BENNY HINN: THE PAINFUL, OTHER SIDE OF HIS ‘CONFESSION’….

Expectedly, Dr Benny Hinn’s ‘confession’ video is still creating massive ripples within Christian circles all over the world. And in the ensuing conversations, two distinct camps are emerging in the church in Nigeria.

There is the group that believes Benny Hinn has done a great thing in even venturing as far as he did in openly admitting that he has been wrong in his interpretation of the prosperity gospel. For our purpose here, let’s call this Group 1.

On the other hand, there is a smaller vocal group that is making the point that the ‘confession’ is half-hearted, and does not go far enough – considering the fact that he has amassed an IMMENSE FORTUNE as a direct result of the error he taught. Let’s call this Group 2.

Group 1 makes a good point about the need to avoid judging Benny Hinn’s motives that only God can see. They also highlight the need to be brotherly in rejoicing that Dr Hinn is, at least, moving in the right direction. A direction that most false preachers of the prosperity gospel are not even considering.

In truth, the valid argument of Group 1 is hinged only on ONE-SIDE of this multi-faceted subject. There is a MUCH WIDER perspective that is even more germane to the fundamental principles of the Christian faith. Group 1 is not only overlooking this important aspect, but is also viciously attacking Group 2 for holding this perspective, calling them all sorts of derogatory names.

Now, let’s consider the valid points that Group 2 is making. Christianity does not exist in the world in a vacuum. It exists as an Agency that God created to bring glory to Himself (Matthew 5:16). An Agency that God created to woo, win, and convert the world to Himself. This is the heart of the Great Commission that Christ gave His church.

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In His plan to convert the world, God designed the church to be THE LIGHT in the darkness of the world. To be THE SALT in the corruption of the world. Jesus was clear about this when He described the church in those exact words in Matthew 5:13-15, making it clear that He wants the world to WATCH HIS CHURCH AS A MODEL. Here are His words in this regard: “A city that is set on an hill CANNOT BE HID.” (verse 14); "Let your light so shine before men, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (verse 16). This is THE MANDATE that God gave the church in the world.

Undoubtedly, the Apostles of Christ understood this mandate clearly, and they had it in mind when they wrote passages like 1 Peter 2:12, 1 Peter 3:1, Titus 2:10, etc. That mandate was pivotal in their lives and ministries, as well as in the early church.

But our wayward generation of believers have not only lost this mandate, we seem not to care a hoot about it! Can we really IN TRUTH tell the world today that the church is its LIGHT? Or its SALT? It would obviously sound like a diabolical joke! And that is because of all the horrible stuff that the world sees in the church of today. And how some of the ways and standards of the world EXCEED the ways and standards of the church. Please read that last line again!

By the moral standards of decent societies in the world, the ‘confession’ of Benny Hinn would be considered a joke! A pathetic joke. For, by the moral standards of the world, when a man knowingly or unknowingly obtains A HUGE FORTUNE from people ‘by mistake’, he CANNOT be casual in dealing with the matter – as Benny Hinn did in the video. He acknowledged that he has been exaggerating the Bible’s teaching on prosperity. He pointed to those that taught him as the source of the error. He said he now knows better, and that his wealth is not up to $40 million as reported. And so on. Not once did he apologise for his action. Not once did he use the word ‘sorry’ to his millions of victims all over the world.

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For, let’s face it, in his almost 40 years of ministry, Benny Hinn has collected BILLIONS OF DOLLARS from people through this erroneous teaching. According to widely available statistics, his ministry rakes in about $100 million annually. Apart from his ministry, Benny Hinn has also benefitted PERSONALLY from this money-spinning enterprise. This is reality.

To be fair, it may be unreasonable, impractical, or unwieldy to expect Benny Hinn to return all these monies. That is not the point. The point is that if you have collected Billions of Dollars in error, using the name of Jesus Christ to do so, the LEAST you can do is to GENUINELY APOLOGISE. And to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for your action.

Through this error, some lives may have been ruined! The prosperity gospel has done INCALCULABLE DAMAGE to the destiny and psyche of untold numbers of people – both in spiritual and physical terms. Under the ‘anointing’, in extreme cases, men like Benny Hinn are known to encourage and cajole their victims to go and close their bank accounts, and bring all the money in it ‘to God’! Many high-pressure tactics have been used in the name of Christ to take people’s money under the pretext that God will soon multiply the money. Clearly, this is EVIL! Thus, when the light dawns on the perpetrators of this evil (if any light is dawning at all), the least they can do is to be genuinely sorry!!!

This is the MINIMUM STANDARD that the world would expect and demand – be it in government, or in public enterprise. If this is the world’s MINIMUM STANDARD, why should the standard be MUCH LOWER in the church? If the church is not transparent and accountable, how can she ever hope to live up to its MANDATE as the light of the world? How can she justify her calling as the ‘wisdom of God’ in a dark and evil world?

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It is only in the dark, dank, stinky corridors of the apostate church of today that evil men get away with all sorts of atrocities ‘in the name of Christ’. Many of the believers in these churches have been so BRAINWASHED as to be incapable of distinguishing right from wrong – when a ‘man of God’ is involved. In their deluded minds, ‘touch not my anointed’ is a divine umbrella that shields ‘men of God’ from accountability and taking responsibility for their action.

This is probably why the people in Group 2 are crying out against Benny Hinn! Let’s leave their motives for doing so aside for a while. For, if we are accusing them of judging Benny Hinn’s motive for repenting, are we not also guilty of judging their motive for crying out against him? Do you see the double-standard and hypocrisy? Rather than vilify these people, we should listen to them as they raise the banner of morality and accountability in the church!

We should encourage them for their bravery in raising their heads above the parapet of our sycophancy in the church, and above our culture of ‘men worship’. If this type of HARD truth-telling does not occur within the church, do we want God to raise another Daddy Freeze from outside the church to come and teach us what we are TOO CHICKEN to discuss among ourselves as brethren in Christ?

And if we get the message that Group 2 is passing across, the right response would be to be penitent in our hearts. Penitent when we realise that the church in our days is betraying the divine mandate to be a light in the world. Penitent that we are dragging the name of Christ in the mud. Penitent that our collective ‘mumuism’ is HINDERING the spread of the Gospel for which Christ Jesus died. It is a collective responsibility, a collective culpability, and a collective shame. For, as the Body of Christ, what happens to ONE happens to ALL.

The Apostles of Christ knew all these very well. Particularly, the importance of guarding the INTEGRITY OF THE GOSPEL jealously. They knew how the enemies of the Gospel can capitalise on our conduct/lifestyle to slur the name of Christ, and His Gospel. Thus, this was the guiding principle of their lives and ministries: "... but (we) suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ" (I Corinthians 9:12). How many ministers of Christ think and act with this mindset today? How many believers do so? How many think about the reputation of Christ and the Gospel AHEAD of ALL that we do or say in the world?

Even the orthodox churches still have a sense of shame/modesty that the Pentecostal churches seem to need desperately. For when the clergy in orthodox churches are embroiled in scandals on the world stage, they do come out to apologise and show some contrition. Their Pentecostal counterparts would barely ever do such. They have a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, say-no-evil culture that forms A RING OF STEEL around their erring ‘men of God’ – even when this involves ASSAULTING the truth!

Clearly, God is NOT a part of this charade!!! His standards for men that occupy leadership positions in the church is VERY HIGH. Personal integrity is very high up in that list. And it is also clearly written that such men MUST BE BLAMELESS – not involved in scandals (1 Timothy 3:7, Titus 1:6). God put all those commandments in place so that the integrity of the Gospel will not be compromised before a mocking, gloating world.

But the church of today does not care about these standards! ANY man that can perform miracles is AUTOMATICALLY a ‘man of God’ that must be revered, and shielded at ALL COSTS. Believers do not pay much attention to Jesus’ admonition that we should use the fruits of their lives to JUDGE all the men that come in His name. That is THE ONLY YARDSTICK for a true man of God. But the believers of today do not really care about this standard – because Jesus Himself has been relegated from the centre of His own Gospel! Like Esau, the believers of today have traded their ‘LIGHT and SALT’ mandate for a bowl of miracles and prosperity.

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The church that still has an ear within this apostate church can NO LONGER AFFORD to be silent or complicit. Respectfully, and in love, we need to let the world know that there is a world of difference between the GENUINE Church of Jesus Christ (which still exists today), and the HUGE APOSTATE CHURCH that uses the name of Christ in vain.

This is how to contend for the faith in these dark days. And it is a duty that every genuine believer owes the Captain of our Salvation. Even when we have to love and nurture our erring brethren back to repentance, we must NEVER DO SO AT THE EXPENSE OF TRUTH. At the expense of a high standard that the world can TRULY seek to emulate. This is how to shine the LIGHT. This is how to honour the exalted name of our Saviour that calls Himself THE TRUTH. Jesus Christ expects no less from us. Let us all repent TODAY, and bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. The world is WATCHING – as God expects them to do.

Thanks for reading, God bless you.