The Holy Spirit apparently speaks verbally to Benny Hinn on a daily basis. For example, almost as in the role of the Roman Catholic Mary, the Holy Spirit told him, "I am here to help you in your prayers to the Father. And I am here to help you pray to the Son." Hinn claims that he derived his many supernatural experiences and new teachings by personal, verbal conversations with the Holy Spirit Himself: In other words, that the Holy Spirit personally revealed His theology to him over the years. But ask yourself the following question: Would the Holy Spirit reveal the following teachings? Or has Hinn been listening more to the visions of his own mind.
Benny Hinn teaches that every non-Christian is demon possessed; that the Holy Spirit has a body and has more sympathy than other members of the Godhead; and that Jesus "would have sinned" apart from the Holy Spirit.
He also believes that each person of the Godhead has His own spirit, soul, and spirit body. In other words, each person of the Godhead is a triune being by Himself so that collectively "there's nine of them." Jesus Christ further died spiritually, became the nature of Satan, and was born again in hell.
Christians are "little Messiahs" and "little gods" on the earth. Thus, "[Encouraging the audience] ... say, 'I am a God-man...This spirit-man within me is a God-man...' Say 'I am born of heaven -- a God-man. I'm a God man. I am a sample of Jesus. I'm a super being.' Say it! Say it! Who's a super being? 'I walk in the realm of the supernatural.' Say it!...You want to prosper? Money will be falling on you from left right and center. God will begin to prosper you, for money always follows righteousness...say after me, 'everything I ever want is in me already.'"
Hinn teaches that Christians confessing they are "a sinner saved by grace" only insult God with such "garbage."
According to his November 6, 1990 TBN sermon and other lectures, Hinn teaches that poverty is from the devil and that God wants all Christians prosperous; that "confession activates Heaven" and "confession releases the spirit world." He claimed the Holy Spirit told him that if witches and occultists can speak death by the supernatural power of words, then Christians can speak life and prosperity by the same power. God further taught him to "blow" on people for the anointing or reception of the Holy Spirit. Hinn also claims: "your spirit-man doesn't have God, your spirit-man is a part, if I may say it, is a part of Him." Thus, Hinn believes that inside the Christian is a new being "that is divine and God-like in every way!" Jesus supposedly told him "I loved you enough to become one of ya! And I love you enough to make you one of me."
Finally, Hinn teaches that supernatural visions should be common to Christians; that Jesus temporarily lost His divinity after the crucifixion; and that using such words as, "if it be Thy will," are destroyers of true faith.
Christianity Today (October 28, 1991) reported that Hinn claimed to have abandoned the Faith teachings and he publicly apologized for his errors. But a year later a new report in Christianity Today (October 5, 1992) observed that evangelical apologetics ministries "have noticed a pattern of Hinn telling people behind the scenes that he has changed, but then going on as before." One theologian who participated in the original Christianity Today interview noted that Hinn was prone to "extremism and exaggeration" and that his biblical exegesis was "frequently unsound and unbiblical."
In his book Christianity in Crisis Hank Hanegraaff, President of the Christian Research Institute, argues that Hinn's teachings can be conclusively shown to be heretical. Further, Budd Press of Watchman Fellowship, who has hundreds of pages of documentation on Hinn, told us the following on October 26, 1992: "Despite what Hinn claims, my research shows that Benny Hinn has established a track record of clearly documented false teachings, false prophecies, equivocation, and attacks on those who criticize his ministry." According to his taped series "Our Position in Christ," Hinn even claimed that he is not just a part of Jesus but because he is united with Christ, "I am Him. The word has become flesh in me." This is one example of how a Biblical doctrine can be misinterpreted through Hinn's careless use of words.
(From the Facts on the Faith Movement by John Ankerberg & John Weldon)
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