Customer Reviews

Behind the Scenes : The True Face of the Fake Faith Healers

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Love can't be separated from truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). Discernment is a sign of maturity (Philippians 1:9). If somebody like Benny Hinn is misleading people, that should concern anybody who claims to be a follower of the God of truth (John 4:24). I would recommend Yves Brault's book even to those who are already familiar with the writings of people like Hank Hanegraaff. While Hank Hanegraaff, Dave Hunt, and others have documented some of the false teachings and false prophecies of Benny Hinn, John Avanzini, etc., Yves Brault also presents a side of these men that you won't see on their television programs. Brault attended Benny Hinn's church, and through Hinn's ministry came into contact with other ministries as well. What Brault's story reveals is a pattern of dishonesty, irresponsibility, and carelessness among some of the most popular televangelists and alleged faith healers. The problem isn't just false teaching and false prophecy. There are moral problems as well, and a lot of the alleged miracles, if not all of them, seem to be fraudulent. If you've read a book like Hank Hanegraaff's Christianity in Crisis (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 1997), get Yves Brault's book for a more specific, more personal perspective. If you think that the errors of men like Benny Hinn and Rodney Howard-Browne are insignificant, read Brault's book. It's an antidote to today's ecumenical confusion.

I am not a follower of any faith healer. In fact, I look for any information about exploitation of people by false methods of healing. The title of this book, BEHIND THE SCENES, THE TRUE FACE OF THE FAKE HEALERS led me to believe that information would be given by investigators who had researched and observed false practices in the area of healing. Instead, I found the content to be a complaint by the author of his being ignored by Benny Hinn (this occasion being mentioned repeatedly) and a rambling treatise about many various healers with no objective reporting at all. He wanders through his own personal troubles, again emphasizing how he has not found acceptance in the "healing community" that he would like to find. I found that the money spent on this book was a total waste!

Yves Brault's expose of Benny Hinn (and a few others in the process) certainly tugs at the heart-strings. If his account is truthful, the way he and his family (and many others) were treated by Hinn and his ministry is scandalous. There is certainly no reason why the story couldn't be true: Unfortunately, most of Brault's evidence is anecdotal and undocumented, which leaves it pretty much his word against Hinn's for the most part. It is also largely a tirade against Hinn for the way he was personally treated, rather than a thorough expose of faith healers (one or two chapters draw parallels with the hypnotic technique of Anton Mesmer, and there are also a few "fake healings" reported). Thus, Brault's narrative is awash with subjective statements such as when he recounts the story of Hinn having an elderly woman removed from the auditorium for coughing during his sermon, where he states that Hinn gave the lady a "hateful look" as he gestured for his bodyguards to escort her away. Exactly what constitutes a hateful look? Is it always distinguishable from mere annoyance? Of course not. A man (like Brault) with a bee in his bonnet about Hinn is bound to interpret an expression of mild dissatisfaction as intense hatred. Then, of course, we move away from objective reporting and toward personal ill-feeling. Fair enough, but Brault cannot expect it to be taken as anything other than it is: One man's story; one man's interpretation.

I have no reason to defend Hinn or other healing evangelists of his ilk. On the contrary, I positively loathe what they do and the deceptions the perpetrate. But this (rather poorly edited) book is, in the final analysis, of little concrete value. People who hate Hinn will believe every word; people who love Hinn will deny every word. Neither side will be able to prove anything. Behind the Scenes will convince those who want to be convinced, and will elicit only anger and staunch denial from those who do not want to be convinced.

An interesting read if you want to know what really goes on behind the scenes with many well known (fake) faith healers, as told from the writers own personal experience. The book does, however, contain several grammatical errors, but is still well worth the read.

This book is about the most important current controversy on the North American religious scene, the status of the charismatic gifts. The evidence which Brault presents that the current gifts are based on the teachings of Anton Mesmer, that they are an intentional hoax, and that the actual purpose of the charismatic movement is to separate bills from billfolds is extremely persuasive. And Brault really has been behind the scenes, closely associated with several prominent Pentecostal leaders.Sure,the book has some rough edges as other reviewers have noted. But no Christian who cares about the good reputation of God's Kingdom should miss this compelling story.

A strong deciet is the hardest one to spot. Like stealth weapons, they are hard to spot under radar. It takes a sensitive radar to pick out and pin point the enemies attack. Braults book
describes his travel to Florida to be one of Benny HInn's wokers. His family was very excited to finally get to be near Hinn but soon the scams and false teachings surfaced. The book is informative and the Braults are open about the hurts they faced during their time there. Having his daughter get tangled with one of the leaders of the movement who they respected (at the time), giving finanially to Hinn's ministry ( give to get gospel Hinn teaches) left him Yves and his wife drained of thier life savings, and thier children eventually departed after experiencing so much pain and the "agony of deciet". The saying is true- People walk in the front doors of the faith movement, thenthey leave quietly (but hurt) out the back door.- The sad thing is some dont leave. This book gets right to the core of the deceit, it describes the tactics used and gives evidence of
Bible twisting, money scams and exposes the secresy that Hinn's workers dare not say. It really helped me see the deceit in the faithmovement as I too used to attend and work at Henry Hinn's church and I can totally relate to what the book is saying.

From another long time friend from many years ago, I too was in the same services, in the front, and in the back. many people were hurt by lies, that they believed were true. I even quit when I was called into the back from vicious gossip, and I was going almost seven nights a week helping out this ministry.
We even did some awesome work together as a team many times, but we never recieved any blessings, that we were worthy of our hire, while Henry reaped all of the $$$ from the sales of our work together, along with another dear guy who was our special musician.
Yes a lot of people were hurt, and a lot of things were said about dear members in the congregation in mocking done behind the scenes, then to be so full of love to these very same people that were just talked about behind the stage, while he would smile back at us all who were suppossed to be in on his kind of jokes.
It was so wrong, even to a dear lady who was to have her children hanging out with his, Henry's wife quickly rushed out her two kids with their nanny, so when the lady came to ask where they would meet. henry's wife quickly said that their children were too busy, even to not being allowed to say where they lived, when I was in a car with another christian lady in their church, as their daughter also babysat the children, to quickly enlightening me that I was not to say where they lived in White Rock. The nicest parts of the wealthy lifestyle, yes I seen a whole lot, too much even as they then gossiped about me being so bad.
If I was so bad, then they shouldn't have even had me in their ministry, let alone spreading around all of the lies, when I spoke out against their way of running a church.
Now I go to a rocking church filled full of life, and I haven't ever looked back, until I was told about this book, and I saw your postings, way to go Dave, and please give my hellos to the wife too. Blessings brother, may you always shine that bright light.

Angelwings

Forget all of the Christian stuff, this book is a must for the atheist and skeptic alike. This is a very good expose on the trickery these flim-flammers use, and how people like Benny Hinn prey on the gullible. Benny Hinn's television circus is still going strong, and I think that many could benefit from reading a book such as this.

Fake Faith Healer is a title that does NOT apply to Benny Hinn.
My good friend and fellow Prayer/Bible Study Partner was HEALED of cancer when Benny Hinn personnaly prayed for her at one of his Baltimore Maryland Crusades.
Fake is when NOTHING happens.
Healing is for those who believe.
Many times Jesus told those who sought Him, "As your faith is,
be it done unto you."
Check it out. Many examples are in the book of Mark. (The New Testament.) You can also read of others in Matthew, Luke, and
John.
God bless everyone searching for HIM.!!!