Kent E. Hovind, born on January 15, 1953, is an American Christian fundamentalist evangelist and tax protester. He is a controversial figure in the Young Earth creationist movement and is known for his rejection of scientific theories of evolution, cosmology, and geology. Hovind advocates a literal interpretation of the Biblical creation narrative and argues that the universe was created about 6,000 years ago.
Hovind’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Religious Education from Midwestern Baptist College, a non-accredited institution. He claims to have four doctorates, including a PhD in Christian Education from Patriot Bible University, an unaccredited diploma mill. His use of the title “Dr.” based on these credentials has been criticized.
In 1989, Hovind started Creation Science Evangelism (CSE), through which he spread his young earth creationist beliefs. He became well-known for his “Creation Science Seminars,” in which he argued against evolution and for a young earth using a combination of scientific, moral, and biblical arguments. Hovind also established Dinosaur Adventure Land, a creationist theme park in Pensacola, Florida, in 2001.
Hovind’s legal troubles began in 2006 when he was convicted of 58 federal counts, including twelve counts of willful failure to collect, account for, and pay over federal income taxes, FICA taxes, and federal unemployment taxes, forty-five counts of structuring cash transactions, and one count of threatening investigators. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and was released in 2015.
After his release, Hovind continued his creationist preaching and seminars. His teachings and legal battles have made him a polarizing figure, with supporters praising his staunch defense of Biblical literalism and critics condemning his rejection of scientific consensus and legal transgressions.