Hank Hanegraaff

[[File:Hank Hanegraaff.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Hanegraaff in 2007]]
{{christianity|1}}
'''Hank Hanegraaff''' {{lived|1950}} is the host of the Bible Answer Man [[radio]] program.  

He has a reputation as a voice of [[intelligence]] and moderation within [[evangelical]] Christendom, due to his frequent denunciation of the excesses of the likes of [[Todd Bentley]], [[Benny Hinn]], [[Bob Larson]], [[Kenneth Copeland]], [[Paul Crouch]], and other evangelists of the sensationalistic, [[name it and claim it]] persuasion.  He was also one of the more vocal [[skeptic]]s of [[satanic panic]] claims, the [[satanic ritual abuse]] scare, the [[militia movement]], and the [[Y2K]] scare among other things.

His reputation as a voice of moderation unfortunately gives him a platform to promote [[creationism]], [[intelligent design]], [[global warming denialism]] and [[overpopulation]] denialism, and [[Pro-life|opposition to any abortion]] (including [[birth control]] pills which he falsely says are a very early-term form of abortion). He also has an annoying tendency to engage in [[sophistry]] when callers ask him questions about things [[Jesus]] clearly teaches (such as [[pacifism]] and voluntary [[poverty]]), explaining them away somehow.

During the 2008 election season in an unusual (for Hanegraaff) foray into rank political partisanship, he ran ads on his show beginning, "The [[Bible]] is [[Persecution complex|under attack]]", then playing a sound clip from [[Barack Obama]] where Obama asked which part of the Bible is appropriate to base public policy, noting that [[slavery]] is condoned in the [[Old Testament]] book of [[Leviticus]].  Allegedly this was Obama "attacking" the Bible. Hanegraaff did not, strangely enough, include any of the sound bites of [[John McCain]] on the same subject.  Although he has in the past bent over backwards to keep politics off his show, he blew his cover with that one, which gives one a pretty good indication of what [[religious right|milieu he is operating in]].

His views on issues like abortion and creationism are largely a function of the evangelical belief system he comes from; however, he is actually a pretty good source when looking for information refuting some of the wackier claims circulating within Christendom.  He splits his time on his radio show between defending things like creationism and [[Biblical inerrancy]] on the one hand, and refuting and debunking [[crank]] practices and beliefs within evangelical Christianity on the other.  In the latter area, at least, he is a good source.

He is president of the Christian Research Institute which he allegedly hijacked on the [[death]] of its founder,<ref>[http://www.waltermartin.com/2007/12/tim-lahaye-and-hank-hanegraaff-men.html CRI founder's daughter attacks]</ref> although his supporters dispute these claims.<ref>http://answers.org/newsletters/respkenn.html</ref> He is the father of 12 children (9 his own and 3 adopted).

==External links==
*[https://www.equip.org/ Christian Research Institute]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:Anti-abortion activists]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Creationists]]
[[Category:Global warming denialists]]
[[Category:Intelligent design creationism]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Radio]]

Categories: Anti-abortion activists, Christians, Creationists, Global warming denialists, Intelligent design creationism, Living people, Radio