Hank Hanegraaff

==Career==
{{BLP sources section|date=August 2022}}
Prior to becoming a leading figure in the [[Christian countercult movement]], Hanegraaff was closely affiliated with the [[Christian ministry|ministry]] of [[D. James Kennedy]] of [[Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church]] in [[Florida]]. During his association with Kennedy in the 1980s, he applied memory-based techniques (such as [[acrostic]] [[mnemonic]]s) to help develop and spread strategies and methods for personal Christian [[evangelism]]. His work resembles memory dynamics techniques developed in [[Speed reading|speed-reading]] courses and in memory training programs used in some executive business courses.

During the late 1980s, Hanegraaff became associated with [[Walter Ralston Martin]] at the [[Christian Research Institute]] (CRI), the [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]] countercult and [[Apologetics|apologetic]] ministry which Martin founded in 1960.

After Martin's death from heart failure in June 1989, Hanegraaff became president of CRI. As part of his duties, Hanegraaff took over from Martin the role of [[News presenter|anchorman]] on the radio program ''[[The Bible Answer Man]]'' and became a conference speaker and itinerant preacher in churches, where he pursued the general ministry charter of CRI.

The content of ''The Bible Answer Man'' show typically includes call-in questions from listeners about general Christian doctrine, biblical interpretation, and [[List of Christian denominations|denominational]] particularities, as well as a regular special focus on a particular issue when a notable figure is a guest. A frequently treated special topic is [[Mormonism]], with [[former Mormons]] appearing in studio as guests to speak from their experiences.

Shortly after the release of [[Dan Brown]]'s novel ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]'', he co-authored ''The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?'' with [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] historian and apologist [[Paul L. Maier]]. In 2013 he wrote ''Afterlife: What You Need To Know About Heaven, The Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences'', from [[Worthy Publishing]].

Throughout the 1990s, Hanegraaff engaged in dialogue with [[Joseph Tkach Jr.]] and other leaders of the [[Grace Communion International|Worldwide Church of God]] (WCG), now known as Grace Communion International (GCI). The WCG was founded in the 1930s by [[Herbert W. Armstrong]], and had long been regarded as a [[cult]] by [[Evangelicalism|evangelicals]], primarily for its denial of the [[Trinity]] and other traditional Christian doctrines. Following Armstrong's death in 1986, the group re-evaluated many of its teachings, including the [[British Israelism|British Israel]] doctrine and various [[Eschatology|eschatological]] predictions. Hanegraaff was one of a handful of evangelical apologists, including Ruth A. Tucker, who assisted in the reforms. The biggest changes to ensure their acceptance among evangelicals were in embracing the doctrines of the Trinity and of [[salvation]] by [[Divine grace|grace]] through [[Justification by faith|faith]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Tucker |first=Ruth A. |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1996/july15/6t826a.html?paging=off |title=From the Fringe to the Fold |magazine=[[Christianity Today]] |date=July 15, 1996 | publication-date = July 1996 | volume = 40 | issue = 8 |access-date=2013-08-11}}</ref>

===2007 defamation suit===
Hanegraaff sued longtime critic William Alnor for alleging that Hanegraaff's fundraising was under investigation for [[Mail and wire fraud|mail fraud]]. The allegation was based on an incident of misdirected mail, which was followed by a January 2005 CRI fundraising letter saying the error might have caused "perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars" in donations to be lost.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/aprilweb-only/22.0a.html|title=Christian Research Institute Sues Longtime Critic: Hanegraaff says defamation must be answered.| magazine = [[Christianity Today]] | date = April 12, 2005}}</ref> The [[defamation]] lawsuit was thrown out based on [[California]]'s anti-[[Strategic lawsuit against public participation|SLAPP]] statute. The court found that although Alnor's statements regarding a mail fraud investigation were false, Hanegraaff was unlikely to prove "actual malice."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2007/may/6.19.html|title= News Briefs|magazine =Christianity Today | date = April 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-05-06 |title=Christian Research Institute v. Alnor ("Alnor I") {{!}} California Anti-SLAPP Project |url=https://www.casp.net/california-anti-slapp-first-amendment-law-resources/caselaw/california-courts-of-appeal-cases/christian-research-institute-v-alnor-alnor-i/ |access-date=2022-08-13 |language=en-US}}</ref>