Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Tonight's Declaring Independence will be a rerun. Things are a bit crazy at the Michigan Messenger this week, with our national editorial director on vacation and the assistant editorial director traveling to Indianapolis for a conference today, so I'm going to stick close to home to keep an eye on the site.
Unfortunately, I missed out on a dream interview that I had hoped would take place for today's show. A week and a half ago I was contacted by the publicist for Benny Hinn, who has a new book out. Would I be interested in interviewing Hinn about the new book, she asked? Oh, would I ever.
I asked her to send me a copy of the book and we began exchanging emails about the timing of the interview. She said he was going to be in New York on a book tour the 19th-21st and I asked if we could get him on the phone on the 20th to pre-record an interview. She seemed open to that and when I spoke to her last Thursday, she said he was open that day.
On Monday, I emailed and asked her to nail down a specific time for the interview. I have not heard back from her since. I'm quite disappointed but not surprised. I have no idea how I ended up on her email list in the first place, but I had really hoped that they would not google me and find out that my show is not likely to be a place where Hinn would be welcomed.
I had the whole thing planned out, to start out talking about his book and make him comfortable, then slowly turn up the heat with questions about his "faith healing" fraud. Eventually I figured he would hang up, at which point I would bring on a skeptic who has been to his events and written about the various cons that go on there. I still plan to have the skeptic on the show, probably next week. But I'm sad that i could not bring you what would surely have been a very entertaining show had I been able to get Benny Hinn on the phone.
Politics
Comments
lambs to the slaughter, you mean?
har har har
Posted by: Heinrich Mallison | August 20, 2009 9:40 AM
Foiled by The Google!
Posted by: The Science Pundit | August 20, 2009 9:54 AM
Maybe you could develop a stealth Google-persona, like Orac. Perhaps "Lord Pokerbeard"?
...
Honestly, I have no idea where that came from.
More on-topic, I'm reading Randi's The Faith Healers now. I have to do it in short bursts, lest I start planning violent acts against televangelists.
Posted by: Ranson | August 20, 2009 10:04 AM
Heh, nice... when I was in college and couldn't afford cable, and also under the influence of various "collegiate substances", Benny Hinn used to be one of my and my roommate's favorite shows. It was just so over-the-top entertaining...
Posted by: James Sweet | August 20, 2009 10:09 AM
And you would've gotten away with it, if not for those meddling kids.
Posted by: Paul Lundgren | August 20, 2009 10:49 AM
Interviewing Hinn would have been entertaining, but I doubt you'd be able to get him to say much. From what I hear, he's got a huge ego problem and doesn't take to anyone questioning his authority or legitimacy.
He's got money oozing from his pores, and a loyal flock of believers, so "he don't need no skeptic's show, uh-uh."
Posted by: wheatdogg | August 20, 2009 11:31 AM
From the tone of the two paragraphs before this, it sounds like Hinn would have been very welcomed at your show.
Posted by: AL Jeremy | August 20, 2009 11:54 AM
We recently got a new phone number. Apparently this number belonged to a woman who gave freely to Benny Hinn and other televangelists in the past. They call every couple of months and ask for her. (I see "Benny Hinn" on the caller ID). The last time they called it was a grandmotherly type, and I lit into her, asking her how she could look in the mirror, fleecing poor and ignorant people so Benny Hinn could buy a new jet or build a new mansion. She got very upset, on the verge of tears, but she didn't hang up. I released a lot of frustration on her that day. Finally she said, "I...I don't think I can talk to you any more".
Now when the caller ID says "Benny Hinn', my kids go, "Dad, please don't answer!"
Posted by: Dwimr | August 20, 2009 1:02 PM
I would soften him up first with compliments on his hair.
Posted by: Dr X | August 20, 2009 1:06 PM
"I would soften him up first with compliments on his hair."
Yeah, that'll work!
Actually, Benny reminds me of the skwurz that hang around my house. I think I'd like to lure him in, tie him down and shave his head. Once shorn of his cute fluffiness, Benny would look like a sqwurl with a vaselined tail--in other words, a fucking rat.
Posted by: democommie | August 20, 2009 2:02 PM
How dare you attack Mister Hinn. His ability to heal people could amount to a huge savings on our current health care system. Just think, we could enjoy huge savings by closing cancer centers and hospitals and installing drive-by photo-booth sized healing centers. Ambulances full of the mangled and diseased arriving on one side and healthy happy people being driven away by cab on the other.
And to think we could get all this for, minus a substantial 'Love gift', for free. Think of the children. Think of the savings. Fall on your knees before reverend Hinn and accept the power of God into your life.
Posted by: Art | August 20, 2009 6:08 PM
His ability to heal people could amount to a huge savings on our current health care system.
Yeah, I know. I'm unbelievably disheartened at the direction our health care debate has taken.
The debate is nearly always framed in a one-dimensional fashion: left vs. right, "socialized medicine" vs. "free market" (and "choice"). This is but a Potemkin argument, to mask the true suppression of that which would free us.
The healers and exorcists like Benny Hinn and Thomas Muthee (did not Jesus delegate his healing and exorcism powers to his followers?); the ancient arts such as acupuncture, predating Noah, and proven again and again, as shown in the scientific article which the infantile David Gorski unsuccessfully attempts to deconstruct and belittle over at the so-called sciencebasedmedicine.com; the true reasons Big Pharma wants to kill us with vaccinations (because because the "skeptics" in government regulation make it too expensive for them to research and prove the utility and safety of the drugs they make us need in old age).
It's enough to make an intelligent person cry. Fortunately, my homeopathic Physician should receive his order of 20X antimatter tomorrow, so I'll at least be treated, and and once again be in touch with the advisory voices in my head.
Posted by: Uncle Glenny | August 20, 2009 7:26 PM
Uncle Glenny:
I think the PoeOmeter got pegged on that one!
Posted by: docommie | August 20, 2009 11:23 PM
If anyone has not read this yet it is a fun read about Dembski and Marks in the IEEE Journal
http://scienceblogs.com/goodmath/2009/08/quick_critique_dembski_and_mar.php?utm_source=networkbanner&utm_medium=link
Posted by: theroachman | August 21, 2009 12:09 AM
What a pity. :( Benny Hinn deserves some tough questions (and mountains of ridicule that even mohammed couldn't move).
Posted by: MadScientist | August 21, 2009 7:59 AM