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
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
After finishing college, the Benham Brothers began working in real estate in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The brothers had had little success until a bank contacted them to work on a foreclosed home; their work on this project led to more jobs. In 2003, the brothers co-founded BENHAM Real Estate Group, which focuses on bank listings and preparing foreclosed homes for resale. They also operate Redwood Realty Group focused on residential homes in the greater Charlotte, NC area.
The brother established a business-focused podcast in 2020 and promoted a venture called "Expert Ownership" which they promoted in an appearance on
American Family Radio
American Family Radio (AFR) is a network of more than 180 radio stations broadcasting Christian Conservative Christianity, Christian-oriented programming to over 30 states.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.
''Flip it Forward'': HGTV
In April 2014,
HGTV
HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. As of February 2015, appr ...
announced it was planning to premier a home improvement reality television show featuring the brothers called ''Flip It Forward'', to debut in fall 2014.
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." The group criticized statements by David Benham at a protest outside of the
2012 Democratic National Convention
The 2012 Democratic National Convention was a gathering, held from September 3–6, 2012, at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which delegates of the Democratic Party nominated President Barack Obama and Vice Presid ...
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." 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. The day after the report was published, HGTV canceled the brothers' series over their controversial remarks.
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.
Filmography
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
A command center (often called a war room) is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.
While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses. ...
'' (2015). David Benham was credited in the same three films plus '' Courageous'' (2011).
2020 legal case
David Benham is the president of Cities4Life, an anti-abortion 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. The charges against Benham was dropped. Benham, Cities4Life, Global Impact Ministries, represented by the conservative Christian legal group
Alliance Defending Freedom
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF, formerly Alliance Defense Fund) is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to curtail rights for LGBTQ people; expand Christian practices within public schools and in government; and ...
, subsequently sued the city, alleging a violation of First Amendment rights.
Personal lives
David and his wife, Lori, have five children; Jason and his wife, Tori, have four children; both families reside in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Bibliography
*''Whatever the Cost: Facing Your Fears, Dying to Your Dreams, and Living Powerfully''. Thomas Nelson, 2015.
*''Living Among Lions: How to Thrive like Daniel in Today's Babylon''. Thomas Nelson, 2016.
*''Miracle in Shreveport''. Thomas Nelson, 2018.
*''Bold and Broken: Becoming the Bridge Between Heaven and Earth''. Salem Books, 2019
*''Expert Ownership: Launching Faith-Filled Entrepreneurs into Greater Freedom and Success''. Benham Media, 2021