First it was Bible Teacher Joyce Meyer, then Pastor/Evangelist Benny Hinn who come out to denounce the “prosperity, health and wellness” gospel. It was noted that the American-Jewish charismatic preacher has on several occasions expressed mixed views about his teachings promoted through his broadcasts and publications across different platforms over the years.
Conservative Christian denominational leaders, writers and academicians through The Gospel Coalition website have branded him and others as heretics, charlatans, and cultic, but the contribution of Pastor Benny Hinn and his ilk to Charismatic/Pentecostal Christianity cannot be overlooked. Well known through his massive crusades that focus on the presence of the Holy Spirit, divine healing and alter calls across the United States and around the world, a number of issues seem to play a role in his recent pronouncements.
Hinn’s friends that “left” the unbalanced approach to prosperity.
One of such men is Bishop Mark Chironna from Orlando Florida. He no longer fundraises for Pastor Benny Hinn and neither does he promote the “name it, claim it” brand of prosperity. He has of recent been vocal on the excesses and misuse of scriptures for personal gain and extravagant lifestyles. When your closest and most respected friends start disagreeing with you on some issues it can get you thinking.
As we age (or when on deathbeds), we tend to start reviewing our very lives in terms of actions, decisions, lifestyles, and worth. Pastor Benny Hinn is at this point where he is evaluating his life in the ministry. This is also coupled with the fact that after getting it all, you realize that it is all vanity.
Costi W. Hinn
Costi Hinn is a pastor, author and, relative of televangelist Benny Hinn. He was part of his ministry team for years. They traveled in a private gulf-stream jet, lived in the same 5-star hotels, had lavish boat cruises, drove the most expensive cars, and had the best of everything, everywhere. However, along the way, Costi Hinn went through a series of deeply personal events that caused him to doubt some of the things he was involved in with his uncle. After accepting a youth pastor position in a conservative church in another city, Costi Hinn entirely abandoned the “prosperity” gospel.
In September 2017, Costi Hinn had a revealing interview with Christianity today. You can find the interview here, but also went ahead to publish a book rebutting the prosperity gospel and also another one refuting apostles and prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation. On his recent pronouncement, Costi Hinn, currently a discipleship pastor at a Presbyterian church in Arizona was hopeful, but skeptical at the same time that his uncle will live by his statements. Costi said, “My desire is that Uncle Benny’s statement is not merely public remorse to save face or protect his ministry from decline but rather that it is genuine repentance and that he would be willing to forsake everything if it means gaining Christ and the full gospel.” When family members who know you so well come out publicly and speak about you and what you do, it can cause you to reconsider some of your actions and views.
The influence of the “Prosperity” gospel in Africa; Uganda in particular.
Years ago, I heard of a story of a lady who attended a lunch-hour fellowship in Kampala. It was alleged that at that time, her husband who was abroad, was sending her money to build their matrimonial home. At that fellowship, the weekly preachers would squeeze every last shilling out of believers, with assurances of one hundredfold instant miraculous return. Through coercive preaching and spiritual manipulation, the woman “sowed” all the money expecting it to double in one week. It never did. She went back to the lunch hour fellowship asking them to refund the money, but they could not. Out of fear and panic, it was said that she committed suicide because she did not know how and what to tell her hardworking husband that she had lost the money in a lunch-hour fellowship.
Media liberalisation opened the way for private TV stations, and this saw the coming in of Lighthouse Television that introduced most Ugandan preachers and Christians to the “prosperity” gospel. Others, however, had access to books and DVDs. As we also learnt to preach prosperity many of stories like the one I have mentioned above became rampant, as scriptures were used to manipulate people into giving to preachers for personal gain, contrary to what is true biblical prosperity, health, and wealth.
So then, does God want us to be poor?
The true biblical approach to poverty, riches, health and wealth is “contentment”, but neither poverty, nor riches.
Two scriptures stand out on this balanced approach. One is by Paul in 2 Tim 6:6-8 and another by Agur in Proverbs 30:8-9. Both say respectively;
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.”
and
“Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
The writer is the founding president of Kristo Covenant Missions; a christian organization based in Gulu, Northern Uganda.
