Costi W. Hinn - God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies

A rare combination of humility, integrity, wisdom, and courage. May God use this book to bring back spiritual health to the churches.

CONRAD MBEWE, PASTOR, KABWATA BAPTIST CHURCH

My prayer is that this book will provide not only exposure but protection for people who might be drawn into error.

JOHN MACARTHUR

A treasure trove for those wondering what to make of preachers who promise us health and wealth now, if only we will believe.

MARK DEVER, PASTOR, CAPITOL HILL BAPTIST CHURCH

Teaches the biblical truth of the transforming grace of God in Christ that can change lives forever.

H. B. CHARLES JR., PASTOR-TEACHER, SHILOH METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH

A spine-chilling account of the authors escape from the dark world of the prosperity gospel to find the biblical truth.

STEVEN J. LAWSON, PRESIDENT, ONEPASSION MINISTRIES

Graciously exegetes the prosperity gospel in a way that is clear and helpful to someone who is mostly ignorant of the movement.

SUMMER JAEGER, PODCAST HOST, SHEOLOGIANS

We come away from this compulsively readable book as encouraged as we are enlightened. A testimony of grace that exalts the God who saves.

OWEN STRACHAN, AUTHOR, ALWAYS IN GODS HANDS AND AWAKENING THE EVANGELICAL MIND

Costi is a kind and gentle shepherd who loves his sheep. As you read this book, hear it delivered in the voice of someone who cares about you.

TODD FRIEL, AUTHOR; HOST, WRETCHED TV AND RADIO

A refreshing and engaging reminder that the greatest blessing we could ever receive is already ours in Christs gospel.

JARED C. WILSON, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SPURGEON COLLEGE

This sobering assessment is also a loving and compassionate plea for those trapped in the prosperity gospel. I enthusiastically commend this book to you.

JUSTIN PETERS, EVANGELIST AND APOLOGIST, JUSTIN PETERS MINISTRIES

Nothing short of an earth-shaking account of a man who once walked in darkness but has come into the light.

JEFF ROBINSON, SENIOR EDITOR, THE GOSPEL COALITION

Not only diagnoses the disease of the false gospel that has infested the church but also offers the cure.

DR. RICHARD BARGAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IFCA INTERNATIONAL

Paints a picture of the prosperity gospel rarely seen. A clear account of the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

DAWAIN ATKINSON, HOST AND FOUNDER, THE B.A.R. PODCAST NETWORK

A helpful primer on the prosperity gospel. The perfect blend of testimony, teaching, and tried-and-true tips for ministering to those caught in unbiblical teaching.

MICHELLE LESLEY, WOMENS DISCIPLESHIP BLOGGER, AUTHOR, AND SPEAKER

Costi has wonderfully laid out his story of being saved from the prosperity gospel world. I pray that this book will be widely read.

BROOKS BUSER, PRESIDENT, RADIUS INTERNATIONAL

Eye opening, God honoring, biblically accurate, honest, and gracious. Required reading for every Christian.

BARRY L. CAMERON, PASTOR, CROSSROADS CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Writing with raw honesty and without personal vendetta, Costi provides an enormous service to the church.

CORY M. MARSH, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SEMINARY

ZONDERVAN

God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel

Copyright 2019 by Costi Hinn

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ISBN 978-0-310-35527-4 (softcover)

ISBN 978-0-310-35529-8 (audio)

ISBN 978-0-310-35528-1 (ebook)

Epub Edition May 2019 9780310355281

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version. Public domain.

Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.

Cover design: Studio Gearbox

Cover illustrations: vkilikov / Nikolay Antonov / Shutterstock

Interior design: Denise Froehlich

Printed in the United States of America

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Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that the footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

Dedicated to my wife, Christyne, and our children. This book is a memorial stone of Gods undeserved grace upon us. May we always determine to be nothing but humble, faithful, trustworthy servants of the body of Christ. God gets the glory. We get the joy.

Statement of Financial Accountability

In an effort to operate with transparency and integrity, allow me to state the obvious: a book speaking against the prosperity gospel technically makes money off of the prosperity gospel. As such, it is my conviction that a word concerning the use of royalties is appropriate here. I intend to use proceeds from this book to fund theological education and resources for pastors and leaders who have been exploited by the prosperity gospel. I pray that this project will give more than it ever takes. May it be blessed to be a blessing.

Contents

A project like this is no solo effort. Ive had tremendous support from people who have walked with me along the way.

I am grateful for my wife, Christyne. Shes stood faithfully by my side, been a constant prayer warrior, and loved me unconditionally in my seasons of doubt and despair. She is the greatest teammate God could have ever given me. Her keen and constructively critical eye has been an asset throughout this project, and her willingness to sacrifice our one day off a week allowed me to write outside of my regular schedule working for our church. I didnt write this book on church time, when people expected me to be doing my job. She saw the big picture and believed this would be worth the sacrifice. She is my crown jewel (Prov. 12:4).

Next, I wouldnt be where I am today without our church family. The elders and members at Mission Bible Church have prayed for us, supported us, and encouraged us every step of the way. Im thankful for the teaching pastor, Anthony Wood, who gave me my first non-prosperity gospel ministry job, then discipled me. Before I ever started seminary, he gave me three generations of theological booksmy first libraryfrom his grandfather (Ralph), who was a pastor, his dad (Gene), who was a pastor, and his own collection. These allowed me to learn historical truths that orthodox Christians have trusted for millennia. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Wood family for their selfless sacrifice for more than seven years.

Myriad friends have helped this project come to fruition. It was Dr. Owen Strachan, my friend and a professor from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, who called me one sunny California afternoon and warmly demanded, You have to write a book and help people on this topic! Im thankful for his passion for the truth. Erik Wolgemuth has become a trusted ally, and without his expertise and guidance, this project would not have come this far. Most of all, he prioritizes the gospel. I cant imagine partnering with anyone else to publish books. My editor, Carolyn McCready, and the entire team at Zondervan are heroic for being willing to stand up to the prosperity gospel and publish this book. Their guidance has been nothing but superb. With so much corruption in the world today, this generation needs a publisher like Z to put out material that rescues and inspires us to have hope.