Benny Hinn
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Tofik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn is a pentecostal preacher and televangelist. He is the host of This Is Your Day, a 30-minute television show on various religious networks, including Trinity Broadcasting Network, Daystar Television Network, Revelation TV, and The God Channel.
He 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 regular "Miracle Crusades" – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities. [citation needed]
He is married to Suzanne Harthern and resides in Dana Point, California.[citation needed]
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[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 asserts[citation needed] that as a child, he was socially isolated and handicapped by a severe stammer, but was nonetheless a first-class student, although this claim has been disputed by some of his critics. [1]
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[citation needed]. Although he never met her personally, he often attended her “healing services” and has often cited her as an influence in his life. [citation needed]
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 Dallas, while maintaining the legal entity “World Outreach Center Benny Hinn Ministries”[citation needed].
[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, for example, Personal Freedom Outreach, The Sword of the Lord, and the Dallas-based Trinity Foundation, a self-proclaimed "watchdog ministry" headed by Ole Anthony. Personal Freedom Outreach critiques his ministry extensively in a book entitled The Confusing World of Benny Hinn (ISBN 1-885591-94-2). His lavish lifestyle — he makes no secret of the fact that he travels by private jet[2] — in particular is often criticized, alongside allegations that his ministry exists first and foremost as a money-making machine with little financial accountability.[3]
The Trinity Foundation devotes considerable resources towards scrutinizing Hinn's financial affairs, including his ministry's tax-exempt status as a church.[4] 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.[5]
Investigative journalist Bob McKeown aired programs on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) the fifth estate on November 3, 2004,[3] 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.[2][6]
[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
[edit] External links
- Benny Hinn Ministries
- Apologetics Research Resources on Religious Cults, Sects, Religions, Doctrines, etc.: a critique of Hinn's ministry
- A review by Hank Hanegraaff for the Christian Research Institute of Lord, I Need a Miracle
- News tracker: Benny Hinn
[edit] References
- ^ Bloom, John, (Reprinted on Website of Trinity Foundation, Inc.). "The Heretic", D Magazine, 2003-08. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
- ^ a b Dateline NBC: Pastor Benny speaks candidly to his partners. The TruthLine. Benny Hinn (2004). Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
- ^ a b McKeown, Bob. "Do You Believe in Miracles?", The Fifth Estate, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2004-12. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
- ^ Under IRS regulations, non-profit organizations must file for a "letter of determination" as to tax-exempt status and annually report information as to donations, expenses and salaries, although churches are specifically exempt from reporting requirements, and do not need to file for a letter of determination. They may simply claim tax-exempt status, which the IRS must then prove otherwise.
- ^ Wrolstad, Mark. "Hinn's tax-exempt status at heart of IRS inquiry", The Dallas Morning News, 2005-07-06.
- ^ Martin, Allie, Parker, Jenni. "Hinn Claims Dateline Story Distorted Facts to Attack His Ministry: TV Evangelist Claims NBC Cares About Ratings, Not Truth", AgapePress, 2005-03-10. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
