Benny Hinn, who is known for faith healing crusades and preaching a prosperity gospel, recently told his followers that donating “seed” money to his ministry will guarantee them financial protection in the midst of a future that will be darker than any other in human history.

“Well, listen, I want you to give to the Lord’s work. I want you to sow seed in the Lord’s work,” Hinn said at the end of a video titled, “Shameless Begging.” “We are facing days of such darkness and such danger unseen in the history of mankind. Unseen since Adam. Worse than anything that has happened in the past…and only those who’ve been faithful in giving to God’s work will be protected financially in those days.”

“A faithful man will abound…with blessings,” said Hinn. “So this is not just for now; this is for the future. A faithful man will abound with blessing. You can’t lose your seed. Any farmer will tell you that. You can’t lose your seed. Your seed goes into your tomorrow. Your seed goes into your future.”

Benny Hinn: ‘God Will Bless You’

Benny Hinn is a televangelist, author, and faith healer who leads Benny Hinn Ministries and holds “miracle crusades” throughout the world. He is commonly associated with the prosperity gospel, an ideology that says true faith in God will result in blessing, often in the areas of health and finances.

Notably, Hinn’s nephew, Costi Hinn, grew up accepting the prosperity gospel and Hinn’s ministry but has since rejected both and spoken out against his uncle’s teachings and lifestyle. 

Hinn has made statements in the past distancing himself from the prosperity gospel, such as when in 2019 he said “prosperity has gone a little crazy” and that he was “correcting my own theology.”

Earlier this year, Hinn expressed regrets for “mistakes” he has made during his time in ministry. Those regrets include some carelessness with prophecy, as well as his view of prosperity. “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,” he said.

Hinn asked for people’s forgiveness and said, “I’m striving with all my heart to be as biblical as possible with that.” He added that when he asks for donations to his ministry in the future, “I will do it as biblically as I know how—and balanced.” However, Hinn’s request for donations at the end of his video explicitly tied God’s blessings and earthly financial security to people giving money to Hinn’s ministry. 

Hinn’s main point in his video was to emphasize the importance of coming to God in prayer with abandonment and emotion, that is, “shameless begging.” Hinn cited many Scriptures in support of his teaching that God will answer those who are “shameless” when crying out to him in prayer. “David was a shameless beggar in prayer,” Hinn said, referencing Psalm 3 and Psalm 139 and comparing the Israelite king’s attitude to that of other “Old Covenant prophets and saints.”

After reading Paul’s words about praying persistently in Colossians 1, Hinn said, “This is real stuff.” He contrasted Paul’s attitude with that of modern-day people who are “just screaming about nothing.”

When people pray with devotion, said Hinn, “When people are serious like that, God really listens.” He referenced numerous other Bible passages in support of this teaching, although he did not address passages that describe people feeling as though God were absent or that their prayers were not answered.

Later in the video, Hinn said that “the reason for all failures is one thing…no fervency” and emphasized the need for strong emotion in prayer: “The prayer that lacks a tear is the prayer that will wither and die.”

During his request for donations, Hinn told viewers, “When we give God our money, it becomes seed in his hand, and God who is God Almighty, he’s the God that multiplies everything he touches…It’s an endless supply of seed.”

“When we give to the Lord, he gives us the harvest with seed in it, so give today, and God will bless you over and over and over again,” said Hinn as he concluded. 

ChurchLeaders has reached out to Benny Hinn for comment and will update this article in the event of a reply.