SAD STATISTICS-According to the 5/02 Charisma: Over 70 million Christians over the world have been martyred in the last 20 centuries. *** There are 500 million orphans in the world and 70 million abandoned children and infants. *** Worldwide, 200 million children are exploited for labor. *** Even in the year 2002, 35 million people are still slaves. *** Pedophile racketeers victimize some 5.8 million children.*** There are 24 million prostitutes. *** Each year, about $47 billion of cocaine is sold in the world. *** Trusted church workers steal some $16 billion annually from church funds.

PRAGMATIC CHARISMATICS-The May Charisma had this quote from Stephen Strang, its founder: "We charismatics seem to gravitate to the latest thing that brings results. A few years ago it was discipleship, then 'name it and claim it.' After that it was spiritual warfare. Now it's apostolic authority." Elsewhere, the May Charisma quoted a Nigerian pastor's lament that preachers there have used a cheap version of the "prosperity gospel" to enrich themselves and made it a sham. He said: "I know of churches where they will not pray for you at the altar unless you give money first. They teach that you must give a seed first in order to receive any kind of blessing." Another Nigerian pastor said that in a trip to Tulsa in the 1980s he heard God say to him: "Make my people rich." It is not the God of the Bible speaking this nonsense.

BENNY HINN, A MASTER MANIPULATOR-Benny Hinn is a charismatic showman who manipulates his audiences. Looking into viewers' homes recently, he spied a bald, overweight man with a heart problem, wearing a yellow shirt. Hinn said he could see the man walking away from his TV, resisting appeals to donate during a TBN "Praise-a-thon." Hinn begged the man: "If you will make that pledge, God will heal your heart tonight." Mostly, he brushes off scrutiny and criticism, but not always gracefully. He once wished aloud for a "Holy Ghost machine gun" to blow off the heads of his critics; who object to such things as his unverifiable healing claims. His global crusades draw thousands who hope he will zap them with power absorbed from the graves of dead faith healers (4/14 Houston Chron.). His handlers audition quickly those who approach the stage and lets those with the best stories get on. Hank Hanegraaff calls Hinn a false prophet. Hinn has claimed that the world would end in 1999 and Cuba's Fidel Castro would die in the 1990s. [The Calvary Contender, Vol XIX No 9 May 14, 2002]