The Benham Brothers

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The Benham Brothers
Born1975
Occupation(s)Former baseball players, former television hosts, authors, motivational speakers
Known forReal Estate
Notable workAuthors of Whatever the Cost, Living Among Lions and Miracle in Shreveport
TelevisionHGTV
ParentPhilip "Flip" Benham
Websitebenhambrothers.com

David Benham and Jason Benham are American identical twin brothers who are authors, speakers, real estate entrepreneurs, former Minor League Baseball players, and filmmakers known for their conservative Christian views.

Education and baseball careers[edit]

David and Jason Benham both graduated from Liberty University.[1]

David Benham was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and played in both the Red Sox farm system and the St. Louis Cardinals farm system.[2] Jason Benham was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and later moved to the St. Louis Cardinals farm system.[3]

Real estate, business, and media careers[edit]

After finishing college, the Benham Brothers began working in real estate in Charlotte, North Carolina.[4][5][6][7][8]

The brothers had little success until a bank contacted them to work on a foreclosed home;[9] their work on this project led to more jobs.[10] In 2003, the brothers co-founded BENHAM Real Estate Group, which focuses on bank listings and preparing foreclosed homes for resale.[11] They also operate Redwood Realty Group focused on residential homes in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area.[12]

The brother established a business-focused podcast in 2020[13] and promoted a venture called "Expert Ownership" which they promoted in an appearance on American Family Radio.[14]

Missioneering[edit]

The brothers are practicing Christians.[15][16] In 2010, the brothers devised an alternative, for-profit model for Christian mission work they termed "missioneering".[17][18][19]

In 2014, the brothers' "missioneering" projects, specifically virtual assistant and business services, supported missionary work in the Philippines by hiring and training 300 employees to offer. The brothers also opened CrossFit gyms in North Carolina.[20]

Flip it Forward: HGTV[edit]

In April 2014, HGTV announced it was planning to premier a home improvement reality television show featuring the brothers called Flip It Forward, to debut in fall 2014.[21][22]

The following month, People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch published a report that criticized David Benham as an anti-gay, anti-abortion "extremist."[23][24] The group criticized statements by David Benham at a protest outside of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina in which Benham told conservative talk radio host Janet Mefferd that "homosexuality and its agenda" was "attacking the nation" and that "demonic ideologies" were infiltrating "our universities and our public school systems."[23] The report also cited David Benham's work in support of North Carolina Amendment 1, a 2012 referendum to place a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions in the North Carolina constitution; his comparison of same-sex marriage with Nazi Germany; his leadership of prayer walks and gatherings outside abortion clinics; and his anti-Muslim activism.[23][25] The day after the report was published, HGTV canceled the brothers' series over their controversial remarks.[24][26][27][28][29][30]

Despite the cancellation of the program, HGTV provided the funding for the brothers to finish their work on the six Charlotte-area homes connected to the cancelled show.[31][32]

Filmography[edit]

The Benhams are credited in a number of Christian films. Jason Benham was credited in The Reliant (2019), Life Changes Everything: Discover Zac Ryan (2017), and War Room (2015).[33] David Benham was credited in the same three films plus Courageous (2011).[34]

2020 legal case[edit]

David Benham is the president of Cities4Life, a pro-life activist group. In April 2020, Benham was one of eight people who were arrested by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department after refusing to leave a protest outside an abortion clinic after being cited for violating COVID-19 restrictions on mass gatherings. Benham denied that he had violated the restriction, contending that there were not 50 people "gathered" outside of the clinic.[35] The charges against Benham were dropped.[36] Benham, Cities4Life, Global Impact Ministries, represented by the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, subsequently sued the city, alleging a violation of First Amendment rights.[37]

Personal lives[edit]

David and his wife, Lori, have five children; Jason and his wife, Tori, have four children; both families reside in Charlotte, North Carolina.[38]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Whatever the Cost: Facing Your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams, and Living Powerfully. Thomas Nelson, 2015. ISBN 0718032993
  • Living Among Lions: How to Thrive like Daniel in Today's Babylon. Thomas Nelson, 2016. ISBN 0718076419
  • Miracle in Shreveport. Thomas Nelson, 2018. ISBN 0785215980
  • Bold and Broken: Becoming the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth. Salem Books, 2019 ISBN 1621579166
  • Expert Ownership: Launching Faith-Filled Entrepreneurs into Greater Freedom and Success. Benham Media, 2021 ISBN 1736807005

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ann Oldenburg (May 7, 2014). "Benham brothers: 'If faith cost us TV show, so be it'". USA Today. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  2. ^ Versteeg, Jonathan (August 2, 2001). "Former Twisters standout Benham still chasing his dream". The Register Citizen. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  3. ^ "Jason Benham Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ^ "Pro Baseball Players Hit a Double Home Run in Real Estate" (PDF). Cabarrus Business Magazine. June 2008.
  5. ^ "Business Round Up". Salisbury Post. June 30, 2012. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "'America's best real estate agents' ranked by Real Trends". DNS News.
  7. ^ "'America's best real estate agents' ranked by Real Trends". Real Trends.
  8. ^ "RealTrends 2015" (PDF). June 30, 2015.
  9. ^ "Twin Brothers Boost Business through 'Missioneering'". CBN News. September 23, 2012. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012.
  10. ^ "Misfortune breeds opportunity". Charlotte Business Journal. July 28, 2008.
  11. ^ "Whatever the Cost: Facing Your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams, and Living Powerfully". February 17, 2015.
  12. ^ "Redwood Realty Group". Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  13. ^ "Expert Ownership Podcast". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  14. ^ "Coronavirus v. Stock Market, Benham Brothers Latest Project". American Family Radio. March 9, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  15. ^ Law, Jeannie (March 8, 2017). "Benham Brothers: It's the First Time in American History Being a Christian Will Cost Something". Christian Post. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Whitaker, Mark (September 1, 2016). "The Benham Brothers: Double Measure of Faith". TwoTen Magazine. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "The Benham Bros Discuss 'Missioneering'" (PDF). Solutions Magazine. September 2014.
  18. ^ Jessup, John (September 21, 2012). "Twin Brothers Boost Business Through Missioneering". Charisma News. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  19. ^ O'Neil, Katie (December 5, 2013). "How Missioneering Is Revolutionizing Overseas Missions". Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "CrossFit After Professional Baseball" (Interview). December 29, 2011.
  21. ^ "HGTV Adds Nine New Series to 2014 Schedule". HGTV. April 18, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014.
  22. ^ "Scripps Upfront: 31 new shows for HGTV and DIY in 2014". Media Life Magazine. April 2, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  23. ^ a b c Brian Tashman (May 6, 2014). "HGTV Picks Anti-Gay, Anti-Choice Extremist For New Reality TV Show". Right Wing Watch.
  24. ^ a b Lauren Effron; Eric Johnson; Ashley Louszko (May 10, 2014). "Benham Brothers Say HGTV Knew About Controversial Comments Over a Year Ago". ABC News.
  25. ^ "Benham Brothers Dumped by HGTV Over Anti-Gay Remarks, Could Land at Traditional Values Network INSP TV". The Hollywood Reporter. May 5, 2014.
  26. ^ "Did HGTV Cancel House Flippers' Show Over Controversial Comments?". ABC News. May 9, 2014.
  27. ^ "Benham Brothers Respond After HGTV Cancellation". South Florida Gay News. May 21, 2014.
  28. ^ "Should the Benham Brothers Have Lost Their Show over Their Remarks?". CNN. May 9, 2014.
  29. ^ "HGTV Drops Benham Brothers' 'Flip It Forward'". Huffington Post. May 7, 2014.
  30. ^ "Erin Burnett spoke exclusively to Benham Brothers over Flip It Forward". CNN. May 8, 2014.
  31. ^ "Benham brothers wrap up work on homes once slated for HGTV show". Charlotte Business Journal. July 10, 2014.
  32. ^ "The Benham Brothers: Keeping the Faith". Cabarrus Business Magazine. May 21, 2014.
  33. ^ "Jason Benham Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  34. ^ "David Benham Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  35. ^ "Abortion protesters sue city of Charlotte over COVID-19 social distancing arrests". WBTV. April 18, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  36. ^ "David Benham, pro-life activists move ahead in legal battle over 'unlawful' arrests". Christian Post. August 24, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  37. ^ "Pro-Lifers Sue City of Charlotte for Violating First Amendment Rights". Decision Magazine. August 25, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  38. ^ David Benham; Jason Benham (March 17, 2018). Miracle in Shreveport: A Memoir of Baseball, Fatherhood, and the Stadium that Launched a Dream.
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