Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, is in Southeast Asia, speaking with Bishop Irenaeus, a man who has given his life to carrying for the poor and the downtrodden—those whom the Lord Jesus called “the least of these.” Bishop Irenaeus shares the vision God gave him to rescue starving and dying children. And now there are the Sisters of Compassion, specially trained women missionaries who feed, clothe, and care for these children, teaching them the ways of the Lord. For more information, see Gospel for Asia, https://www.gfa.org/women/sisters-of-compassion/.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, is traveling in Southeast Asia, ministering to victims of leprosy. He is working closely with an organization that provides fresh water, sanitation, and education to those who are broken. A brokenness displayed in people whose toes and limbs have rotted away and who are isolated from the outside world. But the Sisters of Compassion, specially trained women missionaries, bring to them the love and care of Christ.For more information, see Gospel for Asia, https://www.gfa.org/women/sisters-of-compassion/.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on Great and Holy Pascha in Eastern Orthodox Holy Week. On Pascha (Easter), the culmination of Holy Week, along with the body of Christ worldwide, we celebrate the ultimate game changer. If I face hardships in life “for merely human reasons,” wrote Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian Christians, “what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” Paul states directly, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Without resurrection, Christianity crumbles. Thus, in 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul provides a four-part argument underscoring the irrevocable reality of Christ’s resurrection. For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff’s article, “The FEAT of Resurrection,” and his book Resurrection.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, teaches on Great and Holy Saturday in Eastern Orthodox Holy Week. Holy Saturday marks one of the most enigmatic of all mysteries—the mystery of Christ’s descent into Hades. Being “put to death in the body,” says the apostle Peter, He was “made alive by the Spirit through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also.” Peter here reminds us of two great and glorious truths—both of which are encapsulated in the Liturgy of St. Basil. First, we are saved through water. Second, the descent of Christ into Hades inaugurates resplendent triumph—a triumph by which Christ “tramples down death by death.” In the words of St. John Damascene, “through his descent into Hades, Christ opened the way to paradise for all and calls all to salvation. For some Christ’s preaching led to salvation while for others it only exposed their unbelief.” And adds St. John Chrysostom, “this call is not coercive or forcible. Everyone is called, but not all follow the call. For in the mercy of God there are no obstacles other than the free will of humankind.”

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on the meaning of Great and Holy Friday of Eastern Orthodox Holy Week. On this day, the Church is brought face to face with the fatal torment of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As the chill of death crept through His body, our Lord cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” These shocking, devastating words harken back to the words of Psalm 22. “I am poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within Me. My strength is dried up, My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth….a band of evil men have encircled Me; they have pierced My hands and My feet. I can count all my bones. People stare, they gloat over Me. They divide my garments among them and they cast lots for my clothing.” Christ’s emptying is our filling. As we emerge from a worldwide pandemic, a time of suffering, despair and death, we are reminded to think back to God’s past faithfulness in Christ—we are assured that He is faithful in the midst of our present circumstances. And that we will be, in the words of King David, “delivered and not disappointed.” The cry of Christ from the cross forever highlights the stark contrast between emotional despair and absolute trust in God’s eternal faithfulness. Today, we remember the Passion of the Christ upon the cross—the Lamb of God who takes away of the sin of the world.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on Great and Holy Thursday of Eastern Orthodox Holy Week. On this day, we commemorate Christ’s final day on Earth. The vigil on the eve of Holy Thursday is dedicated to the Passover Supper that Christ celebrated with the Twelve—the Supper in which Christ commanded that the Passover of the New Covenant be eaten in remembrance of Himself as the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which is the sacrament that gives us a foretaste of the time when we will forever enjoy intimate communion with the Lover of our souls in “a new heaven and a new earth.”

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, comments on a profound article by Carl Trueman, titled, “Gay Conservatism Is a Contradiction in Terms.” The article features a striking picture of conservative pundit Dave Rubin and his same-sex partner David Janet holding sonagrams on either side of a plaque reading, “Coming Soon—Baby 1, 8/22/22; Baby 2, 10/14/22.” The image is captivating. Trueman explains that the image “plays powerfully to the spirit of our age: Two attractive and charming young men smiling with delight as they display the sonograms of the children they will be welcoming into the world. The moral narrative is what we might term an aesthetic one: The visible happiness of the couple is the key thing, and that plays to the spirit of our age. There is no larger moral vision by which the picture is to be judged….The moral vision here is that whatever makes modern man or woman happy and which technology makes possible must be good.” Reproductive technologies “shatter all distinctions between the sexes….By using technology to conceive children, the burden (as they saw it) of motherhood would finally be lifted off the shoulders of women and the last great oppressive division of labor—that which naturally existed between men and women—would be abolished.” The image exonerates same-sex marriage, homosexuality, dispenses with the need for differentiated parenting, and puts pressure on conservative Christians to embrace the LGBTQ+ agenda (including the notion that transgender athlete Lia Thomas is in the same category as Jackie Robinson). The icon is the argument. Western Civilization was founded on Word; modernity is fixated on image. One takes work; the other can be mindlessly embraced, shaping our worldview. Carl Trueman, “Gay Conservatism Is a Contradiction in Terms,” World, March 21, 2022, https://wng.org/opinions/gay-conservatism-is-a-contradiction-in-terms-1647865045

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, comments on a horrendous Maryland state senate bill that would have condoned infanticide. Senator William Smith forwarded Senate Bill 669, dubbed “Pregnant Person’s Freedom Act of 2022,” which would have allowed “perinatal death related to a failure to act”—in other words, infanticide days after birth. This is believed to be progressive—forward thinking—but if you know your history, you will be well aware of just how regressive it is. Think back to Nero in the first century—when female babies were allowed to expire at the statue of Caesar. Why? They were considered to be expendable, just as we today are beginning to consider not just pre-born but born children to be expendable if you don’t want them. The West has turned in a very dark direction, and it is up to Christians to stand in the midst of evil. Life is the foundation of human civilization. Abraham Kuyper well said, “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy alike, with all the fire of your faith.” See Olivia Summers, “Maryland Legislature Considers Sick Bill That Could Legalize Infanticide Up to 28 Days AFTER Birth,” ACLJ, March 4, 2022, updated March 15, 2022, https://aclj.org/pro-life/maryland-legislature-considers-sick-bill-that-could-legalize-infanticide-up-to-28-days-after-birth

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on the story that “Dragevangelist” Ms. Penny Cost (Isaac Simmons) is the first drag queen to be a certified candidate for ordination in the United Methodist Church—one of the largest evangelical denominations in the world. The name “Penny Cost” comes from the biblical story of Pentecost, and Ms. Penny Cost frequently dons bright red wigs emblematic of “tongues of fire.” But what all this is actually emblematic of is the erosion of the foundation of life in western civilization. The pillars that stand on that foundation are crumbling. Marriage redefined. Gender decoupled from biological sex. Pagans will always exercise their job description—what else can they do? The question is will Christians exercise their job description to be salt and light in a lost and searching world? See Caroline Brew, “Ms. Penny Cost Discusses Being the First Drag Queen Certified Candidate for Ordination in the United Methodist Church,” Daily Northwestern, February 25, 2022, https://dailynorthwestern.com/2022/02/25/lateststories/ms-penny-cost-discusses-being-the-first-drag-queen-certified-candidate-for-ordination-in-the-united-methodist-church/. Emily McFarlan Miller, “First Drag Queen Certified as a Candidate for United Methodist Ministry ‘Speaking In a New Way to New People,” April 15, 2021, https://religionnews.com/2021/04/15/first-drag-queen-certified-as-a-candidate-for-united-methodist-ministry-speaking-in-a-new-way-to-new-people/.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, shares a remarkable article by Dr. Jay W. Richards titled, “When to Doubt a Scientific ‘Consensus.’” Richards explains, “Anyone who has studied the history of science knows that scientists are not immune to the non-rational dynamics of the herd.” Jay goes on to offer a twelve-point “checklist to decide when you can, even should, doubt a scientific ‘consensus,’ whatever the subject. One of these signs may be enough to give pause. If they start to pile up, then it’s wise to be leery.”See Jay Richards, “Politics Disguised as Science: When to Doubt a Scientific ‘Consensus,’” The Stream, April 19, 2017, https://stream.org/doubt-scientific-consensus/