Benny Hinn's Nephew Calls Bethel Church Leader Kris Vallotton 'False Prophet' Who 'Deceives People'
Costi Hinn, the nephew of Benny Hinn who frequently speaks out against his uncle's "prosperity theology," called Bethel Church leader Kris Vallotton a "false prophet" who rakes in "easy money" by "deceiving people."
Vallotton, senior associate leader of Bethel Church in Redding, California, recently shared a photo on his Facebook page showing where his luxury car had been keyed by an unknown assailant.
"It's kind of sad that people can destroy other people's hard earned stuff," the pastor wrote. "On the other hand I often feel like God can use negative things in our life to test our hearts. I like my car a lot, but it's just a car, it's not a[n] Idol ... I don't live for it ... and I don't get my identity from it."
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Vallotton, also a best-selling author who "uses his prophetic gift to assist world leaders in achieving their goals and accomplishing their mission," according to his bio, said he prays for "those people who tried to destroy my stuff."
"They are enemies that need love not vengeance, unforgiveness, or hatefulness. I asked God to bless them and help them to see His goodness in the world around them," he said.
The pastor added that when the officer was writing up the police report, she asked him if he had any enemies.
In response, Vallotton said, "Yes! Absolutely!"
"Jesus said to love your enemies so you have to have some," he explained. "If you're doing anything for God you will have enemies. I hope to be doing enough good in the world that [He] knows my name. I count it a privilege to have enemies for I am in good company."
However, Hinn, who famously left his uncle's ministry after becoming disillusioned by the teachings of the prosperity gospel, took to Facebook to dispute Vallotton's claim that his car was "hard earned."
Referring to the megachurch pastor as a "false prophet," Hinn asserted, "His luxury car is not hard earned. It's easy money deceiving people."
Bethel Church did not respond to requests for comment.
Hinn, executive pastor at The Mission Bible Church in Orange County, California, said that growing up, his family lived a lavish lifestyle, complete with a Benz, Ferrari, and Hummer.
"Barely broke a sweat except when shopping on a hot day in Beverly Hills," he wrote. "This isn't persecution. It's just a false teacher with a [keyed] hot rod. 2 Peter 2:1–22."
In a recent interview with Justin Peters, Hinn further opened up about the extreme lifestyle his uncle kept while traveling the world to preach his prosperity gospel.
"We would go to London, Australia, Greece, Israel, preaching our version of Christ. I carried his Louis Vuitton briefcase," he told Peters. "I stayed in his hotel rooms in places like Dubai. The royal suite there was a $25,000-a-night bill, along with the other suites that we had."
Initially, Hinn admitted he enjoyed the perks of his uncle's lucrative ministry, but soon began to have questions about the inconsistencies presented in his teaching. For example, Hinn said his uncle would promise that everyone would be healed at each gathering — but that was never the case.
"It got really weird; because the Bible says this, so why aren't we going to be the hands and feet of Christ? If we can heal let's go heal. And we couldn't unless there was money and music and atmosphere," he explained.
While attending Dallas Baptist University, Hinn began to study the Bible for himself, deriving far different conclusions about God's sovereignty.
"One of the cruelest lies of faith healers today is that if you just have enough faith, God will heal. He begins to commentate that God is sovereign in healing," he said.
Recently, Benny Hinn admitted in a Facebook live video that in the past, he took the prosperity gospel "too far."
