Is Benny Hinn a gangster? Some of his critics may think so.
In 2017, the televangelist’s nephew Costi Hinn wrote an autobiographical article for Christianity Today with scathing criticism of his uncle’s ministry:
“Growing up in the Hinn family empire was like belonging to some hybrid of the royal family and the mafia. Our lifestyle was lavish, our loyalty was enforced, and our version of the gospel was big business.”
Six years earlier, former Benny Hinn Ministries employee Cheryl Brown leveled similar complaints in her autobiographical book Mafia Ministry: A Crying Shame.
Brown described a time when Hinn approached while she was working as a maid cleaning the church parsonage. Hinn “pointed his finger at me and said, ‘I am watching you’ and walked off. His tone was that of a gangster. I thought, wow, he sounded just like the Godfather!”
By working in the Hinn home, Brown observed the relationship of the televangelist and his wife Suzanne. “When I would see him, before he left out of the door to travel out of the country or go out of town, you would see him standing there as if he was waiting on a hug or a blessing from his wife. I never have seen her give him that.”
The initial excitement of working for Benny faded away as Brown became disillusioned by the working conditions. In her book Brown reports, “All of a sudden, about 50 of us from Benny Hinn Ministries were laid off without any explanation.” Is that how a church should treat its employees?
Brown would be re-hired personally by Hinn rather than the church to clean the parsonage. After Hinn failed to pay Brown for a month, she drove to the parsonage, asked to be paid and was fired.
The ministry security team gave Brown a warning on the day she was fired. “‘I better not ever go against Benny Hinn Ministries or that my family and I will be cursed.’ They told me that people who had left from BHM go on and do great things for the Lord, but that there are also ones that have died once they have gone against BHM.”
A black Suburban belonging to the ministry began following Brown whenever she drove. A friend encouraged Brown to call the police to report the stalking, but Brown refused.
Eventually, Brown moved away from California to escape.
Continue reading “Book Review: Comparing Benny Hinn to Mafia”