Complaint Review: Trinity Broadcasting Network TBN - Paul/Jan Crouch Sr. and family; and Evangelist Benny Hinn - Burnet Texas

Evangelist Benny Hinn frequently states on his TV show and on Trinity Broadcasting Network, a/k/a TBN:  "My best friends in the entire World are Jan and Paul Crouch, Sr."

Both of these Christian Ministries know millions of Christians and Jews, worldwide, want to, but can't make a pilgrimmage to the real Holy Land in Israel and purchase authentic Israeli-made sacred religious items actually made by God's Chosen People because the trip is too cost-prohibitive and because anti-semitism and terrorism are continually a threat in the Israel and the entire Middle East.  T

To boost income for their own Ministries, both the Hinn's Ministry and the Crouch's Ministry have been advertising certain religious items--jewelry, candles, anointing oil, worship garments, etc.--deliberately insinuating or outright claiming these items are made in the Holy Land in Israel.  However, when the item arrives, it instead has the stamp "Made In China" or the label "Made in China" on it.  It is unconscionable for any Christian Ministry that claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ, to purchase authentic Israeli-made sacred religious items and other Israeli-made souveniers, then contact factories in China (or other Nations), to create knockoffs of these authentic Israeli-made items so they can then give away as "love gifts" or sell as Holy Land items!  They aren't only stealing income from and helping to destroy the economy of God's Chosen People in the real Holy Land in Israel, but also ripping off people who bought these items, believing they were made in the real Holy Land in Israel, who are then stunned to see "Made In China" stamped on the item or written on the label instead of the words "Made In Israel" or "Made in Israel's Holy Land".  Instead of getting mad at the Crouch Ministry or Hinn Ministry, they blame the Jews in Israel for this, who knew nothing about this deliberate deceit!  It costs these Ministries far less money to have these items manufactured specifically for them in China then it does to buy them from Israel, so they order them custom-made in China, then they pocket the difference at the time they sell the items!  It astonishes me how these Ministries have the audacity to call themselves followers of Jesus Christ!  These Ministries and others who do this same thing, amazingly believe they are above God's laws and they will never have to answer to God for cheating their fellow Christians!

I've never known Benny Hinn's Ministry to do this, but the Crouch's TBN Ministry does this on a daily basis:  they create deliberately deceitful ads for the products they sell and/or give away as "love gifts".  They always use special music, special lighting, and computer-created enhancement to make all products appear to be quality, expensive items instead of the junk they mail you!  They all are stamped "Made in China", and look like they came from a Salvation Army Store or out of a bubble gum machine in a dime store!!  Whenever I have donated  money to TBN, the only quality items I have received have been DVDs, CDs, or books.  Within the past year or so, they have also begun putting a disclaimer on all their ads, stating if they run out of that particular item, they will replace it with another item.  Even if you donate money the first day they advertise that particular item on TV (using your credit card on their website), several times I haven't receive the item they advertised!  Instead, they mailed me a hunk of junk neither I nor anyone else would want or use!  When you complain to TBN that they didn't send the item advertised on TV, and complain about the poor quality of the replacement item, and/or you request a postage-paid mailing label to return the item to TBN, they coyly reply, "So sorry, but we ran out of that item, so had to send you a replacement item.   If you don't like that replacement item we sent you, then just give it away to a friend or family member or put it in the garbage."  (The latter statement proves that TBN is already aware it's a piece of garbage)!  There's no way I'd ever consider gifting to another adult half the junk that TBN has mailed me over the years!  A child might be interested, but many of the items are unsafe for children because China doesn't have child safety laws like we have here in the US.  We don't know if there is lead in the paint and many times the edges are sharp, so it would be easy for children to get hurt.  As if this isn't maddening enough, sometimes a month or so later, TBN re-advertises the identical item they earlier cheated you out of when you placed your original order.  If you want to play lottery for the a same product, it means you first must give them another financial contribution, and hope for the best!  I don't know of any genuine honest Christian Ministries that do things like this to their own financial supporters, and continue justifying their dishonesty, like TBN!  Evidently they continue getting way with it because not enough people have the courage or time to complain to their State's Attorney General Office, State Legislators, or US Legislators whenever TBN rips them off.  When they don't complain, they're actually contributing to the problem, enabling the Crouch family to continue ripping people off! 

TBN is now also using another trick to cheat people out of that nice advertised item they advertised on TV to make viewers want to mail them a financial contribution.  If you phone TBN on the same day you first see the item advertised, you are asked to give them your personal info, and also told to wait until after the bill arrives before you mail in your check.  Immediately; however, TBN mails you a different item from the nice quality item they advertised, before they ever bill you!   Instead, you are sent a hunk of junk, and when you call TBN to complain about it, they say, "We've already run out of the advertised item, so this is your replacement item!"  Some call this "CYA":  it's to legally preclude TBN from having to mail you the quality advertised item you saw and requested.  Instead of getting the DVD video game I was supposed to receive after I mailed in my $20 check, they immediately mailed me a paper-thin stamped metal cross finished only on the front side, without any solid metal backing.  Additionally, the cross was also missing what was touted to be a "genuine Holy Land widow's mite" in the center!  When I called to tell TBN that I hadn't even received my billing yet so hadn't mailed in my $20 check, and that they sent me a cross instead of the DVD video game I was supposed to receive after I mailed in my money, they said they had already supposedly "ran out of" the DVD video game!  Interestingly enough; however, yesterday, I heard them again advertise that same DVD video game on TBN and wondered, "How could that be?!  They told me they ran out of them!"  Obviously, TBN won't get a $20 check from me for cheating me that way!  They have done this to me one too many times!  They won't send you a postage-paid mailing label so you can return the item you did not order in exhange for the advertised item.  They know postage rates keep rising, so most people, as much as they want to return the piece of junk TBN sent them in place of the advertised item, won't pay to return it but will instead trash the item.  TBN's totally dishonest practice of advertising quality items to entice people into donating to their Ministry; and then not sending them the item they advertised is why I think multitudes of people who formerly financially contributed to TBN have stopped doing so:  I don't think it's mainly because of the economy.  Also, TBN now begs money from us all every single day, whereas in the past they used to so so only during their "Praise-A-Thons". 

Sadly, the entire Crouch family believes Jesus is already establishing His kingdom on Earth--and Jesus has already appointed them to be His "Royalty", His First Family on Earth--to manage the fiances for Jesus' One World Government.  Someone needs to educate the Crouch family Jesus hasn't yet returned for the Rapture!  It will be the AntiChrist, not Jesus, who will first establish his One World Order, 7 yrs. before the Battle of Armageddon, when Jesus returns to defeat the enemies of Israel, including the AntiChrist and His Prophet and casts Satan into the Lake of Fire (Hell).  The more everyone keeps naively praising the Crouch family for wasting all of that money that continually pours into their main TBN Ministry and all those other Ministries they keep creating for tax shelters, as well as continually buying and refurbishing buildings and properties all across America and the World to create more "palaces for God" (as Paul Crouch, Sr. calls them); and buying to give away for free, satellite dishes and other equipment for Russia's prisons, including wanting TBN's "Smile of A Child" to become Russia's official children's channel.  They don't have a clue Vladamir Putin is secretely planning to steal and use sometime in the near future (probably immediately following the Rapture), "Smile of A Child" to broadcast Communist propagada and spew hatred against Christians and Jews, worldwide!  Instead of using the bulk of that money TBN brings in to dig fresh water wells and provide food to fill the empty bellies of starving people in Third Wolrd Nations, clothing/shoes for those who have none, shelter for those who have no homes, and medicine for the World's poor around our World, the Crouch family wastes most of that money on amusement parks, theatres, recording studios, wax museums, etc. here in America to bring glory primarily to themselves, despite the fact they want us to believe they are doing it for God.  They told us a number of years ago that Jesus' Great Commission to spread the Gospel around the World has already been accomplished; that their satellites were already reaching all the Nations in the World.  Arthur Blessit has also carried the cross to every Country and Island group throughout the World.   TBN's satellite dishes and TV equipment won't fill the bellies of starving people who have been dying in Third World Nations!!  The more money people send the Crouch family, the more arrogant, self-righteous, greedy, and dictatorial they become!  They have been mismanaging God's money by not focusing it on where it's really needed!  Many of those who control the largest Christian Ministries keep getting wealthier and the middle and lower classes around this World, keep getting poorer.  Satan encourages them to ignore the needs of the starving and abused; not God:  they honestly believe they won't be accountable to God on Judgment Day for the things they have done and have failed to do.  In truth we all will be!  

In the case of Hinn's Ministry, when he began advertising their first prayer shawl (a/k/a tallit) for sale 3 - 5 yrs. ago, he advertised it as being made in Israel's Holy Land.  Hinn stated ours would be identical to his that he was holding in his hands:  made of white wool.  I ordered mine the very first day he advertised it.  He never said, nor did the Customer Svc. Rep. ever say, it would take 3 mos. to receive it.  About two weeks before mine finally arrived, I got a postcard stating, "Because of attacks on Israel, we needed to change facatories."  God's Holy Spirit immediately warned me, "The postcard says they needed to 'change factories'; they deliberately didn't tell you is they changed countries.  The prayer shawl isn't being made in the Holy Land in Israel."  The postcard stated if we didn't want the prayer shawl, we could cancel the order.  Based upon God's Holy Spirit speaking to me those prayer shawls/tallits weren't being made in Israel but another nation, and based on Hinn's promise we could cancel our order, I immediately dialed Hinn's Ministry and told the Customer Svc. Rep. I wanted to cancel my order for the prayer shawl.  She didn't want to cancel my order!  She immediately told me, "Oh, I've just seen one and I PROMISE you that you will LOVE it!"  I asked if it was actually made in Israel, and immediately, she changed the subject, again telling me how beautiful it was.  She kept arguing about not canceling my order, which sealed in my mind something was amiss.  I finally firmly told her, "I want my order cancelled!"  She flat-out lied to me that she would cancel the order.  A week later it arrived in the mail.  I wasn't only upset that woman hadn't cancelled my order, but the fabric was acrylic instead of wool; the color was ivory instead of white; and instead of label saying, "Made in Israel" or "Made In Israel's Holy Land", it said, "Made in China"!  When I had originally ordered it, I planned to give it as a Christmas present.  After 3 mos. of waiting, it enfuriated me that instead of being an authentic Jewish prayer shawl (tallit) made over in Israel, by God's Chosen People, it was made in a factory in China!  Also, Hinn knows the Bible says China will be one of the Nations that attacks Israel in the final days before Jesus returns, yet instead of building up Israel's economoy, he helped build up China's economy by having them manufacture his so-called "Holy Land" Jewish prayer shawl (tallit)!  I sent it back and it took me at least another 3 mos. before the credit finally appeared on my credit card!  

Because I can't afford to travel to Israel, when several months ago Hinn started to advertise another Holy Land prayer shawl/tallit--his "Power of the Holy Spirit" prayer shawl/tallit--I ordered it the very first day Hinn advertised it for sale (just as I had ordered that first prayer shawl/tallit Hinn advertised, 3 - 5 yrs. ago, on the first day he advertised it).  In neither case was I told, ahead of time, it would take 3 mos. or longer to receive it!  Although Hinn advertised that first prayer shawl/tallit as being made in the Holy Land, this time Hinn has promised us the prayer shawl/tallit is being hand made in the homes of God's Chosen People in Israel, and supposedly that's the reason it's taking so long to get them.  When I called this a.m. to complain that I've been waiting for months for this order, the Customer Service Representative stated, "We tell everyone ahead of time, when they place the order, that it will take at least 3 mos. to get it."  I replied, "I'm sorry Madam, but I ordered mine the first day it was advertised and I as not told it would take 3 mos., nor did they tell me that when I ordered the very first prayer shawl/tallit Hinn advertised for sale 3 - 5 yrs. ago."  I asked her today when I'm supposed to get it, and she said, "Not until the middle to end of September."  Only time will tell if the label on this one says "Made in China", "Made in Israel", or "Made in Israel's Holy Land".  If it isn't, I guess the only option we've got is to report it to our own State's Office of the Attorney General.