.e. Catholics, is an imperative (2 John 9-11, Galatians 1:6-9).
In the Pope’s recorded video address to the conference, he referred to the attendees as “brothers and sisters” and said
“… We are… separated because, it’s sin that has separated us, all our sins. The misunderstandings throughout history … I am nostalgic (yearning), that this separation comes to an end and gives us communion … And let’s pray to the Lord that He unites us all. Come on, we are Brothers … the miracle of unity has begun (and) He will complete this miracle of unity … I ask you to bless me, and I bless you …”
Copeland dutifully assents to bless the Pope and “agrees with his quest…for the unity of the body of Christ…(to) come together in the unity of our faith”. Copeland then asks Palmer to immediately record a video message back to the Pope in which he says:
”Dear sir…[the leaders in the conference] represent literally tens of thousands of people who love you, that believe God with you … our desire sir along with you [is that] ”… we all come [together] in the unity of the faith” … we do bless you. We receive your blessing … we bless you with all of our hearts, we bless you with all of our souls, we bless you with all of our might … we thank God for you …”
Finally, in speaking again to the audience, Copeland says “Heaven is thrilled over this…”
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA4EPOfic5A)
Subsequently, a few months later, Copeland travelled to Rome with other evangelical leaders to meet with the Pope. Of that meeting Copeland reported:
“I am so Blessed! What Jesus asked the Father for in John 17:21, “that we may all be one in Him”, is finally coming to pass. Pope Francis is a man filled with the love of Jesus. All eight of us in our meeting together with him were moved by the strong presence of the Holy Spirit, and our love for one another was strengthened beyond measure. Like I said, I am so BLESSED! What a time to be a believer!”
(https://blog.kcm.org/kenneth-copeland-reports-in-about-his-meeting-with-pope-francis/)
Despite Palmer dying in a motor cycle accident the same year as his appearance at Copeland’s conference, Copeland has continued Palmer’s ecumenical cause. In 2017, he reiterated that there is no longer a need for the Protestant church to be separated from the Roman Catholic Church (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWJM-tP90Zo&feature=youtu.be).
Thus, like Hinn, Copeland’s ‘fruit’ reveals him to be a false prophet; a dangerous deceiver whose judgement is soon pending:
“Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”
Matthew 7:16-23