Hank Unplugged: Essential Christian Conversations

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on the continuing word crisis that threatens to undo western civilization. The word “insurrection” is plastered in the headlines today. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Jeffrey Scott Shapiro laments the application of the word “insurrection” to the events of January 6, 2021. But S...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, ponders the demise of civilizations. This reflection was provoked by reading a recent post about “the European Union’s LGBTQ+ goodwill ambassador” who had “cross-dressed as a bearded Virgin Mary”—“a same-sex rendition of the Holy Family draped in the colors of the transgender flag.” Christian...

​How do some birds, turtles, and insects possess navigational abilities that rival the best manmade navigational technologies? Who or what taught the honey bee its dance, or its hive mates how to read the complex message of the dance? How do blind mound-building termites master passive heating and cooling strategies that dazzle skilled human architects? In The Origin of Species Charles Darwin conc...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘯 broadcast, distinguishes between ministry-centric giving and soul-centric giving. CRI is committed to that which is soul-centric—interested in the spiritual benefit that giving abounds to the account of the giver. Less focused on the needs of ministry—though important and significant—CRI focuses more on...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘯 broadcast, reflects on a scene from James Michener’s historical novel, The Covenant. Among the Xhosa people in South Africa, there was a shaman who looked into a dark pool of water and predicted that the great chiefs who once ruled the Xhosa people would miraculously return and regain control of the lan...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘯 broadcast, wishes all a glorious new year—a new year in which we are connected to the epicenter of the universe, which is the church. It is in the church that God dispenses the graces that transform us and prepare us for eternity. May God use us all this year for His glory and for the extension of His k...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on the rage of the organization known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This time over the World Series because baseball pitchers warm up in what is called the “bullpen,” a term most insensitive to cattle. PETA suggests “Arm Barn.” As ridiculous as that may seem,...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Hank Unplugged podcast, reads portions of the latest letter from his sister Jobje, who is battling pancreatic cancer. She writes, “First and foremost, I want to wish you all a very blessed Christmas in our adoration of our Savior and Lord, the King of all Kings, for His indescribable gift of a Savior!....My adoration fo...

The Christian Research Institute would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you enjoy this special message from Hank Hanegraaff on the incarnation of Jesus Christ as an opportunity to celebrate the great exchange—Christ taking on our humanity so that we might become partakers of the divine nature. Listen to Hank’s podcast and follow Hank off the grid where he is joined by some of the bright...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, meditates on the amazing ant and the brilliance of creation. Hank’s wife, Kathy, was lightly attacked by ants while hanging up Christmas lights, reminding him of the proverb, “Go to the ant, observe its ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer, or ruler, prepares its food in the summ...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, exhorts us to pause for a moment in the midst of our busy-ness and ponder the majesty of the word Immanuel. It is simply incredible to consider that when Isaiah, the holiest man in ancient Israel, prophesied, “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him...

​There is no such thing as religious neutrality. Dr. Scott Hahn joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss why Christians simply cannot compartmentalize our beliefs as if reality and religion are not intrinsically and existentially related. The privatization of faith has been perilous for the public square and as the world continues to become increasingly anti-Christian, it is imperative that Christians sna...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on another precious note from his older sister Jobje, who is battling pancreatic cancer. The suffering she endures is almost beyond imagination, yet in the midst of her pain, she again and again extols God’s mercy and grace—and says how unworthy she feels in the midst of His abundant...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on a recent note from his sister Jobje, who is battling pancreatic cancer. Jobje exemplifies gratitude—in the midst of suffering and exhaustion. Picture Jobje laying in a hospital bed, looking out the window. As she does, a hymn is going through her mind—“Beneath the Cross of Jesus”—...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘯 broadcast, offers a meditation on thanksgiving—the gateway to righteousness. Thanksgiving is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. Prayer without thanksgiving is like a bird without wings. Each day we ought to approach God overflowing with thankfulness. Our thankfulness flows from...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and Host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, comments on Benny Hinn’s misuse of Scripture in “7 Reasons for the Rapture.”[ https://www.bennyhinn.org/podcast/7-reasons-for-the-rapture/ ] Hinn cites Christ’s words in John 14:3 as teaching a secret pretribulational rapture: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and r...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, comments on a recent Wall Street Journal opinion article, “Are Internet Services as Good as Church?” by Paul Glader and John Semakula. The authors write about how digital worship has overtaken the Christian church, particularly among Evangelicals. Almost half of people who responded to a surv...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, conveys another eloquent and convicting message from his sister Jobje, who is battling pancreatic cancer. Before her many missionary trips and travels, she would, of course, need to pack—and then unpack afterward. But now she is going on a journey that requires no packing. Jobje writes, “This...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, considers the temptation of Eve in light of the literal principle of biblical interpretation. To read Scripture literally is to read it as literature. This means that we are to interpret the Word of God just as we interpret other forms of communication—in the most obvious and natural sense. T...

Do you give with a joyful heart? According to today’s guest Dr. Andrew Geleris, “An utterly breathtaking divergence has developed between the joy of giving that God intends his people to experience and the way many Christians view giving as an unpleasant but necessary obligation of church membership.” Simply put, for many of us money has an unhealthy hold on our hearts. This conversation will chal...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reads from a public letter written by Christian florist Barronelle Stutzman. Her courageous nine-year legal battle for religious liberty has ended in a settlement. Willing to stand on her convictions, she is a tremendous example of Christ-honoring perseverance.

Seemingly no topic is off limits when it comes to Anne Kennedy—a prolific author who has compiled a comprehensive catalogue of the cultural issues facing our world today through her contributions to the Christian Research Journal. She joins Hank Hanegraaff to discuss the topics of several of her articles in a wide-ranging conversation that touches on gaslighting, Black Lives Matter, modern attacks...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and Host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, honors our nation’s Veterans—all who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Thank you for your sacrificial service. In The Dying Citizen, Victor Davis Hanson writes of a troubling poll concerning the lack of understanding many have about what it means to be a citizen of the United Sta...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, recently spoke with the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia. Hank asked this remarkable servant of Christ to speak to the significance of the church—as the sphere within which union with God is accomplished. His Eminence explained that “to be a Christian does involve perso...

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, recently spoke with the Most Reverend Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia. In this brief episode, Hank asked his Eminence to share about his love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “What matters is not salvation as an idea, but the Savior. Christianity is not about ‘what.’ It is abou...