Harvey Ben Kinchlow (December 27, 1936 – July 18, 2019) was an American evangelist who co-hosted ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, p ...

'' from 1975 to 1988 and again from 1992 to 1996. He also hosted other shows on the

Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook (198 ...

such as ''Straight Talk'' and a radio talk show, ''Taking It to the Streets''.

Early life and education

Ben Kinchlow was born and raised in

Uvalde, Texas Uvalde ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,217 at the 2020 census, down from 15,751 in 2010. It is the principal city in the Uvalde, Texas Micropolitan Statistical Area. Uvalde is ...

, the son of a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister. Kinchlow received his elementary and secondary education during the 40´s in what was then the Nicolas School, a tiny building which was located in the center of East Uvalde city park, which was the last segregated campus for the city’s black students, operating exclusively for

Blacks Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ch ...

from 1938 until 1955. He served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

for thirteen years. He rediscovered

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in the 1970s after a period as a

Black Nationalist Black nationalism is a nationalist movement which seeks representation for Black people as a distinct national identity, especially in racialized, colonial and postcolonial societies. Its earliest proponents saw it as a way to advocate for ...

influenced by

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

and the Black Muslims.Connection Magazine
He earned his MBA, later becoming a

born-again Christian To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

. Soon thereafter, in 1971, he was ordained as an

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...

minister.

Career

Kinchlow became the executive director of a Christian drug and rehabilitation center and appeared as a guest on ''The 700 Club'' in order to speak about the people he saw coming to Christ through the center. He was asked back to host the show while

Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (March 22, 1930 – June 8, 2023) was an American Media proprietor, media mogul, Televangelism, televangelist, political commentator, presidential candidate, and charismatic movement, charismatic minister. Rober ...

was in Israel, and in 1975 he became ''The 700 Club''s Director of Counseling. In 1982, he became ''700 Club'' co-host and

vice-president for domestic ministries, in 1985, he was promoted to executive vice-president. He left CBN and ''The 700 Club'' in 1996 to pursue an independent ministry. Kinchlow was the founder of Americans for Israel and the co-host of the ''Front Page Jerusalem'' radio show. Kinchlow was President and Co-Founder of Brio TV which launched in 2015 as a subscription-based streaming service with television affiliates focused on providing positive, faith-driven content for individuals and families. He hosted the platform's flagship program Ben Kinchlow's Real America. He was also a commentary contributor to WND,

WorldNetDaily WND (formerly WorldNetDaily) is an Radical right (United States), American far-right news and opinion website. It is known for promoting fake news and conspiracy theories, including the false claim that former President Barack Obama Barack Obama ...

, a conservative network newspaper.

Personal life and death

Kinchlow died on Thursday, July 18, 2019, at the age of 82. Followers of Kinchlow's official Facebook page received a "prayer alert asking for emergency prayers" the day before, though the reason for the request, as well as the official cause of death was never publicly disclosed.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinchlow, Ben 1936 births 2019 deaths Place of death missing American television evangelists African-American television personalities African Methodist Episcopal Church clergy American Christian writers People from Uvalde, Texas Military personnel from Texas Converts to Methodism from Islam Former Nation of Islam members Black conservatism in the United States WorldNetDaily people