Books I Recommend
More Than A Healer, by Costi Hinn
This book was nice. That’s the word that keeps coming to mind.
Nice. Like being offered a glass of lemonade on a warm day.
Pastor Costi Hinn writes about who Jesus is, and as you might guess by the title, He intends to showcase Jesus as more than a healer.
In a world where Prosperity preachers get more than their fair share of air time, this book was a refreshing read. This book causes us to remember foundational truths about who Jesus is and the greatest healing He accomplished for us at the cross- the healing of our relationship to God through the forgiveness of sin which was accomplished by His atoning sacrifice.
The subtitle to More Than A Healer reads: Not the Jesus You Want, But the Jesus You Need.
I think it is a great little book to add to any faith library and perhaps a sobering one for those caught up in the message of health & wealth as God’s purpose in their life.
In case you didn’t know, Costi Hinn is the nephew of Word of Faith preacher and healing evangelist Benny Hinn.
Costi Hinn once worked alongside his family at Benny’s crusades, but he had a theological falling away from the Prosperity brand of Christianity.
Part of Costi’s ministry is certainly to caution people not to follow his uncle and other Prosperity preachers. The bigger part, though, is that of a pastor and teacher in the Body of Christ.
The following is a quote from the book’s description on Amazon:
With gentle clarity and biblical wisdom, Costi explains how to pray for healing while submitting to God’s sovereignty, navigate tough conversations about the topic, and hold on to faith even in the most painful trials.
While praying for healing is common among all believers, mixing the reality of God’s sovereignty into the equation is not something that occurs within the Prosperity/ Word of Faith tradition.
I recently remarked on social media that I found great peace in knowing that God is sovereign in all things. A Word of Faith friend replied that the idea did not bring them any comfort whatsoever.
Leaving the doctrine of God’s sovereignty on the cutting room floor is commonplace in Word of Faith circles. It’s nice to see someone bridging the gap between asking in faith and trusting in God’s will.
I will add, as a side note, that I am very grateful for Costi Hinn’s teaching ministry. When I was backing away from my hyper-Charismatic faith and found myself out of church for around a year, I would tune in to Pastor Hinn’s Sunday service live streams. The messages were always edifying and it was nice (again, nice!) to know that he was ministering from a background that understood where I was coming from with my own Word of Faith/ Prosperity upbringing.
If you’re interested in hearing Costi’s testimony (because it is a fascinating one!) I will include a link here for you.
Costi tells his story of living the high life of a Prosperity Gospel preacher’s protege to falling away from the hyper-Charismatic movement and finally finding sound theology. A theology that reminded him of the truth that Jesus is more than a healer.
