Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reads from and comments on a recent article by Abigail Shrier titled, “How Activist Teachers Recruit Kids.” Shrier writes, “Leaked documents and audio from the California Teachers Association conference reveal efforts to subvert parents on gender identity and sexual orientation,” and include coaching “teachers in student-recruiting tactics.” Churches must equip parents to teach their children, and to model for their children, a biblical worldview.See Abigail Shrier, “How Activist Teachers Recruit Kids,” The Truth Fairy, November 18, 2021,https://abigailshrier.substack.com/p/how-activist-teachers-recruit-kids.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on transgenderism in sports. Cheryl Cooky, Perdue University Professor of American and gender studies, writes, “[Lia] Thomas’ victories in NCAA swimming should be celebrated as an advancement in women’s sports.” Speaking from her NBC platform, Cooky goes on to decry the reality that sports at present are “organized based on the belief of natural differences between men and women, and they are sex-segregated as a result.” And this leads to discrimination. Thus, just as Jackie Robinson was celebrated for breaking the racial barrier as the first Black Major League Baseball player, Lia Thomas should be celebrated for breaking the gender barrier and should be embraced for the “trailblazer that she is.” So, in a nutshell: just as it is right and just not to discriminate on the basis of race, it is right and just not to discriminate on the basis of gender. Taking the argument to its logical conclusion, women should be allowed to play in the NFL, and men should be allowed to play in the LPGA — until we become enlightened enough to drop the “L” from LPGA. Dr. Rachael McKinnon, internationally recognized scholar in philosophy and transgender issues, an individual who transitioned from male to female and thereafter became a 2-time women’s cycling world champion, made the argument explicit in saying that “the gap in performance between elite men and women is closing in every sport. As the men are improving and new records are being set, the women’s records are being set faster. The gap is closing. Its misleading to take the current gap and say that will always be the case.” So, the point would be to become free-thinking enough to do away with gender in sports altogether — then people, whatever they are in mind or body, can compete together in the NFL, NBA, PGA, you name it. What a victory that would be for women, right? Is this supposed victory being won by robust debate or by robust censorship? Under the Bolsheviks, swimming against the tide was a prescription for getting your assets seized; today assigning the wrong pronoun to an NCAA Division I swimming champion is grounds for shutting down your Twitter account and submerging your voice so that truth is left to drown in the pool. Cheryl Cooky, “Lia Thomas' NCAA Championship Performance Gives Women Sports a Crucial Opportunity,” NBC News, March 21, 2022, https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/we-should-be-celebrating-lia-thomas-we-did-jackie-robinson-ncna1292521. “Q&A: Dr. Rachel McKinnon, Masters Track Champion and Transgender Athlete,” VeloNews, October 15, 2018, https://www.velonews.com/news/qa-dr-rachel-mckinnon-masters-track-champion-and-transgender-athlete/.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on an article by Aaron Sibarium, “The Takeover of America’s Legal System.” Sibarium writes, “At Boston College Law School this semester, a constitutional law professor asked students: ‘Who does not think we should scrap the constitution?’ According to a student in the class, not a single person raised their hand.” Why? Because truth is no longer as important as virtue signaling. Sibarium goes on to report that “Last year, NASDAQ demanded that companies listing shares on its exchanges meet racial and gender quotas.” And “Lawyers at top law firms in New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles said they fret constantly about saying the wrong thing—or taking on the wrong client.” As such, “Religious liberty cases” are “totally off the table.” The reality is that “progressives have set about repurposing the law.” Even “the principle that one is innocent until proven guilty” seems to be in question. “At stake…is the American justice system itself.” Justice no longer being about the equal application of the law as much as about “the preferences of those in power. Aaron Sibarium, “The Takeover of America’s Legal System,” Common Sense, March 21, 2022, https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/the-takeover-of-americas-legal-system.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, offers an update on his sister Jobje, who is battling pancreatic cancer. While undergoing her 27th cycle of chemotherapy, Jobje writes, “I continue to reflect on God’s immense blessings that He continually pours over me on this journey. O how merciful and gracious He is! It is with such gratitude that I thank Him for His compassion upon me, especially in this Lenten season. We so easily skip to a ‘Happy Easter,’ forgetting that ‘Jesus walked this lonesome valley. He had to walk it by Himself. Nobody else could walk it for Him. He did it—all by Himself,’ for me and you. Even for me, His oh so undeserving child. This song came to me in the wee morning hours. On that awful, ‘awe-full’ Good Friday, how would I have reacted? Would I have been one of those in that crowd to watch in horror or worship? Would I be crying, singing, and praying for Him, my Jesus? Or would I be as one of those curious bystanders, doubting, spitting, mocking, scoffing, rejecting? Oh, I am so ashamed for the pain I have personally in my life caused Him, to die such a horrific death. Yesterday, as we drove to the Cancer Center again, as always, I get a little anxious the last couple miles. You never know what will happen when all the labs are drawn, analyzed, and interpreted. But once again God’s grace poured down upon me; for as we neared the cancer center, the sun shone brightly, in such a way as I never noticed before. I saw all the crosses on the downtown churches, the Greek Orthodox Church, St. Andrews Cathedral, and many of the other churches, each with their crosses on the their tall spires surrounding the St. Mary’s Hospital complex. Symbolically they were all beckoning to me via their bright sun-lit crosses that I should be at peace, and to trust. But the best cross shining and beckoning to me, coaxing me into the doors of the Lack’s Cancer Center again, was the brightly sun-lit cross on the domed roof of the upstairs cancer center chapel. It was like a symbol of God’s care, like a canopy spreading to all who entered, including to me. Powerfully and vividly it was reminding me of all He has done for me. It was reminding me to trust, to walk this very lonely road myself, certainly not like He did, but to walk in this journey to His Cross, even through death, and then to Him….I was reminded to be more diligent in contemplating His Atonement these forty days of Lent, to hypothetically walk with Him in His sufferings, to pray more, and to be reminded of His great love for me. I have put on my custom-made spiritual shoes again and continue to walk one step at a time. Sometimes, though, I slog through deep sucking puddles of quicksand that spiritually bog me down in despair, and which give me the feeling of being so alone on this difficult journey. But then God sends His angels to walk with me, even for people like my dear loving husband, a supportive family, and friends. He encourages me with cards in the mail in His exact timing. He even grants me the assurances of people still willing to pray for me on this journey. Thank you!!! Oh, a ‘Forever Easter’ in Heaven! I look forward to that day! In His cross I glory, Jobje 🦋 🌷”

Hank Hanegraaff is joined by Dr. Casey Luskin, associate director of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, and author of “Lessons Learned (and Not Learned) from the Evangelical Debate Over Adam and Eve” in the upcoming issue of the Christian Research Journal. Hank and Dr. Luskin discuss why so many Christians are so quick to abandon the belief of a historical Adam and Eve, theistic evolution, evolutionary creationism, the argument that human genetic diversity can’t be explained by an original Adam and Eve and more. Topics discussed include: The debate over Adam and Eve—Why are so many Christians today eager to abandon a historical Adam and Eve? (9:15); theistic evolution (12:40); evolutionary creationism (16:35); could Adam and Eve alone have produced the genetic diversity in our world? (18:05); why do so many Christians feel the need to conform their religious beliefs to the popular scientific consensus of the day? (25:05); different ways to view the relationship between religion and science (30:00); William Lane Craig and his book In Quest of the Historical Adam (33:45); the problem with consensus science (42:20); how can we discern how and when to question consensus science? (48:25); the sociology and politicization of science (52:45); is Intelligent Design just a “God of the gaps” argument? (57:45); eugenics as an example of the problem with consensus science (1:02:00); junk DNA and common descent (1:05:25); Darwin’s Tree of Life (1:12:45); punctuated equilibrium (1:16:05); convergent evolution or common design? (1:20:45); misinformation regarding icons of evolution (1:26:25); how to educate children about the scieAs mentioned, Casey’s article will be in a forthcoming issue of the print version of the Christian Research Journal, to subscribe now to receive this when it comes out please click here. https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/​To read Hank’s From the President in the current issue (March 2022) of the Christian Research Journal, entitled, “Misreading the Book of Knowledge and the Book of Nature” please click here. https://www.equip.org/article/misreading-the-book-of-knowledge-and-the-book-of-nature/Click here for a Special limited preview of the article, “Who Was Adam? (Summary Critique of William Lane Craig’s In Quest of the Historical Adam)”. https://www.equip.org/article/who-was-adam-a-book-review-of-in-quest-of-the-historical-adam-by-william-lane-craig-special-limited-preview/To read the full article and others in this issue please subscribe to the print edition of the Journal (and receive as your first issue while this remains the most recent issue, to check what the current issue is please click here).A subscription to the print issues also includes early access to online-exclusive articles and select print articles before being made available to the public. You may also purchase this individual issue by clicking here.https://www.equip.org/product/he-descended-to-hell-an-investigation-of-the-harrowing-of-hell-in-the-apostles-creed/Also a great related resource is the Comprehensive Guide to Faith and Science, please click here for more information.https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resources-animal-algorithms-and-the-comprehensive-guide-to-science-and-faith-hup/Listen to Hank’s podcast and follow Hank off the grid where he is joined by some of the brightest minds discussing topics you care about. Get equipped to be a cultural change agent.Archived episodes are on our Website and available at the additional channels listed below.You can help spread the word about Hank Unplugged by giving us a rating and review from the other channels we are listed o

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Hank Unplugged podcast, reflects on an opinion piece in the Charlotte Observer, “Church Vandalism Is Soaring; Here’s Why We All Should Care.” The article begins with the words “Satan lives here”—these hateful words, along with graffiti and swastikas, spray-painted on a Cathedral in Denver. We are shocked, as we should be, when we read about such incidences. But as vandalism of this nature becomes increasingly commonplace, the shock wears off. The authors suggest that 2021 will set a record for hate crimes, as “religiously motivated attacks” increase. Why? The authors posit the Christian opposition to abortion as one motivation for such attacks. We shouldn’t be surprised. Karl Marx wrote, “The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo.” A rank materialist, Marx believed that “the physical facts fix all the facts” (as the atheist philosopher Alex Rosenberg pithily puts it). But Marx was wrong—Christianity is not an illusion. When you look at the heavens you see God’s “eternal power and divine nature,” and in seeing that, as Paul wrote, we are “without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Christians must become equipped to exercise truth and experience life. See Samuel J. Aquila and Tim Busch, “Church Vandalism Is Soaring; Here’s Why We All Should Care,” Charlotte Observer, November 21, 2021, https://www.pressreader.com/similar/281779927385288

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on an article titled “The Incredible Shrinking Planet.” From this article you get the sense that when we discovered that the Sun does not revolve around Earth, we likewise discovered that we are but an insignificant pale blue dot (as Carl Sagan put it). That we have little significance considering the vastness of the universe—with more than a trillion galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars (and presumably many times more planets). But the reality is that we are a privileged planet. We humans are of an inestimable value, created in the image of God, and we do inhabit an exalted place in this universe. In coming to grips with the size of the universe, neither we nor our planet have shrunk in significance. Indeed, the vastness intensifies our significance. We have been created for eternity—including incomprehensible growth and development. Philip Yancey, “The Incredible Shrinking Planet,” February 17, 2022, https://philipyancey.com/the-incredible-shrinking-planet. Hank Hanegraaff, “Is Earth a Privileged Planet?” (from The Creation Answer Book [Thomas Nelson, 2012], February 4, 2014, Christian Research Institute, https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/earth-privileged-planet/.

On this edition of Hank Unplugged Hank Hanegraaff is joined by Yelena Popovic, Metropolitan Cleopas and Christopher Tripoulas to discuss the film Man of God, written and directed by Yelena Popovic. Man of God was released internationally in 2021 and will have exclusive viewings in the United States on March 21st and 28th 2022. Exiled unjustly, convicted without a trial, slandered without cause. The life of St. Nektarios of Aegina was one of persecution and prosecution. A priest of the common people, his popularity provoked the jealousy of the clergy in Alexandria and as a result, he was defrocked and expelled from Egypt. In contrast to his religious “superiors”, Nektarios cared for the poor, taught peasant girls to read and write, and performed miracles. Even his last moment on earth was used to help another: upon his death, Nektarios’ undergarment was removed, and as it fell upon a paralyzed man in the hospital bed next to him, the lame man arose to walk. So, too, do we hope Man of God will awaken the paralyzed faith in audiences around the world. To view the trailer for Man of God: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwptmiAhu28 For showtimes near you: https://www.fathomevents.com/events/Man-of-God Topics discussed include: Hank Hanegraaff describes his personal relationship to St. Nektarios (0:30); the inspiration behind making a movie about a modern saint-St. Nektarios (7:00); it is easier to portray evil than good-the challenge of playing the goodness in St. Nektarios (12:50); the significance of St. Nektarios (14:30); how should we respond to slander and persecution? (18:55); experiencing spiritual warfare (23:15); the life and ministry of St. Nektarios (26:15); the reality of miracles and God’s presence in our daily lives (29:40); what is the significance of the relics of Saints? (34:40); healing and healthcare (40:55); the corruption of power, even in the Church (43:45); the exceptional education and intellectual sophistication of St. Nektarios (48:45); the importance of almsgiving and caring for the poor and suffering (53:00); living our lives with an eternal perspective as evidenced by the life and ministry of St. Nektarios (1:01:35); persecution and turning the other cheek (1:07:05); a powerful miracle associated with St. Nektarios (1:11:00); is there still a stigma associated with St. Nektarios as a result of the accusations against him during his life? (1:13:30); how to watch the film Man of God (1:23:20).

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, comments on sensationalistic end-time scenarios occasioned by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Let Ezekiel mention the word rosh, and the imaginations of end-time sensationalists go wild. The Hebrew word rosh sounds enough like “Russia” to implicate Russia as the villain in sensationalistic end-time scenarios. However, as documented by credible historians and linguists, the word “Russia” is an eleventh century Viking word and as such should not be semantically linked to the Hebrew word rosh. Moreover, if we fail to understand the history communicated in Scripture, we can come up with all kinds of sensationalistic scenarios. Take Pat Robertson ranting recently about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, citing Ezekiel. The problem is Robertson’s failure to understand the historical context of Ezekiel’s prophecies, which have nothing to do with current events in Ukraine. The historical principle of biblical interpretation keeps one from supposing—as do modern day prophecy pundits—that Ezekiel longed for a third or fourth temple when the second had not yet arisen from the ashes of the first. For Pat Robertson’s statements, see Steve Warren, “‘God Is Getting Ready to Do Something Amazing’: CBN Founder Pat Robertson on Russia and Its Place in Prophecy,” CBN News, February 28, 2022, https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/2022/february/god-is-getting-ready-to-do-something-amazing-founder-pat-robertson-on-russia-and-its-place-in-prophecy. For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, Has God Spoken?https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-has-god-spoken/.

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, discusses his “From the President” column in the current issue of the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, 44, no. 04 (2021): 4–6. In a brilliant commentary on Genesis, the erudite Saint Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306 – c. 373) rightly depicted “the paradise narrative as a paradigm of deification, an interpretive framework for the history of redemption, and a spiritual geography for the conceptualization of deifying union with God as the goal of the Christian life.” Saint Ephrem, like the church fathers as a whole, set a high premium on the proper interpretation of Genesis in understanding what it means to be truly human. In the current issue of the JOURNAL, Fazale Rana provides a Summary Critique of William Lane Craig’s In Quest of the Historical Adam. Dr. Craig misreads both science and Scripture. Moreover, Craig invokes a novel interpretive framework clearly in conflict with “what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.”To read Hank’s From the President in the current issue (March 2022) of the Christian Research Journal, entitled, “Misreading the Book of Knowledge and the Book of Nature” please click here.https://www.equip.org/article/misreading-the-book-of-knowledge-and-the-book-of-nature/Click here for a Special limited preview of the article, “Who Was Adam? (Summary Critique of William Lane Craig’s In Quest of the Historical Adam)”. https://www.equip.org/article/who-was-adam-a-book-review-of-in-quest-of-the-historical-adam-by-william-lane-craig-special-limited-preview/To read the full article and others in this issue please subscribe to the print edition of the Journal (and receive as your first issue while this remains the most recent issue, to check what the current issue is please click here). https://www.equip.org/product/crj-subscription/ There is also a Postmodern Realities episode discussing this book available by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/pmr-podcast/episode-277-who-was-adam-summary-critique-of-william-lane-craigs-in-quest-of-the-historical-adam/A subscription to the print issues also includes early access to online-exclusive articles and select print articles before being made available to the public. https://www.equip.org/early-access-to-online-exclusive-articles-faqs/You may also purchase this individual issue by clicking here. https://www.equip.org/product/he-descended-to-hell-an-investigation-of-the-harrowing-of-hell-in-the-apostles-creed/ Listen to Hank’s podcast and follow Hank off the grid where he is joined by some of the brightest minds discussing topics you care about. Get equipped to be a cultural change agent.Archived episodes are on our Website and available at the additional channels listed below.You can help spread the word about Hank Unplugged by giving us a rating and review from the other channels we are listed on.