FALWELL PRAISES CATHOLIC CARDINAL AND BENNY HINN

FALWELL PRAISES CATHOLIC CARDINAL AND CHARISMATIC PROPHET

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May 9, 2000 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, is affiliated with the Baptist Bible Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention. He has long walked in disobedience to the Bible’s commands about ecclesiastical separation and by his example has led large numbers of independent Baptist preachers in a wrong direction.

Recently Falwell praised the late Catholic Cardinal John O’Connor and Charismatic prophet Benny Hinn.

New York’s CARDINAL JOHN O’CONNOR, who was one of the most prominent Catholic leaders in America, died on May 3. In his news fax the next day, Jerry Falwell said: "The Cardinal and I differed on a few theological and social issues, but my respect for him was unwavering because of his ministerial kindness and unconditional willingness to help those in need. . . . Every pastor in America can learn a great lesson from this man. We should never permit our political or social differences to hamper our God-given instruction to minister to our fellow man. As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I cannot expect people to take this message seriously if I am unwilling, as a representative of Christ, to meet them where they are. Change in people’s lives comes after a relationship with Christ begins, so we must be frequently disposed to taking the Gospel to unfriendly environments. Cardinal O’Connor embodied this mandate. I am grateful that John O’Connor -- a man of courageous faith -- had such a profound influence on the Catholic Church through his fifty-five years of ministry. I pray that another pro-life, pro-family minister can be found to fill his significant and substantial shoes."

I can understand how Pastor Falwell could say he was thankful for Cardinal John O’Connor’s efforts against abortion and homosexual "rights," but in praising him so profusely and in failing so completely to warn that the cardinal preached a false gospel, Falwell is misleading his listeners. Yes, he does mention in passing that he and O’Connor "differed on a few theological and social issues." A FEW! Cardinal John O’Connor believed that salvation is through the sacraments of Rome, that the Pope is the Holy Father and Vicar of Christ, that the Catholic priesthood mediates between God and man, that Mary is the sinless Queen of Heaven, that dead "saints" can answer prayer, that the mass is the literal body and blood and re-sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that Christians go to purgatory, etc., etc., etc. Are those simply "a few" theological matters? In truth, they are the difference between Heaven and Hell! Yet Jerry Falwell--addressing his vast listening audience composed of people from all sorts of denominations, including Catholic--leaves them with the impression that he believed Cardinal O’Connor was a true Christian minister. Furthermore, according to 2 John 9-11, we are not even to bid false teachers like John O’Connor "godspeed." We are not even to greet them, let alone praise them!

On BENNY HINN’S "This Is Your Day" program, December 28, 1999, tributes from several Christian leaders were broadcast in honor of Hinn’s 25th ministry anniversary. Jerry Falwell joined Paul Crouch, Rex Humbard, Oral Roberts, and others in praising Benny Hinn via video clips. Following is what Falwell said: "Pastor Benny and I are friends; and I’m glad for every soul that comes and has come to Christ through your ministry over the past 25 years. A few weeks ago Pastor Hinn called, and one of his staff members, and said, ‘Benny wants to come to Lynchburg and he wants your undivided attention for a day.’ . . . He came and we had a wonderful day together. He met the 6,000 students on the campus of Liberty University as we walked from building to building, most of them knew him. Many . . . were your partners (applause). We spent a lot of time and conversation about what God is doing" (Jerry Falwell, quoted from Calvary Contender, April 1, 2000).

By granting such a public tribute to Benny Hinn, Jerry Falwell is giving countless people the impression that Hinn is a true man of God who can safely be followed in spiritual matters. In truth, Benny Hinn is an extremely dangerous false teacher who has led multitudes astray and brought untold confusion to the cause of Jesus Christ with his unscriptural ministry.

Hinn traces his charismatic "anointing" to the late female preacher Kathryn Kuhlman. Her meetings were often characterized by the dangerous and unscriptural "slaying in the spirit" phenomenon. In Hinn’s book Good Morning, Holy Spirit, he admits that the first time he encountered the Kuhlman phenomenon he exclaimed: "I’ve got to have this. … I want what Kathryn Kuhlman’s got. I wanted it with every atom and fiber within me" (Good Morning, Holy Spirit, pp. 9-12). Hinn even tells of visiting the graves of Kuhlman and of another female Pentecostal preacher, Aimee Semple McPherson, TO GET ANOINTING FROM THEIR BONES (Ibid., Hanegraaff, Counterfeit Revival, p. 172).

Currently Benny Hinn is conducting a crusade in Kenya. On Sunday, April 30, four people died in Nairobi during a Hinn "Miracle Crusade" (Reuters News Service, "Four Die Waiting for ‘Miracle’ Cures," May 4, 2000, quoting the Kenya Times). They had been released from a hospital to be cured at Hinn’s healing crusade, but they died instead. I don’t read in the Bible where anyone died when they tried to reach out to Jesus Christ for healing! Furthermore, "ten other people suffered serious injuries including broken jaws after falling from trees they had climbed to get a view of the American preacher." Hinn’s television shows are broadcast in Kenya, and he has a large following there.

Hinn has made many false prophecies. For example, on his April 2nd program he said:

"I believe -- here this, hear this! I believe, that JESUS, GOD’S SON, IS ABOUT TO APPEAR PHYSICALLY, IN MEETINGS AND TO BELIEVERS AROUND THE WORLD, to wake us up! He appeared after His resurrection and He is about to appear before His second coming!" (Benny Hinn, "This Is Your Day," April 2, 2000).

This is a blatant false prophecy. The Bible nowhere indicates that Jesus Christ will appear physically to believers or to the unsaved at the end of the church age prior to His return. In fact, the Lord Jesus warned about such a thing. He warned that many FALSE christs will appear in the world in the last hours of this age.

"And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect" (Mark 13:21,22).

Benny Hinn is a false prophet and a very dangerous teacher, and every Bible-believing preacher should be lifting up their voices to warn the people about him. God’s men do not praise and befriend wolves; they chase them away from the flock! Instead, Jerry Falwell praises this false teacher, calls him a friend, and introduces him to the students at his school.

What confusion and disobedience! Those who like Jerry Falwell’s "style" are the blind following the blind, and I earnestly pray that the Lord will open their eyes so they can lead the churches away from the slippery slope of compromise before it is too late

See "Jerry Falwell: The Billy Graham of Independent Baptists"