Born into televangelist wealth

Costi Hinn grew up in a nearly 10,000-square-foot home with an indoor hot tub, pool, and steam room. By high school he drove a Mercedes; by 20 he owned an H2 Hummer with a $10,000 Breitling watch.

“Beamers, Benz's, and Bentley's.”

The prosperity gospel promise

Costi believed his family's wealth proved God's favor. He was taught that faith and donations would bring riches, while illness or infertility meant weak faith.

“If you have enough faith, if you believe like us, if you do what we do. Oh, God will make you rich.”

Working behind the scenes

Around 2003, Costi became his uncle's personal assistant, traveling on private planes and working as a catcher at healing crusades. Close proximity to the ministry's operations sparked his doubts.

“I started questioning when I was younger in my teenage years, why certain things didn't happen as they were said to have happened.”

Realizing nobody got healed

Working the crusades, Costi saw that people weren't actually being healed despite his uncle's prayers. This contradiction between the ministry's claims and reality became impossible to ignore.

“What really got me was working for him and seeing everything behind the scenes and realizing nobody's really getting healed.”

Benny Hinn Ministries under fire

While Costi worked there, HBO and CBC investigations questioned the ministry's healing claims. The IRS opened a tax inquiry in 2004, and Senator Chuck Grassley's office reviewed the ministry's finances.

The difficult exit

Costi stopped working for his uncle in 2004 but took over a decade to speak publicly. Family loyalty and the seductive lifestyle made leaving psychologically difficult.

“It is so easy to forget when just after questioning, you begin to live in the extravagance and the lavish blessings of that lifestyle.”

Now a critic of prosperity gospel

Costi runs For the Gospel, a nonprofit ministry with a $700,000 to $800,000 annual budget that files IRS disclosures. He's written books and spoken publicly about the manipulation he witnessed.

“I left it all when I found out it was a total scam.”

Ministry disputes his account

Benny Hinn Ministries denies Costi's claims, saying his limited role gave him no real insight. The board also questions his motives, suggesting he profits from his association with the ministry.