Posted on 07/02/2019 8:07:37 AM PDT by C19fan
Costi Hinn, a former prosperity gospel preacher and nephew to the immensely popular prosperity gospel preacher Benny Hinn, shared his conversion story with PJ Media before the release of his forthcoming book, God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies. Hinn first shared his story in Christianity Today two years ago, but his book — and his interview — fleshes out the story of how a man-centered rich kid became a God-centered follower of the humble Jesus.
Famous hucksters like T.D. Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, and Benny Hinn get rich preaching a health and wealth "gospel" that perverts true Christianity. Costi Hinn's powerful story illustrates the differences between the prosperity gospel and true discipleship.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Money quote:
"The idea that following Jesus will result in no suffering in your life" is a lie, Hinn insisted. "Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, persecuted, and ultimately killed. Peter experienced the same thing. Stephen was stoned. The Son of God himself was killed!"
I do not know how people believe in the Prosperity Gospel when it is spelled out in the Gospel and early Church histories, that Christ's himself, and his own chosen apostles and disciples met gruesome ends. Peter and Paul did not live out their days being carried around in the luxury car of the day, a litter, wearing jewels, and expensive fragrances brought in from Africa, Arabia and India. Christ is quite explicit we all carry our own crosses in this life.
I do not know how people believe in the Prosperity Gospel when it is spelled out in the Gospel and early Church histories,
Have you ever heard many of these people encourage their listeners to read the Bible on their own. Just their literature.
I don’t either, yet I’ve had arguments with them on FB and in person about it. I bring up the “extreme poverty of the Macedonians” (2 Corinthians 8:1-4) and the FACT that these Macedonians were helping the even poorer Judaen Christians to no avail. Then I bring up our poor and persecuted brothers and sisters in the Sudan, India, China and North Korea. Deaf ears. Apparently if it doesn’t look like American Christianity and the prosperity Gospel-its not real Christianity-forget all those examples of suffering and poverty in the New Testament.
I originally read the title as “Benny Hill”.
My wife sees Benny Hinn fairly often as he shops in the high end department store she works in. He always has a bodyguard in tow.
My grandfather once said don’t trust a preacher who owns more than one suit. If that was an exaggeration, it wasn’t much of an exaggeration.
Just out of curiosity, I looked it up. Benny Hinn is worth at least $40 million dollars. So I suppose he owns lots of suits.
The underlying foundation of the gospel-according-to-Hagin-et al is contained in the term “the God-kind-of-faith”. “Everything reproduces after its kind”, “God produced us, ergo we are after His kind”. Ergo “we are like him” (remember what the devil told Eve, “ye shall be as gods”?). Since we are like Him, we can speak reality into existence, too, hence “word/faith”.
The heresy is as deep and insidious as it gets. And, while most of its laymen do not know the depth of it, the train-wrecks it produces are monumental.
Good article. Thanks for posting it.
Excellent points!
Most folks who proclaim Christianity never assume they’ll have to carry their own crosses.
I’ve got enemies within my own family for proclaiming & not straying from Christ’s teachings.
We were warned!
My favorite Benny Hill sketch....
THEY SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE
by
Benny Hill
They said that it could not be done,
He said, “Just let me try.”
They said, “Other men have tried and failed,”
He answered, “But not I.”
They said, “It is impossible,”
He said, “There’s no such word.”
He closed his mind, he closed his heart...
To everything he heard.
He said, “Within the heart of man,
There is a tiny seed.
It grows until it blossoms,
It’s called the will to succeed.
Its roots are strength, its stem is hope,
Its petals inspiration,
Its thorns protect its strong green leaves,
With grim determination.
“Its stamens are its skills
Which help to shape each plan,
For there’s nothing in the universe
Beyond the scope of man.”
They thought that it could not be done,
Some even said they knew it,
But he faced up to what could not be done...
And he couldn’t bloody do it!
[[My grandfather once said don’t trust a preacher who owns more than one suit. If that was an exaggeration, it wasn’t much of an exaggeration.]]
I guess Moses, Paul King David, Joseph etc etc etc couldn’t be trusted then because they were extremely wealthy people
> I guess Moses, Paul King David, Joseph etc etc etc couldn’t be trusted then because they were extremely wealthy people <
Well, if they obtained their riches by passing the collection plate then keeping the money for themselves, maybe they can’t be trusted.
Anyhow, I’m sure you know what my actual point was. As I see it, a millionaire preacher falls in the same category as someone who became a millionaire by running a “charity”.
That’s not illegal. But it’s unethical, to my way of thinking. Of course, your mileage my vary.
Same diff...
no i don’t know what you mean- preachers by and large have huge burdens- they work hard- they don’t just give a sermon on sunday and then that’s it- they study hard- they went to school to study God’s word- which i can tell you is a very rigorous course- and they have a right to expect to be paid- even well-
I am not talking about shysters- I am talking about men of God who dedicate their lives to taking care of God’s people which is a huge responsibility- infact, I would say they work harder and have more burdens than many occupations do- I have no issue with pastors being paid well- I know that a lot of these people both take care of their families, their extended families when they can, and they also are heavily involved with helping the poor, the troubled, etc- using the money they earn to help others- and being there 24/7 for their congregations or anyone that may need help physically, spiritually, or financially- They donate a great deal to missionaries who further spread God’s word- they donate to causes that help the poor- the sick, the troubled etc- they volunteer in places to help others- they are constantly on the go- and very rarely take time to themselves- because the needs of their congregations are so vast-
Look- there were many poor people around moses, joseph, David- etc- people could just as well have accused them of ‘being rich callously’- calling it ‘unethical’ because so many were staving around them- while the rich folks like moses, david, paul etc enjoyed what God provided for them-
[[Well, if they obtained their riches by passing the collection plate then keeping the money for themselves,]]
They don’t have a right to expect to be paid, or even to be wealthy and to take care of their family’s and their extended family’s financial needs?
I have no issue with someone owning private jet to get them to places around the globe to preach God’s word=- They are obeying God’s command to spread the word, which is more than i can say for myself- they have busy hectic schedules, something I’m grateful that i don’t have for personal reasons- and I don’t mind them being able to rest in nice motels while they recuperate from their tedious, hectic, frantic schedules either-
Most work every bit as hard, and often many times harder than other professions- They don’t just work one or two days a week and call it a job- they are on call 24/7 unlike most professions- You can’t even begin to imagine the stress that goes with being a pastor- especially if you have a large congregation- the demands on a pastor are tremendous- and if God is pleased to allow them to be well taken care of- and they are responsible by making sure their families are taken care, and are using their wealth to make sure their congregation is taken care of (by going to them in their sickness, their deaths, their funerals, their marriages, their problems, their concerns, on and on and on it goes- ) then who am I to criticize?
Yes, there are shysters who obviously are exploiting their congregations for personal gain- and have no concern for their congregations, however, many pastors are wealthy, but do care deeply for their congregations, and are on the go constantly, in a grueling profession that requires a great deal of their time and effort- and in my opinion, these folks deserve to be well taken care of because of all they selflessly do for others physically- most of these folks would be just as grateful and just as dedicated to God even if the money wasn’t there- and i certainly don’t begrudge them the fact that God has been pleased to see their ministry grow
If I know a pastor- a wealthy pastor- is preaching a rock solid gospel message, and is there for his congregation no matter what- and has a deep concern for the lost of the world-, i have no problem with that and don’t use their wealth s a criteria for whether they can be trusted or not- their words and actions prove they can be trusted-
[[Famous hucksters like T.D. Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, and Benny Hinn get rich preaching a health and wealth “gospel” that perverts true Christianity.]]
This is true- they prove by their actions and their perversion of God’s word for their own personal gain only, that they are shysters- and cocnernign people like them, I agree with you- however, as i mentioned above- I know many great pastors who were wealthy, but who worked their fingers to the bones for their congregations and who in my opinion, deserved to be wealthy and well taken care of for how selflessly they gave of themselves for the sake of their congregations and the lost around the world-
I believe Prosperity was and is tied to Abundance.
Where upon I once believed that living in prosperity was have a checking account with at least $1,000,000,000 (anything less was not enough)
But since having found Jesus I have learned the true meaning of prosperity and living in abundance.
There is food in my house, enough to likely last a month. Clothes that I could not ever wear out; and I have enough money that I am not living from paycheck to paycheck (though I am many, any 0’s short).
I not only have enough, I have more than enough. Because I have been there, where I wondered what/when I was going eat and even where I was going to sleep. I know there are 10’s of thousands out there now; but I am not one of them. I am living in prosperity (in abundance) because I am living within my means and I am happy.
Jehovah Jireh
My Provider
His GRACE is sufficient for me
God’s GRACE, by His Son going to the Cross, is far more valuable than any material object.
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