Information AboutBenny Hinn |
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Tofik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn (born December 3, 1952 in . HISTORY Hinn has written that as a 20 year old in December 1973 he traveled by charter bus from Toronto to Pittsburgh to attend a " Miracle service" being conducted by evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman . While he never personally met Kuhlman, he often attended her " Healing " services and cited Kuhlman as an influence in many interviews. Ten Years Later , Hinn founded the Orlando Christian Center. During its heyday the church averaged over 10,000 in attendance. In 1999 , Hinn sold the church (by the time renamed World Outreach Center) to Clint Brown and moved to Grapevine, Texas , a suburb of Dallas . However, he maintained the legal entity "World Outreach Center Church Benny Hinn Ministries" which has been the subject of recent controversy. (see below) He is currently the host of '' This Is Your Day '', a 30-minute TV show that runs on various religious networks, including Trinity Broadcasting Network and Daystar Television Network . Hinn hosts regular "Miracle Crusades" that are usually held in large Stadiums in major cities. At these services, Hinn carries out the purported miracles on whoever comes up on stage with an allegedly healed medical condition, whether it be Lou Gehrig's Disease , or AIDS , or Arthritis , or Cancer . Usually, he shouts "Touch!" at them and they fall to the floor, "slain in the Spirit." Hinn also "kills" entire stands and the volunteer Choir , too. Highlights from these highly theatrical events are taped and then broadcast on Hinn's TV show. CONTROVERSIES There is not an area of Hinn's Christian doctrine, ministry practice, or even his personal background, which has not been the subject of controversy. At least one book, ''The Confusing World of Benny Hinn'' (ISBN 1-885591-94-2), published by Personal Freedom Outreach , is devoted solely to various issues surrounding Hinn and his ministry, and PFO's ''Quarterly Journal'' usually has at least one article devoted to the latest controversy surrounding Hinn. The Sword Of The Lord also has a book for sale devoted to Hinn, and virtually every Christian counter-cult, watchdog, and apologetics teacher and ministry has extensive information and critique of Hinn. As a proponent of Word Of Faith doctrine, Hinn is subject to the criticisms that accompany the viewpoint. These include; unsound Biblical doctrine, exploitation of the poor, a heavy reliance on personal "health and wealth," and so on. Also, his support of Faith Healing brings the accompanying criticisms of that viewpoint. Allegedly, Hinn visits the grave of Kathryn Kuhlman to receive the 'anointing' from God, and has been accused of practicing Divination . Investigations and exposés In 2000 , the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 's show ''Witness'' ran a two-part series about purported faith healers Benny Hinn and Reinhard Bonnke . On November 3 , 2004 , the CBC's '' The Fifth Estate '' ran an exposé on Benny Hinn, revealing reports of Fraudulent Activity on his part. '' Dateline NBC '' also ran an Exposé on Hinn in December 27 , 2002 and aired a follow-up investigation on March 6 , 2005 , which alleged that Hinn lives a lavish lifestyle, that his ministry uses only a small percentage of its revenues for charitable purposes and that claims of successful faith healing are unsubstantiated and, in some cases, false. Hinn responded to the allegations in detail in a letter on March 10 , 2004 . The allegations, however, are hard to validate, since Hinn's ministry claims a "church" tax exemption, as opposed to a religious non-profit exemption, which exempts Hinn and his ministry from having to reveal financial records (see below regarding an investigation into such exemption). Hinn lives in an oceanfront Hacienda in Dana Point, California valued at $8.5-million. [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=100+Ritz+Cove+Dr.+Dana+Point,+CA&ll=33.479169,-117.719847&spn=0.00417,0.010729&t=k&om=1 '' The Dallas Morning News '' reported in July 2005 that Hinn was being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service as to his ministry's tax exempt status, specifically its designation as a church. 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. However, churches are specifically exempt from reporting requirements, and do not need to file for a "letter of determination". However, they may simply claim tax-exempt status; the IRS must then prove otherwise. The Trinity Foundation , a self-proclaimed "watchdog ministry" headed by Ole Anthony , states that its investigation "proves" that Hinn's ministry does not meet IRS guidelines for church designation, specifically that Hinn does not conduct "regular public worship services" at his headquarters (which Hinn lists as the church address; however, according to Anthony and Trinity Foundation access to the facility is highly restricted and not open to the public) or at any other location that Anthony or Trinity Foundation have been able to determine. There is, in fact, a "World Healing Center Church" that operates in California under the leadership of Hinn's son-in-law Michael Koulianos and daughter Jessica. The '' Fort Worth Star-Telegram '' reported in August 2005 that the Tarrant County Appraisal District (responsible for determining the assessed value of real estate for tax purposes and for granting property tax exemptions) was reviewing whether Hinn's facility in Grapevine met the requirements for a property tax exemption. Specifically, the review would focus on whether the "church" designation, the same one Anthony and Trinity Foundation claim is false, was used to claim an exemption to which Hinn's ministry may not have been entitled. The review was requested by Anthony and Trinity Foundation. Hinn's ministry has confirmed the validity of the reports regarding the IRS and Tarrant County reviews, but accused Trinity Foundation and Anthony of attempting to destroy "all Christian ministries in general" and specifically Hinn's. CLAIM OF PROPHETIC ABILITY Benny Hinn claims to be a Prophet of God and regularly issues specific prophecies regarding events that he claims will occur within specific periods of time. However, he has a documented history of making prophecies that have not come true (see below for a partial list). Since, according to the definition specified by the Bible that true prophets inspired by God can never be incorrect in their prophecies, many Christian apologetics ministries, primarily those who oppose the Word Faith movement in general, consider Benny Hinn to be a False Prophet . Examples of false prophecies
LIST OF FALSE STATEMENTS In addition to making false prophesies, Hinn has made a number of statements over the years that have been proven to be false.
FAMOUS QUOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF HINN'S WRITINGS
EXTERNAL LINKS Official Other
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