Benny Hinn

Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn
Benny hinn sanAntonio training.jpg
Born December 3, 1952 (1952-12-03) (age 56)
Jaffa, Israel[1]
Occupation Televangelist
Author
Speaker
Spouse(s) Suzanne Harthern
Children three daughters, one son

Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn (Arabic: توفيق بندكتوس "بني" الحن‎, 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.[2]

Contents

History

Toufik Hinn was born in Jaffa, in 1952 in the then newly established state of Israel[3]. His father was a Palestinian Arab Christian (later categorized as a "Christian Arab Palestinian") in communion with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem of the Eastern Orthodox Churches (an Arab Orthodox) and his mother a Palestinian Armenian (later categorized as an "Palestinian Armenian") in communion with the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He was raised within the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and has acknowledged that his family nicknamed him "Tutu" as a child.

Soon after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War (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.[4] These claims, however, have been disputed by critics of Hinn.[5] 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.

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.[4]

Upon moving to the United States, Hinn travelled 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 divine healing powers, and began holding faith 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 pastoring of Clint Brown, who merged his Orlando church with Hinn's.

Ministry and theology

Benny Hinn promotes himself as a Christian healing evangelist and Bible teacher. 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, The Christian Channel, 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.

Hinn's teachings are based on Word of Faith theology which espouse belief in the inerrancy of the Bible, contemporary works of the Holy Spirit and the "perpetuity of spiritual gifts" which includes activities such as 'speaking in tongues', faith healing, exorcism, and consequential financial prosperity. The doctrine and practices regarding theological interpretation and worship which Hinn teach are only partly accepted by mainstream Christianity. Although widely accepted by the Charismatic Christian community (Christian believers who subscribe to the tenets of the Charismatic Movement and whom, according to a recent study by The Barna Group, make up 46% of US Protestants and 36% of US Catholics[6]), there are many others in mainstream Christianity who do not subscribe to these particular beliefs.

Criticism and controversy

By far the most controversial aspect of Hinn's ministry is his claim to have the "anointing", the special power given to him by God to heal the sick. At Hinn's Miracle Crusades, he has allegedly healed attendees of blindness, deafness, cancer, AIDS, and severe physical injuries. Since 1993, however, investigative news reports by programs such as Inside Edition, Dateline NBC, the Australian edition of 60 Minutes, and several network affiliates in the United States have called these claims into question.

Hinn made a number of unfulfilled (religious) prophecies for the 90s, such as God will destroy America's homosexual community in 1995 or the death of Fidel Castro,[7] election of the first female president of the USA,[8] the East Coast of the United States will be devastated by earthquakes,[7] etc., all before the third millennium. Hinn also appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network in October 1999 to claim that God had given him a vision that thousands of dead people would be resurrected after watching the network -- laying out a scenario of people placing their dead loved ones' hands on TV screens tuned into the station -- and that TBN would be "an extension of Heaven to Earth." Hinn has also claimed that Adam was a "superbeing" who could fly to the Moon; that God froze the Red Sea with his breath when he parted it; and that Christ would make a personal appearance at a crusade in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2001.

In April 2001 HBO aired a documentary called "A Question of Miracles" on Hinn and fellow faith healer Reinhard Bonnke. [9] The director Antony Thomas told CNN's Kyra Phillips that they did not find cases where people were healed by Hinn.[10] Thomas told the New York Times about Hinn's claims, "If I had seen miracles, I would have been happy to trumpet it . . . but in retrospect, I think they do more damage to Christianity than the most committed atheist."[11]

In 2002, Joe Nickell of the Skeptical Inquirer wrote a critical analysis of Hinn's healing claims.[1] Nickell cited information that Hinn's cures have not been documented by independent reviews, and said "there is a danger that people who believe themselves cured will forsake medical assistance that could bring them relief or even save their lives."[1]

In March 2005, Ministry Watch, an independent evangelical organization which reviews Christian ministries for financial transparency and efficiency and advises potential donors accordingly, issued a Donor Alert stating that "the reported exorbitant spending of the Hinn family reveals that BHM has far more money than it needs to carry out its ministry" and advising Christians to "prayerfully consider withholding contributions to Benny Hinn" while praying for his restoration and repentance.[12] Benny Hinn Ministries is not a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.[13]

In November 2006 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.[14] With the aid of hidden cameras and crusade witnesses, the producers of the show attempted to demonstrate Benny's misappropriation of funds, his fabrication of the truth, and the way in which his staff chose crusade audience members to come on stage for televised healings.[14] According to the show the seriously disabled who attend his healings are interviewed and then weeded out from ever getting the chance to come on stage. Instead, those who have minor injuries are brought up in their place. [14] Benny Hinn claims proof from the faithful's doctors that healings have been successful.[14] However according to the show none of these doctor notes have ever been produced as evidence to his claims.[14]

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 costs over US$600,000/year to maintain and operate.[15]

Another disturbing facet of Hinn's organization is the 1998 deaths of two members of his "inner circle" from heroin overdoses, Mario C. Licciardello's (brother of the Christian singer, Carman) investigation of those deaths, Hinn's suing of Licciardello and his strangely coincidental death the day before Hinn was to give his deposition that would have resulted in Hinn's files being publicly released. An out of court settlement was reached with Licciardello's widow..[16]

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,[17] Grassley asked for the ministry to divulge financial information[18] 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[19][20] . On December 6, 2007, Hinn told the Associated Press that he would not respond to the inquiry until 2008.[21] 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."[22]

Bibliography

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Joe Nickell, "Benny Hinn: healer or hypnotist? - Investigative Files". Skeptical Inquirer. May 2002. Retrieved 22 Oct. 2007.
  2. ↑ "Benny Hinn gives aid for tsunami victims". Hindustan Times (2007-01-03). Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
  3. ↑ Do You Believe In Miracles?, CBC.ca documentary
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Benny Hinn, Good Morning, Holy Spirit, chapter 2
  5. ↑ Bloom, John; (Reprinted on Website of Trinity Foundation, Inc.) (2003-08). "The Heretic", D Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. 
  6. ↑ The Barna Group, "Is American Christianity Turning Charismatic?" Accessed 17 April, 2008.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fisher, G. Richard; M. Kurt Goedelman. "Prophecy Or Presumption? Time Is Running Out on the Spurious Oracles of Benny Hinn". Personal Freedom Outreach. Retrieved on 2006-04-01.
  8. ↑ "Let Us Reason Ministries". Retrieved on 2006-04-01.
  9. ↑ A Question of Miracles at the Internet Movie Database
  10. ↑ Do Miracles Actually Occur?, CNN.com transcripts. 2001-04-15
  11. ↑ Finn, Robin. COVER STORY; Want Pathos, Pain and Courage? Get Real, New York Times, 2001-04-15
  12. ↑ MinistryWatch.com Recommends that Donors Withhold Giving to Benny Hinn Ministries, Ministry Watch, May 2005
  13. ↑ Benny Hinn: Apologetics Research Resources
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 McKeown, Bob (2004-12). "Do You Believe in Miracles?", The Fifth Estate, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. 
  15. ↑ ""Dove One" brochure" (PDF). Benny Hinn Ministries. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  16. ↑ ""The Heretic" article".
  17. ↑ "Read Grassley's Letters" (PDF), npr.org (2007-12-04). Retrieved on 2007-12-10. 
  18. ↑ "Senator Probes Megachurches' Finances by Kathy Lohr", npr.org (2007-12-04). Retrieved on 2007-12-10. 
  19. ↑ "Televangelists Living Like Kings?", CBS News (2007-11-06). Retrieved on 2007-09-17. 
  20. ↑ Lohr, Kathy (2007-12-04). "Senator Probes Megachurches' Finances", National Public Radio. Retrieved on 2007-12-06. 
  21. ↑ "Hinn joins Dollar in refusing to answer questions in Senate investigation", Tulsa World (2007-12-06). Retrieved on 2007-12-06. 
  22. ↑ Senator Chuck Grassley (2008-07-07). "Grassley Update on Ministry Responses, Background Questions and Answers". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.

External links