Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.

While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions (e.g. Brahman in Hinduism and Tao in Taoism), the term Holy Spirit specifically refers to the beliefs held in the Abrahamic religions.

For the majority of Christians, the belief in the Holy Trinity implies the existence of three distinct Holy Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit being One Eternal ''Triune God''. This doctrine and designation, however, are not shared by all Christians denominations, or the other Abrahamic religions.

Christianity

For the majority of Christians, the Holy Spirit (''prior English language usage:'' the Holy Ghost from Old English ''gast'', “spirit”) is the third person of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and is Almighty God. The Holy Spirit is seen by mainstream Christians as one Person of the Triune God, who revealed His Holy Name YHWH to his people Israel, sent His Eternally Begotten Son Jesus to save them from God's wrath, and sent the Holy Spirit to sanctify and give life to his Church. The Triune God manifests as three ''Persons'' (Greek ''hypostases''), in One Divine Being (Greek: Ousia), called the Godhead (''from Old English: Godhood''), the Divine Essence of God.

Judaism

The term "holy spirit" only occurs three times in the Hebrew Bible. (Found once in Psalm 51:11 and twice in Isaiah 63:10,11) Although, the term "spirit" in the Hebrew Scriptures, in reference to "God's spirit", does occur more times. In Judaism, God is One, the idea of God as a duality or trinity among gentiles may be Shituf (or "not purely monotheistic"). The term Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) is found frequently in Talmudic and Midrashic literature. In some cases it signifies prophetic inspiration, while in others it is used as a hypostatization or a metonym for God. The Rabbinic “Holy Spirit,” has a certain degree of personification, but it remains, “a quality belonging to God, one of his attributes” and not, as in mainstream Christianity, representative of “any metaphysical divisions in the Godhead.”

In Judaism, the references to ''The Spirit of God'', Ruach HaKodesh, The Holy Spirit of ''YHWH'', abound, however it has rejected any idea of The Eternal God as being either Dual or Triune.

Islam

In Islam, the Holy Spirit (Arabic: الروح القدس ''al-Ruh al-Qudus'', "the-Spirit the-Holy") is mentioned several times in the Qur'an, where it acts as an agent of divine action or communication. In Hadith it is commonly identified with the angel Gabriel (Arabic ''Jibreel''). The Spirit (الروح ''al-Ruh'', without the adjective "holy") is also used as the creative spirit from God by which God enlivened Adam, and inspired the angels and the prophets. The belief in Trinity, as it is defined in the Qur'an, is explicitly forbidden by the Qur'an and called a grave sin. The same applies to any idea of the duality of God (Allah). Though grammatical gender has no bearing on actual gender in non-personal nouns, the term holy spirit translates in and is used in the masculine form in all the Quran. In Arabic language the word "Holy Spirit" does not translate as سكينة Sakinah used in a feminine term. The term sakinah means state of relaxation.

Bahá'í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith has the concept of the ''Most Great Spirit'', seen as the bounty of God. It is usually used to describe the descent of the Spirit of God upon the messengers/prophets of God, which are known as Manifestations of God, and include among others Jesus, Muhammad and Bahá'u'lláh. In Bahá'í belief the Holy Spirit is the conduit through which the wisdom of God becomes directly associated with his messenger, and it has been described variously in different religions such as the burning bush to Moses, the sacred fire to Zoroaster, the dove to Jesus, the angel Gabriel to Muhammad, and the maid of heaven to Bahá'u'lláh. The Bahá'í view rejects the idea that the Holy Spirit is a partner to God in the Godhead, but rather is the pure essence of God's attributes.

See also

Baptism with the Holy Spirit

Cult of the Holy Spirit

Gender of the Holy Spirit

God in Christianity

Pneumatology

Spirit of God

References

Category:Conceptions of God Category:Judeo-Christian topics Category:Names of God Category:Ghosts Category:New Thought beliefs

af:Heilige Gees ak:Honhom kronkron ar:الروح القدس arc:ܪܘܚܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܐ az:Müqəddəs Ruh br:Spered Santel bg:Свети Дух ca:Esperit Sant cs:Duch svatý da:Helligånden de:Heiliger Geist et:Püha Vaim el:Άγιο Πνεύμα es:Espíritu Santo eo:Sankta Spirito eu:Espiritu Santua fa:روح‌القدس fr:Saint-Esprit fy:Hillige Geast ga:An Spiorad Naomh gd:An Spiorad Naomh gl:Espírito Santo hak:Sṳn-lìn ko:성령 hi:पवित्र आत्मा hr:Duh Sveti ig:Mmuo Nso id:Roh Kudus ia:Spirito Sancte zu:Umoya ongcwele is:Heilagur andi it:Spirito Santo he:רוח הקודש (נצרות) ka:სულიწმინდა sw:Roho Mtakatifu la:Spiritus Sanctus lv:Svētais Gars lb:Hellege Geescht lt:Šventoji Dvasia hu:Szentlélek mk:Свет Дух ml:പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ് arz:الروح القدس ms:Roh Kudus nl:Heilige Geest nds-nl:Heilige Geest ja:聖霊 no:Den Hellige Ånd nn:Den heilage ande mhr:Шнуй Шӱлыш pl:Duch Święty pt:Espírito Santo ty:Te Varua Maitai ro:Duhul Sfânt rm:Sontg Spiert qu:Ch'uya Ispiritu ru:Святой Дух sq:Shpirti i Shenjtë simple:Holy Spirit sk:Duch Svätý sl:Sveti Duh sr:Свети дух sh:Sveti Duh fi:Pyhä Henki sv:Den Helige Ande tl:Espiritu Santo ta:தூய ஆவி te:పవిత్ర ఆత్మ tr:Kutsal Ruh uk:Святий Дух vi:Chúa Thánh Linh wa:Sint Esprit zh-yue:聖靈 zh:聖靈

name	Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn
birth date	December 03, 1952
birth place	Jaffa, Israel
occupation	TelevangelistAuthorSpeaker
spouse	Suzanne Harthern (m. 4 August 1979, Divorced)
children	three daughters, one son
website	http://www.bennyhinn.org/default.cfm }}

Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn (, , Hebrew: תאופיק בנדיקטוס (בני) הין; born December 3, 1952) is a televangelist, best known for his regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, ''This Is Your Day''.

History

Hinn was born in Jaffa, in 1952, in the then newly-established state of Israel to Palestinian Christian parents. He was raised within the Eastern Orthodox tradition.

Soon after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War (a.k.a. "The Six-Day War)", Hinn's family emigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he attended but later prematurely left the Georges Vanier Secondary School. In his books, Hinn states that his father was the mayor of Jaffa at the time of his birth, and that as a child, he was socially isolated and was handicapped by a severe stutter, but was nonetheless a first-class student. These claims, however, have been disputed by critics of Hinn. As a teenager in Toronto, Hinn converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Pentecostalism, eventually joining a singing troupe made up of young evangelicals. According to a 2004 CBC report on Hinn, his newfound religious devotion during this period became so intense that his family became concerned that he was turning into a religious fanatic. Hinn was taught the bible and mentored by Dr. Winston I. Nunes of Broadview Faith Temple in Toronto.

He has written that on December 21, 1973, he traveled by charter bus from Toronto to Pittsburgh to attend a "miracle service" conducted by evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman. Although he never met her personally, he often attended her “healing services” and has often cited her as an influence in his life.

Upon moving to the United States, Hinn traveled to Orlando, Florida, where he founded the Orlando Christian Center in 1983. Eventually, Hinn began claiming that God was using him as a conduit for healings, and began holding healing services in his church. These new "Miracle Crusades" were soon held at large stadiums and auditoriums across the United States and the world, the first nationally televised service being held in Flint, Michigan, in 1989. During the early 1990s, Hinn launched a new daily talk show called ''This Is Your Day'', which to this day airs clips of supposed miracles from Hinn's Miracle Crusades. The program premiered on the Trinity Broadcasting Network of Paul Crouch, who would become one of Hinn's most outspoken defenders and allies. Hinn's ministry began to rapidly grow from there, winning praise as well as criticism from fellow Christian leaders. In 1999, he stepped down as pastor of the Orlando Christian Center, moving his ministry's administrative headquarters to Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, while hosting ''This Is Your Day'' from a television studio in Orange County, California, where he now lives with his family. His former church was renamed Faith World Church under the leadership of Clint Brown, who merged his Orlando church with Hinn's.

Ministry and theology

Benny Hinn is a well-known Christian evangelist and Bible teacher who practices faith healing. He is the author of a number of best-selling inspirational Christian books. His thirty-minute TV program ''This Is Your Day'' is among the world’s most-watched Christian programs, seen on various Christian television networks, including Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar Television Network, Revelation TV, Grace TV, Vision TV, INSP Networks, and The God Channel.

Hinn conducts regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing events held in sports stadiums in major cities throughout the world. Tens of millions attend his Holy Spirit Miracle Crusades each year. Benny Hinn claims to have spoken to one billion people through his crusades, including memorable crusades with attendance of 7.3 million people (in three services) in India, the largest healing service in recorded history. Hinn is frequently welcomed during his crusades by kings, prime ministers, and heads of state.

Hinn's teachings are Evangelical and charismatic, accepting the validity of spiritual gifts, and Word of Faith in origin, with a focus on financial prosperity. Some doctrine and practices that Hinn teaches would be thought unusual in mainstream Christianity. The charismatic Christian community (who, according to a recent study by The Barna Group, make up 46% of United States Protestants and 36% of United States Catholics), is very diverse, and Hinn's ideas would only be accepted in some constituencies.

Missions

Benny Hinn Ministries supports 60 mission organizations across the world and several orphanages around the world. Housing and feeding over 100,000 children a year and also supporting 45,000 children daily because of his donors, including a Hospital and Emergency Care in Calcutta, India. 200,000 hospital patients are provided free medical care every year and much more.

Benny Hinn Ministries donated $100,000 for Relief Supplies to Hurricane Katrina Victims in 2005, and $250,000 to Tsunami Relief Effort in 2007.

Criticism and controversy

A controversial aspect of Hinn's ministry is his teaching on, and demonstration of, a phenomenon he dubs "The Anointing"—the power purportedly given by God and transmitted through Hinn to carry out supernatural acts. At Hinn's Miracle Crusades, he has allegedly healed attendees of blindness, deafness, cancer, AIDS, and severe physical injuries. However, investigative reports by the ''Los Angeles Times'', NBC's ''Dateline'', the CBC's ''The Fifth Estate'', and the Nine Network's ''60 Minutes'' have called these claims into question.

Hinn has also caused controversy for theological remarks and claims he has made during TV appearances. In 1999, Hinn appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, claiming that God had given him a vision predicting the resurrection of thousands of dead people after watching the network—laying out a scenario of people placing their dead loved ones' hands on TV screens tuned into the station—and suggesting that TBN would be "an extension of Heaven to Earth".

''False Prophesies''

Hinn is notable for his mistaken prophesies relating to the end times, including the destruction of homosexuals in the USA, the death of Fidel Castro in the 1990s, and the end of the world in 1992 and 1999.

''A Question of Miracles''

In April 2001, HBO aired a documentary entitled ''A Question of Miracles'' that focused on Hinn and a well-documented fellow Word-of-Faith German minister based in Africa, Reinhard Bonnke. Both Hinn and Bonnke offered full access to their events to the documentary crew, and the documentary team followed seven cases of "miracle healings" from Hinn's crusade over the next year. The film's director, Antony Thomas, claimed to CNN's Kyra Phillips that they did not find any cases where people were actually healed by Hinn. Thomas said in a ''New York Times'' interview that "If I had seen miracles [from Hinn's ministry], I would have been happy to trumpet it...but in retrospect, I think they do more damage to Christianity than the most committed atheist."

"Do You Believe in Miracles"

In November 2004, the CBC Television show ''The Fifth Estate'' did a special titled "Do You Believe in Miracles" on the apparent transgressions committed by Benny Hinn's ministry. With the aid of hidden cameras and crusade witnesses, the producers of the show demonstrated Benny's apparent misappropriation of funds, his fabrication of the truth, and the way in which his staff chose crusade audience members to come on stage to proclaim their miracle healings. In particular, the investigation highlighted the fact that the most desperate miracle seekers who attend a Hinn crusade--the quadriplegics, the brain-damaged, virtually anyone with a visibly obvious physical condition--are never allowed up on stage; those who attempt to get in the line of possible healings are intercepted and directed to return to their seats. At one Canadian service, hidden cameras showed a mother who was carrying her Muscular Dystrophy-afflicted daughter, Grace, being stopped by two screeners when they attempted to get into the line for a possible blessing from Benny. The screeners asked the mother if Grace had been healed, and when the mother replied in the negative, they were told to return to their seats; the pair got out of line, but Grace, wanting "Pastor Benny to pray for [her]", asked her mother to support her as she tried to walk as a show of "her faith in action", according to the mother. After several unsuccessful attempts at walking, the pair left the arena in tears, both mother and daughter visibly upset at being turned aside and crying as they explained to the undercover reporters that all Grace had wanted was for Benny to pray for her, but the staffers rushed them out of the line when they found out Grace had not been healed. A week later at a service in Toronto, Baptist evangelist Justin Peters, who wrote his Masters in Divinity thesis on Benny Hinn and has attended numerous Hinn crusades since 2000 as part of his research for his thesis and for a seminar he developed about the Word of Faith movement entitled ''A Call for Discernment'', also demonstrated to the hidden cameras that "people who look like me"--Peters has cerebral palsy, walks with arm-crutches, and is obviously and visibly disabled--"are ''never'' allowed on stage[...]it's always somebody who has some disability or disease that cannot be readily seen." Like Grace and her mother, Peters was quickly intercepted as he came out of the wheelchair section (there is one at every crusade, situated at the back of the audience, far away from the stage, and never filmed for Hinn's TV show) in an attempt to join the line of those waiting to go onstage, and was told to take a seat.

This segment was later edited with new footage and shown on ''Dateline: NBC'' in November 2005.

Ministry Watch issues "Donor Alert"

In March 2005, Ministry Watch, issued a Donor Alert against the ministry. Benny Hinn Ministries is not a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

BHM raises funds for a Gulfstream jet

In December 2006, BHM sent out a mailing asking for donations towards a new Gulfstream G4SP jet valued at an estimated US$36 million and costing over US$600,000/year to maintain and operate. The 22-seat craft was purchased in 2007 and christened "Dove One".

Senate investigation

On November 6, 2007, United States Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa announced an investigation of Hinn's ministry by the United States Senate Committee on Finance. In a letter to BHM, Grassley asked for the ministry to divulge financial information to the Senate Committee on Finance to determine if Hinn made any personal profit from financial donations, and requested that Hinn's ministry make the information available by December 6, 2007. The investigation also scrutinized five other televangelists: Paula White, Kenneth Copeland, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer, and Creflo Dollar. On December 6, 2007, Hinn told the Associated Press that he would not respond to the inquiry until 2008. Hinn's ministry has since responded to the inquiry, and Senator Grassley commented that, "... Benny Hinn [has] engaged in open and honest dialogue with committee staff. They have not only provided responses to every question but, in the spirit of true cooperation, also have provided information over and above what was requested."

Personal life

Hinn married Suzanne Harthern on August 4, 1979. The couple have four children together. Harthern filed papers in Orange County (CA) Superior Court on February 1, 2010 seeking a divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences".

In July 2010, both Hinn and fellow televangelist Paula White denied allegations in ''The National Enquirer'' claiming that the two were engaged in an affair. In February 2011, Hinn was sued by the Christian publishing house Strang Communications, which claimed that a relationship with White did occur and that Hinn had violated the morality clause of his contract with the company.

Bibliography

See also

Charismatic movement

Kathryn Kuhlman

Prosperity Gospel

Televangelism

Word of Faith

References

External links

Benny Hinn Ministries – Official website

Faith World – Official website Hinn's former church

Ministry Watch Report on Benny Hinn

Christian Music Central wiki page

Category:1952 births Category:American television evangelists Category:Canadian television evangelists Category:Christian ministers Category:Faith healers Category:Living people Category:Converts to Protestantism from Eastern Orthodoxy Category:People from Jaffa Category:People from Toronto Category:Palestinian Christians

de:Benny Hinn es:Benny Hinn fr:Benny Hinn ko:베니 힌 it:Benny Hinn he:בני הין kn:ಬೆನ್ನಿ ಹಿನ್ nl:Benny Hinn no:Benny Hinn pl:Benny Hinn pt:Benny Hinn fi:Benny Hinn sv:Benny Hinn vi:Benny Hinn

The Isaacs are a country and bluegrass gospel music group consisting of mother Lily Isaacs, and daughters Becky and Sonya Isaacs and son Ben Isaacs, along with John Bowman (husband of Becky Isaacs) as an instrumentalist and songwriter. Joe Isaacs, formerly a singer and banjo player in the group, has left since his 1998 divorce from Lily Isaacs. He now does solo work on a far more localized level.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions				Record Producer	Record Label
		! width="60"	! width="60"	! width="60"	! width="60"
1994	''Carry Me''					Tony Rice
1995	''I Feel the Christmas Spirit''
1996	''Live: Mountain Praise''					Kim Ryan
	''Bridges''					Ben Isaacs
''The Very Best of The Isaacs''						K-Tel
1998	''Increase My Faith''
1999	''Pieces of Our Past''					Ben Isaacs
2001	''Stand Still''					Ben Isaacs
	''Christmas Spirit''					Ben Isaacs, Tony Rice
''Eye of the Storm''					Ben Isaacs
2003	''Songs of the Faith''					Ben Isaacs
2004	''Heroes''					Don Cook	Gaither
	''Bluegrass Preserved''
''Radio Hits''
''Lily''
''Isaacs Bluegrass: A Cappella''
2006	''Isaacs Bluegrass: Sonya''
2007	''Big Sky''					Mark Bright	Gaither
2009	''Naturally: An Almost A Cappella Collection''					Bill Gaither, Ben Isaacs
2010	''Christmas''

Video

2001 Live: Mountain Praise (Horizon)

2001 Pieces of Our Past (Horizon)

2002 Stand Still (Horizon)

2004 The Best of the Isaacs: Favorites from the Homecoming Series (Gaither Music Group)

2008 Live From Norway (Gaither Music Group)

Gaither Homecoming Video Performances

1998: ''All Day Singin' At The Dome'' "Satisfied" (Sonya)

1998: ''Down By The Tabernacle'' "The Tabernacle" (Sonya), "The Least I Can Do"

1999: ''I'll Meet You On The Mountain'' "I'll Meet You On The Mountain" (Sonya)

2002: ''Let Freedom Ring'' "The Star-Spangled Banner", "It Is Well (Elisha's Song)"

2002: ''New Orleans Homecoming'' "He Understands My Tears"

2003: ''Going Home'' "The Prettiest Flowers Will Be Blooming"

2003: ''Gospel Bluegrass Homecoming Vol 1'' "Is Not This The Land Of Beulah?"

2003: ''Gospel Bluegrass Homecoming Vol 2'' "Another Soldier Down", "He Ain't Ever Done Me Nothin' But Good"

2003: ''Heaven'' "O Come Angel Band"

2003: ''Mountain Homecoming'' "Did You Ever Go Sailin'", "Go Rest High On That Mountain" (Sonya)

2003: ''Red Rocks Homecoming'' "When The Rains Come" (Sonya)

2003: ''Rocky Mountain Homecoming'' "Sweet Holy Spirit"

2004: ''Atlanta Homecoming'' "Daddy Sang Bass" (Sonya), "That's All That Matters To Me"

2004: ''Passin' The Faith Along'' "I Wanna Be Ready" (Sonya & Becky), "Stand Still"

2004: ''We Will Stand'' "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" (Sonya & Becky), "Hebrew Lullaby", "If That Don't Make You Wanna Go"

2005: ''Hymns'' "Wayfaring Stranger"

2005: ''Israel Homecoming'' "Halleluyah"

2005: ''Jerusalem Homecoming'' "Shalom Ya'll", "Moses, Take Your Shoes Off" (Sonya), "Walkin' In Jerusalem", "Heroes"

2005: ''Mark Lowry Goes To Hollywood'' "Ha Ha Hollywood", "Friend 'Til The End", "Peace Like A River"

2006: ''Canadian Homecoming'' "It Is Well With My Soul", "More Than Ever"

2006: ''Live From Toronto'' "Great Is Thy Reward/Orange Blossom Special"

2006: ''Singin' With The Saints'' "I'm Gonna Move"

2006: ''This Is My Story'' "Look What God Gave Me"

2006: ''Christmas In South Africa'' "The Savior Of The World Has Come"

2007: ''Amazing Grace'' "I Need Thee Every Hour", "I Surrender All"

2007: ''Love Can Turn The World'' "Everything Is Going To Turn Out Right", "Hear My Song, Lord" (Sonya)

2007: ''South African Homecoming'' "Umbrella"

2007: ''Sweet, Sweet Spirit'' "Reaping In The Spirit"

2008: ''Country Bluegrass Homecoming Vol. 1'' "There Is Power In The Blood", "Walk On", "I Know Somebody Who Does", "All Prayed Up"

2008: ''Country Bluegrass Homecoming Vol. 2'' "Barbie Bandaids"

2008: ''Homecoming Picnic'' "Sally Goodin/Wildwood Flower", "The Sweetest Song I Know" (Becky), "Mama's Teaching Angels How To Sing"

2009: ''Campfire Homecoming'' "I Have Found A Way", "Orange Blossom Special"

2009: ''Nashville Homecoming'' "The One I'm Dying For"

2010: ''Better Day'' "Mama's Teaching Angels How To Sing"

2010: ''Count Your Blessings'' "No Shortage"

2011: ''Alaskan Homecoming'' "I’ve Got Joy"

2011: ''Majesty'' "Little Bit Of Heaven", "When I Lift Up My Head", "Healing Stream"

External links

Official website of the Isaacs

Interview with Lily Isaacs

Category:American bluegrass music groups Category:People from Kentucky Category:American folk musicians

name	Stuart Townend
background	solo_singer
born	1963
origin	West Yorkshire, England
instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar, 5 string banjo
genre	Contemporary Christian music, Hymns, Worship music
occupation	Songwriter, worship leader, music publishing executive
label	Kingsway Music
website	www.stuarttownend.co.uk
notable instruments	}}

Stuart Townend is a British Christian worship leader and writer of hymns and contemporary worship music. His songs include "In Christ Alone" (2002, cowritten with Keith Getty, Townend's first collaboration with any other songwriter), "How Deep The Father's Love For Us", "Beautiful Saviour" and "The King Of Love".

As of 2008, CCLI lists the popular ''In Christ Alone'' in its Top 25 CCLI Songs list. In 2005, ''Cross Rhythms'' magazine described Townend as "one of the most significant songwriters in the whole international Christian music field". The Christian website Crosswalk.com commented that, "the uniqueness of Townend’s writing lies partly in its lyrical content. There is both a theological depth and poetic expression that some say is rare in today’s worship writing".

Townend, son of a Church of England vicar in Halifax, West Yorkshire, was the youngest of four children. He studied literature at the University of Sussex. Townend started learning to play the piano at age 7. At the age of 13, he made a Christian commitment, and began songwriting at age 22.

Stuart has led worship and performed events across the world, at many conferences and festivals including the Stoneleigh Bible Week in the early 90s to the early 00s, Together On A Mission, Mandate, Mission:Worship, Keswick Convention, Spring Harvest and many more. He has also featured on Songs of Praise and worked alongside other high profile Christian musicians including Keith Getty, Lou Fellingham, and Phatfish.

Discography

Audio

''Classical Praise Piano: Come Holy Spirit'' (1995)

''Say the Word'' (1997)

''Personal Worship'' (2001)

''Lord of Every Heart'' (2002)

''Monument to Mercy'' (2006)

''The Best of Stuart Townend Live'' (2007)

''There is a Hope'' (live) (2008)

''Creation Sings'' (2009)

''The Journey'' (2011)

Audio - featuring Townend

Stoneleigh Bible Week albums, 1994–2001

Mandate - ''O Church Arise''

Mandate - ''See What A Morning''

Newfrontiers albums, 2004–2006

Mission:Worship albums, 2006–present

Phatfish - ''Hope - Unplugged Live'' (2002)

Keswick Convention albums, 2007–present

Spring Harvest albums

Video

''There is a Hope'' (live) (DVD 2008)

''Creation Sings'' (DVD 2009)

Video - featuring Townend

Mission:Worship - ''Just One Touch From The King'' (DVD 2007)

''Worship From The Abbey'' (DVD 2007)

Phatfish - ''There Is A Day'' (DVD 2006)

Phatfish - ''Hope - Unplugged Live'' (VHS 2002)

with Keith Getty

''The Apostles Creed''

Footnotes

External links

Debra Akins, 10 Questions With Stuart Townend (Crosswalk.com)

Stuart Townend, "Tips for writing a successful hymn", BBC Religion and Ethics, 2004

There is a Hope album review

Category:Christian hymnwriters Category:English hymnwriters Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex Category:Living people Category:British performers of Christian music Category:1963 births

name	Joseph Prince
birth place	Singapore
nationality	Singapore
birth date	May 15, 1963
title	Senior Pastor
congregations	New Creation Church
spouse	Wendy Prince
children	Jessica Shayna Prince
website	Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc. }}

Joseph Prince (born May 15, 1963 in Singapore) is the senior pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore, one of Asia's biggest churches.

Background

Pastor Prince is one of the founding members of New Creation Church. He was born to an Indian father who was a Sikh priest and a Chinese mother. He spent his primary school years in Perak, Malaysia.

Before he became a full-time pastor in the New Creation Church, he was working as an IT consultant when he changed his name to the current one, Joseph Prince.

Being a highly sought-after international conference speaker, he has been invited to preach at churches in several countries such as Australia, London, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, South Africa and Indonesia. Notably, he was invited to preach at the Grace & Favour Seminar at Hillsong Church Sydney and Hillsong London in 2006. Following this, he was also invited to speak at the Hillsong Conference in both Sydney and London held in 2007 and 2008. He was also invited to speak, alongside Joel Osteen, at the 2 Days of Hope Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2009.

Pastor Prince's TV program "''Destined to Reign''" is broadcast in more than 150 countries on various cable television and satellite networks.

Pastor Prince releases books, CDs and DVDs. His book ''Destined to Reign: The Secret to Effortless Success, Wholeness and Victorious Living'', which contains teachings from his ten years of preaching from 1997 to 2007, was released in Singapore on 15 July 2007. The same book was released in the US in October 2007 by Christian publisher, Harrison House. Six months after its distribution in the US, it was listed on Christian Retailing Top 100 Books. On 2 February 2010, his latest book "Unmerited Favor" was released worldwide by Charisma House.

Prince was featured on the cover of the June 2010 edition of the Charisma (magazine) which contained a special report on his preaching and teaching ministry.

Questions about his church salary

In 2004, Joseph Prince made a request to New Creation Church to stop paying him a salary. However, his council members did not accept his request.

On 5 October 2008, in an interview with The Sunday Times, Joseph Prince, the executive chairman of the church council, acknowledged that he was "well-paid" but also added that "money doesn't have a hold on me". He dismissed allegations that his salary was $50,000 a month, saying "It could have been $50,000 if I had not voluntarily taken all the pay cuts through the years. There was a system of payment that would actually enrich me greatly but as the church grew, I refuse to accept that system of payment."

On 30 March 2009, The Straits Times reported that a check revealed that New Creation Church paid one employee between $500,001 and $550,000 in its last financial year of 2008. Due to the recommendations of the Code of Governance for charities then, all charities and non-profit organizations in Singapore are encouraged to disclose the salary bands of their top executives to the Commissioner of Charities. The church did not confirm if the amount in question was paid to Joseph Prince, but it told The Straits Times that its policy is to "recognise and reward key contributors to the church and Senior Pastor Prince is the main pillar of our church's growth and revenue."The New Creation Church's income was reported to be $55.4 million for the financial year ended March 2008.

On 15 April 2009, Matthew Kang, the Honorary Secretary of the New Creation Church, posted a reply to The Straits Times on the church's website stating that the New Creation Church was not a public charity and did not solicit public donations. Kang asserted that "there is absolutely no compulsion to give whether in tithes or offerings, and any giving is done out of a willing heart", and that "every giver is appreciated and it is taken in good faith that he believes in the elected leadership and will trust them to make good decisions for the particular church he has chosen to attend, whether as a member or a visitor."

On 7 June 2010, The Straits Times and Channel News Asia reported that Joseph Prince has not been on the church payroll since 2009.

Personal life

Joseph Prince is married to Wendy Prince. They have a daughter, Jessica Shayna Prince.

References

External links

New Creation Church

Joseph Prince Ministries

Category:1963 births Category:Christian ministers Category:Living people Category:Singaporean Pentecostals Category:Singaporean religious leaders Category:Television evangelists

nl:Joseph Prince zh:約瑟夫·普林斯