Declaring that the “Holy Ghost is just fed up with it,” renowned televangelist Benny Hinn, formerly one of the proponents of the prosperity gospel, has for the first time in his career, delivered a full-throated rejection of the practice.
Speaking to his followers during a Facebook Live broadcast on Monday night (which was first highlighted by Larry Reid Live), Hinn, who has long been a lightning rod for criticism for his support of the theology, declared the Gospel “is not for sale.”
“I’m sorry to say that prosperity has gone a little crazy and I’m correcting my own theology and you need to all know it. Because when I read the Bible now, I don’t see the Bible in the same eyes I saw 20 years ago,” Hinn said as his followers rejoiced.
“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.
“Did you hear me?” Hinn asked as his audience responded affirmatively in high spirits.
“I think it hurts the Gospel, so I’m making this statement for the first time in my life and frankly, I don’t care what people think about me anymore,” he continued.
“When they invite me to telethons I think they will not like me anymore. Because when you look at the word of God … if I hear one more time, break the back of debt with $1,000, I’m gonna rebuke them. I think that’s buying the Gospel. That’s buying the blessing. That’s grieving the Holy Spirit. … If you are not giving because you love Jesus, don’t bother giving,” Hinn argued. “I think giving has become such a gimmick; it’s making me sick to my stomach.”
In 2018, Hinn admitted that as he has grown older and come to understand the Bible more, he realized that some of the things he learned from preachers when he was growing up aren’t biblical, including the prosperity gospel.
“The more you know the Bible the more you become biblically based and more balanced in your opinions and your thoughts, because we are influenced,” Hinn said. “When I was younger, I was influenced by the preachers who taught whatever they taught. But as I’ve lived longer I’m thinking, wait a minute, you know this doesn’t fit totally with the Bible and it doesn’t fit with the reality. So what is prosperity? No lack. I’ve said this before,” Hinn said.
He then elaborated on how he believes “no lack” should be interpreted.
“Did Elijah the prophet have a car? No. Did not even have a bicycle. He had no lack. … Did Jesus drive a car or live in a mansion? No. He had no lack. How about the Apostles? None lacked among them,” Hinn said. “Today, the idea is abundance and palatial homes and cars and bank accounts. The focus is wrong … It’s so wrong.”
He said even though he has been accused of living lavishly and flying private jets in the past, that is not how he currently lives.
“I mean, forgive me. People have accused me of things that aren’t even real. One guy wrote a comment, ‘Oh, he’s worth $40 million.’ Oh how I wish. I would give it all to the Kingdom before God Almighty,” he said.
“‘Well he flies private jets,'” he continued, mimicking criticism. “No, I don’t. I have not flown private in, dear God, years. I fly commercial just like anyone else…”.
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