Megachurch pastor regrets pushing 'prosperity ideology' and false prophesies

For many years, televangelist Benny Hinn was a vocal proponent of the "prosperity gospel" or "prosperity ideology" — an evangelical school of thought that equates poverty with sinfulness and argues that the rich achieved prosperity because God blessed them.

But in recent years, Hinn has rejected the prosperity gospel. And according to Christianity Today, promoting that ideology in the past is now one of his two "biggest regrets."

The other is promoting "prophecies" he later realized were bogus.

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Hinn told "Strang Report" host Stephen Strang, "I was not too wise a number of times with prophecy…. Sadly, there were some prophesies I gave that were not accurate or from the Lord. But who's perfect? And for that, of course, I ask people to forgive me."

The "prosperity gospel" has been highly controversial within Christianity. Many critics of "prosperity theology," from Mainline Protestants to Catholics, have stressed that there is nothing in The Bible that says the rich are morally superior to the poor.

In fact, The New Testament quotes Jesus Christ as saying, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

And according to Timothy 6:10, "the love of money is the root of all evil."

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Hinn first came out against the "prosperity gospel" in 2019, and he is still rejecting it five years later.

Christianity Today's Leah MarieAnn Klett quotes Hinn as saying, "I don't want to be known as the prosperity teacher. Prosperity is one thing in the Bible. There's a whole lot more in the word of God than prosperity, but it's become a major issue now because of the gimmickry involved in it. That needs to stop."

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Read Christianity Today's full article at this link.