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Thread: "Bible Answer Man" Hank Hanegraff joins the Orthodox Church

  1. #1

    "Bible Answer Man" Hank Hanegraff joins the Orthodox Church

    “BIBLE ANSWER MAN” HANK HANEGRAAFF JOINS ORTHODOX CHURCH


    Known to millions as the “Bible Answer Man,” 77-year-old Hank Hanegraaff and his wife were received into the Orthodox Church this year on the great feast of Palm Sunday, at St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, NC.


    Mr. Hanegraaff can be seen kneeling with a lit candle under a priest’s epitrachelion in the picture to the right. His wife’s hands can be seen as well. The picture originates from the Facebook page of the parish, but has been removed after an influx of comments, including negative remarks from those who appreciated Hanegraaff’s work as a Protestant.

    The Bible Answer Man addressed his conversion to the Orthodox faith on his program yesterday, in response to a caller who had seen remarks claiming that, in becoming Orthodox, Mr. Hanegraaff had left the Christian faith. He responded:

    I am now a member of an Orthodox Church, but nothing has changed in my faith. I have been attending an Orthodox church for a long time—for over two years, really, as a result of what happened when I went to China, many years ago. I saw Chinese Christians who were deeply in love with the Lord, and I learned that while they may not have had as much intellectual acumen or knowledge as I did, they had life. And so I learned that while truth matters, life matters more, and I remember flying back from China after spending time with just common people who had a deep, intense love for the Lord, and wondering, “Was I even a Christian?”

    I was comparing my ability to communicate truth with their deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus Christ… One man, by the way, said to me, truth matters but life matters more. In other words, it is not just knowing about Jesus Christ, it is experiencing the Resurrected Christ. As a result of that I started studying what was communicated by the progeny of Watchman Nee with respect to theosis and that drove me back to the early Christian Church.

    And I suppose over that period of time I have fallen ever more in love with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s sort of like my wife—I have never been more in love with my wife than I am today, and I’ve never been more in love with my Lord Jesus Christ than I am today. I’ve been impacted by the whole idea of knowing Jesus Christ, experiencing Jesus Christ, and partaking of the graces of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist or the Lord’s Table. And that has become so central in my life, but as far as the statement that you mentioned, that I’ve left the Christian faith—nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact I believe what I have always believed, as codified in the Nicene Creed, and as championed by mere Christianity.

    After reciting the entire Nicene Creed, he concluded, “In other words, I am as deeply committed to championing mere Christianity and the essentials of the historic Christian faith, as I have ever been.”

    Hank Hanegraaff has served as the president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina-based Christian Research Institute (CRI) since 1989, when he also took over previous-president’s radio talk-show “The Bible Answer Man.” The show includes answering questions about matters of Christian doctrine and history and Biblical interpretation, and denominational particularities. He has been an outspoken critic of non-Christian religions, new religious movements and cults, and heresies within conservative Christianity. He is also the author of over twenty books. His The Complete Bible Answer Book—Collector’s Edition is a compendium of the most common, and the most difficult, questions regarding Christianity, culture, and cults that Hank has received over the past three decades.

    It has been noted that Hank has been speaking about the Orthodox Church more on his show lately, referring to it as “fantastic,” and “the early Church.” In 2016, Hank interviewed Fr. Themistoclos (Adamopoulos), a Greek Orthodox priest, to discuss his journey from Marxist rock star to Orthodox monk. Fr. Themi works tirelessly with the poor and suffering in Sierra Leone, where people are still suffering from the effects of a recent Ebola epidemic. The interview can be listened to here.

    In March, Mr. Hanegraaff answered a caller’s question about the Orthodox teaching of theosis, ably explaining the doctrine of man’s sanctification on both a Biblical and Patristic basis. “We become Christ-bearers since His Body and Blood are distributed throughout our limbs, as Cyril of Jerusalem said… The whole idea being that we become by grace what God is by nature… We become, as Peter put it, partakers in the divine nature,” the Bible Answer Man explained. A full video of the call can be seen below:

    (Clink link to see video) http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/102618.htm
    Last edited by TER; 04-11-2017 at 07:01 PM.
    +
    'These things I command you, that you love one another.' - Jesus Christ



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  3. #2
    A lot of longtime low church people are making the move to liturgical churches. It is so worth it.
    #NashvilleStrong

    “I’m a doctor. That’s a baby.”~~~Dr. Manny Sethi

  4. #3
    I am reading the first lesson this Sunday (resurrection Sunday for the Anglicans). It's from Jeremiah 31. God's word. Awesome.
    #NashvilleStrong

    “I’m a doctor. That’s a baby.”~~~Dr. Manny Sethi

  5. #4
    I am always surprised how these announcements make such a stir on the internet.


    Only now can he truly live up to his pseudonym. (kidding)
    ...

  6. #5
    A life long denier of sovereign grace joining a church that also denies sovereign grace. Why is this news?

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by euphemia View Post
    A lot of longtime low church people are making the move to liturgical churches. It is so worth it.
    Natural men who don't have the Spirit search down all kinds roads to feel "spiritual". It's been happening since time began.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Sola_Fide View Post
    Natural men who don't have the Spirit search down all kinds roads to feel "spiritual". It's been happening since time began.
    If you'd read the piece, you'd know his journey wasn't about mere "feelz" or what new agey folks call "spiritual".
    Quote Originally Posted by Torchbearer
    what works can never be discussed online. there is only one language the government understands, and until the people start speaking it by the magazine full... things will remain the same.
    Hear/buy my music here "government is the enemy of liberty"-RP Support me on Patreon here Ephesians 6:12

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by heavenlyboy34 View Post
    If you'd read the piece, you'd know his journey wasn't about mere "feelz" or what new agey folks call "spiritual".
    No. It's completely his feelings, and completely because he wanted some new experience. He said this "mattered more than truth".
    I am now a member of an Orthodox Church, but nothing has changed in my faith. I have been attending an Orthodox church for a long time—for over two years, really, as a result of what happened when I went to China, many years ago. I saw Chinese Christians who were deeply in love with the Lord, and I learned that while they may not have had as much intellectual acumen or knowledge as I did, they had life. And so I learned that while truth matters, life matters more, and I remember flying back from China after spending time with just common people who had a deep, intense love for the Lord, and wondering, “Was I even a Christian?”

    I was comparing my ability to communicate truth with their deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus Christ… One man, by the way, said to me, truth matters but life matters more. In other words, it is not just knowing about Jesus Christ, it is experiencing the Resurrected Christ. As a result of that I started studying what was communicated by the progeny of Watchman Nee with respect to theosis and that drove me back to the early Christian Church.

    And I suppose over that period of time I have fallen ever more in love with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s sort of like my wife—I have never been more in love with my wife than I am today, and I’ve never been more in love with my Lord Jesus Christ than I am today. I’ve been impacted by the whole idea of knowing Jesus Christ, experiencing jesus Christ, and partaking of the graces of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist or the Lord’s Table. And that has become so central in my life, but as far as the statement that you mentioned, that I’ve left the Christian faith—nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact I believe what I have always believed, as codified in the Nicene Creed, and as championed by mere Christianity.
    Experience matters more than truth to many people. The natural man in his sin seeks out all kinds of religious experiences in his quest to suppress the truth of God. This is no different.

    But one thing he said is certainly true. He said his faith hasn't changed. And he's right. He's always rejected the sovereign grace of God. He just found a new way to express that rejection lately.



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Sola_Fide View Post
    No. It's completely his feelings, and completely because he wanted some new experience. He said this "mattered more than truth".
    Life is truth, and that is what the Truth came to reveal, so that He, the Truth, could give life to mankind, and life abundantly ( John 10:10).

    Truth is NOT an abstract notion or constructive thought or philosophical dictum. Truth is a Person, namely the Incarnate Logos of God, the God-man Jesus Christ, in Whom we find life, which is found through communion with Him. True, experiential living, which can only come from the Source and Giver of Life, that is, God. Not merely in an intellectual way or a partial way, such as the gnostics and docetists believed, but in a wholly and complete way, which includes not only the mind, but also the body, and the spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit whom Christ sends from the Father whereby man is a true and complete man, reflecting the glory of God, in the fullness and stature of Jesus Christ. The more we become like Christ, them more we become a true human being, as sons and daughter of God.

    We are not put in this world and exist merely for discerning logistical truth, but rather, to find life. To live! Christ is the way, the truth, and, most importantly, the life.

    As for Hank Haanergeaff, he found not only the dogmatic truth within the mind and the life of the ancient and original Church, through its apostolic teachings and patristic and liturgical traditions which have held firm and unweilding, but he found life, and life abundantly, through the grace of the Holy Spirit and Christ abiding in Him. And that is why he joined the Orthodox Church and entered into the communion of the Saints through every century.

    And since joining the Church, he has been dropped by radio stations, castigated by former friends and supporters, and now learned he has a rare and extensively spread cancer.

    But still he states he has found peace and comfort and joy!

    Still he is resolute in his assurance that he has come to know life and God's presence, even as his time left here may be short.

    What a splash of cold water to those who have been duped by those pushing the 'prosperity gospel'!

    What a testament to the great paradox, and the strength that Christ gives, which makes a man stronger in his weakness, as St. Paul endured and preached!

    For those who suffer for His Name will find comfort and peace, and those who follow Him, and carry their cross and follow him, those will find salvation.

    Indeed, be wary if everything seems to be going easy and good in the worldly sense. Be nervous if there are no suffering or hardships or struggle in this life. All of the Apostles suffered, and all His disciples and blessed ones have sacrificed their own wills, desires, passions and comforts in order to find the Pearl of Great Price.

    Hank Hanegraf is now learning fully what it is to be a Christian, and he too is finding the Pearl of Great Price, which is incomparable to anything else and more fulfilling than all the wealth and all the healthy comforts of this world. May the Lord continue to bless him.
    Last edited by TER; 06-07-2017 at 09:48 PM.
    +
    'These things I command you, that you love one another.' - Jesus Christ

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by TER View Post
    Life is truth, and that is what the Truth came to reveal, so that He, the Truth, could give life to mankind, and life abundantly ( John 10:10).

    Truth is NOT an abstract notion or constructive thought or philosophical dictum. Truth is a Person, namely the Incarnate Logos of God, the God-man Jesus Christ, in Whom we find life, which is found through communion with Him. True, experiential living, which can only come from the Source and Giver of Life, that is, God. Not merely in an intellectual way or a partial way, such as the gnostics and docetists believed, but in a wholly and complete way, which includes not only the mind, but also the body, and the spirit. It is the work of the Holy Spirit whom Christ sends from the Father whereby man is a true and complete man, reflecting the glory of God, in the fullness and stature of Jesus Christ. The more we become like Christ, them more we become a true human being, as sons and daughter of God.

    We are not put in this world and exist merely for discerning logistical truth, but rather, to find life. To live! Christ is the way, the truth, and, most importantly, the life.

    As for Hank Haanergeaff, he found not only the dogmatic truth within the mind and the life of the ancient and original Church, through its apostolic teachings and patristic and liturgical traditions which have held firm and unweilding, but he found life, and life abundantly, through the grace of the Holy Spirit and Christ abiding in Him. And that is why he joined the Orthodox Church and entered into the communion of the Saints through every century.

    And since joining the Church, he has been dropped by radio stations, castigated by former friends and supporters, and now learned he has a rare and extensively spread cancer.

    But still he states he has found peace and comfort and joy!

    Still he is resolute in his assurance that he has come to know life and God's presence, even as his time left here may be short.

    What a splash of cold water to those who have been duped by those pushing the 'prosperity gospel'!

    What a testament to the great paradox, and the strength that Christ gives, which makes a man stronger in his weakness, as St. Paul endured and preached!

    For those who suffer for His Name will find comfort and peace, and those who follow Him, and carry their cross and follow him, those will find salvation.

    Indeed, be wary if everything seems to be going easy and good in the worldly sense. Be nervous if there are no suffering or hardships or struggle in this life. All of the Apostles suffered, and all His disciples and blessed ones have sacrificed their own wills, desires, passions and comforts in order to find the Pearl of Great Price.

    Hank Hanegraf is now learning fully what it is to be a Christian, and he too is finding the Pearl of Great Price, which is incomparable to anything else and more fulfilling than all the wealth and all the healthy comforts of this world. May the Lord continue to bless him.
    Why do you think Hank Hannegraph is some huge win for your church? Hank Hannegraph has been refuted so many times by not only scholars who have debated him, but average callers who would call in to his show and render him unable to give an answer. I've heard it several times with my own ears.... I used to listen to him all the time. In fact, he would intentionally not take questions from Calvinists, or cut the calls short, because they used to innundate his show with calls and tie him up in all kinds of knots.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Sola_Fide View Post
    Why do you think Hank Hannegraph is some huge win for your church? Hank Hannegraph has been refuted so many times by not only scholars who have debated him, but average callers who would call in to his show and render him unable to give an answer. I've heard it several times with my own ears.... I used to listen to him all the time. In fact, he would intentionally not take questions from Calvinists, or cut the calls short, because they used to innundate his show with calls and tie him up in all kinds of knots.
    I don't think he is a huge win for my Church.

    I think him joining the Church is a huge win for him.
    +
    'These things I command you, that you love one another.' - Jesus Christ

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by TER View Post
    I don't think he is a huge win for my Church.

    I think him joining the Church is a huge win for him.
    Then why mention it in so many threads? Hank Hannegraph has always been an Arminian. He's never accepted the truth of the gospel. It's not a wonder that people like this try all kinds of different things to make them feel spiritual.

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Sola_Fide View Post
    Then why mention it in so many threads? Hank Hannegraph has always been an Arminian. He's never accepted the truth of the gospel. It's not a wonder that people like this try all kinds of different things to make them feel spiritual.
    This is the only thread I think he was mentioned. You are confabulating. Please don't do that.

    He doesn't agree with your ideas and interpretation, which is okay. He chose the shared and handed down ideas and interpretations of a community of Saints going back 2000 years. I think he is a smart man to do so.
    Last edited by TER; 06-07-2017 at 11:10 PM.
    +
    'These things I command you, that you love one another.' - Jesus Christ

  16. #14


    Here is a man who found the truth in the Orthodox Church and joined at great financial risk to himself and with the knowledge that he would be mocked and alienated by long time friends and loved ones for joining. But when a person comes to see the truth, as led by God’s will through the Holy Spirit, than nothing can stop them, even death itself. God bless all those who struggle yet persevere, for it is the Church of the martyrs which demonstrates where the Church of the Saints is, and it is the Orthodox Church which has always been and will always be the Church of the martyrs and the Church of the Saints. May they continue to pray and intercede for us before the Throne of God, and through their prayers, may God have mercy on us.
    Last edited by TER; 01-16-2018 at 09:08 PM.
    +
    'These things I command you, that you love one another.' - Jesus Christ

  17. #15
    A life long denier of the grace of God expressing his denial in a new way. This is not news. Happens every day.

  18. #16



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  20. #17
    “BIBLE ANSWER MAN” HANK HANEGRAAFF ANNOUNCES HIS CANCER IS IN REMISSION

    Charlotte, North Carolina, November 12, 2018

    http://orthochristian.com/117173.html

    Hank Hanegraaff, known to millions as the “Bible Answer Man,” who converted to holy Orthodoxy with his wife in 2017, made a joyous announcement on his Bible Answer Man Facebook page recently.

    Hanegraaff, who was diagnosed with the rare mantle cell lymphoma on April 15, 2017, announced on Thursday that after nearly two years of battling the cancer, he is now in remission.

    He says in his video:

    I ought to give you a little update on my health. It’s been about 3 months since I had my last CT scan. I just had a scan this week on Monday, and the doctor’s diagnosis of the scan took place on Wednesday… About this time yesterday he was reading me the results of the CT scan as well as the results of my blood work. The bottom line is I heard a word that I did not think I would hear, at least not this soon. And that is the word “remission.” So for the first time since I started the battle with cancer 20 months ago, I am finally in remission.

    He also gives a short history of his battle with cancer and how he achieved remission, as well as updates on his ministry with the Christian Research Institute, which you can see in the full video below:

    ​(video at link)

    Hanegraaff has served as the president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina-based Christian Research Institute (CRI) since 1989, when he also took over the previous president’s radio talk-show “The Bible Answer Man.” The show includes answering questions about matters of Christian doctrine and history and Biblical interpretation, and denominational particularities.

    He and his wife were received into the Church on Palm Sunday last year at St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, NC.
    +
    'These things I command you, that you love one another.' - Jesus Christ



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