It is important to recognize two indisputable facts about
Benny Hinn's ministry: (1) He has no formal theological education
nor has he attended even a non-accredited Bible School. (2) He is
part of the Word of Faith Movement as opposed to the Signs &
Wonders Movement. There are some distinct differences between the
two. Benny has made the statements that he visits the tombs of K.
Khulman and A. Simple MacPhearson to get a recharge of his
anointing. That alone is pretty spooky stuff folks!
The following two articles come from http://rapidnet.com/~jbeard
Biblical Discernment Ministry is an excellent site for reference
material on individual ministries. They provide a free newsletter
as well.
Pros & Cons*
Benny Hinn, pastor of Orlando Christian Center in
Orlando, Florida, is one of the most prolific voices in the
Christian media today. His book, Good Morning, Holy Spirit,
has remained on the bestseller list since its release in October,
1990, having sold approximately one-quarter million copies within
the first few months. As of this writing (May, 1992), it is still
number one among paperback books according to Christian Reading,
one of the major trade publications for Christian bookstores,
distributors, and publishers.
Due to some rather startling statements in the original
edition of Good Morning,Holy Spirit, Hinn came under
fire from a few organizations that perceived serious doctrinal
discrepancies in Hinn's theology.
The most public criticism of Hinn's teachings came from the
Christian Research Institute which took Hinn and his publisher,
Thomas Nelson Company, to task for what CRI perceived as
heretical statements. This resulted in Nelson revising the
questionable material in its later releases and Hinn apologizing
and promising not to promote in the future the teachings under
question. However, Thomas Nelson Company spokesman Bruce Barbour
(publisher) and Bill Watkins (senior editor) as well as Hinn, say
that the theology expressed in the original edition has not been
changed but merely "clarified."
Yet Hinn does claim to have changed his mind about other
teachings not dealt with in Good Morning,Holy Spirit, most
notably the "Jesus-died-spiritually" heresy that has
characterized the theology of word-faith teachers from E. W.
Kenyon through Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and others.
In spite of these developments, many Christians are still
questioning where Benny Hinn is coming from. And in view of his
continued popularity within the Christian marketplace, we felt
that an analysis of Hinn's teachings is in order. We also feel
that much of the criticism leveled against Hinn has been based
not on scriptural truth, but upon orthodoxy--traditionally
accepted understanding of issues not necessarily addressed in
clear terms by Scripture. It is our hope to set these differences
apart.
The Man
Benny Hinn was born in 1953 in Israel to a Greek father and an
Armenian mother. He was raised in the Greek Orthodox religion.
Hinn claims that while he was a young boy of 11 years of age in
Israel, God first appeared to him, and has been appearing to him
ever since. At the age of 14, Hinn moved to Canada with his
parents. While attending high school there he says he had visions
of himself preaching before huge crowds. He also claims that God
healed him of a stuttering problem so that he could become a
preacher.
Yet in spite of the visions and God's appearing to him for
several years, Hinn marks the year of his being born again as
1972 when he was about 20 years old. It was at a Kathryn Kuhlman
service the following year that he says he had a "profound
spiritual experience."
Hinn readily admits that much of the misunderstanding that has
arisen from his teachings is the result of his lack of formal
Bible training. In fact, almost immediately after his having been
"born again," Hinn says, "The Lord launched me
into ministry almost overnight."
In spite of these circumstances, Hinn founded his present
church, Orlando Christian Center, in 1983. Beginning with just a
few hundred members, that church now boasts an average weekly
attendance of over 7,000. In addition, Hinn conducts worldwide
crusades and has a daily television program that airs over the
Trinity Broadcasting Network, headed by Jan and Paul Crouch.
Although Hinn states that his ministry throughout the 1970s
was shaped by the writings of men like D. L. Moody and R. A.
Torrey, he was a strong proponent of "revelation
knowledge"--new truths revealed to him by God directly--that
were not contained within Scripture. Only recently has he stated
that he will no longer claim revelation knowledge as the
authority for his teachings.
More than this, Hinn claims to actually be a channel for
God--that God enters him and takes over his mind and tongue to
the point where he is unaware of what he has said. After his
sermon on December 31, 1989, at Orlando Christian Center, during
which he gave several future prophecies, Hinn expressed that he
was drunk--presumably on the Holy Spirit--and asked someone to
tell him what he had just said.
It became evident in the early 1980s that the word-faith
teachings of Kenyon, Hagin, Copeland, and others began to have an
enormous impact on Hinn. But shortly after his encounter with
critics of his book, Hinn announced that he no longer hold to the
word-faith teachings.
As Hinn's popularity increased due to his television program
and the runaway sales of Good Morning Holy Spirit, his teachings
came under close scrutiny by several apologetics ministries. The
Christian Research Institute became especially alarmed by Hinn's
references to the God-head that seemed at best unorthodox and at
worst heretical. On both his television program and in his book,
Hinn asserted that all three persons of the Triune Godhead have
their own independent bodies, souls, and spirits, as well as
wills (10/13/90, TBN).
What alarmed most critics of Hinn is his statement that
"there are nine of them [Spirits of God]." Some took
this to mean that there are nine persons, which is not what Hinn
was saying. "Nine of them" referred to the separate
elements of the Trinity: three bodies, souls, and spirits.
Hinn is clearly guilty of teaching as "revelation
knowledge" (God's Truth imparted to him personally)
something that is not clearly supported by Scripture. As such, he
has established in the minds of those who trust him a personal
belief as if it were authoritative truth, which it is not.
While Hinn's teachings on the Trinity have captured the
forefront of the debate between himself and the apologist
ministries, there are other serious issues that have taken a back
seat to the questionable Trinitarian controversy--issues that
truly do lead toward heresy.
A God-Man
Hinn teaches that when one is born again by faith in Jesus, he
is given a new spirit man that wasn't there before--a spirit man
that is divine in nature and God-like (Our Position in Christ
[sermon tape]).
Throughout his dissertations, Hinn avows that the Bible says
what he says. But his ploy is the same as that of false
teachers, which is to pull a proof text out of context and apply
it to their personal interpretation which they claim has been
given by direct revelation from God. Where in Scripture
is it found that some "spirit-man" distinct from us,
comes into us? The Holy Spirit comes into us, but Hinn isn't
speaking of the Holy Spirit, because he says this spirit-man was
"created before the foundation of the world."
Hinn also cites Ephesians 1 as a proof text, but this is a
gross error. It does speak of our being chosen in Christ before
the foundation of the world; nowhere does it mention a God-like
"spirit-man," let alone one distinct from us.
In another statement, Hinn asserts that though we are not
Almighty God Himself, nevertheless, we are now divine (12/1/90,
TBN). Hinn continues by denying that he is saying we are God, but
affirming that we are children of God (elsewhere he asserts that
we are gods).
Jesus Took On Satan's Nature
(push to read ICCDM article )
One of the popular word faith teachings is that Jesus took on
the nature of Satan and had to be born again. This doctrine is
intrinsically linked to the "Jesus died spiritually"
heresy which postulates that Jesus' shed blood was insufficient
for the redemption of man; He had to suffer at Satan's hands in
Hell and be born again as the first man to conquer death. Hinn
also teaches this heresy:
"He [Jesus] who is righteous by choice said, 'The
only way I can stop sin is by Me becoming it. I can't just stop
it by letting it touch Me; I and it must become one.' Hear this!
He who is the nature of God became the nature of Satan where He
became sin!" (TBN, 12/1/90).
In this one statement, Hinn manages to convey three distinct
errors concerning Jesus, to which we must answer the following:
1) Jesus is not righteous by choice, but by nature; 2) Jesus
never said these words, either in Scripture or to Benny Hinn
personally, because they are unbiblical; 3) Jesus' nature is
constant; even God cannot change His nature from God to something
else. When He became a man, the Word of God co-mingled his divine
nature with the flesh of man, not angels; but that is the limit
of His approaching anything like assuming Satan's nature. This
idea is a first-rate heresy which, drawn to its conclusion in the
supposed spiritual death of Jesus denies the blood of Christ and
damns those who teach and believe it unless they repent. It is a
different gospel from that given through Scripture.
In spite of Hinn's professional rejection of the word-faith
message, he hasn't given up on it entirely. The word-faith
message encompasses far more that the "name it and claim
it" foolishness. It is intrinsically linked to the
God-man-believer and Jesus-died-spiritually heresies, which Hinn
continues to espouse. It exalts man and denigrates Christ, as
most false teachings do.
The problem with these and other teachings of Hinn is that he
exhibits the mindset of someone who "learned as he
earned," strewing spiritual wreckage in his path. Whatever
comes to mind must be God's voice; after all, Hinn believes
himself a prophet of God. And woe to those who dare challenge
him.
Blowing It
One of the characteristics of Hinn's services has been his
claim to impart the Holy Spirit at will by blowing on people. He
has been known to wave his coat in the air, or to toss the Holy
Spirit like a baseball at the audience, causing entire sections
to ostensibly swoon under the power of God. Obviously God is at
Hinn's disposal. And he doesn't mind being made a spectacle in
the process.
The phenomenon known as being "slain in the Spirit"
is a trademark of modern charismatism. And while I would not say
that God will or cannot come upon someone with such a power, it
becomes obvious that, coupled with false teachings, the power
transmitted by Hinn (if there is any power at all) is not of God.
In fact, it appears more a case of mass hysteria entered into by
people predisposed to fall for several reasons: 1) they want the
power of God no matter what; 2) they would be embarrassed not to
fall when everyone else around them is falling; 3) many have
testified that the person imparting the Holy Spirit pushed them
down; 4) God might allow and even grant such a
"blessing" to entrench error in people's minds who
don't care about truth as much as they do about some supernatural
experience; 5) Satan and demons may duplicate such a
phenomenon to validate as truth the error of one's teachings.
Finally, Hinn's errors are compounded by his continual
extolling of the virtues of the pope and Roman Catholicism, as if
the errors of that church are to be ignored in the interest of
unity. In 1989, Hinn was a participant in the move to grant to
Pope John Paul II the "Prince of Peace" award,
instigated by Harold Bradesen. Receiving much flack for his part
in that award, Hinn recanted and withdrew his participation.
*This material has been adapted/excerpted from a Media
Spotlight Special Report of May, 1992 (Albert James Dager, P.O.
Box 290, Redmond, WA 98073). Biblical Discernment Ministries -
5/92
Benny Hinn Repents--Again
Benny Hinn is a 40-year old hyper-charismatic "signs
& wonders healer," and the founder and pastor (1983) of
the 7,000-plus membership Orlando Christian Center in Orlando,
Florida. He conducts worldwide crusades and has a daily
television program airing over the heretical Trinity Broadcasting
Network, headed by Jan and Paul Crouch. Hinn is also a best
selling author, the most popular of his books being the 10/90
book, Good Morning, Holy Spirit , published by Thomas Nelson.
This book is full of heresies and blasphemies.
Due to confrontations by biblical fundamentalists as well as
by a television tabloid journalism program, Hinn has
"repented" now at least three times, but each time he
goes back to that from which he repented. He says he no longer
believes the "positive confession" he once taught. But
if that were true, he would oppose its teachings and teachers.
Had he really repented, Hinn would actively work to deliver his
many thousands of followers from these false doctrines, but he
has not done so. In fact, he is still in full fellowship with the
positive confession leaders and adherents.
If Hinn were seriously concerned for truth, as he now claims
to be, he would recall his tapes and books that presented false
teachings he says he no longer believes. Instead, they are still
being sold. In fact, his "repentance" is deficient
because it fails to admit the gravity of his error. "I never
taught heresy," Hinn insists. "I admit I taught some
things that were aberrant ... but I think heresy is too strong a
word."
Actually, Hinn has taught much heresy. Even though Hinn claims
to have been saved at age 20, he declares that God first appeared
to him when he was 11, and has been appearing to him ever since.
He also claims to be a revelatory channel for God! In addition,
Hinn literally rewrote Job 1:21, changing "the Lord taketh
away" to "the Lord never taketh away." There are
many examples, but here are a few of his other heretical
teachings:
"(1) Never, ever, ever go to the Lord and say, 'If it be
thy will'; (2) No Christian should ever be sick; (3) We
Christians possess 'power in our mouths' to heal or kill just as
witches possess it; (4) Job tapped into the negative side of the
faith force by a negative confession; (5) Christ 'became one with
the nature of Satan' and was 'born again' in hell; (6) Christ
would have sinned without the Holy Spirit and would have remained
in the grave 'if the Holy Ghost had changed His mind about
raising Him from the dead' [Jesus said, 'I have power to lay down
my life and I have power to take it again' (Jn 10:18) for He is
God]; (7) We are 'little gods' and even part of God with all the
power of God; and (8) We are 'little messiahs,' everything that
Jesus ever was."
Some of his statements, such as that a woman was originally
designed to give birth from her side, or that Adam and Eve were
super beings who could fly to the moon, are not only heresy, but
ludicrous blunders. Yet Hinn claimed that most of them, as well
as the heresies above, came as direct revelation from God under
the anointing of the Holy Spirit. To attribute such errors to the
Holy Spirit is blasphemy of which he has not repented. That
Hinn's alleged "Holy Spirit" teaches error and folly
should be enough to discredit his book about "the anointing
of the Holy Spirit," yet it has been a runaway best seller.
Hinn's repentance and renunciations to date have obviously fallen
far short of truth. [Adapted and/or excerpted by permission from
the 2/94 The Berean Call (P.O. Box 7019, Bend, OR 97708, and from
a 1992 Media Spotlight Special Report (P.O. Box 290, Redmond, WA
98073).]
[The following material is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 9,
Issue 2, 1992. David W. Cloud. All rights reserved. O Timothy is
a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED
STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, Bible Baptist Church,
1219 N. Harns Road, Oak Harbor, Washington 98277. FOR CANADA the
subscription is $20 Canadian. Send to Bethel Baptist Church, P.O.
Box 9075, London, Ontario N6E 1V0.]
Beware of Charismatic Leader Benny Hinn
The following is from Dave Hunt's CIB Bulletin for
February 1992:
There is a new star rising on the charismatic faith-healing
circuit. Benny Hinn has attracted crowds as large as 30,000. At
38 he pastors Orlando Christian Center, one of America's fastest
growing churches. Its 2,800-seat auditorium is packed three times
each Sunday and the service is aired later on TBN. Though he has
preached at Grant's [W.V. Grant, a charismatic leader who has
been exposed for fraud in having prior information of his
supposed "words of knowledge"] church, Hinn's methods
vary from Popoff's or Grant's. He raises about $12 million a year
with the usual false promises of healing and prosperity in
exchange for "seed faith" gifts -- a condition for
"miracles." "Give no less than $100," he
exhorts an audience, and promises to "lay hands on all the
envelopes and ask God for financial miracles for the
givers."
Praying at Kuhlman's grave:
The secret to Hinn's power is his
peculiar anointing, which he connects with Kathryn Kuhlman and
Aimee McPherson, founder of the Foursquare Gospel Church. He
first felt the "full power of the Holy Spirit" on him
at a Kuhlman healing service in 1973 -- and her mantle has
presumably fallen upon Hinn. He conducts his meetings almost
exactly like hers -- though it takes Hinn much longer to get his
audience into the expectant mood that seems to generate
psychosomatic "miracles." In an April 7, 1991 sermon,
Hinn revealed that he periodically visits Kuhlman's grave and
that he is one of the few with a key to gain access to it. He
also visits Aimee's grave, where he says: "I felt a terrific
anointing ... I was shaking all over ... trembling under the
power of God ... `Dear God,' I said, `I feel the anointing.' ...
I believe the anointing has lingered over Aimee's body."
Blowing people down with the
"spirit"
The anointing or power plays a major
role at Benny Hinn's "miracle services." He uses it to
"slay in the spirit" as Kuhlman did 30 years ago. She
has been imitated by charismatic evangelist/healers ever since.
But Hinn has a new flare. Yes, like Kuhlman, he touches people on
the forehead or neck to make them fall over. But he also blows or
throws the "anointing" and "slays" people
from a distance. As Mike Thomas reported in Florida Magazine,
Nov. 24, 1991:
Winded catchers try to keep up with the toppling bodies.
He rears back and with a pitching motion slays the entire
choir with one toss. "That's power," yells
Benny." "POWER!" ... Hinn takes off his custom
tailored jacket and rubs it briskly on his body. He is
rubbing the Power into the jacket. Then he starts swinging it
wildly, like the biblical David swinging his sling. He decks
his followers left and right. Bam! Bam! Bam! The stage
vibrates with their landings. Then he throws it [the
"anointed" jacket]. Another bam. As a catcher moves
to pick up a woman, Hinn slays him ... then he slays the
catcher who caught the catcher. When Benny Hinn is moved,
nobody is safe from the Power ... [H]e blows loudly into the
microphone ... Hundreds fall backward ... a woman collapses
in the aisle and begins to babble. And then, suddenly, Benny
is gone. The power vanishes from the room, and the people
stare in stunned silence.
This aspect alone of Hinn's meetings is enough to condemn him.
He capriciously throws the "Holy Spirit" around in most
irreverent fashion, using the third Person of the Trinity as his
servant to attract attention to himself. Hinn acts as though the
"anointing" is some metaphysical power at his disposal,
to be rubbed off onto objects. It looks impressive, works largely
by the power of suggestion, but has no purpose except to make
people stand in awe of Hinn. "It's scary," says Bill
James, a former church member. "The people are mesmerized.
...When he comes out, he's like God."
Got to have gold now!
Benny's office at his church contains pictures of
himself with George Bush and John Paul II. It was Hinn who
arranged for Paul and Jan Crouch to meet with the Pope. Here is
Mike Thomas's impression of a visit with Hinn:
He looks like a Ralph Lauren advertisement, a
true gentleman of leisure. As always, his hair is sprayed
solidly in place. "I don't know if you'll ever [again]
see a reverend without socks," he says proudly. [He's
wearing no socks.] "That's the way I am. I'm more down
to earth than most people."
This comes from a man
who just turned in his Mercedes for a Jaguar and recently
moved from the exclusive Heathrow development to the even
more exclusive Alaqua, where he now lives in a $685,000 home.
His suits are tailored, his shoes are Italian leather, and
his wrists and finger glitter with gold and diamonds ... what
he considers a modest lifestyle, as if everyone lives like
this.
He wears his diamond Rolex, diamond rings,
gold bracelet and custom suits for all to see.
..."What's the big deal, for goodness sake?" he
says. "What am I supposed to do, drive a Honda?
...That's not in the Bible. ... I'm sick and tired about
hearing about streets of gold [in heaven]. I don't need gold
in heaven. I got to have it now."
Healed of blindness -- vision still
cloudy!
Benny declares: "I have received a new
mandate from heaven -- bring the message of the miraculous,
healing power of God back to America! Invade our nation with the
miracle-working power of God in the '90s!" He claims
that about 1,000 people are healed at each "miracle service."
But as Thomas reported, "Despite all the thousands of
miracles claimed by Hinn, the church seems hard pressed to come
up with any that would convince a serious skeptic. ... When
pressed for truly convincing miracles, [Hinn spokesperson] Susan
Smith cited a woman in Orlando who was cured of blindness caused
by diabetes. But she would not give the woman's name. She later
admitted that the woman's vision may still be cloudy. `She still
has diabetes, strangely ... [and] was just rehospitalized."
Christians are little gods
"People of God," shouts Benny, "we must never
speak such faith-destroying words as these: `If it be thy will,
Lord.' ... I am Him [Jesus]! The Word has become flesh in Meee!
...You are a little god on earth!" His other
heresies include the teaching that God the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit each has a body, soul and spirit. "There's nine of
them!" he told his congregation "by revelation
knowledge," but probably got the idea from Dake's
Annotated Reference Bible, where this
ancient heresy was revived on page 55. Hinn taught the
same heresy as Hagin and Copeland, that when Jesus died on the
cross He sank into hell and took upon him the nature of Satan and
was tortured by Satan for our redemption. Then early in 1991 he
repudiated this teaching along with other "Word- Faith"
peculiar doctrines. Yet he had taught it as "revelation
knowledge." God's revelations don't change.
Hinn would like to blow the heads off
his enemies
As As for his critics, Hinn says: "You know,
I've looked for one verse in the Bible -- I just can't seem to
find it -- one verse that says, `If you don't like 'em, kill
'em.'' I really wish I could find it! ...Sometimes I wish God
would give me a Holy Ghost machine gun. I'd blow your head
off!" The TBN studio audience loudly applauded those
gracious words from the "man of God."
Surely we are seeing fulfilled the primary sign Christ gave of
the nearness of His return: "For there shall arise false
christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect." Let us seek to know God and His Word and to
walk in obedience to Him, contending earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints. He's coming soon!
(Dave Hunt, "Signs of the Times," CIB Bulletin,
Jan. 1992)
As a personal note my
wife and I have "felt" the power in Benny
Hinn's services. My wife had the luxury to making it through the
maddening throng to get up on the platform . . . and yes Tracy
did fall down, knocked down by a force! The question is
what is the origin of that force? Tracy will testify that she was
no better physically or spiritually because she was knocked down.
Thus, the question, where is the benefit? Any observer of his
ministry must also question the caviler manner in which Benny
knocks people down, stands them up to knock them down again. Can
you see Jesus saying "Peter pick that guy up again."
Then hitting him with His seamless robe and knocking down again
to the loud applause of the multitudes. Showmanship at its
best and worst.
One stage magic trick Benny used in the services we
participated in is this: He has the 10,000 plus people all get
deathly quiet and close our eyes. Then after a few moments
Benny's microphone is turned up and he either blows loudly into
it or yells "take it." When he does this
everyone's autonomic nervous system is jolted (like when someone
sneaks up behind up and says "boo") and people (already
mentally prepared) fall down thinking that was the anointing of
the Holy Spirit. What a cheap trick to play on ignorant
people!
God may out of His great mercy heal
some people at these meetings. If anyone gets anything good, its
source is the Lord God, not Benny Hinn. Due to his severe
doctrinal errors, ungodly crusade performances, and bad hair . .
.his ministry is to be avoided at all costs, unless you want to
observe mass hysteria under the hands of a manipulator.