“Liberty University is not partnering with Benny Hinn.” O RLY?

UPDATE #4, Monday, April 7, 9PM EST:

I have written a new blog post, which summarizes in the most concentrated terms the strongest points of this post:

http://matthewgrantmcdaniel.com/alumni-liberty-university-benny-hinn-godwinsgottago/

 

UPDATE #3, Saturday, April 5, 5:30PM EST:

Ronald Godwin himself has added an official  Provost’s statement to Liberty’s news page on the issue. As a matter of respect and editorial integrity, I present his statement here, in full:

As the Liberty University Official who appeared on the Benny Hinn TV show I offer the following in order to explain why and what actually occurred.

The reason why I appeared on Pastor Hinn’s show was because of my understanding that small church pastors in multiple countries are facing government takeovers of their churches and the loss of their own rights as pastors.  It was explained to me that there are literally thousands of pastors and churches in imminent danger.

Mr. Reber’s contribution to the project would have provided pastors with at least a modicum of Bible education and a diploma certifying same and Pastor Benny Hinn’s contribution would have been to ordain those pastors through his worldwide church, thus providing a double shield of protection against government takeover.

Because of the urgency of the request and the assurances by Mr. Reber that he had been authorized since 2009 by Liberty University to sell Liberty University Institute of Biblical Studies courses via Benny Hinn Ministries, I agreed without hesitation to appear on the Benny Hinn TV show with the understanding that I would have the opportunity to confirm what I believed at that time to be true: That Liberty University does grant college credit for Institute of Biblical Studies courses successfully completed.

What I failed to anticipate was that what I actually said would be lost beneath the weight of the gravely wrong assumption that I was announcing a partnership between Liberty and Benny Hinn. And I further relied on Pastor Hinn’s personal assurance that no public pronouncements would be made without my approval — which approvals I never gave, orally or in writing.

Today I was informed by Liberty University’s attorney that Mr. Reber apparently does not have the authority to market LUIBS courses on Benny Hinn’s program. But I want to go on the record that I still believe today that Mr. Reber sincerely believed he had such authority when he asked me for my help. And I believe that Dan Reber’s motivation was to provide Bible education to pastors in desperate need of such education.

It is my sincere prayer that the mistake I made in attempting to generate desperately needed help for pastors around the globe will not result in further hardship for those pastors and further distractions for Liberty University and its mission.

Here are my observations:

1) Dr. Godwin’s statement is sincere, and it seems the intention was a kind of pragmatic relationship between Benny Hinn and Dan Reber’s organization to stand against a political problem of religious persecution.

2) The threat of international small-church pastors facing government takeovers is very real. There are in fact many organizations working to combat this injustice.

3) But it is not necessary for Liberty, Godwin, Reber, LHBI, anyone to work with Benny Hinn –at all– to do this noble work.

4) The very moment there was a possibility of a partnership between Hinn’s ordination and Liberty’s name, in any capacity, should have been the moment that Dr. Godwin advised Dan Reber to call this off. Period. There are way better ways to go about doing this work.

5) Why, why why in the world would “Mr. Reber [be] authorized since 2009 by Liberty University to sell Liberty University Institute of Biblical Studies courses via Benny Hinn Ministries”??? That means five years ago the school itself decided the pragmatic political solution to this very real problem was somehow worth the risk to associate with Benny Hinn. This was an unwise decision.

6) Dr. Godwin says he agreed without hesitation to appear on Hinn’s video, as long as it was clear that Dan Reber had the permission to do the deal. Why didn’t Dr. Godwin hesitate about the possible fallout for even appearing to partner with Hinn? To put it plainly: does Dr. Godwin agree that Benny Hinn is a problem, or not?

7) I will take Dr. Godwin at his word that Reber genuinely believed he had the authority to do the deal. It seems like, in the video, Reber’s heart was in the right place (he wanted to provide Bible training and share the gospel). As further evidence of his good intentions, Reber even hinted at the end of the video that he was aware of the potential controversy that could come from working with Hinn –and he was going for it, anyway.

8) That being said, where is Dr. Godwin’s realization, or even a hint of a realization, that working with Hinn would be a problem?

9) Regarding Dr. Godwin’s final statement: the help for these pastors is indeed desperately needed. But Benny Hinn is not a partner. He is a false prophet. And if that is the case, then this is not just a mistake; it’s a deal with the devil.

And it is deeply, deeply concerning that –despite the good intentions, and despite the careful calculated political move to partner with an unlikely ally– Dr. Godwin did not have the discernment to see how ill-advised this was.

It seems Dr. Godwin made the decision, apparently without the counsel or permission from other Liberty administration, to leverage the entire school’s name for the sake of helping these pastors around the world.

And while that is a worthy cause, it was a reckless decision to associate Liberty with Hinn at any level or capacity.

The distraction here for Liberty University and its mission was the very instance of ever cooperating with Benny Hinn in the first place. Dr. Godwin seems to be taking sole responsibility for that.

If that’s the case, then the distraction is Dr. Godwin.

And so I stand with many other alumni to make the only ethical, logical, moral, and even Biblical conclusion.

#GodwinsGottaGo

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UPDATE #2, Saturday, April 5, 12PM EST:

Liberty University has added an extensive explanation on a further revised statement.

For those of you not interested in navigating through the now-much-taller straw man they’ve presented us, let me give you the TL/DR version of my response:

Ronald Godwin should never have met with, never have even considered greenlighting the IDEA of, meeting with Benny Hinn in the first place.

Much less associating Liberty’s name with Benny Hinn, in ANY capacity, regardless of the many levels of business abstraction there are between the school and Dan Reber’s separate-but recognized entity.

In this morning’s statement, the Liberty news site provides seven detailed points, five and a half of which deal further with the complex relationship the University has with Dan Reber’s ‘Liberty Bible Institute.’

One and a half of those points (half of point 5, and all of point 6) deal with the only real important issue here: the question of Ron Godwin’s involvement and participation.

6. Was Mr. Godwin operating as a Liberty University representative in his endorsement of Mr. Reber’s partnership with Benny Hinn?
No. His communications were not authorized and were contrary to the terms of Liberty University’s contracts with Mr. Reber and his company. Dr. Godwin says that he was advised that Mr. Reber had the contractual right to sell IBS courses and says that he asked Benny Hinn not to air the program until he returned to Virginia and confirmed that Liberty had granted Reber the rights to sell the courses.

I’ll be blunt. NO. Wrong answer.

1) Ronald Godwin is always a representative of Liberty University, even if you happen to bump into him at Kroger in Lynchburg.

2) He is especially visible when he appears on a video with a very high-profile and controversial figure such as Benny Hinn.

3) Let’s just accept this explanation for a moment. Are we to believe that Godwin actually trusted Benny Hinn, given his history, to NOT cash in on borrowed credibility and take advantage of the fact that a senior-level official of the school is on video with him?

4) If Dr. Godwin’s communications were not authorized, serious disciplinary action should be taken.

But the over-arching, painfully obvious point is this:

There should have been no question, whatsoever, in Dr. Godwin’s mind that colluding with Benny Hinn in ANY WAY was a terrible idea. It should NEVER HAVE HAPPENED in the first place.

The thought should have crossed his mind, and the words should have left his mouth: “There is no way I could ever allow the Liberty University name, officially or OTHERWISE, EVER be associated with a con-man and charlatan like Benny Hinn.”

The End!

In sum, the volumes of information that Liberty is providing us on the tenuous business relationship with Dan Reber is completely irrelevant, at this point.

Instead of Liberty University trying to thoroughly establish distance between themselves and Dan Reber, Ron Godwin should have known from the start to place as much distance between Liberty and Benny Hinn as possible.

And, furthermore, Liberty University clearly needs to establish as much distance as possible between themselves and Ron Godwin.

Permanently.

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UPDATE #1, Friday, April 4, 5PM EST:

Liberty University has released a much more detailed revised statement.

After giving a deeper background into the complex business relationship between the University and the Dan Reber-owned (but Liberty-licensed) ‘Liberty Home Bible Institute’ and the ‘Institute of Biblical Studies,’ the statement addresses (without naming names) the issue of Ron Godwin appearing in the video:

It is true that a senior administrator of Liberty University appeared on a Benny Hinn program where a certificate program was promoted, but no other Liberty officials had prior notice of the planned broadcast. The administrator appeared after he was misinformed regarding the extent of Mr. Reber’s contract rights.

This part shouldn’t sit well with anyone who is invested in the good name of our school. Here are three reasons why:

1) This statement implies that Dr. Godwin did not so much as inform his boss –the Chancellor of the school, the very son of the founder himself, that he was representing the school in an official capacity, let alone communicating, with Benny Hinn.

2) Does that mean that Dr. Godwin did not even have the discernment to think that, you know, maybe this would be a bad idea???

3) The statement is providing a straw man (terms of a contract with Dan Reber) in place of the real issue (i.e….. Benny Hinn).

Also, this statement fails to explain how, on the back cover of his 2009 book ‘Blood in the Sand,‘ Hinn remarks of his School of Ministry, “offering a cooperative relationship with Liberty University in college-level studies.”

This would also match up with Hinn’s statement on the promotional website, “For some time now we have been in dialogue with Liberty University Institute of Biblical Studies in Lynchburg, Virginia…”

So, if I am taking them at their word, the statement suggests that Dr. Godwin went rogue and didn’t mention any of this to Chancellor Falwell. And, unless Benny is lying (and I’m not saying that hasn’t happened before…) then this has actually been in the works for the past few years. Meaning: Dr. Godwin (or someone) has been aware of this potential partnership with Hinn since at least 2009, and apparently did not inform anyone else of this.

Well, is that the case?! And if it is, then how will Liberty University handle Dr. Godwin’s apparent unprecedented and irresponsible behavior?

We’re waiting.

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Original Post, from April 3:

Spoiler alert: I’m an alumnus of Liberty University. Yes, that one.

This morning a friend of mine, also an alumnus, sent me this:

Liberty University Institute of Biblical Studies – Benny Hinn Ministries

At Benny Hinn’s site, we see what appears to be an announcement of a partnership with Liberty University, along with an 11 minute video interview to that effect.

Regardless of the conclusions you may jump to, I can solidly say I never expected to see those two names in the same sentence. Hinn is a documented huckster with a terrible fiscal reputation (so far as being lumped in with a U.S. Senate investigation into his alleged financial activities) and a streak of bad theology, including lots of failed “prophecies” of Jesus’ return.

Don’t get me wrong: I love Charismatics, and a good Bible education should be available to all. But Hinn is different. He is in a class of his own. His track record speaks for itself.

You don’t even need to be a Christian to see that kind of behavior for what it is. Benny Hinn steals money from poor people whom he convinces he can supernaturally heal from serious diseases just by touching them –and furthermore teaches that to doubt this power will lead to God withholding money/life/happiness from said poor people. Meanwhile, he’s a very rich man, proFITing from his false proPHECy.

Now, a few hours after I saw the announcement, the allegation spread across the interwebs: “Liberty University is partnering with Benny Hinn!”

Well, hold on. Liberty was lightning quick to release a statement to explain:

Liberty University is not partnering with Benny Hinn.  Liberty transferred the operations of Liberty Home Bible Institute, a non-accredited biblical studies certificate program, to Mr. Dan Reber a number of years ago.  It is our understanding that LHBI’s new operators are working with Benny Hinn but LHBI is no longer operated by Liberty University.  Mr. Reber was granted certain licensing rights to use Liberty’s name because the Liberty name was deeply imbedded in LHBI course materials.  He was also required to obtain permission from Liberty University for any changes in marketing of the courses and Liberty University is investigating to determine whether this new marketing approach violates the terms of its agreement with Mr. Reber.

Okay. Well, three things:

1) Ronald Godwin, the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost of the University, was quite present in the video and fully affirming. He has significant authority to make academic and business decisions. He is a very high-profile representative of the school. His very presence in this announcement flatly contradicts Liberty’s statement.

2) Hinn’s press release, website, promotional materials, and the diploma in the video itself (see above) clearly says “Liberty University” –NOT “Liberty Home Bible Institute.”

3) At the very end of the video, the words Dan Reber USED were “someone asked me, ‘you’re going to do a partnership with pastor Benny?’ And I said, ‘To reach this world for Christ, absolutely yes.'”  So…how does that jibe with the big, bold headline of Liberty’s statement: “Liberty not partnering with Hinn”?

Um, guys….factual statements that are self-contradictory, much?

Possibly the worst part: the pitch seems conflicted. On Hinn’s side, we hear something like a sales pitch: “Pastors around the world are being persecuted and their churches are being shut down because they don’t have ministerial credentials. Well, have we got a deal for YOU!” But, on Reber and Godwin’s side, it seems less like a sales pitch (though that’s still there) and more like an educational mission. At best, we’re getting mixed signals, here. And it’s hard to miss the dollar signs in Hinn’s eyes.

Now, maybe there’s a pragmatic consideration. Maybe Liberty struck a deal with Hinn to teach solid Bible material to the large network of people he holds in his circle of influence. It would be a wonderful thing, after all, to reach folks who have been hoodwinked by Hinn’s Prosperity Gospel/False Healing/Seed Faith/Date-Setting “ministry.”

And that would be a pragmatic way to go about it, sure. But the cost of such an exchange is legitimizing Hinn’s long history of using the gospel and evangelism (and falsely proclaiming he has the supernatural power to heal people just by touching them) for his own financial gain. That has been his life. Regardless of the branding or actual ownership of the program, Liberty is giving a stamp of approval for Hinn’s fraud.

Benny Hinn is a false prophet. You don’t do business with the false prophet. You rebuke him for money-grubbing, or you cast the demons out of his medium and tell him to hang it up. At least that’s what happened in Acts 8 and 16.

Instead, under this arrangement, Hinn is essentially a vendor for Liberty Home Bible Institute, and he gets to tie in his World Healing Fellowship and resulting ministry ordination in a credibility piggy-back.

From a business standpoint, for the parties involved that would be a “win-win.” And, if you believe this move could positively benefit people in a spiritual growth sort of way, then it’s a Michael Scott-style “win-win-win.”

And, if you’re Benny, you’ve just created a new revenue stream for your “ministry,” so it’s a “win-win-win-Hinn.”

There are a lot of people out there who jump at bad news on Liberty because they want to believe the worst. Because they hated Jerry Falwell. Because they want to see the school fail.

I want to make it clear that I’m not one of those people. I hold two degrees from Liberty. I have a lot of skin the game, here. I am actually eager to see Liberty succeed within the purity of its own stated vision to produce “Champions for Christ.”

I am motivated to say something because I care, and not because I want to destroy. If I wanted Liberty to fail, I would just sit back and refuse to stick my neck out to say anything.

Because, if my observations hold water and those three points above are valid, Liberty is doing a splendid job of messing this up all by themselves.

There is admittedly something wonderful about the potential to take in those among Hinn’s congregation and exposing them to the contents of LHBI’s courses, particularly the THEO and BIBL 104 courses, which are rigorous and will no doubt shed light on at least some of Hinn’s falsehoods.

But if that is actually the motivation here (and I doubt it, I think the business case is stronger), then I worry that Liberty has risked too much for that goal. I also worry that Liberty (or at least the decision-maker behind this deal, which I assume was Dr. Godwin) is actually operating from an assumption to accept Hinn as legitimately evangelical.

If that is the case, then it’s a bad move.

The goal of spreading the gospel around the world is awesome, and it sounds good. I hope for the best.

But unfortunately, this really looks to me like a case of Liberty leveraging its legitimate diploma and ministry to bolster Hinn’s phony ones.

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