Biography
Dr. Rita (Reed) Bennett was born in Lake Huron, Michigan, in 1934, and was the third child of William and Loretta Reed. The family moved to Tampa, Florida, in 1936, where she spent her childhood and teenage years. Rita earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education at the University of Florida in 1958 and worked in the Florida State Department of Education in child welfare.
In 1966, she married The Rev. Canon Dennis J. Bennett, and they began a marriage of service to the Lord. In 1968 the Bennets founded Christian Renewal Association (CRA) to minister to Christians seeking inner healing and renewal through the Holy Spirit.
In 1976 Rita founded an Inner Healing ministry within CRA and in 1982 published the best-selling book Emotionally Free. After Dennis's passing in 1991, she served as President of CRA for thirty years, writing and teaching courses on inner healing and prayer, publishing more books, and speaking at retreats, conferences, seminaries, and on television. Under her leadership, the ministry of CRA expanded internationally, establishing associated ministries New Zealand and East Africa.
In 2008, Rita earned a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and continued her ministry of inner healing through personal counseling services until her death in May 2021. Her legacy continues in her books and courses which are at the heart of the present-day ministries of CRA.
Oral Roberts University conferred an Honorary Doctoral degree, which recognized with distinction Rita's extensive work in emotional and spiritual healing, saying, "We thank God for what He has accomplished through you, and we want to honor you as a person, for what you have done in His name."
