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| *"“The Lord also tells me to tell you in the mid 90’s, about ’94-’95, no later than that, God will destroy the ] community of America. But He will not destroy it – with what many minds have thought Him to be, He will destroy it with fire. And many will turn and be saved, and many will rebel and be destroyed.” | *"“The Lord also tells me to tell you in the mid 90’s, about ’94-’95, no later than that, God will destroy the ] community of America. But He will not destroy it – with what many minds have thought Him to be, He will destroy it with fire. And many will turn and be saved, and many will rebel and be destroyed.” | ||
| *:Orlando Christian Center, Dec. 31, 1989. | *:Orlando Christian Center, Dec. 31, 1989. | ||
| *"A world dictator is coming on the scene. My! He's a short man. He's a short man. I see a short man who's a perfect incarnation of Satan. Never in my life have I had anything happen like what's happening to me now! 'This man will rule the world. In the next few years you will see him. But not long after that you will see |
*"A world dictator is coming on the scene. My! He's a short man. He's a short man. I see a short man who's a perfect incarnation of Satan. Never in my life have I had anything happen like what's happening to me now! 'This man will rule the world. In the next few years you will see him. But not long after that you will see me.'" | ||
| *:Orlando Christian Center, Dec. 31, 1989 | *:Orlando Christian Center, Dec. 31, 1989 | ||
| *"The Spirit of God tells me an earthquake will hit the East Coast of America and destroy much in the '90s. Not one place will be safe from earthquakes in the '90s. These who have not known earthquakes will know it. People, I feel the Spirit all over me!" | *"The Spirit of God tells me an earthquake will hit the East Coast of America and destroy much in the '90s. Not one place will be safe from earthquakes in the '90s. These who have not known earthquakes will know it. People, I feel the Spirit all over me!" | ||
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| *"We may have two years before the rapture. Can I be blunt with you? I don't know if we have two years left. I'm going to prove to you from the Word tonight, that we have less than two years.” | *"We may have two years before the rapture. Can I be blunt with you? I don't know if we have two years left. I'm going to prove to you from the Word tonight, that we have less than two years.” | ||
| *:November 9, 1990 Praise-a-Thon | *:November 9, 1990 Praise-a-Thon | ||
| *"Jesus is |
*"Jesus is cumming again within the next two years." | ||
| *:July 1997, fund-raising telethon on TBN | *:July 1997, fund-raising telethon on TBN | ||
Revision as of 03:07, 11 December 2005
Tofik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn (born 1953, Jaffa, Israel) is a controversial Christian pastor. His ethnicity is Armenian-Greek and he was raised within the Greek Orthodox Church, but currently he is involved in the charismatic/Pentecostal arm of Christianity, especially within the Word Faith movement.
History
Hinn has written that he had a profound experience in December 1973 that changed his life, when he travelled by charter bus from Toronto to Pittsburgh to attend a "miracle service" being conducted by evangelists Kathryn Kuhlman. Although Hinn never met Kuhlman personally, he often attended her healing services and has acknowledged the influence that Kuhlman made on him in several interviews. Hinn has also admitted to visiting Kuhlman's grave in Glendale, California on several occasions in order to obtain the "power" that Kuhlman purportedly had to heal others.
Hinn founded the Orlando Christian Center in 1983. During its heyday the church averaged over 10,000 in attendance. In 1999, Hinn sold the church (by that time renamed World Outreach Center) to Clint Brown and moved to Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Dallas; however, he maintained the legal entity "World Outreach Center Church dba Benny Hinn Ministries" which has been the subject of recent controversy, see below. He is currently the host of This Is Your Day, a 30-minute TV show that runs on various religious networks, including Trinity Broadcasting Network and Daystar Television Network.
Controversies
There is not an area of Hinn's Christian doctrine, ministry practice, or even his personal background, which has not been the subject of controversy. At least one book, The Confusing World of Benny Hinn (ISBN 1-885591-94-2), published by Personal Freedom Outreach, is devoted solely to various issues surrounding Hinn and his ministry, and PFO's Quarterly Journal usually has at least one article devoted to the latest controversy surrounding Hinn. The Sword of the Lord also has a book for sale devoted to Hinn, and virtually every Christian counter-cult, watchdog, and apologetics teacher and ministry has extensive information and critique of Hinn.
As a proponent of Word of faith doctrine, Hinn is subject to the criticisms that accompany the viewpoint (unsound Biblical doctrine, exploitation of the poor, and so on). Also, his support of faith healing brings the accompanying criticisms of that viewpoint (primarily the inability to provide independent medical verification of purported healings). Further, Hinn's self-admitted visitations to Kuhlman's grave have brought charges that he is practicing a form of divination, which evangelical Christians claim goes against Biblical teaching.
Investigations and Exposés
In 2000, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's show Witness ran a two-part series about purported faith healers Benny Hinn and Reinhard Bonnke.
On November 3, 2004, the CBC's the fifth estate ran an exposé on Benny Hinn, revealing reports of fraudulent activity on his part.
Dateline NBC also ran an exposé on Hinn in 2003, and aired a follow-up investigation on March 6, 2005, which alleged that Hinn lives a lavish lifestyle, that his ministry uses only a small percentage of its revenues for charitable purposes and that claims of successful faith healing are unsubstantiated and, in some cases, false. Hinn responded to the allegations in detail in a letter on March 10, 2004. The allegations, however, are hard to validate, since Hinn's ministry claims a "church" tax exemption (as opposed to a religious non-profit exemption), which exempts Hinn and his ministry from having to reveal financial records (see below regarding an investigation into such exemption).
The Dallas Morning News reported in July 2005 that Hinn was being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service as to his ministry's tax exempt status, specifically its designation as a church. Under IRS regulations, non-profit organizations must file for a "letter of determination" as to tax-exempt status and annually report information as to donations, expenses and salaries. However, churches are specifically exempt from reporting requirements, and do not need to file for a "letter of determination" (they may simply claim tax-exempt status; the IRS must then prove otherwise). The Trinity Foundation, a self-proclaimed "watchdog ministry" headed by Ole Anthony, states that its investigation "proves" that Hinn's ministry does not meet IRS guidelines for church designation, specifically that Hinn does not conduct "regular public worship services" at his headquarters (which Hinn lists as the church address; however, according to Anthony and Trinity Foundation access to the facility is highly restricted and not open to the public) or at any other location that Anthony or Trinity Foundation have been able to determine.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in August 2005 that the Tarrant County Appraisal District (responsible for determining the assessed value of real estate for tax purposes, and for granting property tax exemptions) was reviewing whether Hinn's facility in Grapevine met the requirements for a property tax exemption. Specifically, the review would focus on whether the "church" designation (the same one Anthony and Trinity Foundation claim is false) was used to claim an exemption to which Hinn's ministry may not have been entitled. The review was requested by Anthony and Trinity Foundation.
Hinn's ministry has confirmed the validity of the reports regarding the IRS and Tarrant County reviews, but accused Trinity Foundation and Anthony of attempting to destroy "all Christian ministries in general" and specifically Hinn's.
False prophecies
Hinn has made a number of prophecies that didn't come true. Listed below are some examples:
- "The Spirit tells me Fidel Castro will die in the 90's. Oh my! Some will try to kill him and they will not succeed. But there will come a change in his physical health, and he will not stay in power, and Cuba will be visited of God."
- "“The Lord also tells me to tell you in the mid 90’s, about ’94-’95, no later than that, God will destroy the homosexual community of America. But He will not destroy it – with what many minds have thought Him to be, He will destroy it with fire. And many will turn and be saved, and many will rebel and be destroyed.”
- "A world dictator is coming on the scene. My! He's a short man. He's a short man. I see a short man who's a perfect incarnation of Satan. Never in my life have I had anything happen like what's happening to me now! 'This man will rule the world. In the next few years you will see him. But not long after that you will see me.'"
- Orlando Christian Center, Dec. 31, 1989
- "The Spirit of God tells me an earthquake will hit the East Coast of America and destroy much in the '90s. Not one place will be safe from earthquakes in the '90s. These who have not known earthquakes will know it. People, I feel the Spirit all over me!"
- Orlando Christian Center, Dec. 31, 1989
- "We may have two years before the rapture. Can I be blunt with you? I don't know if we have two years left. I'm going to prove to you from the Word tonight, that we have less than two years.”
- November 9, 1990 Praise-a-Thon
- "Jesus is cumming again within the next two years."
- July 1997, fund-raising telethon on TBN
Bibliography of Hinn's Writings
- Kathryn Kuhlman: Her Spiritual Legacy and Its Impact on My Life. ISBN 0785278885
- Good Morning, Holy Spirit. ISBN 0785271767
- He Touched Me - An Autobiography. ISBN 0785278877
- The Anointing. ISBN 0785271686
- Welcome, Holy Spirit: How You Can Experience The Dynamic Work Of The Holy Spirit In Your Life. ISBN 0785271694
- This Is Your Day for a Miracle. ISBN 0884193918
- The Biblical Road to Blessing. ISBN 0785275177
- Miracle Of Healing. ISBN 0849953995
- The Blood. ISBN 0884197638
- Going Deeper with the Holy Spirit. ISBN 1590240391
- Lord, I Need a Miracle. ISBN 0840762518
External links
- Benny Hinn's Crusade in India
- Benny Hinn Ministries
- Who is Benny Hinn?
- BBC Report on controversial trip to Nigeria
- Benny Hinn - A False Prophet
- Myfortress.org Info on Benny Hinn and his teachings - web site critical of Hinn.
- Apologetics Research Resources on Religious Cults, Sects, Religions, Doctrines,etc. - web site critical of Hinn.
- News tracker: Benny Hinn