Benny Hinn

_livingink
Posts: 153
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:54 pm

Post by _livingink » Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:50 pm

Steve 7150,

That's a good question. I notice some similarities in Jesus' instructions to the 12 in Matthew 10:1, to the 72 in Luke 10:1 and 10:9, to John in Mark 9:38-40 and in Paul's explanation to the Corinthians in 1Cor. 12:28-31. In all cases, authority, appointment or permission to heal comes from God/Jesus. At the time of the appointment of the 12 we must remember that the authority to heal was also given to Judas Iscariot. I see no reason to believe that Judas did not act under this authority. That is somewhat similar to Matthew 23:1-3 where the Pharisees' teaching is correct and should be followed while their actions should be avoided by true believers. The Pharisees did not have authority but the words they spoke, the law, did.

So, I glean a couple principles from that. First, Benny Hinn must have been given some authority by God to perform true healings in God's name. Otherwise, the apparent healings must have some other source.

Secondly, it may be possible that Hinn can repeat the word of God to a true believer who acts upon it and is healed, while Hinn himself is lost.

We may have a tendency to look at any person who steps into a pulpit as someone with authority. Some stand there and speak for 30-40 years. One of the 30+ year boys stood in the pulpit of a little church, out in the middle of nowhere, where you'd least expect a false teacher to be, and told a congregation that I was a part of to forget what the Bible says and to go by the doctrine of his denomination. You know what? 3 years later he's still there. Hinn would have no problem doing the same.

livingink
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:

_livingink
Posts: 153
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:54 pm

Post by _livingink » Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:51 pm

Just for the record, Hank received a call regarding Benny Hinn on the program aired on XM Radio today. He responded by playing a recording of Hinn prophesying that Jesus would physically appear with him on stage. It may be worth your time to listen to this excerpt if you are interested in this subject. It is available at the BAM website.

livingink
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:

User avatar
_Suzana
Posts: 40
Joined: Fri May 30, 2008 1:28 am
Location: Australia

Post by _Suzana » Fri Aug 08, 2008 11:57 pm

He is selling the gospel and false hope of healing to hurting people. Please detail what parts of his life and ministry reflect the life of Jesus because I don't know of any.



If his healings are fake then i agree but like i said can someone get away with this for 30 years? Can we interview the people supposedly healed by him and find out for sure if his demonstrations are a sham? I realize most Christians believe him to be a con artist but after 30 years there ought to be plenty of folks out there ready to expose his fake healings.
In 2002, Justin Peters (Justin Peters Ministries) presented a thesis for his Master of Theology degree, " AN EXAMINATION AND CRITIQUE OF THE LIFE, MINISTRY, AND THEOLOGY OF HEALING EVANGELIST BENNY HINN”

Regarding the healings, his conclusion was “the proof of Hinn’s purported healings is conspicuous by its absence.”
One example quoted:
“Premiering on Easter Sunday 2001, the cable network HBO’s investigative report entitled ‘A Question of Miracles’ further proves that Hinn’s proof of alleged miracles is dubious at best. The report noted that Hinn performed seventy six miracles on stage. The filmmakers requested the names of those healed for independent verification. Thirteen weeks later, the ministry produced five. None of the five, presumably the most convincing of the seventy six, checked out. One of those supposedly healed was ten year-old [real name given in thesis] who suffered from two brain tumours. Despite his parents pledging thousands of dollars to Hinn’s ministry, [he] died seven weeks later.”

And “according to the staff at the Trinity Foundation, they have yet to discover one single air-tight documented case of a healing miracle that had no explanation other than a divine act.”

As to how someone can get away with this for 30 years – there’s probably a lot of factors involved. People may be desperate to be healed, or see a family member healed. Believing the teachings of the Word of Faith movement – that healing is always God’s will. That you need to be persistent, have more faith, sow more ‘seed’. Perhaps being hungry for the spiritual, wanting to believe all the hype, and not being careful to check out the manifestations, and the teachings, against the word of God.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:
Sue

Avatar: with my grandson

_STEVE7150
Posts: 894
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2005 8:38 pm

Post by _STEVE7150 » Sun Aug 10, 2008 9:29 am

Just for the record, Hank received a call regarding Benny Hinn on the program aired on XM Radio today. He responded by playing a recording of Hinn prophesying that Jesus would physically appear with him on stage. It may be worth your time to listen to this excerpt if you are interested in this subject. It is available at the BAM website.




I've heard this several times as well as many other tapes from Hank of other faith healers. Hank's recordings tend to be at least a decade old and i would think in fairness he should get recent recordings of Hinn and many others.
I may go and see Hinn in NJ on 9/26-9/27 to try to evaluate him as best as possible.
I would tend to take the HBO inquiry with a grain of salt as they are about as ungodly as one can be but neither would i dismiss it either.
Hinn may or may not be a fraud but i see no biblical reason that would make faith healings so hard to believe.
It seems to me that most on this forum are not Calvinists for salvation but for everything else they lean that way.
Maybe that would be like Calvinism Light.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:

_Sean
Posts: 636
Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2004 3:42 am
Location: Smithton, IL

Post by _Sean » Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:36 pm

livingink wrote:Sean,

I work in a medical field. I assisted a man who had had a stroke to begin walking again but progress slowed and, while he could walk, it was not of the quality that he had previously enjoyed. He began to faithfully watch Benny Hinn and planned a trip to be healed in Baltimore. He stopped working with me and essentially showed me the door. I do not know if he ever made it to a crusade but I read his obituary a few years later.

I also worked with a young woman in her early 20's who developed bone cancer. She underwent several surgeries, treatments, and she had to relearn how to walk at least twice that I can remember. I remember that her condition was such that I thought she'd break if I moved her the wrong way. Her mother was very supportive and uplifting for the young lady when things were nearly unbearable physically. It finally became obvious that medicines and treatments were going to be unsuccessful. So, she was taken to a Benny Hinn appearance. She did not make it to the stage. But, as I remember, her mother said that both of them were at peace with what was going to happen and I could sense that from the girl the last time I saw her before her death.

Those are a couple of the people who seek him out.

livingink
My point wasn't against the people who want to get healed, my point is against Benny Hinn for having healing crusades (for one) that give the impression to the unlearned that he is the one who is healing people. That's why you've got to go to him and/or give his ministry money, so he can go more places and heal more people. Cannot God heal apart from Benny Hinn? Jesus, on the other hand, tried not to draw attention to Himself but to the message of the gospel. And no, Jesus' gospel did not claim healing for all. Nor could Paul heal everyone he met, nor himself for that matter!

Act 3:11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon's, greatly amazed.
Act 3:12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?


Peter did not heal, God did. If Benny Hinn would give the gospel and turn people away from himself and to God then could not God heal them? But if Benny Hinn did that his "followers" (and cash flow) would diminish.

The examples you have given are not surprising to me. I feel sorry that they, in their afflictions, felt there only hope was to get physically closer to Benny Hinn instead of being instructed to draw near to God, who is "not far from each of us". The healing does not come from Benny's own power and godliness. It's God who heals, directly. The healings recorded in scripture were to confirm the authenticity of the message and not primarily to get people out of their misery.

STEVE7150 wrote: If his healings are fake then i agree but like i said can someone get away with this for 30 years? Can we interview the people supposedly healed by him and find out for sure if his demonstrations are a sham? I realize most Christians believe him to be a con artist but after 30 years there ought to be plenty of folks out there ready to expose his fake healings.
Because his "followers" will not think critically of him. This is no different with the watchtower, Islam and the like. Even denominations of Christianity are very heated about their pet peeve doctrines, even kicking people out who don't agree. Benny Hinn once said that a curse be on anyone who speaks against his ministry. Of all the things he has said, this one is most disturbing. Why?

1Co 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.


If Hinn says anyone who speaks against his ministry is cursed, and it just happends to be a spirit filled Christian who is speaking against him then Hinn is essentially saying "Jesus be cursed". So either Hinn's ministry is beyond criticism, because he is truly working for God or he is calling down a curse on the body of Christ. Even Paul criticized Peter. Yet Hinn apparently has greater standing that Peter, so he cannot be corrected.

Another reason people follow Benny Hinn is simply because he is so well known, being on TV, etc. I'm not surprised at all that many follow him, Peter said many would.
STEVE7150 wrote: I've heard this several times as well as many other tapes from Hank of other faith healers. Hank's recordings tend to be at least a decade old and i would think in fairness he should get recent recordings of Hinn and many others.
I may go and see Hinn in NJ on 9/26-9/27 to try to evaluate him as best as possible.
I would tend to take the HBO inquiry with a grain of salt as they are about as ungodly as one can be but neither would i dismiss it either.
Hinn may or may not be a fraud but i see no biblical reason that would make faith healings so hard to believe.
It seems to me that most on this forum are not Calvinists for salvation but for everything else they lean that way.
Maybe that would be like Calvinism Light.
I don't understand why the age of the recording is an issue. They are public speakers speaking publicly. If they don't repent of what they have said publicly then they still apparently believe what they said was true.

Also, I believe in faith healings. What I don't believe is that I need to go to a "faith healer" to get healed.

I'm not sure I understand the Calvinist comment. :wink:
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

_STEVE7150
Posts: 894
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2005 8:38 pm

Post by _STEVE7150 » Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:30 pm

I don't understand why the age of the recording is an issue. They are public speakers speaking publicly. If they don't repent of what they have said publicly then they still apparently believe what they said was true.

Also, I believe in faith healings. What I don't believe is that I need to go to a "faith healer" to get healed.

I'm not sure I understand the Calvinist comment.



The age is an issue because people change their beliefs and positions quite often over 10 plus years.
Is repenting publically a biblical principal or a Hank principal?
Hinn does'nt claim to heal, he does give all the credit to God, i've seen him say it twice.
As far as a faith healer goes perhaps some people have a healing gift , yet i agree with you that the average believer should be as capable to receive healing as anyone.
The Calvinism-Lite comment is because it seems to me that in salvation most believe we can make a decision to accept Christ but in other things believers generally act as if God's will is a mystery.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:

User avatar
_Homer
Posts: 639
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2005 11:43 pm
Location: Brownsville

Post by _Homer » Sun Aug 10, 2008 5:19 pm

If his healings are fake then i agree but like i said can someone get away with this for 30 years?
Perhaps the answer is the same as the answer is for why people watch (and have been watching for about as long as television has existed) "pro" wrestling on TV. Benny Hinn seems about as authentic as the wrestlers do. Perhaps he has convinced himself what he does is real.
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:
A Berean

_livingink
Posts: 153
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:54 pm

Post by _livingink » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:49 pm

You're all making some interesting points. In the case of the 2 people I described earlier my goal was simply to give examples of people I knew who had gone seeking healing from Benny Hinn. But, why would they do that? Why him and not Homer? Why wouldn't they travel to Homer's hometown and ask that he pray for them? If my supposition that healing must be authorized by God before it can become reality is correct, then they must be convinced that Benny Hinn has been authorized to heal. Or, Benny Hinn is repeating the scripture in such a way that a true believer could hear it, believe it, and be healed though Hinn himself is a false teacher. I make the assumption that, while Hinn credits God, he does in some way claim to have the spiritual gift of healing. If so, he claims authorization. If not, then I'm quite unclear what he claims in regard to himself. Why go to any man for healing when you can freely choose to ask God for it while agreeing that "No" is an acceptable answer?

livingink
Last edited by Guest on Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason:

Post Reply

Return to “Teachers, Authors, and Movements”