Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast and the Hank Unplugged podcast, shares what he’s been reading lately in addition to Scripture — The Bridge at Andau by James A. Michener and Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay, among others. Books that offer glimpses into communist prison camps. Good books present opportunities for engaging conversations in communion with absent authors.

As his family grapples with COVID-19, Hank Hanegraaff reminds us that while this life has ups and downs, including sickness and sorrow, our hope is not in a temporary universe in bondage to decay. Ultimately, our hope in Christ looks forward to a renewed universe liberated from bondage—a new heaven and earth wherein dwells righteousness.

Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast and the Hank Unplugged podcast, starts a new series called "Hank Unplugged Shorts" where he regularly delves into today's headlines, issues, personal stories, and current events to equip Christians to think and live Christianly. Simply put, Christians must consume information and news today with the proper filter of a biblical worldview....

Jesus Christ, God incarnate, had a fully human mother and her name was Mary. For most of his Christian life, Hank Hanegraaff lacked a proper appreciation for the grandeur and glory of the Mother of our Savior. As Christians, does the Mother of God matter to us? Brandi Willis Schreiber joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss her own quest to know and love the Virgin Mary and to incorporate Mary into her o...

In this Hank Unplugged Short, a new series, Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, shares a powerful word of encouragement that he received from his sister Jobe who is fighting cancer and it touched him deeply. Her blood counts are at their lowest points and yet she is still grateful for her chemo treatments. She talks about "planning with a pencil" and the new schedule plann...

Polling has shown that over a third of millennials approve of communism while socialism increasingly appeals to many young people in Western countries. This is a shocking development for those who have lived through the horrors of communism in places like China—people like Bob Fu. Dr. Bob Fu is the president of ChinaAid and one of the leading voices in the world for persecuted faith communities in...

Beginning in the late 19th century, many intellectuals began to insist that scientific knowledge conflicts with traditional theistic belief—that science and belief in God are “at war.” In Return of the God Hypothesis, Stephen Meyer argues that theism—with its affirmation of a transcendent, intelligent and active creator—best explains the evidence we have concerning biological and cosmological orig...

Atheists don’t believe in God. Agnostics don’t know if God exists. Theists believe in God. What do Apatheists believe? In short, they simply do not care to answer the question of God’s existence. How can you share the gospel with someone who doesn’t care? As Western culture becomes increasingly indifferent to questions of faith, diverted by secularism, comfort, and distraction, Christians today en...

Have we as a culture cut our heads from our hearts? Adam Pelser joins Hank to discuss virtue formation in the life of a Christian and the importance of intentionally cultivating proper emotions as opposed to viewing emotions as unreliable indicators of truth. The fact of the matter is that emotions are not the enemy of objective rationality. Emotions, properly understood, can actually provide a gr...

The doctrine of hell as a place of eternal punishment has never been easy for Christians to accept. The temptation to retreat from and reject a traditional teaching of hell for more palatable alternatives such as universalism or annihilationism is particularly strong in our current culture, which has demonstrably lost its sense of sin. Likewise, we live in a death denying culture. But, it is unden...

Church Unity is Not Optional. Many Christians who want unity don’t value theology or holiness. Yet, God commands all three. There must be a way to end the divisions that grieve the Holy Spirit without sacrificing truth or embracing sin. As the world grows more divided, Christians must unite—in love for the Lord and one another—as a winsome witness to the world through our oneness in Christ. Franci...

Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. Tragically, anti-Christian animus in the West has largely led to ignorance of the persecution of Christians today and the result has been a human rights travesty of historic proportions. Hank often says that the problem of Christian persecution in the Middle East is squarely in the blind spot of the West. When it comes to addressing...

Dr. Gary Habermas has dedicated his life to the study and defense of the Resurrection because it is without a doubt the seminal event in history and the foundation of Christianity—simply put, without the Resurrection Christian belief crumbles. (Note: This conversation took place in March 2018 as Hank was in the midst of his battle with cancer—Thanks be to God, Hank is now cancer free). Topics disc...

If you’ve found the last year challenging, you’re not alone. In fact, millions believe that this last year has been the most brutal year of their lives. Sadly, many have surrendered to a life of settling when we should be soaring—resigning when we should be renewing! That’s why Renewing YOU: A Priest, a Psychologist, and Plan couldn’t be more timely. Written by a husband and a wife—Dr. Nicholas Lo...

Robert Spencer was a devoted Roman Catholic for more than 30 years until the issue of the infallibility of the Pope led him to investigate the controversial Roman Catholic dogma—an investigation that ultimately led Spencer to write the forthcoming book The Pope and the Church. Spencer joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss the issue of Papal infallibility and the problems it presents to the global Chris...

The world around us is consumed by issues of identity—the church included. Responding to these issues from an orthodox Christian perspective is critical to the future of the church, however, it isn’t always easy for Christians to follow their convictions when claims of homophobia, racism and the like are made against those holding to traditional norms of morality. How should we respond to claims t...

​In a world filled with fake news—Research — the ‘R’ in CRI — is more critical than ever. While researching Columbus Day, Hank Hanegraaff read countless articles conveying Christopher Columbus as one of history’s greatest villains—far from the hero of history we learned about as students. Then Hank realized something. Every article using the same source — Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the Un...

Professor Ryszard Legutko lived and suffered under communism for decades and fought in the Polish anti-communist movement to abolish it. Having now live for over two decades under a liberal democracy, Legutko has discovered that liberal democracy and communism have more in common than one might think. Professor Legutko joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss The Demon in Democracy, as Legutko explains ho...

For years, émigrés from the former Soviet Union have been telling Rod Dreher they see telltale signs of “soft” totalitarianism cropping up in America. Identity politics are intruding into every aspect of life. Progressives are marginalizing conservative Christians. Technology and consumerism are creating the possibility of a corporate surveillance state. And the pandemic has left our country espec...

For the first time in history, the world shut itself down — by choice — fearful of a virus that wasn’t well understood. The government ordered the closure of countless businesses — many never to return. Schools sent students home to be taught in front of a computer. Churches canceled worship services. “Social distancing” went from a non-word to a moral obligation overnight. We need to know what ha...

Tradition has become a dirty word to many Christians in the West, often pitting Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition against one another. However, if Holy Tradition is Scripture rightly understood then there is no need for them to be viewed in conflict. Hank Hanegraaff believes that the West would do well to recapture the spiritual power of Holy Tradition that has provided Christians throughout histo...

The sermons of St. John Chrysostom are some of the richest classical commentaries on the Christian life. Rev. Dr. Bogdan Bucur joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss Chrysostom’s Christian classic On Wealth and Poverty. https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resource-cri2011hup/ Throughout their conversation he eloquently reminds listeners that it is not enough to simply read and exegete the Bible—Christians...

You are what you love. But you might not love what you think. Christians desire to shape culture, yet are often unaware of how culture shapes us—unaware of the ways our hearts are being taught to love rival gods instead of the One for whom we were made. James K.A. Smith joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss the major themes of his book, You Are What You Love, detailing the formative power of culture an...

Abortion is one of the most divisive issues in the United States and the most powerful advocate for abortion is Planned Parenthood. Abby Johnson went from being a clinic director for Planned Parenthood to an outspoken leader of the Pro-Life movement after her life was changed while witnessing the horror of abortion take place on an ultrasound as she watched the unborn child fight—and lose—the batt...

Should Christians be involved in politics? Christians in America have the historically unique power to enact laws that advance the common good and must take this special obligation seriously by using good judgement while voting and supporting legislation and political candidates. We might not always agree on the policies and candidates that are the best option to advance the common good, but there...