Benny Hinn Discussion Section | Week of Feb 2^nd

In Monday’s lecture we watched a Dateline special on the Reverend Benny Hinn and the Hinn Ministries. One of the things that makes the Rev. Hinn television shows, tapes, and revivals so popular is his ability to heal, with God’s help, those who are ill.

The Rev. Hinn Dateline special is relevant to our class because one of the purposes of our class is to evaluate alternative methods for learning about human psychology. Within that context, we should ask ourselves: Is the Rev. Hinn able to heal people? And, if so (or if not), how could we find out?

For discussion/lab section this week I want you to consider and discuss four questions:

(1) Using the scientific method, how might one evaluate the possibility that Rev. Hinn is able to heal people? In considering this question, feel free to be creative. Also, be sure to discuss some of the features of the scientific process that we have reviewed thus far in this class.

(2) In a previous lecture we noted that one of the characteristics of scientific inquiry is a willingness to embrace information that is inconsistent with our existing beliefs and to make freely available information that will allow other people to evaluate our claims. In what ways has the Hinn Ministries adhered to this principal? What kinds of information has the Hinn Ministries made available to investigators? What kinds of information has it concealed?

(3) To flip the line of inquiry a bit: Dateline was clearly attempting to undermine the integrity of Rev. Hinn. Did Dateline present information that may be problematic? In other words, did Dateline present a systematic portrait of Hinn’s activities, or do you think they attempted to highlight certain features of the “data”?

(4) If we assume that Rev. Hinn is not, in fact, able to heal people, why is it the case that so many people believe that he is able to do so? Why, for example, might people fall down when Rev. Hinn raises his hand to heal them? Consider this issue in light of some of the limitations of personal experience that we discussed in class during the first few lectures.