Controversial televangelist Benny Hinn said his two "biggest regrets" in his decades-long ministry include promoting prophesies he now admits "were not accurate or from the Lord" and pushing "prosperity theology".
"The two things I regret most in ministry: I was not too wise a number of times with prophecy," the 71-year-old charismatic preacher told Stephen Strang, host of The Strang Report, in a recent interview.
"I had guests come to the crusades that I think brought harm to not only people's lives but also to my reputation because their prophecies were not really prophecy. They went outside the borders of redemption."
"And then there were times when I thought God had showed me something that He wasn't showing me. And I spoke it out," Hinn said. "But in 1 Corinthians 13, we clearly see that we all prophesy in part. That means we don't see the full picture. And sadly — and I wish I could go back and fix it — but sadly, there were some prophesies I gave that were not accurate or from the Lord."
"But who's perfect?" he added.
"And for that, of course, I ask people to forgive me," Hinn said. "I'm just human and made mistakes like that. And I'll probably make them again, I suppose, down the road, because I'm not perfect.
"But you know, it's sad when people focus on the times you missed it. But that's just, you know, the way it is. Yet there were times when I did not miss it," Hinn claimed.
Hinn said his other greatest regret in ministry is his teachings on prosperity theology. Since the 1980s, the Israeli-born American-Canadian has been one of the most notorious purveyors of the prosperity gospel, which teaches that God rewards active faith and faithful payments of tithes and offerings with health and wealth.
"And that's been a very difficult one for me," he said. "When I started in ministry, it was simple. And then the ministry grew. ... I think that's when my troubles began. I don't blame anyone, but sadly you get kind of in a place [where] it becomes difficult. You don't know what to do and how to get out of it.
"So I came to the conclusion in 2019 that I don't want to be part of the gimmickry of it, and I still stand by that. But sadly, I let pressure get to me, and because of that pressure, I said things and did things that I should not have done," Hinn said. "And for that, really, I am sorry, and I ask the dear people watching us to really forgive me for that. And I'm striving with all my heart to be as biblical as possible with that."
"Right now, my focus is the Lord and only the Lord," Hinn said. "And if, of course, there will be the time when I may have to raise funds for our ministry, I will do it as biblically as I know how — and balanced."
This is not the first time Hinn has claimed to publicly renounce his past teachings. In September 2019, he admitted his teachings on prosperity "got out of hand" and "damaged a lot of people" and said he wants the remaining years of his ministry to focus on evangelism and the Gospel — not the "health and wealth" theology that made him millions.
"How long do I have on this Earth? What am I going to do in the next 20 years? That is for me to decide," he said at the time. "I want to make sure that for the next 15-20 years of my life, that my message is the Cross. The real call on my life."
"I want to be known for that," Hinn continued. "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."
At the time, Hinn also hit back at reports of his tremendous wealth, including a net worth of $60 million and multiple private jets, stating, "If I had that kind of money, I would give it to God. It's madness ... that's ludicrous. I don't know how, even, that started."
Biblical prosperity, he said, is "God blessing His people, taking care of His people. Jesus made it very clear, if God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, will He not care for us? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the things you need will not only come, but they'll also be added to you."
Hinn's nephew, Costi Hinn, who has openly criticised his uncle and the prosperity gospel, told Christian News that he hopes for genuine repentance — not simply remorse — on his uncle's part. However, he said that Hinn has previously expressed regret for his past teachings only to resume his behavior.
"Genuine repentance in the Bible is always accompanied by actions that prove that it's really repentance," he stated, explaining that repentance would look similar to that of the account of Zacchaeus, a corrupt tax collector who returned money to those he had swindled out of his love for Jesus.
"Jesus saves him and goes to his house that day and is willing to eat a meal with him and show him love and grace in the midst of his past and his sin," he recalled. "And Zacchaeus is jumping for joy, excited to pay people back, excited to do whatever it takes to follow Jesus and show his genuine repentance through his actions.
"My desire is that Uncle Benny's statement is not merely public remorse to save face or protect his ministry from decline," he stated, "but rather that it is genuine repentance and that he would be willing to forsake everything if it means gaining Christ and the full Gospel."
