Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

Fr. Stephen Freeman is one of the best there is when it comes to calling out our contemporary world and the false and flattened view of reality which he calls a two-storey universe. The truth is this—we live in a one-storey universe. And it is enchanted. This is a preview of an episode of Commitment to Reality, where Fr. Stephen Freeman joins Dave Hanegraaff to explore how we can recover a a right...

Martin Shaw is one of those people who challenges you by asking provocative questions like “what part of you has come here to die?”   Shaw offers these kinds of provocations to a world where Christianity has been domesticated and desperately needs to recover its wildness. This is a preview of an episode of Commitment to Reality, where Martin Shaw joins Dave Hanegraaff to explore how to recover a w...

Popularized in the 19th century, the pre-tribulational rapture is the idea that millions of Christians will suddenly vanish before a future seven-year tribulation. This is one of the most widely held beliefs in modern Christianity—but is this teaching actually grounded in Scripture? Hank Hanegraaff examines the case on this episode of Hank Unplugged .    Drawing from key biblical passages—includin...

Hank Hanegraaff addresses the popular claim that the present conflict in Iran is a direct fulfillment—or foreshadowing—of biblical prophecy. Some modern prophecy pundits suggest that current events point to an “Ezekiel 37 (or 38) scenario,” involving a future alliance between Iran and Russia against Israel. Hank challenges these interpretations by emphasizing the importance of historical and bibli...

Hank Hanegraaff reflects on his personal experiences in Tehran during the anniversary of the shah’s overthrow, remembering repeated encounters with the warmth, kindness, and hospitality of ordinary Iranians—from fellow travelers to late-night walks through the city. He sets these experiences alongside a broader argument distinguishing individual Muslims from the religion of Islam itself, raising t...

Hank Hanegraaff reflects on the significance of Holy Week and the transformational power of Christ’s resurrection.  Why do Eastern and Western Christians celebrate Easter (Pascha) on different calendars? And what happened as a result of the resurrection? In just a few centuries, a small band of seemingly insignificant believers turned an empire upside down, facing persecution, suffering, and death...

Hank Hanegraaff reflects on the death of Iran’s supreme leader as a stark reminder of the reality of death and eternity.    Hank contrasts Islamic and Christian views of the afterlife, highlighting Islamic concepts such as barzakh  and tantalizing descriptions of paradise that have been used as jihadist recruitment tactics, while also raising concerns about demographic shifts, cultural change, and...

Jay Richards has made more appearances on Hank Unplugged than any other guest. As the longtime producer of the podcast, Dave Hanegraaff thought it would be fitting to have Jay be one of the first guests to join him on his new podcast, A Commitment to Reality.   In this preview from A Commitment to Reality , Jay and Dave explore the importance of listening to those we disagree with, how social medi...

Frederica Mathewes-Green was the very first guest on Hank Unplugged . As the longtime producer of the podcast, Dave Hanegraaff thought it would be fitting for Frederica to also be the first guest on his new podcast, A Commitment to Reality.   In this preview episode, Frederica Mathewes-Green and Dave Hanegraaff explore what it means to live in alignment with reality. To hear the full conversation,...

Hank Hanegraaff brings an important announcement about a brand-new initiative at the Christian Research Institute: a new podcast titled A Commitment to Reality , hosted by his son, Dave Hanegraaff.  This podcast is not only timely but extraordinarily relevant. Why? Because we live in an era of “reality rot.” To paraphrase Blaise Pascal, we live in an age in which truth is so obscure and falsehood...

Frederica Mathewes-Green and Dave Hanegraaff unpack why the most important word in A Commitment to Reality is commitment—because reality doesn’t disappear when we deny it. This clip gets at why a commitment to shared reality matters. We are living through one of the most disorienting periods in human history—leaving many to wonder: What is reality? As artificial intelligence accelerates and instit...

What happens to a culture that can no longer name what it sees? In this clip from A Commitment to Reality, Jay Richards argues that when a society rejects basic realities—biological, moral, and metaphysical—it begins to unravel in ways that don’t stay theoretical. Dave and Jay talk about what “commitment to reality” actually means, and why denying reality has civilizational consequences.  We are l...

Frederica Mathewes-Green explains how TV and the internet are engineered for outrage—training us to argue instead of understand. This clip comes from A Commitment to Reality. We are living through one of the most disorienting periods in human history—leaving many to wonder: What is reality? As artificial intelligence accelerates and institutional trust erodes, our shared sense of what is real cont...

Dave Hanegraaff tells Jay Richards: “I used to hate you.” What changed? He listened. In this clip from A Commitment to Reality, Dave and Jay talk about how we caricature people we disagree with, why actually listening to people matters, and how misconceptions can block us from thinking clearly.  We are living through one of the most disorienting periods in human history—leaving many to wonder: Wha...

A Commitment to Reality is a podcast for a post-truth—and increasingly post-reality—age. We are living through one of the most disorienting periods in human history—leaving many to wonder: What is reality? As artificial intelligence accelerates and institutional trust erodes, our shared sense of what is real continues to crumble. A commitment to reality is a dedication to discerning what is true a...

AI and identity ideology are not issues that we are able to ignore. And yet, they are dramatically altering the way that the world perceives reality. As Christians, it is critical for us to respond with clarity amidst the confusion. Abdu Murray joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss the disrupting forces of AI and identity ideology and how we—as Christians—can approach these disorienting developments wi...

Time is flying by so fast—it’s hard to believe. “Only one life, ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” As Hank reflects on another year, a phrase has been echoing through his mind: “You will be the same person next year as you are right now except for two things—the people you meet and the books you read.” Hank would add a third: the things you memorize. Some of the greatest...

We wish you a Merry Christmas—and a reminder of the proverbial reason for the season. Our prayer is that, amid the noise surrounding modern-day Christmas celebrations, we may as yet hear the faint echo of Isaiah's earth-shattering pronouncement: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Emmanuel." And, "he will save his people from their sins."Merry Christmas from Hank H...

Annihilationism is the view that no one suffers for eternity in hell--because according to annihilationism there is no hell. Rather, those who persist until death in their rejection of God’s gracious gift of salvation are snuffed out of existence entirely. Just as universalism is the rage in liberal Christianity, so too annihilationism has gained momentum in conservative Christian circles, with th...

Has Christ returned as a female in China? Believe it or not, this is the shameless assertion of the Church of the Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning. Unfortunately, this is not a fringe group of fanatics, but a cult that is growing globally with millions of devotees and deep pockets. This edition of Hank Unplugged is dedicated to discussing the dangers of Eastern Lightning, what CRI is...

Hank Hanegraaff reads The Book of Proverbs every single day. On this short edition of the Hank Unplugged podcast Hank tells you why that is such an important practice in his life and why you should begin doing the same thing every single day. We promise you won’t regret it. For further study:  CRI Resource: Little Red Book of Wisdom . https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-the-little-red-book-...

 In the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, Hank Hanegraaff  would like to propose an all too relevant question: “Is Mormonism Christian?”     Why? Because a prevalent narrative surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Orem Utah, is that Tyler Robinson, Kirk’s alleged assassin, grew up in a good conservative Christian family.  In truth, Tyler Robinson was raised in a Mormon family—and...

On September 10th Charlie Kirk was killed in broad daylight on a college campus in Utah by the alleged assassin Tyler Robinson. Another casualty of the woke war on the West. An insidious revolt that many Christians have a hard time wrapping their minds around, which is why this edition of Hank Unplugged is dedicated to summarizing the issue at hand in memorable fashion via the word W–O–K–E.      ...

If wisdom is so important in the life of a Christian, why is it that so many of us fail to develop disciplines that will lead us to lives of wisdom?  Hank Hanegraaff has been friends with Mark DeMoss for over 40 years and on this episode, Mark joins the Hank to discuss a passion that they both share in common--wisdom literature. Mark DeMoss is so passionate about the subject that he wrote The Litt...

God doesn’t see time the way we do. While we live according to hours, deadlines, and a focus fixed on the future ( chronos ), God operates in  kairos —sacred moments filled with purpose and a pursuit of being fully present. We can sanctify chronological time by living with eternity in mind—sensing God’s presence in every moment.    In this episode, David Hanegraaff explores the importance of a pro...