Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

Rankin Wilbourne, Senior pastor of Pacific Crossroads Church and author of 'Union with Christ,' discusses the pivotal yet often overlooked concept of union with Christ. He explores his transition from banking to ministry, the necessity of unity among Christians, and the deeper implications of salvation. Wilbourne addresses the balance of grace and discipleship, the significance of biblical metaphors, and how suffering can foster spiritual growth. He urges listeners to redefine their communion with God as a central ambition in their lives.

Christian philosopher Paul Gould joins Hank on this edition of the Hank Unplugged podcast to discuss the role of philosophy for Christians in the world today. This conversation is wide ranging and offers clear answers to complex philosophical questions concerning how Christians should live their lives. Topics discussed include: why should Christians care about philosophy? (5:00); the role philosophy should play in our spiritual formation (9:15); the intellectual brilliance of Jesus that so many often overlook (11:00); the importance of being intentionally countercultural with our kids in the information age (15:40); how can we break down barriers to independent thought? (23:00); the need for intellectual virtue and the potential danger of arrogance in the apologetics community (26:00); anti-intellectualism and The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (30:00); the need for Christians to recapture a sacramental view of the world in order to argue effectively Christianity as a public truth claim (32:15); a simple way to explain complex words in philosophy (35:45); Gould’s definition of philosophy and how he arrived at his conclusion (38:25); understanding Jesus as He truly is (44:45); dealing with historical and biblical illiteracy today (47:00); making an argument for the existence of God (49:45); intentionally asking ourselves the question, “Where is God’s fingerprint in your life today?” (53:15); the moral argument for the existence of God (57:00); learning from crisis moments in our lives (58:05); the perfect blend of reason and romance in Christianity (1:03:25); practical steps we all can take to grow philosophically (1:07:05); breaking the bonds technology can have on us (1:09:05); re-establishing the Christian voice (1:12:00); how philosophy trains us for death (1:15:25).

From being a classically trained concert pianist, Miss America contestant, and now the Chief Religion Correspondent for the Fox News Channel, Lauren Green seems to have done it all. Yet what she cares about most of all is communicating the gospel through what she’s discovered and encouraging others to foster a deeper relationship with God. Lauren Green joins Hank on the Hank Unplugged podcast to discuss what she’s discovered, her new book Lighthouse Faith, and what’s up next. Topics discussed include: the role music plays in our world (1:30); the power of hymns to glorify God (8:00); links between mathematics and music (11:30); the significance of overtones (17:30); why did Green make music a key aspect of Lighthouse Faith? (23:45); Green’s role as chief religion correspondent for Fox News (29:25); why does the media tend to be hostile toward Christianity? (33:00); the absurdity of atheist clergy Sweden and other European issues (38:00); spiritual brokenness bringing us closer to God (43:00); The Great Commission to spread the gospel (52:30); a moment of renewal in Ethiopia (58:30); how sickness and suffering can bring us closer to God (1:02:30); aesthetic practices such as Lent and the importance of developing disciplines (1:12:00); lessons learned from the vineyard (1:20:00); and finding union with God through worship (1:24:00).

Lee Strobel has been a longtime guest on the Bible Answer Man broadcast, and he now joins Hank for the first time on the Hank Unplugged podcast. Strobel is a former investigative journalist for The Chicago Tribune, and his best-selling books such as The Case for Christ (now a major motion picture) have reached millions of people and had an enormous impact on the body of Christ. Topics discussed include: the lasting impact of Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Christ (2:30); The Case for Christ movie (6:00); Strobel’s transformation from an angry, drunk atheist to a mild-mannered, God-fearing Christian (8:30); how Strobel uses his award-winning journalistic research and writing skills to provide cogent answers for Christianity (11:00); an honest admission from Strobel on facing dark trials in his life and how prayer helped him to empty his ego and bring him closer to God (15:45); remembering that God’s grace is sufficient in all circumstances (20:30); Nabeel Quereshi as an example of how God can use miracles to reach us (21:45); how should we respond when God doesn’t answer our prayers in the midst of suffering? (23:30); making The Case for a Creator (28:30); learning to trust God for provision and purpose in our lives (31:00); Strobel’s existential awakening in the morgue (record room) of The Chicago Tribune (40:00); the state of journalism today (44:30); are universities today censoring the free exchange of ideas? (49:00); the need for discernment in the age of the internet (50:30); the problems with consensus science (53:15); the importance of equipping young people with a solid apologetic for their faith in Christ (55:30); misinformation in the internet age (1:01:15); the importance of apologetics resources like the Christian Research Journal (1:05:20); dealing with unfair criticisms and attacks online (1:06:30); Strobel’s favorite book that he has written (1:13:00); writing The Case for Miracles and a renewed belief in the supernatural (1:15:10); and advice on how to survive a spiritual mismatch in marriage (1:21:15).

It’s becoming increasingly popular to look at the world we live in and relate it to the dystopian society described in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Nancy Pearcey’s new book, Love Thy Body, tackles issues ranging from transgenderism, homosexuality, abortion, sex, the hookup culture, pornography, and more. Every issue discussed by Hank and Nancy on this edition of Hank Unplugged has an effect on your life, and together they discuss how Christians can turn this Brave New World upside down. Topics discussed include: what are the issues that Pearcey felt compelled to address in her book Love Thy Body (0:30); how does Christianity teach us to feel about our body? (3:30); recognizing Christian heritage (6:30); the dangerous implications of the transgender narrative (9:30); the bioethics of abortion and the scary implications for the identity of personhood (11:30); how did Pearcey transition from being an agnostic to a Christian evangelist? (16:30); the issue of origins being the main difference between Christianity and secularism (21:00); the cognitive dissonance of conflicting social movements such as transgender activists and feminists (28:00); modernism, postmodernism, and morals (33:00); the dire implications of abortion on social perceptions of personhood (38:00); the growing coercive power of the state through postmodern perspectives (41:00); why Western civilization should look to the early church for answers to problems we are facing today (46:00); recovering an appreciation for the radical uniqueness of the Christian worldview (53:00); how Christians can turn the Brave New World we are living in upside down (55:00); the dehumanizing effects and implications of the “loyalty oath of modernity” (1:02:00); how the hookup culture devalues sex, whereas the Christian worldview appreciates the beautiful value of sex (1:04:30); pornography and robot sex (1:08:30); pornography as a public health crisis (1:12:00); the need for Christians to understand worldviews to truly be able to love thy neighbor (1:15:30); the value of women in apologetics (1:20:00).

Graham Veale is passionate about providing Christians with a defense against the “sneer pressure” of popular New Atheists such as scientist Richard Dawkins and comedian Ricky Gervais. On this episode of Hank Unplugged, Hank and Graham discuss confronting New Atheism by being equipped with answers to defend the truth of Christianity. Topics discussed include: the three great apologetic issues (0:30); the hostile environment created by New Atheism, “sneer pressure” and the impact atheists such as Ricky Gervais have on the culture (4:30); teaching people to think critically by demonstrating it consistently in the way we live (8:30); New Atheism compared to Old Atheism (11:30); the positive relationship between Christianity and science (15:00); are many churches more concerned with entertaining rather than educating? (24:30); the need for Christians to live an authentic Christian life (30:30); Veale’s testimony and his passion for defending the truth of Christianity (35:30); the danger of thinking of Christianity as transactional rather than transformational (39:30); the Moral Argument for the existence of God (and how Richard Dawkins gets it wrong) (52:00); do most atheists embrace the logical implications of their worldview? (59:00); falsifying Dawkins (1:03:30); the Intelligent Design movement (1:09:30); drawing a correlation between New Atheism and the rise of social media platforms such as Twitter (1:14:00); and the importance of apologetics (1:24:00).

Christianity is growing rapidly in communist China, and this week Hank invites Victor Hou onto the Hank Unplugged podcast to discuss China’s potential to be the largest Christian country in the world and the subsequent global implications. Hou is a management consultant and leadership coach who has worked with large multinational corporations, entrepreneurs, and business owners in the US and Asia for more than twenty-five years. His experiences, coupled with his faith as a Christian, inform his perspectives on trends and events between Asia and the US, providing him with a unique insight into global affairs. Topics discussed include: increasing nationalism in the West, and China’s embrace of globalization (3:00); could China’s One Belt One Road initiative open evangelistic opportunities for Christians globally? (8:30); how important is it for Christians to be aware of global affairs? (11:15); underreported Christian persecution worldwide (14:00); how Christianity often grows through persecution — the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church (17:30); the correlation between discipleship and mentorship by living out the gospel in our lives (20:30); passing the baton of evangelization to Chinese nationals to raise up the church (27:00); the five religions allowed and regulated by the Chinese government and the difference between the Three-Self Church and the house church movement (32:30); the history of China’s Three-Self Church (39:30); Hou’s testimony and conviction to truly live out the gospel (45:30); the openness to the gospel in the Global South and the importance of being equipped to evangelize (53:30); and grasping the power of prayer (59:20).

We are all familiar with the term fake news. It’s time to become familiar with the term “fake science,” or Zombie Science, as Dr. Jonathan Wells calls it. Zombie Science is an extremely popular postempirical science — motivated by materialism. While zombies are make-believe, Zombie Science is real — and it threatens not just science but our whole culture. This Hank Unplugged podcast features a conversation between Hank Hanegraaff and Dr. Jonathan Wells on how to defeat this Zombie Science. Topics discussed include: what is Zombie Science? (3:30); the price to pay for taking stands against the status quo of materialism and Darwinian evolution in the scientific arena (10:30); examining various icons of evolution like Darwin’s tree of life (17:30); why has the war on Intelligent Design become so ferocious? (31:30); the miracle of metamorphosis (36:20); the strong scientific commitment to materialism (41:00); what is the myth of junk DNA? (45:30); the unnecessary idolization of Charles Darwin (49:30); the problem with making DNA the answer to everything (51:30); examples of zombie science (54:00); the threat to religion presented when materialism is masquerading as empirical science (1:04:00).

This Hank Unplugged podcast features a wide-ranging conversation with Fr. Themi Adamopoulo. Fr. Themi is a former atheist, rock star turned missionary priest serving in one of the poorest countries in the world, Sierra Leon. As Fr. Themi puts it in his conversation with Hank, “Fame is empty, but Christianity has no expiration date.” Listen to find out why these two former atheists now share a passion to serve Christ that is unshakeable in this energetic and inspiring conversation. Topics discussed include: the contemporary Saint Nektarios and the pain of Christians being persecuted by fellow Christians (2:30); why Hank has experienced persecution by becoming Orthodox, and do Orthodox Christians need to do a better job of evangelism? (7:00); the false dichotomy between faith and works that the West finds itself stuck with (10:00); Themi’s work against the biggest scandal the world faces today: poverty (15:50); the history of belief regarding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist/Communion (22:30); the importance of perpetuating Christian traditions, while also adapting for cultural differences (29:10); Themi’s past as a Marxist, atheist rock star in the Australian rock band The Flies and how he eventually converted to Christianity (34:50); the dangers of ego in academia (44:00); the Western tendency to embrace reason at the cost of mystery (46:45); mystical experiences of Christ (50:30); Themi explains from his own experience how fame is empty, but Christianity has no expiration date (54:10); every day thousands of children die in Africa. How do we shift our global priorities to stop this and show that we value human life? (1:04:30); Themi explains the popularity of the prosperity gospel preached in many Pentecostal churches in Africa (1:09:00); why Christians helping the poor is a nonnegotiable (1:12:20); their shared belief that true Christian faith is a transformational journey rather than a mere transactional moment (1:16:30).

This week we are bringing you a special edition of the Hank Unplugged podcast featuring some of our favorite conversations that took place on the podcast in 2017. Whether you’ve heard them all or are just getting started, we assure you that this special edition of the Hank Unplugged podcast will be edifying for everyone. Topics discussed include: Mary Eberstadt discussing a new secularist religion of our time and issues we’re facing due to the sexual revolution (1:00); Joe Dallas discussing the rising acceptance of gender fluidity today (14:50); Frank Beckwith discussing the watershed issue of our time: abortion (29:00); Clay Jones discussing the question of “Why does God allow evil?” (40:25); a conversation with Nathan Jacobs, director of the film Becoming Truly Human (56:10); Chris Wilde discussing the crucial conversation between Hank and their mutual friend Elijah that eventually led to CRI adapting the moniker of the ministry from Because Truth Matters to Because Life and Truth Matter (1:14:00); Donald Fairbairn discussing his book Life in the Trinity and how we as Christians can find true union with God (1:21:00).