Background and career
Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn (born 3 December 1952) is an Israeli-born American-Canadian televangelist associated with charismatic Christianity. He is known for his regular "Miracle Crusades," which are faith-healing events held in large venues and broadcast internationally through his television ministry. Hinn's ministry has been criticized over its faith healing claims and financial practices. His ministry was among six televangelist organizations examined by the United States Senate Committee on Finance beginning in 2007.
Hinn was born in Jaffa in 1952 to parents born in Palestine who had Greek, Palestinian, and Armenian ancestry. He was raised within the Eastern Orthodox tradition and baptized by the patriarch of Jerusalem. His family emigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1968, where he attended Georges Vanier Secondary School but did not graduate. In his books, Hinn states falsely that his father was the mayor of Jaffa at the time of his birth and that he had a stutter as a child. In 1972, he claimed to become a born-again Christian. In December 1973, Hinn traveled Pittsburgh to attend a "miracle service" conducted by evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman. Although he did not meet Kuhlman personally, he often attended her "healing services" and has often cited her as an influence in his life. In 1974, he was invited to speak about his spiritual experience at Trinity Pentecostal Church in Oshawa and claimed to have been cured of his stuttering.
After moving to the United States, Hinn founded the Orlando Christian Center in 1983. He began claiming that God was using him as a conduit for healings and began holding healing services in his church. Eventually, these "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. In 1990, Hinn launched the television program This Is Your Day. The program initially aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and later appeared on several Christian television netowrks. In 1999, Hinn stepped down as pastor of the Orlando Christian Center and moved his ministry's administrative headquarters to Grapevine, Texas. In February 2024, Hinn held a Healing the Nation Crusade at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan president William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto attended, and Hinn's ministry said that more than 500,000 people attended the two-day event. Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, who was diagnosed with a non-compliant left ventricle, has credited his healing to Benny Hinn, stating that through God working through Hinn, he was healed as he had "a warm feeling" go through his chest as Hinn touched him. Hinn has regularly appeared at Jesus Image, an Orlando charismatic ministry founded by his son-in-law Michael Koulianos. Jesus Image's archive lists Benny Hinn as a guest speaker at the church dating back to December 2019. As of May 2024, Hinn's net worth is estimated to be approximately $60 million.
Hinn's teachings are charismatic and have been historically associated with the Word of Faith movement. Hinn describes the anointing as the power of the Holy Spirit and has incorporated physical gestures into his healing services. He has been observed blowing on attendees, touching them, flicking his suit jacket toward members of the audience, after which people fall. Some participants fall backward.
A recurring feature of Hinn’s events is the charismatic practice commonly described as being "slain in the Spirit," in which participants fall backward following prayer or physical contact on stage. Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell, who attended one of Hinn's crusades, attributed participants' responses to expectation and suggestion rather than supernatural causes.
Faith healing is a central part of Hinn's ministry. At his crusades he has claimed that people were healed of conditions including blindness, cancer, and other illnesses. Several investigations have questioned whether such claims can be independently verified. A 2003 Los Angeles Times investigation examined a number of claimed healings, including that of a legally blind boy whose apparent improvement was presented during one of Hinn's services. The boy later told the newspaper that his vision had not improved.
