Hanegraaff to Constantinople

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ZackF

Puritan Board Professor
I am sorry to see this as Hannegraaff, though he eschewed his father's Reformed tradition, held to the Solas of the Reformation. :banghead: May the Lord grant him repentance.
 
This breaks my heart. I too benefited from his ministry early on. If this turns out to be legit (and I don't see how it's not) his departure will be Rob Bell-esque in scope.
 
Is he really that big a deal, popularity wise? I never thought that he ranked near the Warrens, Lucado (just talking the numbers game), and the like.
 
Is he really that big a deal, popularity wise? I never thought that he ranked near the Warrens, Lucado (just talking the numbers game), and the like.

While not as popular as the folks you mention, he is pretty popular in evangelicalism and respected as a "theologian" by many in the evangelical world. What complicates this whole matter is that most evangelicals will not see his "departure" as a departure, but rather just another acceptable, evangelical route.......
 
Sad indeed that Hanegraff is now counted among those who have bowed the knee to Baal. While he may not be as big a name as some others, getting the "Bible Answer Man" to convert will no doubt be taken as a feather in the cap of Eastern Orthodoxy.
 
Hanegraaff (I misspelled it in the title)
Is he really that big a deal, popularity wise? I never thought that he ranked near the Warrens, Lucado (just talking the numbers game), and the like.

I think it is significant. Maybe his popularity has waned since the 90s/2000s. In years past he did a lot of helpful work against Word Faith wackos and other cults in general. Though not a professionally trained theologian he seemed to many, including me a Roman Catholic back then, to bring gravitas to conservative evangelicalism. His having a large family when seemingly few Protestants did moved up his stock price in my mind. He also had guests like Os Guinness, RC Sproul, James White and other thoughtful men that kept me from closing my mind to Protestantism. When podcasting came along I just chose to listen to stuff I liked more. This is sad to say the least. He's been on the air decades and sold numerous books. It is safe to say he's influenced millions. Many more people than Stellman.
 
While not as popular as the folks you mention, he is pretty popular in evangelicalism and respected as a "theologian" by many in the evangelical world. What complicates this whole matter is that most evangelicals will not see his "departure" as a departure, but rather just another acceptable, evangelical route.......

That's precisely where the rubber will meet the road in many churches today upon this news spreading. "If the Bible Answer Man did it, it must be okay...maybe even wise!"
 
That's precisely where the rubber will meet the road in many churches today upon this news spreading. "If the Bible Answer Man did it, it must be okay...maybe even wise!"

Precisely. He's not thought of as a heavyweight in Reformed circles but in the broader conservative evangelical world he is. This isn't good.
 
I made an account on Wikipedia today for the sole purpose of editing the "Hank Hanegraaff" entry by taking "advocate of evangelical theology" out of the opening paragraph. :banana:
 
Although the thing itself is not good, the mask coming off can be, especially if all that influence he used to have was secretly influencing people in the same direction he has been heading.
 
Although the thing itself is not good, the mask coming off can be, especially if all that influence he used to have was secretly influencing people in the same direction he has been heading.

Matthew, I concur. Better for apostasy to be exposed than for it to fester beneath the surface.
 
Looks like he has been attending the Orthodox church for a couple of years:

"Update 4/10/17: On his radio broadcast the day after his chrismation, Hank responded to a caller regarding his conversion. Basically he said that he has been attending an Orthodox church for over two years, based on an experience many years ago while in China, where he saw simple people living the Christian life in an enviable way. This led him to study Watchman Nee and what he wrote on the subject of theosis, which since then has deepened his love for Christ. And to prove he is still a Christian, he recited the entire Nicene Creed. Regarding his ministry he also said that he will continue to promote mere Christianity, based on this Creed, which is a principle ofC.S. Lewis Just as he always has."​

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/04/hank-hanegraaff-aka-bible-answer-man.html?m=1
 
I think as reformed worship becomes more and more liturgical we will see a lot more of this. An office-bearer in my church recently fled from the Orthodox Presbyterian to the "Orthodox Church in America" or at least something Eastern Orthodox: orthodox to "orthodox"
Dave
PHX OPC
 
Until this "news" broke, I had never heard of Mr. Hanegraaff so I have no idea what the larger impact/influence of his conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy (EO) might be. That said, for the past several years I have taken an interest in learning more about church history and have read several EO books and interacted with a couple EO priests in my area who themselves are converts to EO via ROCOR and I can understand the unhealthy attraction to it. For those who are Reformed this unhealthy attraction only grows when you hear of other like-minded brothers and sisters who have crossed the Bosphorus. Fr. Josiah Trenham is one who comes to mind as one who has probably influenced more than a few people to make the swim.

I think the gravitational pull towards more liturgical styles of worship has been growing in Reformed circles, even if very slowly. I'm not sure what the impetus for this is, but I've seen a number of PCA churches move towards a liturgy that is closer to Canterbury than it is Geneva. The number of Reformed churches promoting Lent and Holy Week is also a further example of this trajectory. Why is this?

On a personal level, like others, I have known of people who have converted to EO or have at least contemplated it and the reasoning more often than not has been the desire to anchor themselves in what they perceive to be ancient/historic Christianity. This in part is a reaction I think to the continued splintering of denominations in the Protestant world and the secularization of churches in the West. Though the EO world is far from united and itself hides cracks visible beneath the surface, I think for some the lure is the mirage that EO represents something that is fixed, stable, and constant. I personally haven't met anyone who converted due to purely theological reasons though I'm sure those people are out there.

I look forward to hearing more about Mr. Hanegraaff's conversion, specifically the reasons behind it. Whether it be those who swim the Tiber, walk the Canterbury, or cross the Bosphorus, I think it would be good to understand the reasoning for these people leaving behind their Reformed faith, as I imagine the lure for some in our churches to do so will only increase in the future.
 
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Often such conversions are in reaction to the shallow nature of much of modern evangelical worship. Unfortunately, all they are really doing in converting is exchanging modern ecclesiastical excess for ancient ecclesiastical excess.
 
I only know of the man from one of his novels that he wrote, "The Last Disciple." It was a pretty good book that looked at Revelation from the partial-preterist perspective.
 
I am sorry to see this as Hannegraaff, though he eschewed his father's Reformed tradition, held to the Solas of the Reformation. :banghead: May the Lord grant him repentance.
He was very good for awhile, when he was addressing the Charasmatic Chaos such as in Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel, but then he started to slide off into Pretierism it seemed, and now going over to the EO.

They would be viewed in pretty much same light as the church of rome right? With another Gospel?
 
He was very good for awhile, when he was addressing the Charasmatic Chaos such as in Word of Faith and Prosperity Gospel, but then he started to slide off into Pretierism it seemed, and now going over to the EO.

They would be viewed in pretty much same light as the church of rome right? With another Gospel?
Preterism isn't bad. Many on the board are Preterists.

There is a fair amount of arguments that can be used against the EO that are used against Rome. However, EO developed differently and they have different theology. Many times they believe that the west is too forensic and asking all the wrong questions.
 
Regarding liturgy, many who attend churches with dancing or even just a rock band regard a Genevan service as basically Roman Catholic.
 
I pray that he does not follow that trajectory. Often people are searching for something because the thing needed is something they simply do not possess.

Excepting the case when you are looking for your glasses and they are on your head, the only time you search for something is when you don't have it.
 
Preterism isn't bad. Many on the board are Preterists.

There is a fair amount of arguments that can be used against the EO that are used against Rome. However, EO developed differently and they have different theology. Many times they believe that the west is too forensic and asking all the wrong questions.
Hopefully not full pretierists, as that has never been allowed by the Confessing church, correct?
 
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