Benny Hinn

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Benny Hinn, 2019

Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn (born December 3, 1952 in Jaffa , Israel under the name Muchel ibn Harum , Arabic توفيق بندكتوس "بني" الحن) is an American television preacher , internationally known for his regular Miracle Crusades , which are major evangelistic events take place in large stadiums in the metropolises of the USA . They are also broadcast worldwide on television under the title This Is Your Day .

Childhood and life path

Benny Hinn has a Palestinian father and an Armenian mother. The family attended the Greek Orthodox Church . Regarding his childhood, he says that his father was the mayor of Jaffa and that he was socially isolated from stuttering as a child , but later became a first-class student. Critics later contradicted these statements.

Hinn writes that on December 21, 1973, he attended a “ miracle service ” under the direction of Evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman . He never met her in person, but he often attended and quoted her services.

In 1983, Hinn founded the Orlando Christian Center. In 1999 he handed over the leadership of the church (now the World Outreach Center ) to Clint Brown and moved to Grapevine, Texas , a suburb of Fort Worth . He remained the owner of the registered trademark "World Outreach Center Benny Hinn Ministries", with which Brown's Church later merged. Benny Hinn and Suzanne Harthern were divorced in 2010 and he lives in Dana Point , California . On March 3, 2013, they remarried and renewed their covenant before God.

Ministry and Theology

Benny Hinn preaches and proclaims supposed miraculous healings . He is the author of a number of bestsellers on the Christian book market. His television program This Is Your Day is one of the most watched programs on Christian television worldwide. In Europe it is broadcast via Daystar and God TV (both Astra), in the USA and other parts of the world via the American channels Trinity Broadcasting Network, Revelation TV, The Christian Channel, Vision-TV and INSP Networks. Hinn regularly organizes large evangelism in sports stadiums in major world metropolises.

Hinn's teachings are based on the Word of Faith Movement and its commitment to the inerrancy of the Bible, the current actions of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit such as speaking in tongues , healing, casting out demons and, as a result, financial prosperity . Doctrine and practice of theological interpretation and prayer, however, only partially correspond to the common creeds and values ​​of other churches and free churches .

While Hinn's teaching is partially accepted among charismatic communities , there are many reservations in other churches about these particular beliefs. Hinn's critics point in particular to a lack of financial transparency of his missionary work and his own income and question the miraculous healings proclaimed in his events.

Private life

Hinn had been married to Suzanne Harthern since 1979. They have four children together.

On July 23, 2010, the American tabloid magazine The National Enquirer reported an alleged affair between Benny Hinns and the television preacher Paula White, which the two immediately denied. The magazine published photos of the two hand in hand leaving a hotel in Rome.

As early as February it became known that Hinn's wife had filed for divorce due to "irreconcilable differences". Hinn, who is criticized in the same press reports for his "miracle crusades" and his lavish lifestyle, said the reason for the surprise divorce was not to be seen in moral misconduct. For the followers of von Hinn, who until then always taught the fidelity and indissolubility of marriage, the divorce was, according to J. Lee Grady, editor of the magazine Charisma , a devastating news. Despite Hinn's denial, Grady says "that this new divorce case joins a series of divorces and moral misconducts by leading popular charismatics since 2006", apparently a swipe at Ted Haggard's sex scandal in 2006. On March 3, 2013, Benny Hinn and Suzanne Harthern remarried . In front of around 1000 people, they made the promise of loyalty for the second time in the Christian theme park Holyland Experience .

Criticism and controversy

Hinn prophesied a number of events for the 1990s that did not come true, including the prophecy that God would destroy homosexuality in America in 1995 , Fidel Castro's death, the election of the first female president of the USA, the devastation of the east coast of the USA through earthquakes and other events. All of this should have happened before the third millennium. In 1999, Hinn claimed on the Trinity Broadcasting Network that God had given him a vision that after watching the television program, thousands of the dead would be raised and put their hands out of the screen to their living relatives; the transmitter is "an extension of heaven from earth". Hinn also claimed Adam was like a Superman flew to the moon, God had the Red Sea solidifies his breath as he told it, and Christ was in 2001 during a crusade in Nairobi ( Kenya entered) personal appearance.

René Lieberherr, one of the co-organizers of the “Euro Crusade” (Europe-wide evangelization) in November 1993, changed during the event in Basel , although a charismatic himself, from a Hinn enthusiast to a skeptic. After a half-hour sacrificial sermon, he witnessed how Hinn's co-workers dealt with the prayer requests of the faithful:

“They tore open the envelopes […] They immediately threw the envelopes into garbage bags; no matter whether with or without prayer requests written on it. The many enclosed personal letters also went straight to the trash. I saw this with my own eyes and there were other eyewitnesses. The promise that all these causes would be prayed about was never kept. Later I saw the containers in which the rubbish bags with all these envelopes were deposited, standing outside. The visitors were completely cheated on this point. "

- Rene Lieberherr

Lieberherr is one of the few who was not shielded by Hinn's bodyguards and draws the following conclusion about his personal contact with Hinn:

“I expected more from Hinn as a person. When he was in front of you, nothing came to meet you. The whole thing was just a rehearsed drama; a show that worked perfectly. At a finger sign from Hinn - nobody else sees it; only I could see it from behind - the pianist began to play each time. As soon as Hinn raised his fingers, the piano got louder. In short: the piano accompanied miracles that did not take place. "

Lieberherr also reports on a ventilation that was switched on as the "blowing of the Holy Spirit"; one patient with leukemia died two days after his supposed "miracle cure" and other incidents.

In April 2001, HBO aired the documentary A Question of Miracles through Hinn. Director Antony Thomas told CNN that they had not found any case where a person was actually - as claimed - cured by Hinn. Thomas told the New York Times of Hinn's claims, “If I had seen miracles, I would have loved to trumpet it to the world. [...] But in retrospect, I think they harm Christianity more than the staunch atheists. "

In 2002 Joe Nickell wrote a critical article about Hinn's claim to offer miracle cures. Quoting criticism that Hinn's miracles were not documented by independent observers, Nickell said, "There is a risk that people will believe they have been cured and withdraw vital medical attention as a result."

In March 2005, Ministry Watch , an independent evangelical organization of Christian mission agencies for financial transparency and efficiency advising potential donors, published a fundraising report stating that “The Hinn family's exorbitant spending is evidence that BHM (Benny Hinn Ministries ) there is far more money available than is needed to carry out his service ”. Benny Hinn Ministries is not a member of the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability.

In November 2006, the television station CBC exposed Hinn's alleged manipulation under the title Do You Believe in Miracles . With the help of hidden cameras and eyewitnesses from the staff of the major evangelizations, the show's producers tried to expose the misappropriation of donations and to uncover the truth about the “miraculous healings” by showing how Hinn's employees select viewers from the audience. After the show, it is shown how severely disabled people who are allegedly cured are interviewed and then brought on stage. Instead, it is suggested healings for people with only minor limitations. Benny Hinn claims to have medical reports from believers stating the patients are cured. However, after the show, none of these doctors could confirm such a spontaneous healing. CBC also reported that people with obvious disabilities such as B. a paraplegia, were not allowed on the stage by Hinn's employees.

In December 2006, BHM made a fundraising appeal to its supporters asking them to support the purchase of a new G4SP Gulfstream jet ( business jet ) valued at an estimated $ 36 million and costing over $ 600,000 annually to maintain and operate.

On April 20, 2017, Internal Revenue Service agents raided Benny Hinn Ministries' headquarters in Grapevine, Texas. The agents of the tax authorities had searched the building, the employees of Benny Hinn Ministries were cooperative. In 2007 he and seven other television preachers were part of an investigation commissioned by the US Senate . Senator Chuck Grassley ( R ) considered private use for church-owned private jets, luxury homes, and some pastors' credit cards to be of concern. The investigation was able to provide insights, but the aim of the investigation was not to prove tax fraud, said Grassley's spokeswoman.

After his nephew Costi Hinn published a book entitled "God, Greed and the (Prosperity) Gospel" in July 2019, which describes how the television preacher's family earned millions and people through the preaching of the prosperity gospel and alleged miracle healings have been exploited for years with promises of prosperity, Hinn now wants to correct his theory of the prosperity gospel and no longer ask for certain amounts of money. The blessings of God, miracles and prosperity are not for sale.

Quotes

The following passages from Hinn's books exemplify his special teachings:

  • “People of God, we must never utter such faith-destroying words like 'If it is your will, Lord ...' ... I am He (Jesus)! ... The word became flesh in me! ... You are a little god on earth ...! "
  • “But I want you to know this: after salvation, after baptism with water, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, the 'third person of the Trinity' waits to meet you personally. He longs for a lifelong relationship. "
  • "I believe ... that the Holy Spirit can manifest His presence in physical form, while remaining without limitation and ubiquitous."
  • “Had the Holy Spirit not been with Jesus, it is likely that he would have sinned… The Holy Spirit was the power that kept him clean. Not only was he sent from heaven, but he was also called the Son of Man - and as such he was also capable of sin ... Without the Holy Spirit, Jesus would never have made it. "
  • “I was surprised to see how a simple wave of the arm spread so much power that people fell to the ground under the anointing. Often times, even a simple breath blew people over like a match. Whenever God's power was revealed in unusual ways, I noticed a certain numbness on my hand. "

Books

From Benny Hinn

Books published in German:

More books:

Literature about Benny Hinn

Web links

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  1. Benny Hinn gives aid for tsunami victims ( Memento of the original from August 28, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Hindustan Times (January 3, 2007, English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / beta.hindustantimes.com
  2. Article by Alexander Seibel Who is Benny Hinn? ( Memento of the original from May 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Horst Koch's religion project @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.horst-koch.de
  3. Do You Believe in miracles? Article on the Canadian news portal www.cbc.ca
  4. a b Benny Hinn, Good Morning, Holy Spirit , chap. 2
  5. John Bloom: The Heretic ( Memento of the original from December 4, 2003 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in D Magazine August 2003 (reprinted on Trinity Foundation, Inc. website) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.trinityfi.org
  6. "Finding His Life Partner, Suzanne Hinn" BennyHinnBiography.com ( Memento of the original from December 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed February 18, 2010 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bennyhinnbiography.com
  7. ^ Robert J. Lopez: Wife of televangelist Benny Hinn files for divorce . LA Times. February 18, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  8. ^ Evangelists Hinn, White Deny Affair Allegations , Christian Broadcasting Network, July 26, 2010
  9. a b c Gillian Flaccus in Huffpost Media : Benny Hinn Divorce: Wife Suzanne Hinn Files For Divorce From Televangelist of February 18, 2010
  10. Hinn Breaks Silence on Divorce Announcement - US - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com .
  11. GW on Blogspot.com : ... until there is a separation between soul and spirit ( Memento from December 26, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) from February 19, 2010
  12. Stoyan Zaimov Benny Hinn Remarries in Front of 1,000 People. In: Christian Post, March 4, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  13. ^ A b G. Richard Fisher and M. Kurt Goedelman: PROPHECY OR PRESUMPTION? - TIME IS RUNNING OUT ON THE SPURIOUS ORACLES OF BENNY HINN ( Memento of the original from May 22, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated April 1, 2006 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.pfo.org
  14. Let Us Reason Ministries, April 1, 2006
  15. Article by Kurt E. Koch (Hungarian) ( Memento of the original from May 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.horst-koch.de
  16. a b Eyewitness report from the Euro-Crusade in Basel in the W5 magazine (Impuls Verlag, Zurich), published online at www.hoppla.ch ( Memento from October 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  17. ^ Anthony Thomas: A Question of Miracles , 1999 documentation, entry in The Internet Movie Database
  18. Interview on CNN Sunday Morning : Do Miracles Actually Occur? dated April 15, 2001
  19. Robin Finn: Want Pathos, Pain and Courage? Get Real , New York Times article, April 15, 2001
  20. a b Joe Nickell, Benny Hinn: healer or hypnotist? - Investigative Files ( Memento of the original from October 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Report in the US magazine Skeptical Inquirer from May 2002 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.csicop.org
  21. MinistryWatch.com recommends Benny Hinn Ministries to reimburse the donors, PDF report from May 2005 ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ministrywatch.com
  22. ^ Benny Hinn: Apologetics Research Resources
  23. Bob McKeown: Do You Believe in Miracles? from The Fifth Estate series, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, February 2004 documentation
  24. a b c Original film report ( WMV ; 84.6 MB)
  25. ^ A b Benny Hinn revokes teaching - a bit , pro-medienmagazin.de, article from September 7, 2019.
  26. Benny Hinn Ministries: "Dove One" brochure from January 15, 2007 (web archive)
  27. Julieta Chiquillo: IRS investigators search televangelist Benny Hinn's offices in Grapevine. dallasnews.com, April 27, 2017, accessed October 10, 2017 .
  28. ^ Benny Hinn's Texas headquarters raided by feds. Washingtontimes.com, April 27, 2017, accessed October 10, 2017 .
  29. Feds raid offices of televangelist Benny Hinn in Grapevine. Fox 4 News, April 26, 2017, accessed October 10, 2017 .
  30. US television preacher Benny Hinn gives up the prosperity gospel , idea.de, article from September 6, 2019.
  31. "CIB - Bulletin", 1/92
  32. ^ A b c Benny Hinn: "Good morning, Holy Spirit" (quotations: pp. 56, 93, 145), projection J, Wiesbaden 1992, ISBN 3-935703-29-5
  33. Benny Hinn: "Anointing - the power of the Holy Spirit" (p. 40), projection J, Wiesbaden 1993, ISBN 3-925352-79-1