Benny Hinn

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Tofik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn is a televangelist, best known for the flamboyant and highly theatrical style of his ministry, and his regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities.

Contents 1 History 2 Ministry and theology 3 Controversies and critics 4 Bibliography of Hinn's writings 5 See also 6 External links 6.1 Related links 6.2 Critical or Neutral 6.3 Favorable 7 References

[edit] History

Benny Hinn was born on December 3, 1952 in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a Greek father, and Armenian mother. He was raised within the Greek Orthodox Church, and attended Georges Vanier High School in Toronto, Canada. He states that his father was the mayor of Jaffa, and that as a child, he was socially isolated and handicapped by a severe stammer, but was nonetheless a first-class student.^[1] These claims, however, have been disputed by some of his critics.^[2]

He has written that in December 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.^[1]

He founded the Orlando Christian Center in 1983. During its heyday the church averaged over 10,000 in attendance^{[citation needed]}. In 1999, he handed the church (by the time renamed to the World Outreach Center) to Clint Brown and moved to Grapevine, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, while maintaining the legal entity “World Outreach Center Benny Hinn Ministries”^{[citation needed]}.

He is married to Suzanne Harthern and lives in Redonda, California.

[edit] Ministry and theology

Benny Hinn is well known for his flamboyant, highly theatrical and often controversial style of ministry, at which members of the congregation and the choir are frequently "slain in the Spirit" en masse, and apparent healings of medical conditions, whether Lou Gehrig's disease, AIDS, arthritis or cancer, are televised from the stage.

He hosts a thirty-minute show, This Is Your Day, on various Christian television networks, including Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar Television Network, Revelation TV, and The God Channel. He also organizes regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities.

His teaching is similar in many respects to the Word of Faith doctrine, with a particular emphasis on healing.

[edit] Controversies and critics

See also: Word of Faith#Critics and controversy

As a proponent of the Word of Faith doctrine, Benny Hinn has been criticized by other Christian ministries who oppose such teachings, such as Personal Freedom Outreach and the Dallas-based Trinity Foundation. Personal Freedom Outreach critiques his ministry extensively in a book entitled The Confusing World of Benny Hinn (ISBN 1-885591-94-2). His allegedly lavish lifestyle (for instance, traveling by private jet^[3]) in particular is often criticized^{[citation needed]}, alongside allegations that his ministry exists first and foremost as a money-making machine with little financial accountability.^[4] The Trinity Foundation devotes considerable resources towards scrutinizing Hinn's financial affairs, including his ministry's tax-exempt status as a church.^[5] It claims that its investigations prove that Hinn's ministry does not meet IRS guidelines for church designation, as he does not conduct "regular public worship services" at his headquarters which Hinn lists as the church address.^{[citation needed]} Largely at their instigation, the status of Hinn's ministry has been investigated by the IRS and the Tarrant County Appraisal District, who are responsible for determining the assessed value of real estate for tax purposes and for granting property tax exemptions in Grapevine.^[6]

Investigative journalist Bob McKeown aired programs on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) the fifth estate on November 3, 2004,^[4] and on Dateline NBC on December 27, 2002, with a follow-up investigation on March 6, 2005^{[citation needed]}, claiming that Hinn lives a lavish lifestyle and that his ministry uses only a small percentage of its revenues for charitable purposes, and questioning his claims of successful faith healing. Hinn responded in a letter on March 10, 2005, in which he denied any financial impropriety and claimed that the broadcasts were concerned with ratings, not truth.^[3][7]

Benny Hinn is also criticized for regularly issuing specific prophecies regarding events that he claims will occur within specific periods of time. These prophecies have a dubious history of reliability. Examples of such prophecies include that Fidel Castro would die in the 1990s^[8]; the homosexual community would be destroyed "with fire" in 1994 or 1995 ^[9]; an earthquake would destroy much of the U.S. East Coast in the 1990s ^[10]; and people would be raised from the dead to watch the Trinity Broadcasting Network^[11].

In December 2006 Benny Hinn sent letters to followers seeking donations for a Gulfstream G400 executive jet.^[12] Hinn says a personal jet will allow him to " preach the Gospel around the globe." Hinn asked 6000 previous donors to each contribute $1000 to cover the $6 million down payment; the total cost of the plane is over $30 million. This resulted in a number of bloggers alleging a personal jet for Hinn was unnecessary since he already conducts revivals around the world.^[13][14]

[edit] Bibliography of Hinn's writings

• Kathryn Kuhlman: Her Spiritual Legacy and Its Impact on My Life. ISBN 0-7852-7888-5
• Good Morning, Holy Spirit. ISBN 0-7852-7176-7
• He Touched Me - An Autobiography. ISBN 0-7852-7887-7
• The Anointing. ISBN 0-7852-7168-6
• Welcome, Holy Spirit: How You Can Experience The Dynamic Work Of The Holy Spirit In Your Life. ISBN 0-7852-7169-4
• This Is Your Day for a Miracle. ISBN 0-88419-391-8
• The Biblical Road to Blessing. ISBN 0-7852-7517-7
• Miracle Of Healing. ISBN 0-8499-5399-5
• The Blood. ISBN 0-88419-763-8
• Going Deeper with the Holy Spirit. ISBN 1-59024-039-1
• Lord, I Need a Miracle. ISBN 0-8407-6251-8

[edit] See also

• Kathryn Kuhlman
• Televangelism
• Word of Faith
• Personal Freedom Outreach
• Trinity Foundation

[edit] External links

[edit] Related links

• The Temporary Sign Gifts -- Miracles - John MacArthur

[edit] Critical or Neutral

• Apologetics Research Resources on Religious Cults, Sects, Religions, Doctrines, etc.: a critique of Hinn's ministry
• Benny Hinn - General Teachings/Activities
• Do You Believe in Miracles? (CBC News)
• Charismatic Confusion and Benny Hinn (Fundamental Evangelistic Association)
• Prophecy or presumption?
• Who Has Really “Touched” Benny Hinn?
• News tracker: Benny Hinn
• A review by Hank Hanegraaff for the Christian Research Institute of Lord, I Need a Miracle
• A letter from Benny Hinn requesting donations for a 30 million dollar Jet.

[edit] Favorable

• Benny Hinn Ministries
• [1]

[edit] References