Fundamental
Evangelistic Association
selected
articles from:
©FOUNDATION
A MAGAZINE OF BIBLICAL FUNDAMENTALISM
Dennis W. Costella, Editor; Karel Beyer, Production Manager; Matt
Costella,
Copy Editor
M.H. Reynolds, Jr. (1919-1997), Founding Editor
Charismatic Confusion
and Benny Hinn
The
unscriptural basis of the
"God told me to do it" theology
by
M.H. Reynolds, Jr.
April 19, 1919 - September 3,1997
Without
doubt, the Charismatic Movement is the fastest growing religious
movement of our day within the realm of those who profess Christianity.
It is, in fact, growing faster than Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy,
Protestantism, Pentecostalism, Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism. At the
same time, it is also producing more theological confusion than any
other movement in the world. A full-length book would be necessary to
fully document these two facts, but the purpose of this article is to
give a Scriptural warning concerning some of the erroneous teachings of
the Charismatic Movement and, in particular, one of its key figures,
Benny Hinn. He is the one person in the Charismatic Movement today who
consistently appears to possess a "power" in his public "healing and
miracle" meetings second to none of his peers and even greater than that
of the late Kathryn Kuhlman, whose disciple Hinn frankly acknowledges
himself to be.
Although the
Charismatic Movement as such was unknown until the 1960s, its roots go
back to Pentecostalism, which began in the early 20th century. The major
difference between Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement is that
most Christians rejected the doctrinal deviations and unscriptural
practices of the Pentecostals in the early years, forcing them to
establish new churches, denominations and institutions. In contrast, the
Charismatic Movement has established itself within existing churches and
denominations, including the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches that
had previously been untouched by Pentecostalism.
Today,
although some historic Pentecostals reject what they consider to be
excesses in the Charismatic Movement (especially with regard to
worldliness and fellowship with Catholics), Pentecostalism and the
Charismatic Movement are essentially considered the same because both
groups hold to and teach similar theological views regarding the person,
ministry and gifts of the Holy Spirit. While both Pentecostals and
Charismatics preach and teach many precious truths of the Bible, it is
the mixing of these truths with serious doctrinal errors that makes
their teachings so deceptive and dangerous. We trust the following
listing of some of these errors will be helpful and lead believers to
search the Scriptures to determine whether or not these movements are of
God (Acts 17: 11; Jn. 5:39). First, we will set forth some of the
wonderful truths of God's Word concerning the Holy Spirit.
The Bible
makes it clear that the blessed Holy Spirit is the third person of the
Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before Jesus Christ died, rose
again and ascended into heaven, He promised His own disciples that He
would send the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Truth—who would guide them (the
apostles whom the Spirit used to pen the inspired, inerrant, written
Word) "into all truth"—the completed canon of Scripture (John 15:26;
16:13). The Bible tells us that the written Word of God was given
through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1: 19-21). Sinners can
only be saved through hearing the Gospel which is found in that written
Word, the Bible, accompanied by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit
(John 16:7-11; Romans 10:8-17; 1 Peter 1:18-25). The Bible also tells us
that it was through the divine ministry of the Holy Spirit that Jesus
Christ, the Living Word, was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary
(Matt. 1:18).
Furthermore,
contrary to what most Pentecostals and Charismatics teach, God's Word
states that all true believers are baptized into the body of Christ by
the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion, not at some subsequent time
(1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9). There can be, and should be, continual
fillings of the Holy Spirit throughout our Christian walk (Eph. 5:18) as
we yield completely to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2), but the baptism of the
Holy Spirit is a one-time event that takes place at the new birth,
resulting in the believer being "sealed unto the day of redemption"
(Eph. 1: 11-14; 4:30). Another ministry of the Holy Spirit is His role
as the believer's Comforter (Jn. 15:26) and his divine Helper and
Intercessor in times of infirmity and uncertainty (Rom. 8:26-27). A
Biblical study of the Holy Spirit will always bring much blessing to
every sincere believer.
Sadly, the
Charismatic Movement, which claims to be a movement of the Holy Spirit,
actually contradicts many of the infallible teachings of the Holy Spirit
as found in the written Word, the Bible. Among Charismatics, there is
repeated and increasing misinterpretation, misapplication and twisting
of the Scriptures. Scripture texts written specifically to Israel in the
Old Testament, especially concerning physical healing and material
prosperity, are misapplied to the church. Yet these are favorite texts
used by Charismatics to falsely teach that all believers may claim
physical healing or financial prosperity at all times. Not only is such
teaching unscriptural, but it is also contrary to actual experience.
Charismatics try to pressure people into believing a lie concerning
physical healing by asking a rhetorical question: "Would a loving God
ever desire any physical affliction for His children?" Benny Hinn often
says publicly that it is wrong to ask God to heal anyone "if it be God's
will." His contention that it is always God's will to heal believers
ignores the many Scriptures which explain that God often uses physical
affliction to discipline and teach or to purify and refine (2 Cor.
12:7-10; 1 Pet. 4:12-13; 5: 10).
False,
unscriptural teachings concerning prayer add to the doctrinal confusion
resulting from Charismatic errors. If someone is ill, two or more
Charismatics often join hands and voices in prayer, claiming immediate
healing for that individual supposedly in accordance with Matthew
18:19—("if two of you shall agree..."), while completely ignoring 1 John
5:14-15— ("if we ask any thing according to His will..." we are assured
He will hear and answer). The power of God to heal anyone, anytime, any
place, cannot be questioned. But, the false Charismatic teaching that
every believer will be healed whenever two or more other believers agree
in prayer for his healing is neither Scriptural nor in accordance with
reality.
Furthermore,
erroneous Charismatic instruction concerning prayer has increasingly led
them to deduce that prayer should emphasize demanding rather than
asking. Such a false understanding of the nature and purpose of prayer
results in another serious error relative to the question of how
believers should approach and deal with Satan or evil spirits. Satan is
a powerful and deceptive enemy of every Christian. Sometimes he
appears as a "roaring lion," and he is to be resisted (1 Pet. 5:8-10).
At other times he and his ministers deceptively appear as "angels of
light," and they need to be exposed (2 Cor. 11:14-15). There is no
Scriptural basis for current Charismatic teachings that claim believers
can and should stomp on Satan, bind Satan, command Satan or demand that
he return double all he has stolen. Bible-taught believers will put on
all the armor of God in order to stand against the wiles of the devil
and quench all his fiery darts (Eph. 6:10-18), and their attitude toward
Satan will be that which is set forth in Jude 9. The believer's victory
over Satan rests on the basis of obedience to God's Word, not upon the
pompous commands of Charismatic deceivers.
Another
major cause of the theological confusion created by Charismatic
teachings has to do with their misunderstanding of the nature, purpose
and duration of the spiritual gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit upon the
apostles and some believers in the early church. The apostolic gifts
were to authenticate their God-given authority and leadership in the
first century church (2 Cor. 12:12). The spiritual gifts bestowed upon
other believers were necessary since the written Word of God had not yet
been completed. But, even at this early date, there was never any
suggestion that one could "learn how" to obtain spiritual gifts, even
from an apostle. No, these gifts were divinely bestowed by the Holy
Spirit upon individuals of His choice who were to use these special
gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:4-11).
Furthermore, contrary to the teaching of most Pentecostals and
Charismatics, the gift of speaking in tongues was not given to every
believer (1 Cor. 12:30); therefore, it cannot be the visible sign of
baptism in the Holy Spirit as they claim. A careful study of the major
texts dealing with spiritual gifts—Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 11-13 and
Ephesians 4—will reveal that much of the confusion caused by Charismatic
teaching is a direct result of seven major errors:
- the error of teaching that signs, miracles, wonders, healings,
etc. authenticate the message and methods of those who claim to be
God's anointed messengers even when they speak and act contrary to the
Scriptures; Jesus Christ warned about such in Matthew 7:2 1-23;
- the error of making a very selective application of what the Bible
says concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit and a failure to
recognize and earnestly desire the best gifts (1 Cor. 12:31; 13:13);
- the error of misinterpreting the nature, purpose and restrictions
concerning speaking in tongues (1 Cor. 14:22-23) and the
interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 14:27-28);
- the error of disobeying God's command concerning the Scriptural
place and responsibility of women in the local church (1 Cor. 14:34);
- the error of failing to recognize that some of the spiritual gifts
exercised in the early church were to cease upon the completion of the
written Word of God (1 Cor. 13:8-10);
- the error of accepting and teaching many unscriptural doctrines on
the basis that these are supposedly "new winds of the Holy Spirit"
rather than recognizing that they are examples of being "carried about
with every wind of [false] doctrine" (Eph. 4:14);
- the error of practicing and advocating an unscriptural unity with
those who preach a false gospel (such as Roman Catholics and all
others who teach baptismal regeneration) rather than separation from
false teachers, disobedient brethren and the world (Rom. 16:17; 2 Cor.
6:14-18; Gal. 1:6-9; Eph. 5: 11; 2 Tim. 4:1-5; 1 Jn. 2:15-18).
Benny Hinn
Benny Hinn
is only one of many top Charismatic leaders who teach and promote
current Charismatic errors. All of these leaders claim to be ministering
under the anointing of the Holy Spirit; claim to have several or all of
the spiritual gifts given to the apostles and early church; appear to
have the power to "slay people in the Spirit"; amaze people with their
supposed revelations in the exercise of the gifts of prophecy, wisdom
and knowledge; claim direct communications from and with God, Jesus
Christ and the Holy Spirit and increasingly claim to have received power
and authority identical to or even greater than that given to the
apostles and prophets of the first century. However, among all these
Charismatic leaders, one man stands out above all the rest—Benny Hinn.
Hinn's rise
to the top of the Charismatic ladder is due in large measure to the high
esteem in which he is held by Paul and Jan Crouch and their promotion of
his ministry and teachings on TBN. Hinn indeed appears to have more raw
power than any of his peers, even more than the late Kathryn Kuhlman
displayed in her ministry. In his meetings, most of those on whom Hinn
lays hands immediately fall backward to the floor. Occasionally, some
fail to go down, and he quickly turns away from them. But so strong is
his "power" that most people fall to the floor even when he blows or
waves his jacket at them. Often Hinn will cause whole sections of the
audience or the choir to fall backward in their seats as he claims to be
bringing the anointing of the Holy Spirit on them. Such occurrences are
usually called "being slain in the Spirit" or "coming under the power."
No Scriptural foundation can be found for this, but it has become an
integral part of most Charismatic meetings.
Benny Hinn's
ministry thus far provides all the evidence a discerning believer should
need to shun his teachings and warn about his ministry. Hinn's first
book, Come Holy Spirit, became number one on the best-seller
list. However, when several serious doctrinal errors were called to his
attention, he offered an apology, and the publisher made changes in
subsequent editions. In an interview with Christianity Today in
1991, Hinn admitted that "the entire direction of his ministry is in the
midst of a fundamental reform." Sadly, the intervening months have seen
Hinn moving further and further in the direction of Charismatic heresies
rather than in the direction of Biblical doctrine. He and other
Charismatic leaders are deceiving and misleading God's children—hence,
the necessity of this warning.
The most
dangerous and deceptive claims of false teachers today are based upon
their insistence that all they say and do is mandated by God who
supposedly communicates His will to them by direct revelation apart from
and in addition to the Bible. They attempt to justify even some of their
most bizarre words and deeds by false claims such as, "God told me to do
it" or, "God revealed this new teaching to me." All such claims are
spurious, unscriptural and obviously used in an effort to validate their
supposed unique leadership. Saying "God told me..." also seeks to
silence any who would expose the hypocrisy and duplicity that inevitably
accompanies supposedly extra-biblical revelation. What many people do
not realize is that so many of the supposed divine revelations and
prophecies given to Charismatic leaders have subsequently proved to be
absolutely false. Do not make the mistake of listening to and believing
any person who claims a message from God apart from the Bible. We
must test everything by the Bible. Men and their words bring
disappointment. God's Word never fails.
Near the end
of His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ Himself warned about false
prophets and false christs who would deceive many by claiming to perform
great miracles, signs and wonders in His name. This raises the question
about Benny Hinn and others who are able to show "great signs and
wonders" and who claim to do many wonderful works in Christ's name. Does
the exercise of supernatural power automatically authenticate the
ministry of such a person? Of course not! Here again we have the
testimony of Jesus Christ Himself who said: "Not every one that saith
unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied IN THY NAME? and in Thy
name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye
that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:21-23).
Benny Hinn
and other Charismatic leaders who claim to receive instructions directly
from God in addition to, apart from and contrary to God's written Word,
the Bible, are not doing God's will. They are not obeying God's Word.
They are not dispensing light but darkness. They are false teachers!
What saith the Scriptures? Isaiah 8:20: "To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there
is no light in them." In Matthew 6:22-23 Jesus said, "The light of the
body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall
be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full
of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness!" All who add to God's completed, perfect written
Word, the Bible, will have to answer to God for their disobedience, no
matter how well their "added words" might be received and praised by men
(Dent. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19).
That is what
the Bible says; that is what the Word of God teaches. It is upon these
Scriptural principles that all teachings of all leaders must be
examined. Of course, Benny Hinn and other Charismatic leaders preach
some truth. They sometimes preach the Gospel and urge people to come to
Christ; they often refer to the return of Jesus Christ and the need to
be ready for His coming. However, intertwined with the truth they preach
is an amazingly deceptive, though very attractive, presentation of
serious doctrinal error. Hinn and other Charismatic leaders are masters
at the art of mixing truth and error. They are powerful speakers with
very forceful personalities, but they are misleading millions.
Once again,
it is essential to heed the warnings given in the Word of God concerning
such persons and their false teachings: "But there were false prophets
also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall
follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall
be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned
words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time
lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not"; "for when they speak
great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the
flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them
who live in error" (2 Pet. 2:13; 2:18).
Benny Hinn's
amazing rise to prominence was due primarily to two things: first, his
appearances on the rapidly growing TBN network which gave him immediate
access to millions of viewers; second, a book Hinn wrote titled Good
Morning, Holy Spirit which soon became number one on the best seller
book list. And, while this book contained many helpful, Scriptural
teachings concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it also contained
such serious doctrinal errors that an immediate furor resulted. So
extreme were some of Hinn's teachings in this book that the Christian
Research Institute (CRI), itself favorable in general to Charismatic/
Pentecostal teachings, reviewed this book and Hinn's background in its
Spring 1991 publication. The following are excerpts from that article:
Benny Hinn claims to have had two visions of Jesus before his
conversion. The first was at age 11 when he was asleep. The second
occurred when he was 19 during a Charismatic prayer meeting when, says
Hinn, "suddenly I saw Jesus with my own eyes." This vision resulted in
an immediate conversion. Later, Benny had a powerful experience at a
Kathryn Kuhlman service ... after this event Hinn claims to have had
numerous, ecstatic and supernatural experiences. Members of his family
and others supposedly began crying and even falling down when Benny
would enter the room or walk by them. This falling down is known as
being "slain in the Spirit"—an experience Hinn regularly effects
during his services ... Hinn's practice of slaying people in the
Spirit by blowing on them or touching their heads bears all the marks
of manipulative staged performances. This should be evident whether or
not one admits that there is a valid spiritual experience of being
slain in the Spirit. Hinn announces to his congregation to get ready
for the experience; he positions "catchers" on the stage to catch
those who fall; those who are "slain" lose complete control of
themselves, while Hinn remains always firmly in control of himself; at
times whole sections of the congregation are "slain" at the same
instant, and always at Hinn's cue.
Hinn has
been known to "throw" the Holy Spirit to his audience as if the Spirit
were a softball! It has even been reported that one woman died as a
result of someone falling on top of her after being "slain" by Hinn
(Charisma, Jan. 1988, p. 54). By presenting these phenomena as
incidental, moderate occurrences, Good Morning, Holy Spirit makes
it easier for people to accept the more extreme, problematical
manifestations in Hinn's ministry, which now abounds with extremely
deceptive teachings and dangerous practices.
CRI
registered strong protests against Hinn's doctrinal errors with his
publisher, Thomas Nelson, which subsequently made several changes in the
book and reprinted it in amended form. Concerning this amended edition
of Good Morning, Holy Spirit, the aforementioned CRI article
concluded: "Both the original and revised edition, the book in both
versions must be regarded as aberrational, although less clearly in the
revised version." Then, in April 1991, Charisma carried an
article that gave some critically important additional information
concerning this matter:
Publisher Bruce Barber of Thomas Nelson said they made between
twelve and fifteen clarifications because the book led some readers to
think that Hinn teaches that there are three separate Gods ... Hinn
said that before formal discussions started he announced that "he no
longer agreed with what he formerly taught about the spiritual death
of Christ." This teaching is not in the book but it was the key bone
of contention with CRI. Forms of it are traced back to E. W. Kenyon
and forward to some Charismatic teachers. Hinn explained: "I no longer
agree that Jesus was born again in Hell. That I did teach. I no longer
agree that He went down to the underworld under the control of Satan,
which at one time I did teach." Now, when he teaches the spiritual
death of Christ, he only means "Jesus was separated from the Father."
He said he's dropping this teaching altogether for at least a year, to
give himself time to study it further.
After this, Hinn wrote another book titled: The Anointing in
which he records additional information concerning his own recent
ministry. Hinn states:
As I've said, my ministry took quantum leaps forward in 1990 when
the Lord told me to begin monthly miracle crusades around the country,
in addition to the regular pastoral ministry at the Orlando Christian
Center. There have been many extraordinary events. One that seems to
happen in every crusade, usually in the teaching meetings on the
morning of the second day is the directive from the Lord to have the
people get quiet, with eyes closed and hands raised. The Lord will
tell me, "Say' now' and I will touch them." That's all He tells me to
do: "Say' now."' It's amazing! I do it, and right away there will be
gasps and even screams as the power falls. I open my eyes and
invariably two-thirds of the ten thousand or more present collapse
onto the floor. Healings of all kinds occur and God makes Himself
powerfully known (pp. 86-87).
No wonder
Hinn's following is rapidly growing, but the question remains: "Is he
empowered by the Holy Spirit or by a false spirit?"
The
following excerpts taken from public statements made by Hinn in the
early 1990s will leave no doubt as to the fact that many of his
teachings are false and very dangerous. One of the supposed spiritual
gifts Benny Hinn claims to exercise is the "word of knowledge" in which
he reveals the nature of the illnesses of those being allegedly healed
in his large meetings and in his television audience. Sometimes he even
mentions the name of the person. This is very impressive and persuasive.
What many people do not realize, however, is that taped segments of his
miracle healing services are replayed over and over again. Many of Benny
Hinn's miracle healing meetings and those of other Charismatic leaders
are originally presented live on TBN. Later, however, these same
telecasts are broadcast over and over again, most times without any
indication that they are reruns. This is very deceitful but is defended
on the basis that reruns of "anointed telecasts" are just as "anointed"
as the originals. But those viewers who did not see the original
telecast would naturally assume that when Hinn calls out the specific
healings which he claims the Lord has shown him, they are taking place
in the auditorium or in the television audience at that very moment,
that this applies to them when they see it days, weeks or months later.
When Hinn pleads with those in the television audience to put their
hands opposite his stretched out hands on the television screen as a
point of contact to "claim their healing, "they are unaware that this is
a rerun which could not possibly apply to them or their needs. If Hinn
named the name and described the physical need of some person being
healed at the time of his original meeting, what application could a
replay possibly have days, weeks or months later? TBN also reruns many
of its fund raising programs in which unscriptural and fraudulent
promises of financial or physical blessings are guaranteed to those who
contribute. What a sham! Gross deception is involved here which must be
exposed.
Furthermore,
Hinn and other Charismatic leaders who capitalize on this supposed gift
of knowledge admit that their "words of knowledge" and their
"prophecies" are not 100 percent accurate. Here is Benny Hinn's own
amazing admission given on TBN February 23, 1992: "Man, I remember when
God would give me words of knowledge back when I began in this ministry,
but I missed nine out of ten. Of course, nobody knew it except me." Then
Hinn tried to explain this strange inconsistency by saying, "Saints, the
Holy Ghost is using an imperfect vessel. Are you listening? We are not
infallible. When you give a prophecy, sometimes you can be way off. You
have to be open enough to say, 'I blew it."'
Knowing that some would question his false concept in light
of the fact that God's faithful Old Testament prophets and New Testament
apostles had no such failure record, Hinn actually accused Paul, Moses
and Elijah of such shortcomings. Hinn said, "Men of God blew it all the
time. Paul blew it; Moses blew it; Elijah blew it; even Elisha blew it.
They all blew it. Maybe not the prophecies, but they all blew it in all
kinds of things." Hinn then went on to point out personal failures in
the lives of these men, but, by his own admission, the words these men
of God spoke were not their own-they were the words of the Living God;
their prophecies and words of knowledge were always 100 percent
accurate.
Hinn continued his twisted, confusing conclusions and
unscriptural defense of his own prophetic "word of knowledge"
inconsistencies:
We all blow it, and if you don't, you're not human ... The man who
does not know how to say, "I blew it"-you can't trust him. Did you
hear that? So, you see, when the gift begins, it begins rough; but
then as you keep going with it, you get better and better and cleaner
and purer with it. So today, with the word of knowledge (I'm just
being open with you) I rarely miss anymore because I recognize how to
operate in it.
With these
words Hinn clearly identifies himself as a false teacher.
In September of
1991 at the Anaheim Convention Center, some of Benny Hinn's statements
were even more dangerous and alarming. Hinn said,
All of us make mistakes. All of us are bound to err. But woe to the
man and woe to the station and woe to the group that will expose the
nakedness of the man of God to the world. You know, I'll tell you
something. I'm not supposed to, but the Holy Ghost is upon me, and I
think I need to. The day is coming when those that attack us will drop
dead. You say, "What did you say?" I speak this under the anointing of
the Spirit. Can I tell you something? Don't touch God's servants; it's
deadly. God says, "Touch not My anointed." I'm not afraid to tell you
what I think. I owe nothing to no man and don't you dare touch Morris
Cerullo; don't touch Rex Humbard; don't touch Billy Graham; don't
touch Larry Lea; don't touch Oral Roberts or Richard Roberts; don't
touch them. Pray for them. Pray, pray, pray! I speak this under the
anointing. Woe to you that touch God's servants. You are going to pay,
and the day will come (the Lord said this to me) when I will punish
instantly those who touch My chosen. They will fear us. Hear this!
Today they mock us; tomorrow they will fear us. When you deal with the
supernatural as I do, God allows your eyes to see things that most of
you don't see and maybe that you should not see.
If
statements such as these do not sound an alarm as to the direction in
which Hinn is headed, perhaps nothing will. The way in which Hinn
twisted and misapplied the Scriptures with regard to the attitude God
expects His children to manifest toward God's leaders is shocking, yet
this false view is widely held today. God's command to "touch not" His
anointed refers to seeking vengeance or causing physical harm. Certainly
it cannot be Scripturally applied to the exercise of spiritual reproof
or rebuke. In fact, the latter is commanded by God Himself (2 Tim.
4:1-2). Note the reproof of King Saul by the prophet Samuel and the
rebuke of Peter by Paul (1 Sam. 15; Gal. 2). Hinn's threatenings against
faithful believers who "speak the truth in love"—those who not only
proclaim the Truth but also expose error wherever it may be found—merely
reveals how desperate he has become in his efforts to defend and justify
his false claims and false teachings.
TBN, unlike
other Christian broadcasting stations, does not depend upon income from
their broadcasters to meet station expenses. The millions of dollars
they raise each year by their semiannual financial appeals makes it
possible for them to give free time or reduced rates to those who will
help build their Charismatic empire. Furthermore, their financial
appeals are both deceitful and unscriptural, promising contributors that
God will bless them financially if they give sacrificially to TBN. In
their most recent financial appeals, Hinn, John Avanzini and other TBN
regulars have been promising contributors that not only is healing for
their bodies included in the atonement but also financial prosperity and
a debt-free existence. This amounts to raising funds by fraudulent means
and would certainly subject TBN to legal prosecution if it were not
accomplished under a religious umbrella.
What other
false claims and false teachings can be expected in the future? God's
Word warns that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived" (2 Tim. 3:13). To a Charismatic audience
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Hinn said, "I want to make a shocking
statement-you are gods ... Are you a child of God? What does that make
you? Ye are gods." This was, indeed, a shocking assertion but not a true
one. Hinn attempted to prove his claim by twisting and misapplying Psalm
82. This is the same heresy taught by Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin
and others.
As we
conclude this documentation of the false claims and false teachings of
Benny Hinn, we quote some excerpts from the message he brought before
18,000 people in Houston, Texas, on April 9, 1993. This entire message
was carried worldwide on TBN. Note once again Hinn's claims to be giving
information concerning things that have never happened before. Hinn
said,
In Cincinnati, the Lord spoke to me-and He just said the words
again. He told me, "I am going to anoint the people tonight to receive
power over demons" ... Before you leave this stadium tonight, every
person here will receive a fresh flowing of God's power on your life,
and you are going to see demons bow when you say, "in the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth." It has never happened before, but in a few
minutes from now, every person here or at home is going to receive
that anointing power over demons. Many people will be slain by the
power of the Spirit by watching this tonight, and literally thousands
upon thousands are going to receive power over Satan. We are going to
bury the devil.
What a
dangerous, unscriptural teaching this is! This impertinence is not a
part of how God instructs the saint to contend.
The moral
degeneracy of Charismatic leaders like Jim and Tammy Bakker and Jimmy
Swaggart brought worldwide shame upon the name and cause of Jesus
Christ. It took the secular media to expose the false claims and
extravagant lifestyles of Charismatic leaders like Larry Lea, W. V.
Grant, Robert Tilton and, more recently, of Benny Hinn. Although we know
that the secular media is no friend of genuine Christianity, it is sad
that it took unsaved liberals to blow the whistle on these
world-renowned leaders. Of course, their own fellow Charismatics would
not dare to reveal these unsavory policies and practices since most of
them are involved in the same kind of chicanery themselves. It is
amazing that Oral Roberts, who is considered the "grand daddy" of them
all, is still able to bleed money from gullible Christians even after
his major projects, which he claimed were mandated by God, have gone
into bankruptcy. His latest fund-raising effort, in which he is joined
by his son, Richard Roberts, promises a "double portion anointing" to
all who send a gift at this time. The Roberts' appeal letter promises
that this anointing "breaks the yoke of sin, sickness, disease, fear,
poverty, demons, doubt, discouragement, depression—anything and
everything that is unlike God." What a deceitful hoax! How any true
believer can support and defend such Charismatic leaders can only be due
to their loss of spiritual discernment that enables Satan and his angels
of light to hide their true identity and goals.
Because
believers have God's Word in its entirety, the claims of Benny Hinn and
all others who want Christians to accept their supposed new revelations
from God are to be flatly rejected, and these individuals are to be
classified as false teachers no matter how often their false claims are
given "in the name of Christ." We should pray for all who have been
taken captive by the snares of the devil, and we must follow God's Word
in our attitude toward all men (2 Tim. 3:15; 4:1-8). It could be that
some who are mixed up in this delusion might really be saved, but if
they are then they are also terribly deceived. The most loving thing
that can be done is to warn them of the dangers and point them to the
Scriptures that clearly refute Charismatic error. If we keep quiet
instead of "speaking the truth in love" as we are commanded, then we are
guilty of not caring for those for whom Christ died (see James 5:19-20;
2 Tim. 2:23-26). The Truth needs to be faithfully proclaimed, and error
must be exposed!
FOUNDATION Magazine is available from the Fundamental Evangelistic Association. Click
here 
to go to the ordering form / price list.
Return to FOUNDATION
Magazine Index Page
