Ulf Ekman on Benny Hinn: He preaches a gnostic “Jesus”

Both Ulf Ekman and Benny Hinn are Word of Faith teachers. But during the last years, Hinn and Ekman has moved their theology in two different directions.

While Ekman has managed to over jump even his Lutheran roots, and promotes end time unity with Rome, Hinn has started to get new “super revelations” from God.

From the stage in Sweden, Hinn told the audience that the blood of Jesus was not from his Jewish mother, and other strange new, completely unknown doctrines. Ulf Ekman has a lot of explanation to do.

Hinns performance on stage left his Swedish host red faced. To the Swedish daily, Ulf Ekman stated: Some of the teaching of Benny Hinn is pure gnosticism. On Ekmans blog, he warned his readers not to believe all Hinn said, but rather read the Bible.

The flip side of the coin, is that Ekman is the man who invited Hinn to open the European Faith conference. Ekman has also for many years been a student of Faith teachers like Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin.

If Ulf Ekman ever reachers the Kingdom of Heaven, He was able to repent. Because the souls he has mislead, runs the risk of not making it into the eternal kingdom.

Source: Swedish Christian Daily, dagen.se.

Ulf Ekman about Benny Hinn: Heretical view of Jesus presented

Ulf Ekman about Benny Hinns Saturday sermon: - it was in some ways, a heretical view of Jesus that were presented

Healing evangelist Benny Hinn just left Sweden and Word of Lifes yearly conference, hosted by Pastor Ulf Ekman. A big part of christianity here in Sweden raised their eyebrows when Word of Life church announced they would call the flamboyant millionaire and so called healing evangelist. Pastor Ulf Ekman seemed to have missed years of strange doctrines and false prophecies flowing out of the mouth of Benny Hinn. While the largest christian newspaper in Sweden (Dagen.se) questioned Benny Hinns visit before, during and after his coming to Sweden, their smaller competitor varldenidag.se tried their best to defend pastor Hinn. As many of the employees at Världen idag are members of Word of Life Church, and Ulf Ekman himself chairman of the board, this was in many ways expected. Only after Ulf Ekman strongly came against Benny Hinns teaching, the Word of Life newspaper released some of the more critical voices against Hinn. They have yet to mention the strange Paula White – Benny Hinn relationship that started to unfold around the world on the same day Hinn came to Word of Life.

Somewhat pressured by the massive criticism from both Dagen.se and a majority of the christian blog-community Ulf Ekman promised in advance that he would correct any strange teachings by Benny Hinn.  To the surprise of many, Ulf Ekman came through with that promise in a blogpost (also quoted in the newspaper Dagen). Ulf Ekman did not spare his words when describing Benny Hinns sermon held on Saturday, 24th of July.

From Ulf Ekmans blog July 26th:

”… it is my duty to comment Saturday evening’s strange teaching. I must say I was shocked by the content of Benny Hinns teaching. We have known each other since 1986, although it’s been a while since we met last. There is no doubt that the Lord has used him as an evangelist all over the world for many years. …I appreciate him a lot and really like him as a healing evangelist. Having said this, and it is important that it must be said, I must say that I have never in all the meetings I have had with him, heard all this, what he said and taught us yesterday. His preaching… went far beyond what I mean is classic Christian faith and sound doctrine. It was not just some Gnostic elements, it unfortunately had far too much of pure gnosticism.

I write this only after talking to him privately last night and because these are very serious questions. Too many believers do not care about either theology or its roots… The same Holy Spirit who does miracles, also provides sound and genuine nourishment – miracles alone can not confirm all of our teachings.

Saturday night began with Benny talking about the Holy Spirit as person, not just as a force. But very quickly… became extremely speculative about pre-adam races and past sin. It was also unnecessarily complicated when he spoke of the Trinity from ”the human trinity” standpoint. Our body is not just an outer shell… without an essential and integral part of our identity and personality. We do not downplay the body’s role, on the contrary. We are not a spirit, in contrast to our body. We are spirit, soul and body, or spirit and flesh, and man’s so-called trinity is kept together in one unit – our personality, and we can not separate it into various isolated compartments. Therefore, the resurrection of the body so important, because the body is at least as important as the soul,as Benny mentioned, but mostly in passing.

A heretical view of Jesus presented

When it finally came to Jesus in the sermon, it was in some ways, a heretical view of Jesus that were presented. The son was not the Son of eternity, the Father is not Father of eternity, and then it sounded like there was a time when the Son did not exist. I asked him about this directly after the meeting and he denied that this is what he meant, but he felt that the Son was eternal as the Word and called Son only after coming to earth. It was also strange when he speculated that ”if Jesus had sinned, his body would not have decayed anyway.” This is important to reject, for in that case the body of Jesus was not an actual body, making the incarnation incomplete and illusory.


About Ulf Ekman (Biography)

Ulf Ekman (born 8 December 1950 in Gothenburg) is a Swedish charismatic pastor and founder of the charismatic church Livets Ord (Word of Life), which brought the Word of Faith movement to Sweden.

In the charismatic church world, Ulf Ekman is considered to be mentor, spiritual father, and pastor of pastors. Rev. Kong Hee has claimed Ulf Ekman to be his spiritual coach, and during the years they have had a close relationship.

and….

Ekman now seems to have broadened his doctrinal horizons with studies in patristic and church history. He has now an ecumenical approach to other congregations. In 2006 the archbishop of the Catholic Church in Sweden Anders Arborelius was invited to World of Life church in Uppsala for a public discussion. Through the Livets Ord University, which is a branch of the Oral Roberts University, Ekman publishes a theological magazine, containing articles from a broad, classical Christian point of view. This magazine has articles from different Christian traditions and exerts from patristic writings. But a critical analysis of the Word of Faith movement’s own teachings hasn’t been published to this day.

This sermon is from Europakonferensen 30/07-2004 kl 19.30. Kong Hee announce that Ulf Ekman is his mentor, and that you don't have to pray to God for advice if you have a God given mentor. Search also at Youtube: Ulf Ekman - Amazing grace or crazy grace.