Andre Kole is regarded as one of the foremost magicians and illusionists in the world today. By the end of 1993, people in 76 countries had witnessed his astounding illusionary feats. He is also the author of Miracles or magic? This fascinating book reveals the difference between divine power and man-made magic. Most importantly, Kole is a committed Christian who has used his talent for over 30 years to share the reality of Jesus Christ with millions of people through his ministry with Campus Crusade.
Andre was able to interview the US TV evangelist and 'faith healer' Benny Hinn. He writes:
Recently, in the course of my research on faith-healing, Benny Hinn graciously agreed to meet with me. A time was scheduled, and what was just to be a luncheon meeting ended up lasting for many hours.
During our afternoon together, I came to Benny in love and with a sincere desire as a fellow-Christian to confront him with some things that I thought were not right. I want to make it very clear that it is not my intention to attack Benny's character or motives in anything I say. After spending time with him and watching a number of his interviews on television, it is my opinion that Benny is a sincere man who wants to serve and honour God in all that he does.
After several hours of discussion with Benny regarding the differences between faith-healing and divine healing and the fact that about one-third of all diseases are organic, I told him that if divine healing were taking place in his meetings, we should expect about one-third of all the healings to be of organic disorders and have the same characteristics as divine healings in the Bible.
Near the end of our time together, a portion of which Benny graciously allowed me to tape, Benny said: 'Andre, I see you as a friend, and maybe together we can do something for the Lord, to bless the work of the Lord. When it comes to the healing ministry, God has called me to the healing ministry. I believe in the healing ministry. I believe the miracles are genuine. Yes, some are psychosomatic. We all know that. When people come on the platform, I don't ask them: 'Was your sickness psychosomatic?'. I wouldn't ask that. It's not my place to ask that. It's my place to pray for them and believe God with them for the miracle. Maybe you'll never see eye to eye with me on miracles and on healings. But I think we're both after the genuine and the real, and not the phoney. I will gladly work with you on that. Let the miracles speak for themselves. I would more than gladly give you those names or any names you want for you to go check them out thoroughly.'
Request for documentation
Although Benny directly admitted in this statement that he is aware that various healings he sees through his ministry are psychosomatic, for the next several months he appeared on various nationally broadcast television programmes and requested the help of millions of people to provide him with documentation of cases of divine healing to include in a book he was planning to write to prove to the sceptics that divine healings were taking place, not just psychosomatic ones.
All of us who were interested in this subject eagerly awaited the publication of this landmark book. A year and a half later, a book of only 166 pages and just ten cases was published. There was absolutely no documentation provided for any case included in the book.
It was also obvious from the text of most of the cases that the healings did not match the biblical model Jesus provided for a genuine, divine healing. I personally investigated two of the cases and found that they involved extensive medical treatment and surgery prior to the healing - treatment which also included a lengthy recovery period. All of this significant medical information was omitted from the book. My findings coincided with the findings of those who took the time to investigate other cases included in the book.
Benny Hinn quotes the well-known faith healer of the past, Smith Wigglesworth, who said: 'The day will come when a man without legs will be carried down the aisle and we will see legs grow right before our eyes. People without eyes will have eyeballs instantly pop into their sockets.' All I can say is that when this type of organic healing finally does take place, then there will be no question about the reality of genuine, divine healing at the hands of the faith healers.
As I stated earlier, most of us have the desire to see and experience the supernatural. When Benny Hinn or anyone else creates the illusion that this is happening in their services, they create a trap for themselves because this is what people come to see. So the illusion must be continued to keep the people coming. Dr. C.M. Ward, a spokesman for the largest charismatic denomination, affirmed that this trap is a more widespread problem than we might think. He said: 'The biggest problem we have with our Assemblies of God ministers is to get them to resist the temptation to manipulate their audiences to make it appear that miracles are taking place. Everyone comes expecting this and the ministers feel they have to produce this effect or their people will think God is not blessing their services any more.'
The wait continues
Benny faithfully promised time after time to work with me to prove to me and the world that divine, organic healing miracles are taking place every day and by the hundreds in his Miracle Crusades. He faithfully promised to start sending me documented examples immediately.
At one point I said: 'Benny, I don't mean to be unkind, but I think I should mention that for 35 years every Christian faith healer I have contacted has made the same promises you have, and I have never heard from them again.' Benny replied: 'You will hear from me. I'll supply you with those names right away. I will get them to you. I'll have my secretary immediately send them to you. We'll start feeding them to you by next week, by Monday.'
After a month had gone by, I contacted Benny to remind him of his promises to me and requested documentation for several of the cases he had presented on his television shows, but there was no response then or any time since.
Of course, there is no question that God can totally and instantly heal any person of any disease at any time, anywhere. I have never once questioned this fact. However, this does not seem to be God's standard operating procedure for our day, in spite of much wishful thinking. Genuine cases of divine healing are few and far between (as you will discover later in this book), and they do not take place according to the faith healers' desires and formulas.
Final word
I would like to close this chapter with one final excerpt from my conversations with Benny Hinn.
Benny: 'Andre, I look at you as a very sincere person that really wants to find out the real thing, and I would very much like to join my hands with you and do it together. Now when it comes to healings, do they really happen? Are they for real? This is where you and I need to sit down and really talk, and I need to show you those cases. This is one area I want to join hands with you on.'
Andre: 'I really would appreciate seeing some documented cases.'
Benny: 'I would love to supply them.'
Andre: 'And if we can't find any?' (long pause)
Benny: 'Well - we'll discuss that then.'
After patiently waiting for more than two years for Benny to fulfil his promise to provide the documentation for at least one case of divine healing, I am inclined to think that the 'then' has now arrived.
This extract is taken from the recent book, The Healing Promise, by Richard Mayhue, published by Mentor / Christian Focus, and is used with permission.
