Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

To celebrate the fiftieth episode of the Hank Unplugged podcast, Hank is re-joined by his first guest, close friend and best-selling author Frederica Mathewes-Green. This wide-ranging conversation explores many of the most common misconceptions of Eastern Orthodox theology, how Orthodox theology actually works, and the true purpose of theology itself — experiencing God. Topics discussed include: why Frederica calls abortion the most important justice issue of our time (2:40); comparing the shifting arguments of pro-choice advocates surrounding the concept of personhood to the perception of personhood found in the Three-Fifths Compromise and slavery (5:05); sex-selective abortion (7:45); how Orthodox theology works — how the concept of theology in the Christian East differs from that of the Christian West (11:00); the Atonement — Christus Victor (16:50); how the fall of Rome affected the separation between the Christian East and the Christian West (18:00); the role of tradition in biblical interpretation (22:35); finding comfort in submitting oneself to the continuation of the teachings and traditions of the historic Christian faith (26:15); truth is necessary, but it’s hardly sufficient when it comes to the authentic Christian life, because truly knowing God is more important than knowing about God (35:30); are we allowed to call anyone father? Apophatic theology and the fragile, futility of words (38:45); addressing the fragmentation and tribalism of the church and embracing the concept of mere Christianity while not compromising on the essentials of the historic Christian faith (41:15); addressing the theological unity amidst the ethnic distinctions within Orthodoxy (46:55); separation of church and state (49:40); the transformative power of The Jesus Prayer (53:00); discussing negative attitudes toward Mary and how Jesus would want us to feel about His mother (1:00:40); explaining the practice of venerating icons (1:07:00); exploring the biblical roots of liturgical practices of worship (1:10:50); why viewing the congregation as customers and marketing the consumeristic corruption of church is a tragedy (1:14:00); Nous and the false dichotomy between reason and emotion in theology (1:16:30); the danger in reducing theology to intellectual combat as opposed to a way to encounter and experience God (1:20:00); Romans 6:23 and contesting the common protestation that Orthodoxy is a crass system of works righteousness (1:23:00); and closing remarks (1:30:00).

Bestselling author O. S. Hawkins joins Hank to discuss their shared passion for memorizing scripture and why they believe it is critical for Christians to commit the Bible to memory, knowing that God speaks to us through His word and by His spirit.Topics discussed include: Hank recalls the impact that O. S. Hawkins had on his faith as a young Christian convert (3:00); the background of GuideStone: Financial Services guided by Christian Values (5:15); why Mission Dignity receives Hawkins’s book royalties (7:00); what Hawkins has learned from writing his Code series of devotionals (8:50); the importance of memorizing the Bible (12:10); lessons about faith and obedience learned from The Book of Joshua (15:40); the three levels of prayer (18:50); being an ambassador for Christ in a corrosive culture (24:00); the four worlds we all live in (private, personal, professional, and public) and where integrity is rooted (26:10); why Hawkins wants to change the meaning of VIP from very important person to very influential person grounded in vision, integrity, and purpose—VIP (30:15); the three keys to finding God’s plan and purpose for your life (36:10); the importance of serving God’s purpose in our generation and finishing strong (43:20); the sin of worrying (46:45); ministering to the poor (52:30); the culture war we are facing in the world today (55:15); and Hawkins ends the podcast with a prayer (57:05).

Matt Fradd is the host of the popular podcasts Love People Use Things and Pints With Aquinas, as well as the author of The Porn Myth, a nonreligious response to the commonly held belief that pornography is a harmless pastime. During our conversation, Fradd said that if we give our children devices without proper filters, we are basically giving our children portable X-rated theaters. This should alarm everyone, as should the growing acceptance of pornography and the influence it is having on our culture. Pornography is a pervasive problem that affects all of us, making this conversation with Matt Fradd essential listening.Topics discussed include: Why should people reject pornography? (5:20); The real problem with porn isn’t nudity (6:55); The role of imagination in apologetics (6:55); His personal experience with pornography and why Fradd is so passionate about the topic (11:00); How pornography rewires our neurological pathways and contributes to issues such as anxiety and erectile dysfunction (14:30); The need for Christians to return to natural law in order to adequately combat the secularism of our day (17:30); The importance of historical literacy in the church and the need for Christians to unite around the essentials (21:15); Understanding the etymology of pornography and the difference between pornography and art (24:30); At what age should we begin talking to our children about pornography? (27:30); Addiction to pornography and the increasing number of women becoming addicted to pornography (29:45); The problem with the idea of couples using pornography to “increase intimacy” (32:00); Dopamine, addiction and pornography (33:50); The idea of Christians fighting porn with science before morality as a “Gulliver Strategy” (37:30); The myth that pornography is empowering to women (40:55); Is masturbation a disordered act and intrinsically unhealthy? (44:50); How culture has influenced long held Christian views on marriage, contraception and an “openness to life” (46:45); Does consuming pornography lead to sexual aggression or violence? (51:55); The desensitization pornography causes often leading to a slippery slope and more deviant types of porn (54:10); Strategies to protect our children from porn and educate them about the dangers of pornography (56:10); Why Fradd wrote The Porn Myth from a non-religious perspective (1:03:00); Learning how to deal with a desire to watch pornography (1:06:15); The impact pornography use has on our marital relationships (1:08:00); Advice for anyone struggling with pornography (1:11:10); The critical importance of talking to our children about pornography (1:14:20); Closing words on the growing acceptance and dangers of pornography (1:17:25).

Dr. Holly Ordway went from being a militant atheist professor to a cultural Christian apologist and joins Hank to tell the tale of her journey as well as share her powerful perspective on the role of imagination in apologetics. Ordway is an accomplished author and professor in the Department of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University. If you love language, you are going to love this edition of Hank Unplugged.Topics discussed include: the compelling argument of Mere Christianity (2:00); Ordway’s transition from militant atheist professor to Christian apologist (3:00); the role of imagination in apologetics (6:55); the importance of hermeneutics, especially when examining the Bible (9:55); the necessity for Christians to be part of a church community in an age of individualism (13:30); verbicide and the significance of correct definitions in the church, taking marriage for example (18:55); the value of church history (22:15); metanoia and understanding that Christian conversion is not merely intellectual assent but a truly transformative process (24:05); conversion testimonies, the process of salvation, and the idea that "I have been saved; I am being saved; and I will be saved." (30:20); the importance of avoiding militaristic mentalities when practicing apologetics (35:20); the human need for beauty and how architecture historically has been designed with the intention of pointing us toward God and bringing us closer to Him (38:25); the problem with atheism is that it doesn’t provide a compelling reason for morality (44:15); the grievous scandal of divisions in Christianity and a context for a healthy ecumenism (48:20); a call for Christians to practice charitable discourse (52:55); church history and the historical view of the Eucharist (55:35); exploring the power of metaphor and the profound importance of understanding metaphors (58:15); the difference between allegory and allegorization and why it matters (1:07:20); understanding the power of cultural apologetics (1:11:55); what a world without objective moral standards would mean for the future of human civilization (1:15:00); the importance of examining and challenging our own paradigms and presuppositions (1:19:00); and the three words every apologist should learn to say: I don’t know (1:21:30).

Increasingly, Western culture defines personal freedom as “whatever works.” The compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary even went so far as to name “post-truth” their word of the year in 2016. This begs the question, can truth be saved? Abdu Murray, author of Saving Truth: Finding Meaning and Clarity in a Post-Truth World believes that it can and joins Hank to discuss how we can rediscover truth and change the direction of our culture. How can Christians offer truth and clarity to a world that shuns both? Listen to this edition of Hank Unplugged to find out.Topics discussed include: Islam, eschatology, and why the gospel of peace must trump the politics of prophecy in the Middle East (2:00); Abdu Murray’s conversion to Christianity to Islam and why Christians must be equipped with answers (7:00); the emotional cost of conversion for Muslims who come to Christ (12:30); Saving Truth: Finding Meaning and Clarity in a Post-Truth World (16:25); the problem with practicing apologetics in the post-truth world (18:50); “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (20:10); remembering Nabeel Qureshi and learning from his example (23:20); how Murray went from using an alias asking questions on the Bible Answer Man Broadcast to reviewing Hank’s book MUSLIM: What You Need to Know About the World’s Fasting-Growing Religion (25:30); fake news and explaining the soft and hard modes of post-truth (26:45); confusion in the church and why Christians are succumbing to a post-truth culture (32:25); The definition of apologetics and recognizing that all Christians are called to be apologists (35:40); Valuing autonomy over authority when it comes to truth and the consequences (42:45); can there be freedom without truth? (49:25); what we can learn from Christians persecuted globally? (52:00); two ways that Christians are contributing to a post-truth culture of confusion (57:00); trusting in God’s sovereignty and remembering that it is never too late in life to make a difference (1:00:40); a lesson Abdu Murray learned from asking Ravi Zacharias a question (1:04:30); a culture of confusion and the distortion of human dignity (1:07:35); the importance of attaching our identity to Christ (1:11:20); and the tyranny of tolerance today (1:18:10).

On this episode of Hank Unplugged Hank is bringing to you a legend of the Intelligent Design community, Dr. Bill Dembski. You will be hard-pressed to find a more academically accomplished individual than Dembski, as he is the author/editor of over 20 books and has a PHD in Mathematics, a PHD in Philosophy and a Masters in divinity. Dembski has faced career-threatening criticism from fundamentalists on both sides and joins Hank to discuss the dangers of fundamentalism and more. Topics discussed include: How the dangers of fundamentalism led Dembski to change careers (3:00); The Design Inference and Intelligent Design (7:45); Fundamentalism, majoring on the minors and what many consider to be Acid Tests for orthodox Christianity (14:00) The importance of reading the Bible as it is intended to be read (25:20); Problems that arise from reading modern cosmology into Biblical text (30:00); Stakeholder interest and incentives influencing the academic community and cultural narratives (36:30); The problem of motivated blindness (42:00) The File Drawer Effect (44:00); Key institutions and universities rejecting Intelligent Design and embracing Theistic Evolution (46:25) The marketing dimension to science and culture (51:45); The difficult situation of deciding where to send our kids to school (56:55); Developing educational curriculum and technologies (1:02:00); Persecution Dembski has faced for taking stands for truth (1:05:00); The controversy surrounding vaccines and how Dembski raising a child with severe autism has shaped his perspective (1:07:40) How our Christian heritage helps us to handle suffering (1:16:40); The danger of hypocrisy in the Christian community (1:18:40) The possibility that Dembski will come out of retirement and work in the Intelligent Design community again someday (1:20:40).

Joe Dallas joins Hank for an emergency Hank Unplugged podcast to discuss California bill AB-2943, a bill making it illegal for Christians to provide biblically based counseling for those wanting to get help for unwanted same-sex attractions. Dallas is an ordained pastoral counselor and program director of Genesis Biblical Counseling in Tustin, California, which is a counseling ministry for men dealing with sexual addiction and other sexual/relational problems. The two discuss the dire implications this bill has on our society, whether the Sexual Revolution has led to the Censorship Revolution, and how this could lead to a state church and an underground church in America. This podcast is a must-listen dealing with a critical issue that all Christians should be concerned about. Topics discussed include: how should Christians be prepared to talk about controversial sexual issues? (3:00); California Bill AB-2943 criminalizing Christians providing biblically based counseling for those wanting help with unwanted same-sex attractions (7:45); is Bill AB-2943 unconstitutional, and does that even matter anymore? (12:25); rising levels of censorship by the state (15:45); how to respond to censorship of Christian beliefs (17:45); the need for healthy discipleship within the church to influence positive changes in society (20:30); as the state continues to censor organizations, will the church to rise to the occasion and help those wrestling with sexual problems? (25:15); the Sexual Revolution — then and now (27:00); did redefining marriage lead to redefining gender? What is next? (32:50); what will happen to society if we continue to make sexual distinctions arbitrary? (35:40); redefinition of marriage and the impact on children (41:00); a societal trend to appeal to emotion over reason (43:00); could this lead to a state church and an underground church in America? (45:50); Christians, Trump, and separating personality and policy in politics (50:30); “Impuritans” imposing totalitarian sexual views (53:15); has the Sexual Revolution led to the Censorship Revolution? (55:00); living with eternity in mind in the midst of persecution (59:00); remembering Elliot Miller (1:05:45); the three most important things for Christians to do today (1:07:25); California banning the books written by Joe Dallas (1:11:15); the powerful problem of pornography (1:14:00); a call to prayer and a call for wisdom (1:20:00).

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually meet C. S. Lewis? Well, watching Max McLean perform as C. S. Lewis might be the closest you come this side of heaven! McLean joins Hank on this episode of Hank Unplugged to discuss what it is like to perform as one of the most influential Christians of the twenty-first century.Topics discussed include: Max McLean’s desire to adapt the works of C. S. Lewis as an apologetic tool through performance arts (2:00); how McLean is able to bring Lewis to life on stage (6:00); “Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the origin of meaning” (9:00); the power of oral tradition (10:45); memorization as a transformational discipline (14:50); challenges McLean has faced performing biblical adaptations (16:25); performing the Gospel of Mark (18:05); remembering that everyone is made in the Imago Dei as described in The Weight of Glory (19:55); C. S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert on DVD (24:20); being a Christian actor and the role of Christian performing arts in NYC (25:20); the importance of properly processing our experiences (30:05); the apologetic value of performing the conversion story of C. S. Lewis in The Most Reluctant Convert (33:20); “the hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men” (37:30); theism as a significant entry point to belief in Christianity (39:10); performing as Martin Luther (44:40); is it more difficult to write or act? (48:30); spiritual warfare and performing The Screwtape Letters (49:40); literary evil, real evil, and the safest road to hell (52:20); free will and the key to understanding C. S. Lewis found in The Great Divorce (54:00); Shadowlands: the love story of C. S. Lewis and an example of how God works through pain (55:50); McLeans testimony as an adult convert to Christianity (1:02:00); McLean’s award-winning recordings of the Bible in The Listener’s Bible (1:07:00); the benefits of memorizing the Bible (1:09:25); the similarities between memorization and meditation (1:11:30); Max’s passion for live theater and where you can see him perform (1:17:30).

God reveals Himself to us through the things He has made. Lad Allen, founder of Illustra Media, believes in the power of preaching without words, and that the observation of the universe is one of the most powerful ways God reveals Himself to us. Illustra Media has made internationally acclaimed documentary films exploring the case for intelligent design in the universe for more than 20 years. On this edition of Hank Unplugged, Hank and Lad discuss past productions of Illustra Media in addition to their shared excitement about the power of digital media to share the gospel through ventures such as Allen’s new John 10:10 Project. Topics discussed include: how Illustra Media has been able to produce internationally acclaimed documentary films making a scientific case for intelligent design in the universe (3:00); the power of a supportive spouse (5:20); the unique way that travelling can teach us (7:00); evoking a sense of wonder and general revelation through creation (8:30); metamorphosis as an example of intelligent design (10:55); having healthy relationships with people we disagree with (13:35); how advances in animation allow us to unveil and magnify complex scientific ideas in ways otherwise impossible (16:30); the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly as an analogy for our resurrection in Christ (20:30); Bill Nye propagating Carl Sagan's materialist worldview that we are insignificant and alone in the universe (24:45); the vision of The John 10:10 Project (29:30); the power of digital media to share the gospel (33:20); working with Joni Eareckson Tada (43:30); a preview of upcoming short films by The John 10:10 Project (46:15); demonstrating the evidence of a designer by investigating God’s creation (51:00); Hank shares a personal testimony of God’s providence (53:25); investigating Messianic prophecy as a powerful apologetic tool (1:05:30); King of Creation: Meditation on God’s Wisdom and Works (1:09:40); the importance of reflecting the glory of God in all that we do and working for an audience of one (1:12:15); the best year of Hank’s life is the year he was diagnosed with cancer (1:58:30); how Illustra Media is able to produce monumental projects out of a spare bedroom (1:16:00).

The Resurrection is the quintessence of Christianity, and Dr. Gary Habermas has dedicated his life to the study and defense of the reality of the Resurrection. After all, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Listen in as Hank and Dr. Habermas discuss the seminal event in human history as well as Dr. Habermas turning the tables and investigating Hank’s testimony and battle with cancer. This is an episode of Hank Unplugged unlike any other! (This conversation was so good and went so long that we had to break it up into two episodes. This is Part 2.) Topics discussed include: a miracle in Hank’s life and the place of miracles in Christianity (58:45); addressing rewards in heaven (1:03:50); world religions, the reliability of Scripture, and the radical uniqueness of Jesus (1:06:05); tolerance, evidence, and the view that all religions lead to God (1:09:50); Christianity is rooted in history and evidence (1:13:55); the Resurrection as the basis for believing that miracles really do happen (1:22:00); the beauty of how Christian evidence corresponds to reality (1:24:50); why aren’t Christians doing a better job of evangelism? (1:28:00); learning from suffering, Hank discovering the reality of the Christian life and how truth matters, but life matters more (1:36:20); how Hank’s cancer has brought the Hanegraaff family closer together and closer to Christ (1:42:25); how suffering through cancer has taught Hank to feel greater empathy for others (1:46:45); Hank sharing his testimony in his first autobiographical book about discovering the authentic Christian life, called Truth Matters, Life Matters More (1:51:25); as Habermas watched his wife die of cancer, he thought, “Where would you be right now if it weren’t for the resurrection of Jesus?” (1:53:50); the best year of Hank’s life is the year he was diagnosed with cancer (1:58:30); and Habermas on writing a magnum opus on the Resurrection (1:59:35).