Benny Hinn says he’s repented of the prosperity gospel. But does he mean it?
As a health and wealth preacher, Hinn has found himself in the company of Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland, whose justification for owning three private jets would be funny if it weren’t heretical. But the televangelist, best known for promising God’s blessings to whichever listeners would send him money, has now said he rejects this type of avarice.
In a clip from his show, This Is Your Day, which went viral last week, Hinn says he’s rethinking the meaning of prosperity gospel theology, which promises that good Christians will be blessed with material wealth.
“I’m sorry to say that ‘prosperity’ has gone a little crazy,” he said, “and I’m correcting my own theology. 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.”
Benny Hinn rebukes the Prosperity Gospel and recants his teaching of it. Encouraging to see this: pic.twitter.com/3wwd5VDA7l
— Caleb W Bass (@CalebWBass) September 4, 2019
At first blush, the confession appears promising. Hinn has finally realized the theological problems with pay-to-play Christianity, and he won’t ask for your money anymore. Right?
Except this ain’t his first apologetic rodeo. Hinn also rejected the prosperity gospel in the ’80s and the ’90s, and he has a history of changing his views to avoid controversy. Last year, he said some prosperity gospel teaching went “beyond” the Bible, though he also claimed the theology is “in the Bible” itself.
“Over the years, he has consistently conceded to enough of a report or an accusation to gain enough trust — as if he’s admitting to it — to gain control over the narrative. He always wants to control the narrative,” Costi Hinn, his nephew, told Christianity Today.
Hinn believes in the prosperity gospel when he can use it to grow his potentially multimillion-dollar empire, which, as a church, is accountable neither to the IRS nor to viewers who would appreciate transparency. But he doesn’t believe in prosperity gospel when the term is pejorative, and he’d like everyone to know that he’s not a phony.
Some savvy social media users noted that just after Hinn’s announcement, his Facebook account posted videos asking people to “sow seeds for financial blessing,” the exact type of fundraising he had just promised to stop.
His account responded by claiming that the videos were old, but still important: “We plan to keep these archives available as they contain segments of some of his most popular and requested teachings. Please allow us time to make the necessary adjustments.” After almost 40 years of ministry, more time is the last thing Hinn needs.
If he planned to change the entire course of his career, he might want to consider taking a break from the spotlight to refocus. We should all hope that Hinn has actually changed his mind. But for the moment, his latest comment looks like another trick of the prosperity gospel — adding just enough truth to weave a thread of powerful lies.
