Benny Hinn
A televangelist whose stadium-filling 'Miracle Crusades' and dramatic faith-healing performances defined a flashy era of charismatic Christianity.
Born 1952 (age 74)·American-Canadian evangelist·Birthday: December 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Benny Hinn built a global ministry on the spectacle of divine intervention, becoming one of the most recognizable—and controversial—faces of the charismatic Word of Faith movement. Born in Jaffa, Israel, he moved to North America and found his calling after a conversion experience. His ministry took off through his television program 'This Is Your Day,' which broadcast edited highlights of his massive 'Miracle Crusades.' In these events, held in arenas worldwide, Hinn's flowing hair and signature white suits became symbols of a performative style of worship, where he would often pray for the sick, sometimes with a sweeping gesture that would see participants fall to the ground. His teachings on prosperity and healing, coupled with a lavish lifestyle, have drawn persistent scrutiny from religious critics and media investigators. Regardless of perspective, Hinn's influence in popularizing a certain brand of televised Pentecostalism is undeniable.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Benny was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Benny Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Benny's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Built a worldwide television ministry, 'This Is Your Day,' that has aired for decades and reached a global audience.
- Conducted large-scale 'Miracle Crusade' events in international stadiums, attracting tens of thousands of attendees.
- Founded the Orlando Christian Center, a megachurch in Florida that served as the base for his operations for many years.
- Authored numerous bestselling books on Christian living, faith, and healing.
Did You Know?
He is the nephew of a well-known Palestinian Christian singer, Arabic icon Fairuz (Nouhad Wadie' Haddad).
He became a naturalized United States citizen in 2019.
In the 1990s, his services were known for a phenomenon dubbed 'slain in the Spirit,' where attendees would fall backward.
He has publicly shifted some of his theological positions over the years, notably on the prosperity gospel.
“Faith is now. The miracle is now.”
