Should Benny Hinn repent?
It’s the question people have been asking for years. While Hinn has publicly apologized for the moments he says he got things wrong in ministry, there are still skeptics about his motives.
In an exclusive interview with Stephen Strang on the Strang Report podcast, Hinn says he “came to the conclusion in 2019 that I did not want to be a part of the gimmickry of it,” when speaking about praise-a-thons.
Before this most recent interview with Strang, Dr. Michael Brown discussed the topic of Benny Hinn’s repentance in an episode of his The Line of Fire podcast. Beginning with a prior episode of The Line of Fire, he evaluated past clips of Benny Hinn’s public renunciation of asking people to give a specific amount.
“Rather than throwing stones at him, you should say, ‘I’m glad, sir, that you’re saying this and this,’” Brown says of Hinn’s repentance.
Brown has personally been against the practices of American prosperity gospel for years, including writing a letter to Hinn years ago asking him to renounce these practices. However, he is unsure whether or not Hinn ever read the letter. He acknowledges the pressure Hinn says he felt from all of those around him to ask for donations.
“This is a teachable moment for everybody so, please hear me,” Brown says. “If Benny Hinn could know what was right and not do it, feeling pressure from his friends when he’s this big famous leader, what about everybody else?”
Now, years later, Brown is saying recent footage showed Hinn once again encouraging others to give large amounts of money.
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“The exact thing he said he would never do,” Brown says, “He’s doing this.”
“Now if you go to Jesus Image where Benny Hinn ministers regularly, you may have thousands of young people saying he preaches the cross, he preaches the blood of Jesus, he preaches holiness…I’m not denying any of that. I am saying his own words condemn him. He’s done the exact opposite of what he has pledged never to do. He must repent and be accountable,” Brown says.
Brown carried over this discussion of repentance and redemption regarding Benny Hinn onto the Strang Report podcast where he acknowledges that accountability is key when it comes to ministers, especially those in the prophetic circle.
“We’ve had a real problem in the American church in general, with so many independent churches, but then in the charismatic church, in particular, with unaccountability. And we can just speak words, prophetic words, and whether they come to pass or not, we just keep going,” Brown says.
In his recent public apology, Hinn says that his handling of prophecy and prosperity are the two areas he wishes he could go back and fix.
“Sadly, there was some promises I gave that were not accurate or from the Lord. But who’s perfect? And for that, of course, I asked people to forgive me. I’m just human and made mistakes like that,” Hinn says on the Strang Report podcast.
Whether or not you believe Benny Hinn must repent again or not, one thing is clear: he is human like the rest of us.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.
