Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

This week Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by his daughter Christina to talk about Christmas traditions and the inspiration for writing The Heart of Christmas. The Hank Unplugged podcast takes you out of the studio and into the study; however, this edition takes you into the Hanegraaff home for an even more personal discussion on the importance of the Incarnation and preparing our hearts for the Christmas season. Topics discussed include: the importance of Christians preparing their hearts to celebrate Christmas (1:00); the unique significance of the Incarnation (3:00); clarifying issues surrounding the Atonement (8:00); how the Incarnation reveals our hope of Resurrection (10:30); how Hank’s parents' practice of daily devotionals inspired him with an appreciation for studying Scripture (19:00); the importance of preparing ourselves to celebrate Christ and how traditions can impact that preparation (23:00); remembering Christmas as a time not to receive but to give with a grateful heart to meet the needs of others (26:30); a shared memory of ministering to the poor and the downtrodden with humility and respect for what they can teach us (32:00); exploring what it really means that we are made in the image of God (38:30); Hank discusses the significance of his favorite hymn, When Peace, Like a River (48:00).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by Dr. Nathan Jacobs, writer and director of Becoming Truly Human, a documentary that looks at the rise of the "nones" (those with no religious affiliation). The film offers seven cinematic portraits of “nones” alongside the story of today’s guest Dr. Jacobs, whose path goes from unbelief to belief in Christianity, in order to reframe the nones as people defined not by unaffiliation but by a search for something deeper than the religion of their youth. As usual on Hank Unplugged, their conversation is wide ranging, full of depth, and one that you will not want to miss. Topics discussed include: examining the rise of “nones," a term in the documentary Becoming Truly Human used for people with no religious affiliation (1:00); the history behind the title of the documentary Becoming Truly Human (3:00); the importance of learning from the early church fathers (6:00); is it necessary to pit scripture and tradition against one another? (10:00); clearing up the confusion surrounding the false dichotomy between faith and works (16:30); the judicial tendencies and terminologies often present in Western theology (33:30); what the Incarnation truly offers to us (42:00); exploring the concept of deification (44:00); what Dr. Jacobs found in studying the concept of resurrection in several religions and how it’s unique in Christianity (51:00); using the texts of the early church fathers and the longstanding church tradition to better understand Scripture and enhance our Christian faith (55:00); what it means to become truly human (1:01:00); what it was that Dr. Jacobs discovered many of the Millennial “nones” were searching for (1:10:00); the story of Dr. Jacobs's adopted son and the parable of the sheep and the goats (1:16:30); how both Hank's and Nathan’s personal battles with cancer have provided them perspective and brought them closer to God (1:23:00); where people can see the documentary Becoming Truly Human (1:32:00).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by Dr. Donald Fairbairn, professor of Early Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the academic dean of the Charlotte campus and author or translator of seven books. His book Life in the Trinity has had a great impact on Hank, and Hank has no doubt that everyone will take something valuable away from their conversation this week. Topics discussed include: the relationship between the Father and the Son as explained in Fairbairn’s book Life in the Trinity (2:00); how the evangelical Fairbairn’s travels around the world correlate to his interest and study of Eastern Orthodoxy (3:30); deification and Theosis as foreign concepts for many in the West (9:00); the ways Dr. Fairbairn believes his work in ministry has grown directly from his deafness (11:00); the fundamental relationship involved in salvation and how the focus can all too often be on the means to salvation as opposed to the meaning of it (15:00); the role that doctrines play in the Christian faith (18:00); the danger of making the Christian faith transactional in nature as opposed to transformational (24:00); the importance of the early church fathers (26:30); the Trinity, Incarnation, and Eucharist as concepts that we can apprehend, not comprehend (30:30); the problem when academic arrogance creeps into theology (34:00); what happens to society when we place humanity, rather than God, at the top of the order (36:30); the Lord’s high priestly prayer exemplifying the relationship between Father and Son in the Trinity (43:00); how Fairbairn used Star Wars to explain the premise of his book Life in the Trinity for the Christian Research Journal (47:30); is it possible to achieve unity throughout the branches of the “family tree” of the Christian faith? (51:30); ecclesia and the importance of being part of a church body (54:00); unpacking the idea of deification (57:30); and what drives Dr. Fairbairn to make a difference every day (1:02:30).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by veteran journalist Mindy Belz, senior editor of WORLD magazine and the author of the book They Say We Are Infidels. Belz is a journalist who has risked her life to go behind enemy lines, and her unique perspective on global issues from an informed, Christian perspective is invaluable to us all. Topics discussed include: Belz's unique role as a female journalist going behind enemy lines in dangerous Islamic countries (2:30); Belz's perspective on how the Trump administration is handling the inevitable crisis with North Korea (6:00); the courage that the gospel provides us to feel peace in the face of danger (14:00); bias concerning perception of Christian persecution as opposed to Islamic protectionism (18:00); wearing the “noon” symbol used to represent Nazarene as a statement of solidarity with Christians persecuted in the Middle East (25:00); what Belz learned from worshiping with Eastern Christians in Iraq (29:30); when the United States should help police the world and how it would be most effective (34:30); can Sharia law and democracy coexist? (40:00); the vacuum secularism is leaving in the West and how Islam is prepared to fill it (48:00); how increased diversity can revitalize the Christian church (51:30); the gospel as the source of Mindy’s optimism (56:00); the three-pronged fork in the road of apostasy, apathy, and radicalization that Nabeel Qureshi faced as a Muslim and the example he became as he found the power of Christ (59:30).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged for the second time by Middle East expert Raymond Ibrahim to continue their discussion on the importance of being educated about the truth of Islam. There is no doubt that we are in a clash of civilizations and it’s vital for Christians to know the truth about the world’s fastest-growing religion. Topics discussed include: is ISIS merely a sign of Islamic history repeating itself? (1:30); a priori conclusions about Islam based on wishful thinking (11:00); the current condition of the Islamic State (17:00); how the Protestant Reformation helped Islam grow in size and perception (24:00); how the academic issue of publish-or-perish propagates false history of Islam (31:00); the reason that liberals tend to embrace Islam and oppose Christianity (36:00); the unwavering continuity of Islam (40:30); the West self-destructing from within (51:00); the issue of U.S. ally Saudi Arabia practicing the ISIS version of literal Islam (53:30); the irony of calls for Islamic reformation (57:00); why focusing on ISIS alone is missing the real problem (1:02:30); will terrorist attacks continue to escalate? (1:05:00); the hypocrisy of politicians like Hillary Clinton consistently supporting Saudi Arabia (1:08:30); the robust Christian message necessary for migrant Muslims to find Christ (1:16:30); the tribal nature of Islamic culture (1:21:00); the mass genocide of Christians in the East depicted in Ibrahim’s book Crucified Again (1:25:00).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by Andreas Knapp, author of The Last Christians: Stories of Persecution, Flight and Resilience in the Middle East. Andreas Knapp left a position as head of Freiburg Seminary to live and work among the poor as a member of the Little Brothers of the Gospel and ministers to prisoners and refugees. His latest book, The Last Christians, recounts the stories of refugees in his neighborhood and of displaced people in camps in Kurdistan, northern Iraq. This is a powerful conversation that you won’t want to miss. Topics discussed include: Knapp explains what the Little Brothers of the Gospel society is (3:00); why Knapp left his post as the head of a seminary to live on the margins of society amongst the poor (5:30); Germany’s transition away from Christianity and the need for Christians to stop fighting one another and to unite around the essentials (11:00); how Western Christianity often neglects to understand Eastern Christianity (16:30); the strength of witness when we live our lives like Christ (20:00); the Christian refugees in Germany that inspired Knapp and brought him to the Middle East (26:30); why Knapp titled his book The Last Christians (30:30); the political roots of Islam preclude true democratic development in Islamic countries (35:00); the danger of placing ideology above common humanity (45:30); the use of the fourteenth letter of the Arabic alphabet as a sign of solidarity with Christians suffering persecution (49:00); the problem of Islamic migration without assimilation in the West (51:00); the two competing movements in Turkey today (57:30); the difference between martyrdom in Christianity and Islam (1:01:00); why Knapp wrote The Last Christians (1:05:00).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by Mary Eberstadt, author of It's Dangerous to Believe: Religious Freedom and Its Enemies. Her writing has appeared in TIME, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Review, First Things, and The Weekly Standard, and in March 2017, she was named Senior Research Fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute. They discuss the secularist religion birthed by the Sexual Revolution and how it helped yesterday’s sinners become today’s secular saints. Topics discussed include: the secularist religion birthed by the Sexual Revolution (3:00); Christians being labeled as bigots and a damaging decrease of dialogue in society (9:30); the social experiments of the Sexual Revolution (13:00); what inspired Mary to do the work she is doing? (16:00); the new hypereugenics movement and Margaret Sanger as a secular saint (20:30); the growing ideological incoherence of many who claim to be Christians (30:00); the anti-Islamophobia motion in Canada and their censorship of Hank with the release of MUSLIM: What You Need to Know About the World’s Fastest-Growing Religion (34:00); the demographic crisis in Europe (40:00); the need for Christians to pursue excellence in word and thought in the public arena (46:30); dhimmitude and the death of religious liberty in America (48:30); the Nazarene pin and the Scarlet letter that being a Christian has become in society (52:00); how the Sexual Revolution helped yesterday’s sinners become today’s secular saints (55:00); Mary’s wake-up call to the West (1:01:30).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by the executive director of Levant Ministries, Fares Abraham, to discuss the great opportunity for ministry in the fertile soil of the Levant. Hank has traveled to Bethlehem and spent time with Fares and his family in their homeland of Palestine, and this conversation conveys how the love of Christ can provide strength in the face of intense persecution. Topics discussed include: being a Christian in Palestine today (2:00); The Apocalypse Code and its impact on the Middle East (9:30); the vision of NEXTGEN conferences to use Millennials to impact the Middle East (14:00); the power of the gospel to impact the Levant and Western Civilization (23:00); are all Muslims terrorists? (27:00); distinguishing between Muslims as people and Islam as a religion (30:00); the serious responsibility of Christians to act like Christ (33:00); the gospel in the Levant (38:00); the prejudice of many church pastors against Palestinians (42:00); the importance of sound theology in understanding issues in the Middle East (48:00); Fares says a prayer for the Levant and the body of Christ (59:30).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch and the author of New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. He also wrote the foreword to Hank’s new book MUSLIM: What You Need to Know About the World’s Fastest-Growing Religion. Author of seventeen books and counting, Spencer is one of the foremost experts on Islam, and this conversation covers the many ways that Islam is putting our world in peril. Topics discussed include: the work of Jihad Watch (1:00); the danger of Islamic immigration without assimilation (2:00); the double standard of Islamic blasphemy laws (6:00); the largely defensive nature of the Crusades to counter Islamic aggression (7:30); why Robert has dedicated his life to revealing dangerous truth about Islam (11:30); the denial of free speech when it comes to Islam (17:30); the unlikely alliance between the liberal left and Islam in the West (20:30); Confessions of an Islamophobe (23:00); Robert Spencer’s ban from entering the UK for talking about Islam (30:00); what PayPal’s ban of Jihad Watch says about free society (36:00); Robert Spencer being poisoned in Iceland (43:00); the truth about the group CAIR (53:00); the distinction between Jesus Christ and Muhammad (56:00); what faith will replace Marxism in China? (55:00); the distinction between Jesus Christ and Muhammad (56:00); Saudi Arabia and the spread of Wahhabism (1:08:00).

This week, Hank is joined on Hank Unplugged by author, social critic, and longtime friend Os Guinness. Hank has a deep respect for the intellect of Os, and this conversation does little to dissuade the listener of his enormous impact on Christian thinkers. Together they weave through many issues facing the West today while talking about how we should live in a dangerous post-truth world.Topics discussed include: Os explains how a Western culture that continues to cut our Christian roots leaves us with a “cut flower society” (5:30); fear is the predominant global emotion, but Os is optimistic because the gospel says to “have no fear” (9:00); the problem of Christians not thinking and living Christianly (11:30); the danger of a post-truth America spelling the end of freedom (19:30); issues of Christophobia and the importance of not having a victim mentality (23:30); the importance of standing for truth for an audience of One before the Lord (29:00); the unlikely alliance between the liberal left and Islam in the West (39:30); how to respond to the ABC moment we are living in [Anything But Christianity] (48:30); the need for Christians to start thinking and develop a Christian mind (53:00); what faith will replace Marxism in China? (55:00).