Click for the entire text made available on bennyhinn.org

I want you, as my partner in this ministry, to know
that I am going to continue preaching the Gospel and
praying for the sick as I have for 36 years. I will not
allow anything to slow me down or stop me.

I’m citing this article as the source of this news regarding the Hinn divorce. I originally read it on Fox News, but the news was still fresh and it wasn’t until today that I wondered what has the internet been saying? The Huffington Post is a great source for commentary from intelligents and idiots alike, and has a pretty good liberal population as well. Conservatives usually don’t care and cite family issues, but cynical liberals stand a better chance at creating off-the-wall assessments against people they don’t like, and Benny Hinn is the best fodder for these type of folks.

About the section quoted above, @RickWarren received some flak from Twitter users for not citing a source for his quoting of “I will not allow anything to slow me down or stop me” and then following it with his personal commentary, indicated that Benny Hinn’s commitment to ministry is what caused the divorce.

Well, I posted the source-link, and the excerpt from the open letter above.

I do not follow Rick Warren’s ministry nor do I endorse it (I know nothing about him or his church), but having had my own experience in working with ministries around the world, and throughout the United States, one thing is very clear… the most successful ministries, and by successful I do not mean high profile, are the ones who have a clear understanding and commitment to family, even above the ministry. Even when moral failures occurred, the ministries who have been able to rebound and start a new progression were the ones who dropped out of ministry completely and devoted themselves, not just to the Lord, but to their family first.

I worry that many Christians, blinded by zeal or dedicated to some “calling”, neglect their family and “trust in the Lord” that He would honor their sacrifice of family and make up for their absence. This is WRONG to me.

Excerpt from Titus 1, starting from verse 6: …if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer,as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. 10 For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party.

Notice the progression of requirements went from family, personal character, relational character, and then reputation. The requirements for family were first. The elder needed to be faithful to his wife. The elder needed to be responsible for the proper upbringing of his children.

In the event of familial tragedy, like divorce, my mind and heart make no hesitation but to drop everything and address the situation with undivided attention.

I will not allow anything to slow me down or stop me.

Yeah, to me these seem like famous last words. My perspective from here where I am does cause me to worry for the Hinn family. While his children are grown for the most part, my armchair reaction is one of disapproval for Pastor Benny Hinn’s unbending commitment to the ministry. From a PR perspective, this attitude is not a reaction to the divorce as much as it is pre-existing, pre-divorce mindset from Benny Hinn. Hence, @RickWarren’s assessment of this statement is reasonable. Note that Rick Warren also has a large following, one that requires him probably on the same scale as Benny Hinn’s, so it’s not like Rick Warren doesn’t have a clue what pressures exist for the super-preacher’s family. Even in my experience with my own family’s involvement just in our local church, the demand for personal time and resources are great to even where I had to deal with my own sense of feeling a bit abandoned. My dealing with it is a piece of cake compared to the super-preacher’s kids.

John, the calling of God is the first and foremost priority of your life! Jesus said that unless you hate your parents, you can’t follow or love Him! Obedience is better than sacrifice!

I believe that when your family begins to be negatively affected by your calling, that you are stretching yourself more than what God intended and that His calling on your life has taken on a new meaning and interpretation constructed by you. God’s design for your willingness to seek Him first was that “all these things” would be added to you. We are so eager to please the Lord, we go above and beyond what He asks to do… but do you know that this is still disobedience?

I truly wish that things will work out for the Hinn family. I hope that Benny Hinn takes time off to connect with his family on a deeper level. If he does not, the ministry will suffer as his legitimacy will take a hit and it would seem that if he cared about the ministry that much, he’d be willing to step aside for a little bit and put his house in order.