How Benny Hinn Achieved a Net Worth of $60 Million
Benny Hinn is known around the globe as a televangelist. The young man set out at 21 to preach the gospel that says we should first seek God's kingdom and all other things will be given to us. However, he got distracted and instead started telling his audience that God's blessings were for sale, and if they only sowed in the ministry, they would reap massively.
He may have renounced the prosperity gospel but not before Benny Hinn's net worth had grown to $60 million. He says he wants to be remembered for preaching the message of the cross and not the health and wealth teachings that have left many of his followers frustrated.
Of course, those who keep giving the pastor hoping to reap a hundredfold must be curious to know if their offering is what made the pastor rich. We have done our homework, and here is how Benny Hinn achieved the $60 million net worth, an amount he claims is ludicrous because if he had it, he would give it all to God.
Becoming a Renowned Pastor and Faith Healer
Benny Hinn was named Toufik Benedictus Hinn at birth, and he grew up in a Greek Orthodox family in Israel. He attended Roman Catholic schools, and later the family moved to Canada. At the age of 19, Benny surrendered his life to Christ after his high school friend prayed with him, and he joined the Pentecost church in Toronto, where Dr. Winston Nunes mentored him.
His first experience seeing a faith healer was in 1973 when he attended Kathryn Kuhlman's miracle healing service in Pittsburg. In 1974, Benny claims he got the calling to spread the gospel after getting a vision and being told that those who fell into the inferno he had been shown would be his responsibility if he did not preach. Therefore Benny started his ministry a few days after his 22nd birthday, and allegedly, immediately he began to preach, his stuttering problem disappeared.
Having been inspired by Kathryn to start a faith healing, Benny's ministry grew with leaps and bounds, attracting crowds of over 3,000 on Monday nights. By the early 1990s, he had already started a television show to get a wider reach, and indeed he achieved his mission.
Allegedly, one man resurrected in Ghana, and although he could not prove he was dead, Benny said he believed that God could raise the dead; after all, the proof is in the bible. However, he still admits that he does not heal, and only God heals; therefore, whatever people claim to be true, it is up to them.
Preaching The Prosperity Gospel
With so many people ready to eat up whatever Benny Hinn served them, the pastor became wealthy. In 2013, Premier Christianity published the story of how Benny asked his followers to claim a $2,200 trip to Israel that his ministry was organizing. They were asked to pray that God would provide and that it was not a matter of if, but when. He even added that God would provide them with enough money to cater for their shopping during the trip.
Benny encouraged his followers, saying that giving to God was the secret to unlocking financial blessings. Even the envelopes they had to place their offering in had Luke 6:38 typed on them reading that they should give, and they would receive back in good measure.
The pastor had been taught this method of "bribing" God by his father-in-law, who told him that he had to pay God for him to remain debt-free. As Costi Hinn told the Christian Post, Benny claimed to never run out of money once he emptied his bank accounts. To prove that indeed giving works, he said that since his divorce left him with a debt of $700,000(he remarried his wife), God told him to honor Him with a gift of $2,000.
The pastor did, and soon after, a couple declared they would pay all of his debts. They even added another $250,000 to help the pastor with his financial burden. Therefore, it is no wonder that when Benny preached the seed planted determined the amount to be harvested, his audience would queue to make their offering; those with seeds worth more were prioritized.
Donations and Salary
Costi grew up thinking that although Jesus Christ was part of the gospel, he was the family magic genie to grant them riches. The couple that settled Benny's debt was not the only donor to Benny's ministry; the pastor received so many tax-free donations from people who wanted a claim on the financial prosperity that it attracted an investigation into Hinn and other pastors who are suspected of embezzling the donations.
Benny Hinn's donations were estimated at $100 million, as reported by Religion News Blog. However, he was adamant that he was using the money appropriately. When asked about his salary, he could not give the exact figure, but it is well over $500,000, but he added he would cut his salary to zero if only he could get someone to cater to all his financial needs. He explained he needs a private plane because it is a necessity, not a luxury. He added that if he flew commercial, he would wear out trying to get God's word around the world.
Did He Give up All His Wealth?
Costi Hinn said that for a man to be genuinely remorseful for his deeds, he has to be like Zacchaeus, who gave up the riches he had fraudulently received. Benny Hinn is claiming that he no longer is preaching the prosperity gospel and even said that he is not as wealthy as is alleged.
He now interprets the bible differently and says he does not need the private plane. However, it is still strange that we are yet to hear that he has donated all of his wealth to noble causes, but he wished he was worth millions because he would give it to the Lord Almighty.
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Written by Allen Lee
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