Hank Hanegraaff

{{Short description|American writer and radio host}}
{{Infobox writer  <!--For more information, see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]].-->
| name             = Hank Hanegraaff
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| image            = Hank Hanegraaff.jpg
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| caption          = Hanegraaff in St. Louis, August 30, 2007
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| birth_place      = [[Netherlands]]
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| occupation       = Author, radio talk-show host and advocate of Christianity
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| nationality      = American
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| subject          = Criticisms of non-Christian religions, new religious movements or cults and heresies within Christianity
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| notableworks     = ''Christianity in Crisis'', ''Counterfeit Revival''
| spouse           = Kathy
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| children         = 12
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'''Hendrik''' "'''Hank'''" '''Hanegraaff''' (born 1950), also known as the "Bible Answer Man", is an American Christian author and [[talk radio|radio talk-show]] host.  Formerly an [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]], he joined the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] in 2017.<ref name=bioequip>{{cite web | url = http://www.equip.org/hank-hanegraaff/ | title = Hank Hanegraaff | work= Christian Research Institute | access-date = March 17, 2012}}</ref> He is an outspoken figure within the [[Christian countercult movement]], where he has established a reputation for his critiques of non-Christian [[World religions|religions]], [[new religious movements]], and [[cult]]s, as well as [[heresy in Christianity]]. He is also an [[Christian apologetics|apologist]] on [[Christian theology|doctrinal]] and cultural issues.

==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>

==Books==

===''Christianity in Crisis''===
In his 1993 book ''Christianity in Crisis'', Hanegraaff charged the [[Word of Faith]] movement with [[Heresy|heretical]] teachings, saying that many of the Word of Faith groups were [[cult]]s, and that those who knowingly accepted the movement's theology were "clearly embracing a different [[gospel]], which is in reality no gospel at all."<ref>Hank Hanegraaff, ''Christianity in Crisis'', Harvest House 1993</ref>

===''Counterfeit Revival''===
Hanegraaff revisited some of the same issues in his 1997 book ''Counterfeit Revival'', in which he rejected the claims of many [[Charismatic movement|Charismatic]] teachers such as [[Rodney Howard Browne]] concerning what became known as the [[Toronto Blessing]]. The Toronto Blessing was associated with the [[Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship|Vineyard church]] located near the [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto Airport]], and was marked by spontaneous and sustained outbursts of bodily phenomena such as laughter, shaking, bouncing, and "resting in the Spirit".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1995/may15/5t6051.html|title = Toronto Blessing: Is It a Revival? | work = Christianity Today | date = May 15, 1995 | publication-date = May 1995  | volume = 39 | issue = 6 }}</ref> A different but related set of phenomena and claims subsequently emanated from churches in [[Pensacola, Florida]], and became known as the [[Brownsville Revival]].

One of the book's primary arguments is that many ostensible "manifestations of the Spirit" in [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]], [[Charismatic Christianity|Charismatic]], and [[Neo-charismatic movement|Neo-Charismatic]] or "third-wave" affiliated churches are caused by [[psychological manipulation]] of parishioners, and that many of the "signs and wonders" claimed by these churches are [[fraud]]ulent or result from manipulation, [[peer pressure]], subtle suggestions, altered states of consciousness from repetitive chanting or singing, or expectations of supernatural events. Hanegraaff argues that many of the practices within these movements are not [[Bible|biblically]] sanctioned or appropriate and are based on misinterpretations of scripture. He contends that these movements rely too much on subjective experiences or feelings.

James A. Beverley, professor of theology and ethics at [[Tyndale University College and Seminary|Tyndale Seminary]] (formerly Ontario Theological Seminary) in Toronto, Canada, reviewed ''Counterfeit Revival'' in ''[[Christianity Today]]'', and wrote that while the book "exposes some real excesses and imbalances in the current charismatic renewal movements", it is a "misleading, simplistic, and harmful book, marred by faulty logic [and] outdated and limited research".<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Beverley | first = James A.  | url = http://www.ctlibrary.com/1358 | title = Books: Counterfeit Critique | magazine = [[Christianity Today]] |  date = September 1, 1997 }}</ref>

Hanegraaff responded on equip.org,<ref>{{cite web | last = Hanegraaff  | first = Hank  | url = http://www.equip.org/articles/counterfeit-critique/ | title = Counterfeit Critique | date = 9 June 2009 | publisher = [[Christian Research Institute]] }}</ref> the [[Christian Research Institute|CRI]] website, by arguing that Beverley had received funding from the Vineyard in the past and that he was aligned with them generally. Hanegraaff implied that Beverley had been compensated to write a "hit piece" for ''Christianity Today''.

===''Afterlife''===
In 2013, Hanegraaff published the book ''Afterlife: What You Need To Know About Heaven, The Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences'', where he addresses questions that have been raised during his radio show regarding [[heaven]] and [[Eternal life (Christianity)|eternal life]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-bible-answer-man-hank-hanegraaff-on-afterlife-part-1-91151/ |title=Interview: Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff on 'Afterlife' (Part 1) |newspaper=[[The Christian Post]] |date=2013-03-04 |access-date=2014-06-25}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Hanegraaff was born in the [[Netherlands]] and raised in the [[United States]] from childhood. He and his wife Kathy have twelve children. In the mid-2000s, seeking to save money on ministry operations,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ta-qOuhtGkAC |title=The Face That Demonstrates The Farce of Evolution - Hank Hanegraaff - Google Boeken |date=2001-02-16 |isbn=9781418515096 |access-date=2014-06-25|last1=Hanegraaff |first1=Hank |publisher=HarperChristian + ORM }}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Hanegraaff and his wife moved from [[Southern California]] to [[Charlotte, North Carolina]].<ref name=bioequip/> In subsequent years Hanegraaff became increasingly discontented with [[evangelicalism]]; a period of research and seeking led him to the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> On [[Palm Sunday]], 9 April 2017, together with his wife Kathy and two of their sons, he was received by [[chrismation]] into [[Nectarios of Aegina|St. Nektarios]] [[Greek Orthodox Church]] in Charlotte, a parish within the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/04/hank-hanegraaff-aka-bible-answer-man.html?m=1|title=Hank Hanegraaff (a.k.a. "the Bible Answer Man") Received Into the Orthodox Church|website=www.johnsanidopoulos.com|access-date=2017-04-10}}</ref> Apparently the largest negative reaction to his conversion was that his syndicated radio program was dropped by the [[Bott Radio Network]], which operates at least 119 [[Christian Radio|Christian]] [[radio station]]s in at least 13 states. Some other radio stations did the same.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article154139454.html|title=How a photo of radio's 'Bible Answer Man' in church lost him thousands of listeners|website=miamiherald|language=en|access-date=2019-05-28}}</ref>

In 2017 Hanegraaff revealed that he has [[mantle cell lymphoma]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/bible-answer-man-hank-hanegraaff-cancer-update-i-have-tumors-throughout-my-entire-body-183721/|title='Bible Answer Man' Hank Hanegraaff Cancer Update: I Have Tumors Throughout My Entire Body|newspaper=The Christian Post|date=2017-05-16|access-date=2017-06-07}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |title=Christianity in Crisis |url=https://archive.org/details/christianityinc00hane |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Harvest House]] Publishers |location=Eugene |year=1993 |isbn=0-89081-976-9 }}
* {{cite book |year=1997 |title=Counterfeit Revival | edition=1st | url = https://archive.org/details/counterfeitreviv00hane |url-access=registration | isbn = 9780849911828 | publisher = Word Publishing Group ([[Thomas Nelson (publisher)|Thomas Nelson]]) | pages=315pp | no-pp = yes | location = Dallas }}
* (General editor) ''[[The Kingdom of the Cults]]'' (Minneapolis: [[Bethany House|Bethany]], 1997).
* ''The FACE That Demonstrates the Farce of Evolution'' (Nashville: [[Word Records|Word]], 1998).
* ''Millennium Bug Debugged'' (Minneapolis: Bethany, 1998).
* ''Resurrection'' (Nashville: Word, 2000).
* ''The Prayer of Jesus'' (Nashville: Word, 2001).
* {{cite book|year=2001 |title=Counterfeit Revival | edition=2nd | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_u3ZW3z-970C| isbn = 9780849942945 | publisher = W. Publishing Group (Thomas Nelson) | pages=416pp | no-pp=yes  }}
* ''Fatal Flaws'' (Nashville: Word, 2003).
* ''Bible Answer Book'' (Nashville: J. Countryman, 2004).
* ''The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says About the End Times . . . and Why It Matters Today'' (Thomas Nelson, 2007).
*  ''Has God Spoken?: Proof of the Bible's Divine Inspiration'' (Thomas Nelson, 2011).
* {{cite book|title=[[''Afterlife'' (book)|Afterlife]]|year=2013|publisher=[[Worthy Publishing]]|isbn=9781617950810}}

; Novels
* (with Sigmund Brouwer) ''The Last Disciple'' (Wheaton: [[Tyndale House]], 2004).
* (with Sigmund Brouwer) ''The Last Sacrifice'' (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 2005).
* (with Sigmund Brouwer) ''Fuse of Armageddon'' (Wheaton: Tyndale House, 2007).

==See also==
*[[Christian countercult movement]]
*[[Christian Research Institute]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Walter Martin, ''The Kingdom of the Cults'' (Grand Rapids: [[Zondervan]], 1965; revised in several editions published by Bethany House in 1967, 1977, 1985, 1997 and 2003).
* J. Gordon Melton, "The counter-cult monitoring movement in historical perspective", in ''Challenging Religion: Essays in Honour of Eileen Barker'', edited by James A. Beckford & James T. Richardson (Routledge, London, 2003), pp.&nbsp;102–113.

{{Opposition to NRMs}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American Christian writers]]
[[Category:American people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:American talk radio hosts]]
[[Category:People of the Christian countercult movement]]
[[Category:Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy from Protestantism]]
[[Category:Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States]]
[[Category:Former evangelicals]]