Declaring that the “Holy Ghost is just fed
up with it,” controversial televangelist
Benny Hinn, formerly one of the most
aggressive proponents of the prosperity
gospel, has for the first time in his career,
delivered a full-throated rejection of the
practice that made him and his family
millions.
The prosperity gospel teaches, among
other things, that believers have a right to
the blessings of health and wealth , and
they can obtain these blessings through
positive confessions of faith and the
“sowing of seeds” through the faithful
payments of tithes and offerings.
Speaking to his followers during a
Facebook Live broadcast on Monday night
(which was first highlighted by Larry Reid
Live), Hinn, who has long been a lightning
rod for criticism for his support of the
theology, declared the Gospel “is not for
sale.”
“I’m sorry to say that prosperity has gone a
little crazy and I’m correcting my own
theology and you need to all know it.
Because when I read the Bible now, I don’t
see the Bible in the same eyes I saw 20
years ago,” Hinn said as his followers
rejoiced.
“I think it’s an offense to the Lord, it’s an
offense to say give $1,000. I think it’s an
offense to the Holy Spirit to place a price
on the Gospel. I’m done with it. I will never
again ask you to give $1,000 or whatever
amount, because I think the Holy Ghost is
just fed up with it.
“Did you hear me?” Hinn asked as his
audience responded affirmatively in high
spirits.
“I think it hurts the Gospel, so I’m making
this statement for the first time in my life
and frankly, I don’t care what people think
about me anymore,” he continued.
“When they invite me to telethons I think
they will not like me anymore. Because
when you look at the word of God … if I
hear one more time, break the back of debt
with $1,000, I’m gonna rebuke them. I think
that’s buying the Gospel. That’s buying the
blessing. That’s grieving the Holy Spirit. …
If you are not giving because you love
Jesus, don’t bother giving,” Hinn argued. “I
think giving has become such a gimmick;
it’s making me sick to my stomach.”
Hinn’s outright rejection of the prosperity
gospel comes just two months after his
nephew, Costi Hinn, revealed in his new
book, God, Greed, and the (Prosperity)
Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built
on Lies, how his family exploited millions
around the world with the prosperity gospel
and often traded so-called miracles for
money.
“Giving to God was the secret to unlocking
your dreams,” Costi Hinn wrote. “It was the
secret to job promotions. It was access to
our divine bank account. My uncle often
told the story of how he got out of debt
using this system of belief. His father-in-
law had told him that in order to be debt
free, he needed to pay God. Benny
explained that once he started emptying his
bank account and giving money away to
ministry, money started showing up from
everywhere!”
In 2018, Hinn admitted that as he has
grown older and come to understand the
Bible more, he realized that some of the
things he learned from preachers when he
was growing up aren’t biblical, including
the prosperity gospel.
“The more you know the Bible the more
you become biblically based and more
balanced in your opinions and your
thoughts, because we are influenced,” Hinn
said. “When I was younger, I was
influenced by the preachers who taught
whatever they taught. But as I’ve lived
longer I’m thinking, wait a minute, you
know this doesn’t fit totally with the Bible
and it doesn’t fit with the reality. So what
is prosperity? No lack. I’ve said this
before,” Hinn said.
He then elaborated on how he believes “no
lack” should be interpreted.
“Did Elijah the prophet have a car? No. Did
not even have a bicycle. He had no lack. …
Did Jesus drive a car or live in a mansion?
No. He had no lack. How about the
Apostles? None lacked among them,” Hinn
said. “Today, the idea is abundance and
palatial homes and cars and bank
accounts. The focus is wrong … It’s so
wrong.”
He said even though he has been accused
of living lavishly and flying private jets in
the past, that is not how he currently lives.
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