Random Reads: God, Greed, and the Prosperity Gospel

 If the name Hinn rings a bell, it's because the author is the nephew of the Word-of-Faith preacher, Benny Hinn. Costi grew up in the heyday of the Hinn empire and has a great story of how he came out of that belief system and into a rich (pun intended), Bible-based belief in Jesus Christ. 

I enjoyed this book so much because Ben and I grew up in a charismatic Word-of-Faith church and have struggled with some of the same issues and come to the same conclusions. I also appreciate how Costi is so loving and respectful to his family, even while calling out what he sees as unbiblical thinking. Of course, where our stories differ is that Ben and I grew up in a smaller, poorer church. Everyone was humble, caring, and extremely loving. Our pastors and elders certainly were not high rollers living large at the expense of the congregation. Still, many of the underlying beliefs were the same. 

Costi is a great example of what it's like to stand firm on the Word of God, but in a loving and compassionate manner. It's a hard balance to achieve, but every believer will have to face that dilemma in one way or another. It's always good to have someone model speaking the truth in love.