Nine years after his visit to the city kicked up a political-legal storm, American evangelist Benny Hinn is set for another date with Bangalore between January 15 and 17. He is scheduled to speak at a function organised by Bethel AG Church.
The millionaire evangelist had previously come to Bangalore in January 2005 and held a ‘Festival of Blessings’ programme at the Jakkur aerodrome which was attended by the then Chief Minister Dharam Singh and other ministers. The festival, however, was boycotted by several organisations which alleged that it was being held to convert people into Christianity.
In 2014, Hinn will speak at the Supernova Arena and Convention Centre near Yelahanka at the Christian Prayer Conference featuring other speakers like Pastor Paul Dhinakaran, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and Pastor MA Varughese. The organizers are charging a fee of `850 per person for the event.
Hinn’s previous visit was said to be the largest gathering of Christians ever recorded in the country. While the exact number of people who attended is not known, the police force in charge of security itself was 10,000 strong. Petitions seeking a ban on the programme were quashed by the High Court which led to the BJP and its allies then calling for a partial bandh on the first day of the programme.