Benny Hinn(possible Trigger for some)

[LadyLavender]

Not to stir up things more than they already have been I am including a link here that gives a different side to the Show on this past Sunday. And Please if someone is triggered I am really sorry because i'm not meaning to do so at all. We all come from completely different spiritual abuse backgrounds. Some from small churches and some from big mega churches. So not all will be triggered by the same things.
Anyways, it might trigger some so if you are vehemently against Benny Hinn then by all means shut this down and don't click the link.
However I personally can't stand when something is one sided and I like to evaluate both sides of something before i jump to conclusions.
I know "money" and church is a real sore subject for many people, but i've also realized that once you get free from the hold of money things like this don't become so upsetting because when I give I give as unto the Lord, and I don't consider the money mine. What happens to the money once its out of my hands is not my problem, it then becomes a matter between the recipients of the money and the Lord. I've done my job and I know the Lord honors my giving.
Am I a supporter of Benny Hinn? Not particularly. However I have been on television before, been interviewed before and had things that I've said completely warped and spliced together so I take the media with not a grain of salt, but with a whole 25 pound bag.
Anyways thats all i had to say. If anyone is interested in reading what Mr. Hinn has to say they can take a walk on the wild side. If not, I do apologize if this triggers some who have been taken by churches financially. This happened to my grandfather and grandmother who lost their home due to constantly re-financing it for the church. I used to be angry and sometimes it does anger me, however I realize that God is still taking good care of them because he honored their giving.
Regardless of what happened to the money. If Mr. Hinn is guilty of misusing the funds of the Lord then I really lift him up to the Lord in prayer and intercession and I plead with the Lord to please forgive him, deal with him in secret and bring him back to the right path in repentance.In the same manner that I pray for myself when I do something completely wrong and know i'm wrong. Sometimes praying for someone is what the Lord is truly desiring, but most of the church is prayerless anyways so... anyways

Thats just my two cents.
Prayerfully consider and I wish you all a good night
Adios
LadyLavender


www.thetruthline.com

[Jerry]

Dear LadyLavender,,,
I don't support Benny Hinn at all,,,,,however:Your post is an Honorable Post,,,,,,,,Thank You
Love Jerry

[Kerrin]

.. Sometimes praying for someone is what the Lord is truly desiring, but most of the church is prayerless anyways so... anyways

Thats just my two cents.
Prayerfully consider and I wish you all a good night
Adios
LadyLavender


Do you really think it's only "sometimes"?
Yes, the "church" is mostly prayerless and that's a sad fact.
Intercession is very low on the agenda ,if at all.
Thoughtful.............Lady Lavender,
Kerrin :cool:

[Voyager]

I read Benny's reply on another website. It sounds like something my former abusive pastor would write. Classic denial.

:cool:

[Florence]

If anyone is interested in reading what Mr. Hinn has to say they can take a walk on the wild side. LadyLavender


www.thetruthline.com

Well, I'm not afraid to read what Benny has to say in defense of himself so I took that "wild walk" and here's a few of my thoughts:

1) Benny says God told him not to speak to the media. Well, one of the classic signs of an abusive church/leader is the "can't talk rule." As Jeff VanVonderen says, "You don't hide what's appropriate." Later in the rebuttal, Benny claims that they support thousands of children and ministries - well, MAYBE if he had talked to the media, he could have substantiated that with some documentation. His rebuttal doesn't give solid documentation either - we're just supposed to take Benny's word for it. Personally, I believe God can use even a secular, anti-Christian media to thwart His MIS-representatives - and thank God He has done just that!

2) Benny says it's common to take large sums of cash on trips - especially to foreign countries. Okay, you world travelers out there, I haven't been abroad in a few years, but we were not encouraged to take large sums of cash - in fact we were advised to take as little cash as possible. Take traveler's checks or credit cards that are honored by most countries. Come on! This just says to me that most of Benny's supporters are not the kind of people who would be educated in this kind of thing since he apparently knows they aren't smart enough to know that large amounts of cash is not the generally accepted way to travel.

3) As to the $129/night average hotel rooms for the Benny staff, well, why weren't the lowest folks in the ministry staying in the presidential suites and Benny in the $69 room? That's what a true servant-hearted leader would do!

4) As posted here earlier - if the pilot needs to stop and rest, hire another pilot! Who doesn't sleep best in their own bed? Especially the older we get - and Benny isn't so young. How many weeks of rest does he need in Cancun for each crusade? Go home!!!

5) So what if Dateline had a hidden camera? If Benny has nothing to hide, a hidden camara should never be an issue. Character is proven by what you do when no one is looking. To point fingers at Dateline for taping him when he didn't know he was being taped is ludicrous! He should be the same person off camera as he is on camera! Oh, yeah. He is.

Just my 2 cents. (Sorry, I don't carry large sums of cash.)

Florence

[newpal]

When I first saw your post my first response was, "You gotta be kidding." Then I went to your posted link and read what Benny Hinn had to say. What I agree with are his satements regarding the secular media, and how biased and opposed they are to the speading of the gospel. That is basic.

However, I had to look at something that I have recently found out about myself. That is, I had a common thead of people expressing that I was coming across in the wrong way here. I continued to defend myself thinking that I was in the right. The truth is there is probably truth on both sides, possibly judgment against judgment. However, I have learned the hard way that if there are a number of people that see something in my life that they think I need to take a hard look at, then I need to do so. Further, I need to work on me and forget on trying to change others.

I don't see the secular media going after Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Chuck Smith, Franklin Graham, James Robison, etc. They never have. If anything, their ministries have a rather fair and balanced appraisal by the media. They have appeared on Larry King numerous times and get fair treatment there.

Further, when Billy Graham got started in California, the managing editor told the paper to "Puff him." That is, give him front page coverage and build him up. If I remember correctly his salary never topped $80,000, and he lives in a modest him in Montreat, NC.

It's the appearance that Binny Hinn is giving that is improper. Even if the home bought in CA was a good investment, he should have understood that the appearance of him living in such a mansion gives the wrong impression.

Unfotunately, Binny Hinn's ministry has come under attack on a number of occasions, and it is typically in the same area of criticism, the use of money, the flamboyance of his ministry, and the methods of his healing ministry.

Therefore, I think Binny needs to take heed and try to present himself in a different manner to show that he can take constructive criticism. So far, he has shown he is unwilling to do that. Until he does he will continue to suffer, and so will the body of Christ.

In what I read there was not any mention of what he has learned about himself that he was willing to change. Therein lies my greatest concern with Binny. Having said that, yes, he needs prayer. However, I think a better use of prayer would be first for our families, and then those that are closest to us outside that arena.

Finally, I was startled to read that he will be doing crusades in the parts of the world where 6-8 MILLION will be attending nightly. I cannot fathom that.

[Reg]

The Tangled Web

Here is a book I have and read just before leaving my last church in 1997. It was published in 1980 and I and many of us had heard about it when it was published. Of course we were warned NOT to read it as it was full of untruths (a nice way to say lies). :rolleyes: Anyway, when I read it, although not being able to verify some of the things it said, had a feel for what he wrote identifying with a a lot of it. Consequently, over the years, a lot of it has been confirmed.

The main point being, we were all in denial about some of the things the press said about the extravagant living of the leaders and the use of some of the money. Now, that a lot of the facts are out, we were just the dumb sheep that had the wool pulled over our eyes. I see the same thing with those who follow Benny Hinn. He himself, just like the leaders in my previous church, even started believing that their extravagant living was justified. I won't judge their hearts that they knew, or Benny Hinn's, but I have my suspicions. The many things I read from other sources that I have found since where remarkably accurate in Robinson's book.

Unless there is a thorough investigation, bilking the public will continue by those who claim to represent God. In our case, I believe that God stepped in dramatically and set us free from the abusive church we were in. But, it took a long time. I joined in 1968 and didn't leave until 1997. 29 years of my life was spent there. It wasn't until the death of the leader that things started to change dramatically. Why God allowed it to continue as a church for so long before He stepped in is one question I'm sure going to ask Him in the future. (1934-1996).

So as far as Benny Hinn goes, he could carry on a long time until God steps in if He chooses. It's very easy to dismiss the secular press when it comes to bad press. We were told that because they are non-believers they are being used by Satan to attack the church, therefore we cannot believe the slanted lies they will use to discredit us. We should not read any of those things they say if we don't want to be infected. One of the things they said is, "If you eat our of a garbage can, expect to get sick". We were told to ignore the press and just read and listen to what out leaders said to get the real facts and truth from those who knew best. THEM! It's this mindset of refusing to accept anything they wrote about us negatively that kept us from seeing the truth. The few that did and tried to warn us, we also dismissed as dissidents that just wanted to stir up trouble. We didn't use our critical thinking process. That, I'm afraid, is what is happening to many in the Benny Hinn and WOF following. From what I can see, it is very emotionally driven.

People that do not know the Bible very well and aren't willing to study it diligently to find out what it really says can easily fall victim to all the hype of a Benny Hinn and just believe what he says without being like a Berean and study for themselves to see if he is Biblically accurate.

Acts 17:11 And these were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that [they received] the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily [to see] if those things [were so]. (MKJV)

The Forward here was written in 1980, but much of what David Robinson wrote could be written today about people like Benny Hinn. Here's just the first paragraph..

FOREWORD

Some ask, "Why would you want to write such a book? Will not religion itself suffer at your hands if you do this thing?" Others who are familiar with the power of those whom I have written about express concern for my personal safety. They cite the experience of Jerry Sholes who authored Give Me That Prime Time Religion. He was hospitalized for his efforts in exposing big- time money religion.


The Tangled Web
http://www.herbertwarmstrong.com/tangledtable.htm

[Voyager]

1) Benny says God told him not to speak to the media. Well, one of the classic signs of an abusive church/leader is the "can't talk rule." As Jeff VanVonderen says, "You don't hide what's appropriate."

Good point. If Benny had nothing to hide, he would have granted the interview to Dateline just like Billy Graham would have.

Benny never did answer to the concerns that were raised about him staying in the $11,000.00 per night presidential hotel suites. Or what about the 10-night "layovers" in Hawaii and Cancun every month, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per excursion? All paid for with the money that his followers "gave to God".

:confused:

[newpal]

Florence, I agree very strongly with almost everything you said.

One caveat...Billy Graham many times was set up by those trying to bring down his ministry. Members of his entourage made sure they scoured his motel rooms when he traveled. Many times they found scantily clad women behind doors, or they found hidden cameras or photgraphers that were hoping at the chance to get a "National Enquirer" photo opp.

Hidden cameras can many times be used through very deceptive means tp present things in an untruthful manner.

However, with that said, Binny has brought a lot of this on by himself. Nevertheless, I would not throw the baby out with the bath water in regard to his claims with the media.

[QUOTE=Florence]

a hidden camera should never be an issue

[Doug64]

Hi:

I read the BHM reply to the dateline program. A lot of what I read there is very similar to what our former group said whenever they got caught in the media spotlight.

That said, I'm sure they do help many people. But I guess one has to wonder if it's better to be helped (and maybe deceived) than to not be helped at any given point of a person's life?

Doug

[Voyager]

If Hinn was smart, he'd quit while he is ahead, bank his millions, and get out of the spotlight. However, he seems to be too much of a narcissist to do that. He loves to be the star of the show and to rule his entourage of puppets with an iron fist. He will keep going with his traveling circus until the IRS nails him or he faces other criminal charges.

:cool:

[jane]

By the time I read this post a lot was already said. I just want to add one more thought.


For me, what breaks my heart about ministries like this is not the money. When all is said and done, we can't take money with us when we die. Money comes, money goes.


For me it is what happens to the people that break my heart,
and it is for the children that I cry.

The little boy who was told God had healed him and now he wonders if God is mad at him because his eyesight grows worse....

For the others who believe that God must be upset with them because they are not healed like the people that they (percieved) saw healed.

For the people who no longer believe in God, mistaking Him for the fraud of a mere man. . . .

For the people who stop medical treatment to prove their faith, and end up in the coffin before they needed to be. . . .

For the handicapped, desparate for a touch of healing life that sit in the back of these crusades and never get called, wondering if God has forgotten them. . .

and for the souls that turn away from salvation because of false teachers. . . .

and the money, well, it does hurt to see money taken from people that give their last penny away that they need for their prescriptions,
or food,
for a man to eat like a king in a palace and call it a layover.

Pray for Benny Hinn???

Not tonight, I only have time tonight to pray for the people, and the children who reached out to trust a man they mistook for God.

No offense to any, just my thoughts.

Jane

[Jerry]

By the time I read this post a lot was already said. I just want to add one more thought.


For me, what breaks my heart about ministries like this is not the money. When all is said and done, we can't take money with us when we die. Money comes, money goes.


For me it is what happens to the people that break my heart,
and it is for the children that I cry.

The little boy who was told God had healed him and now he wonders if God is mad at him because his eyesight grows worse....

For the others who believe that God must be upset with them because they are not healed like the people that they (percieved) saw healed.

For the people who no longer believe in God, mistaking Him for the fraud of a mere man. . . .

For the people who stop medical treatment to prove their faith, and end up in the coffin before they needed to be. . . .

For the handicapped, desparate for a touch of healing life that sit in the back of these crusades and never get called, wondering if God has forgotten them. . .

and for the souls that turn away from salvation because of false teachers. . . .

and the money, well, it does hurt to see money taken from people that give their last penny away that they need for their prescriptions,
or food,
for a man to eat like a king in a palace and call it a layover.

Pray for Benny Hinn???

Not tonight, I only have time tonight to pray for the people, and the children who reached out to trust a man they mistook for God.

No offense to any, just my thoughts.

Jane
See Jane ???? them "Eyes to See and Ears to Hear" of yours are workin pretty good :D :D :D
Love Jerry