Benny  Hinn

The birth of the Pentecostal movement began at Azusa Street in the early part of this century. Since that time there has been a focus upon the Holy Spirit and his gifts. Some are genuine, healthy activities that brought new life into the body of Christ. Others are not so healthy in their focus. Based on the Mark 16:17 model for the Church, the renewal movements of the last thirty years brought a stronger focus on signs and wonders, miracles and healings. This gave birth to a rising of some new leaders esteemed to be apostles and prophets. These men have easily found Christian stardom because of the neglect of the church to discern truth. Whenever the church is not functioning in a correct and healthy fashion, a void opens and there will arise those who claim to have giftings. They attract great support in time and finances for their ministry that I believe should be directed toward the church’s own community and missionary outreaches. Instead of building up the local body the famed leaders build their own ministries. Today Tele-evangelism has grown into a 3½ billion dollar industry. Much of the giving goes into the preacher’s pockets and ministries. This enables them to continue traveling throughout the world, conducting so-called miracle healing crusades much like a rock concert tour. Benny Hinn fits into this category as one of the world’s most successful TV evangelists of all time. His programs can be viewed in almost 200 different countries (as of 2001), with audiences of 1 million a night. The Benny Hinn phenomenon continues to grow as the money flows in from thousands who honestly believe that he has the gift of God to heal and to give the anointing of God to others. Mr. Hinn claims to be a channel for God and that God comes into him and upon him. God allegedly takes over his mind and tongue as he performs fantastic miracles and words of knowledge, while casting out demons with power not seen since the apostles.  Benny Hinn becomes so intoxicated in what he calls “the anointing” that he often is totally unaware of what he said and performed later on.

HINN’S HISTORY: Benny Hinn was born in Israel in 1953. He was raised as a Greek Orthodox and went to a Catholic school. He claims to have had two visions and an appearance of Jesus at age 11 before he was converted.1 This appearing he says continues to occur regularly since he became a Christian. When I was a little boy, I saw the Lord in this dream. It was really so real, it was really a vision because when - when He appeared to me my body became electric just like electricity went through me and when I awoke that electricity was still on my body." (Benny Hinn, This Is Your Day, June 11, 1997)

 At the age of 14 the family moved to Toronto, Canada. Hinn has given a few different stories about the when and how of his conversion. He claims it occurred in 1972.  But this differs from his story on a recorded testimony from a 1987 tape describing The Angel of the Lord in a vision taking him into a room in the high school and there he was saved.2 In his book, Good Morning Holy Spirit, he said the angel dropped him off on Don Mills road outside the wall of his school. Then in the 1981 publication of the PTL Devotional, he said “I got saved in Israel in 1968”.3 Yet in a 1983 message in St. Louis, he claimed that someone witnessed to him and he got saved after he came to Toronto from Israel.

He also tells of his family members giving their hearts to the Lord at different times. 4 However, in 1984, in his book War in the Heavenlies, he said his family all got saved   at  the   same  time. 5 

There are multiple claims in his stories and Hinn is found to be consistently inconsistent with his word. One can only wonder which story, if any, is accurate. In May of 1983, Hinn and five others survived a plane crash. This was discussed on the PTL show with Paul and Jan Crouch.6 

Hinn claimed the Lord spoke saying, “Nothing will happen to you.”  He explained, “When I walked out of that

Benny   Hinn   also   claims a   miraculous healing of his own stuttering. Numerous people from his past were questioned regarding this.  Only one, Friar Henri,  the director of the College Des Freres in Jaffa recalls him stuttering as a child. Apparently, nobody else recalls that he stuttered, even those he names in his testimony.11 Even the youth pastor from the church this miracle was claimed to have transpired in did not recall that he stuttered.12

 One of the most controversial stories is Hinn’s claim that his father was the mayor in Jaffa, Israel. An exhaustive search proved this to be one more contradiction to the facts. The Hinn’s are Arab, not Jewish. Furthermore the language spoken in the home was Arabic. Those who hold such offices in Israel are Jewish. The Jews would never elect an Arab mayor.13

Benny Hinn found himself in the middle of controversy a few years ago that brought him much attention from within the church. He introduced masses of people to a faulty interpretation of the Godhead and also a false view about Jesus. Teaching that He took upon Himself the nature of Satan on the cross became sin and then was born again in hell.14) “The Holy Ghost is just showing me some stuff. I’m getting dizzy! I’m telling you the truth… He’s [referring to Jesus] in the underworld now. God isn’t there, the Holy Ghost isn’t there, and the Bible says He was begotten… Have you been begotten? So was He. Don’t let anyone deceive you. Jesus was reborn." (Benny Hinn, Our Position ‘In Christ,’ Part 1 1991), video #TV-254.) He apparently recanted on this and turned away from the flawed Word of Faith Jesus (at least some of it). He admitted that some of his early teachings were identified with the New Age and were dead wrong. However, he has been strangely silent on speaking out about this. Credible preachers speak out in favor of what they believe is the truth. His silence enabled him to walk out the back door without any heavy repercussions.  Millions of dollars were made in his books and in tape sales offering these teachings. Some are still in circulation. It doesn’t seem to matter to Hinn, who bought the corrupted materials and what these people may believe today. Of course there is a very real price to pay when exposing a falsehood that he taught himself and others are still teaching. It becomes especially sensitive as Benny Hinn’s program is on TBN. This TV network is the main promoter of the same destructive teachings. It appears that Mr. Hinn’s interests are more for himself and the preservation of his ministry than for the people he is so involved in “ministering to.” What has Mr. Hinn corrected? He earlier taught that there are nine in the Godhead (not just once; several times)!15) Benny has made some progress, but he is still vague in his description of the Lord. Why is this alarming? He is someone who “under the anointing” claims to know God in a special way and yet he is so wrong on the very fundamentals of God’s nature.

HINN’S TEACHINGS: Benny has taught the Egyptians were not drowned in the Red Sea but were crushed by falling ice (Praise The Lord Show 7/14/94)  “God's original plan is that the woman was to bring forth children out of her side" (Our Position in Christ#5, 1990) (Adam) “was the first Superman that really ever lived…he used to fly.…he flew to space.—with one thought he would be on the moon. "  (Benny Hinn, Praise the Lord   TBN 12/26/91) On man he has taught “Within me is a God-man…The Spirit man within me is a God-man…I’m a God-man.”16) “Are you a child of God? Then you are divine!...Then you’re not human.”17) “When you say I am a Christian, you are saying ‘I am messiah in Hebrew.‘I am a little messiah walking earth.”18) “You know what your last name is? Jehovah! So I’m Benny Jehovah!”19)  "Though we are not Almighty God Himself, nevertheless, we are now divine." (Benny Hinn, TBN, 12/1/90) Let's say, 'I AM A GOD-MAN.' …This spirit man within me is a God-Man. …Say 'I'm born-of-heaven-God-Man. I'm a God-Man. I'm a sample of Jesus. I'm a super being." (Praise the Lord, TBN, Dec 6 1990). “I am not part of him, I am Him! The word has become flesh in me." (Our Position in Christ). "Are you ready for some real revelation knowledge... you are God" ("Our Position In Christ", tape # AO31190-1)

Numerous statements have been spoken while under “his anointing,” such as, “If we quit giving you new revelations we’re dead.”20) This approach has become the modas operandi of the Benny Hinn ministry that makes it the enigma it is today. On the nature of Go