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Christian News Today |
Hendrik
(Hank) H. Hanegraaff
and the Christian Research Institute (CRI)
On the surface most leaders of
Christian ministries in
The Christian Research Institute
(CRI), is a Christian apologetics and counter-cult organization founded in 1960
by Dr. Walter Martin (1928 - 1989).
Billed as the ''largest and oldest
cult apologetics and evangelism organization'' in the world, CRI publishes a
high-quality magazine (Christian Research Journal) and produces a daily radio
program (Bible Answerman). The program is broadcast by more than 100 radio
stations in the
Like any organization involved in
anticult or countercult CRI frequently comes under attack from the groups,
movements, and individuals whose beliefs and actions it addresses. But unlike
most other discernment ministries, CRI has, over the past decade or so, been
involved in several ''in-house'' conflicts and controversies.
Controversies
After the death of Dr. Walter
Martin (June 26, 1989), Hank Hanegraaff became president of the Christian
Research Institute. Many feel Mr. Hanegraaff was (and is) not the right man for
the job.
Under Hanegraaff's leadership, the
staff of the Christian Research Institute was decimated. Over 100 workers left
or were fired - among them many established, respected researchers, apologists and
cult experts, including Paul Carden, and Craig Hawkins, and Ron Rhodes.
Not every one who left did so
because of disagreement or other conflict. However, in 1994, some 35 ex-CRI
employees formed the Group for CRI Accountability. Citing Hanegraaff's lack of
theological training, poor interpersonal relationship skills, questions
regarding his business dealings, and a number of ethical issues, they demanded
his resignation.
In 1997, Christianity Today
published and article titled, "When Christians Fight Christians" A case study mentioned in the item is widely
recognized as referring to the situation that, over the years, developed at
CRI. Tim Stafford's article offers sound suggestions on how to deal with these
type of situations, but to-date these controversies still remain unresolved.
Objections to Hanegraaff's
Leadership
In April, 2000, the
Orange County's ''Bible Answer
Man''--whose radio show, heard on 125 stations nationwide, has long been a
thorn in the flesh of televangelists--is facing a new battle, criticism from
within his nonprofit organization.
Relatives of the late Walter
Martin, founder of the Rancho Santa Margarita-based Christian Research
Institute, contend that Hank Hanegraaff has departed from the organization's
mission of debunking unusual religious claims. They are demanding his
resignation.
Hanegraaff, 50, was Martin's
handpicked successor when the founder retired in 1979. But in recent years,
Martin family members have expressed concern about Hanegraaff's leadership.
After a public rift with
Hanegraaff in 1996, Darlene Martin, widow of Walter Martin, resigned from the
institute's board. Last October, the family sent Hanegraaff a letter detailing
objections to his leadership.
''He's not the man we believed him
to be,'' said Jill Martin Rische, Martin's eldest daughter and executor of his
estate. ''We just want someone in charge who will continue the clear vision my
father had for CRI.''
That vision, to be a leading think
tank with a focus on evangelizing, has floundered, according to Rische, 42, who
lives in
Instead, she claims, Hanegraaff
has used the nonprofit CRI as a platform to sell his books and promote his two
for-profit organizations. She also said Hanegraaff hasn't returned some of her
father's personal belongings and claims he has mismanaged personnel at CRI.
Casting Stones: Questions About
Radio's 'Bible Answer Man' Are Coming From Within,
Unfortunately, the article was
poorly-researched and rife with inaccuracies. In a letter to the Editor,
Darlene Martin, Walter Martin's widow, writes:
* After reading your article
''Casting Stones'' (April 15), I am writing to clarify several issues.
First, my husband, Walter Martin,
never ''handpicked'' anyone to succeed him at Christian Research Institute and
''The Bible Answer Man'' radio program.
This claim was handed to me by
someone I thought I could trust as I approached the lectern at my husband's
memorial service.
I read it for the first time--aloud--while
standing in front of 1,500 people. It took me completely by surprise and put me
in a very awkward position. I wish to take this opportunity now to apologize
for allowing this statement to stand for so many years.
At the time of my husband's death,
I believed Hank Hanegraaff was a man God could mold into a strong Christian
leader, one who could play a positive role in leading CRI. I supported him
loyally for six years before I came to see he was not the man I believed him to
be.
Secondly, one of our family's main
objections to Hanegraaff's continued leadership is his mistreatment of fellow
Christians. He has left a trail of wounded people behind him since the takeover
of CRI in 1989. The testimonies against him include those who are his ''right-hand''
people, people who worked closely with him.
Hanegraaff has called repeatedly
for accountability in other Christian leaders and should be held accountable
himself.
DARLENE MARTIN
Darlene Martin, Letter to the Editor,
Hanegraaff Wasn't 'Handpicked',
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/h13.html
Christian Research
Institute's Hank Hanegraaff had been accused of financial fraud and other
criminal activities. A lawsuit was filed
("wrongful termination suit") on
1. Brad Sparks,
formerly a top researcher on the staff of CRI (from 1992-1994) and assistant to
Hanegraaff, stated in the suit that Hanegraaff and his wife, Kathy, had
pocketed over $750,000 in bloated "salaries and benefits." This while
CRI's rank and file employees "typically earn[ed] poverty-level income of
approximately $13,000 per year!"
2. Sparks, who left
CRI in "good standing" in 3/94, according to a CRI exit counseling
form (included as documentation in papers filed), noted that CRI enjoys
non-profit organization status by the IRS, but had fraudulently used its tax
exemption privileges to provide tax exempt "cover" for the
Hanegraaffs' own personal, profit-making business, Memory Dynamics, Inc.,
a Georgia corporation, which was conducted out of the couple's home. Sparks'
suit charged that the Hanegraaffs had repeatedly bled the ministry's bank
accounts to feather their own nests. For example, "defendant Hanegraaffs
have sought to conceal their total six figure income by the device of
separating out major categories of personal expense such as the estimated
$50,000 per year 'pastor's housing allowance.'" [Hanegraaff reportedly
lived in a $730,000 house in an exclusive gated community in
3. According to
Sparks, CRI even leased two automobiles for the Hanegraaffs, almost entirely
for their personal use, unrelated to ministry business. One of the most
unsavory charges of corruption detailed by
4. The suit claimed
that Hanegraaff was personally paid by Harvest House approximately $500,000 in
royalties for the book Christianity in Crisis even though "the book
was researched, edited, and partly written by two full-time CRI staff members
(including plaintiff Brad Sparks) and several part-time members."
Additional allegations stated that Mr. Hanegraaff's own, for profit company, Memory
Dynamics, Inc., then turned around and sold huge quantities of that same
book to CRI for a handsome gain for Hanegraaff.
5. The court suit
further alleged that the Hanegraaffs "have used full-time CRI employees to
support and conduct the Memory Dynamics business, including mailings and
manning of sales booths." The Hanegraaffs were also said to have used CRI
vehicles to transport Memory Dynamics' personnel and materials. When
CRI's shipping department supervisor, Mary Cook, protested, she was fired on
6. Craig Nelson, CRI's Director of Broadcast Media, "was fired in
retaliation" for making complaints against Mr. Hanegraaff, specifically
relating to Hanegraaff's use of free radio advertising for his personal gain on
CRI's Bible Answerman program. The suit also named many of the employees
and staffers said to have been "wrongfully terminated" because they
challenged Hanegraaff's unethical conduct. They included former research
director Dan Schlesinger (who reportedly accused Mr. Hanegraaff of "mixing
private business with CRI ministry"), Jerry Kissler, Mark Hoover, Craig
Hawkins, Michael Buesing, Perry Robinson, Dennis Green (former marketing director),
and Anthony Horpel (former seminar director). The court pleading also said that
Rob Bowman, a former CRI senior researcher, was terminated after "he
refused to let Mr. Hanegraaff plagiarize Bowman's work to publish two books
under Hanegraaff's name."
7. The lies and
deceit alleged in the suit were of monumental proportions, considering the fact
that CRI is a section 501C(3), tax-exempt, non-profit "church" and
ministry, which was at the time of the alleged infractions a member of the
National Religious Broadcasters' Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability (ECFA). ECFA members are required to maintain a high ethical
standard of conduct.
8. To avoid the
strict financial ethical standards of the ECFA (specifically the conflict of
interest clause -- see #4 above), CRI resigned from the organization. The suit
contended that CRI then lied to its donors and radio listeners by claiming that
it was still a member of the industry group. CRI was also said to have
continued its use of the ECFA's seal of approval on its catalogs, order forms,
and other materials to solicit contributions.
9. Other serious
charges leveled in the lawsuit included assertions of "racketeering."
One violation claimed was that the organization "solicited and
misappropriated charitable contributions across state lines and international
boundaries." Mail fraud and wire fraud were said to be involved, including
the illegal interception and seizure of fax telephone communications intended
for others.
10. It was also
alleged that Mr. Hanegraaff misled CRI donors into contributing money which may
have ended up in the coffers of Hanegraaff's profit-making company. Also, the
court suit claimed that Mr. Hanegraaff's own wife, Kathy Hanegraaff, was paid a
generous salary by the ministry as a full-time "CRI Director of
Marketing" when, in fact, her job primarily was "a cover for conduct
of personal business ..."
Could the long list
of crimes and dishonest conduct alleged by Brad Sparks be corroborated by
others? A
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/cri/law.htm
by Wayne Jackson
Christian Courier: Penpoints
Hank Hanegraaff is president of
the Christian Research Institute, an organization located in southern
Currently, however, the “Answer
Man” is under pressure for some “answers” relative to his own ethics. And this
is not the first time the gentleman has been in legal trouble. See: CRI - Hank
Hanegraaff Lawsuit.
Dr. James Kennedy is “Pastor” for
the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in
For some years Kennedy and
Hanegraaff were associates and close friends. It seems that Kennedy was
significantly responsible for training the “Answer Man” for the position the
latter now holds with the Research Institute. Currently, though, the two are at
serious odds.
Recently, Hanegraaff, via his
radio broadcast, rebuked Kennedy for some statements the minister had made
relative to “astrology.” On the other hand, Dr. Kennedy is charging that
Hanegraaff has flagrantly plagiarized his writings. Supposedly, the offense is
so serious that a lawsuit would be a viable recourse were it not for Kennedy’s
scruples against such a drastic action.
Conversely, Hanegraaff claims that
he has been conscientious in giving Dr. Kennedy credit for the training he
enjoyed under the prestigious clergyman. For further information, see: Is the
Good News Bear a Copycat? Hank Hanegraaff and Plagiarism.
Plagiarism is not an uncommon
phenomenon – even in religious circles. It is an amazing thing that some
operate under the impression that they can provide a sort of “wave-of-the-hand”
acknowledgment to another’s work, while copying line-after-line of material,
without the common use of appropriate grammatical devices which indicate the
identity of the real author.
In this brief editorial, though, I
want to focus upon another of Mr. Hanegraaff’s problems.
Hanegraaff’s predecessor was the
late Walter Martin. For years, these gentlemen have challenged those groups
they deem to possess the characteristics of a “cult.” They have debated with
the Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, the Watchtower organization, etc. And,
quite frankly, they have done a commendable job in some instances.
The reason for their success has
been that, when arguing against the peculiar doctrines of these well-known
cults, they have presented truth in many cases. Tragically, however, on some
issues the “Christian Research Institute” is as rank with error, and as
unscrupulous in their misrepresentations, as anyone they review.
With considerable regularity the
C.R.I. receives inquiries regarding the churches of Christ. They must weary of
the questions for they have prepared rote responses, either in a printed or
taped format. Congregations of the Lord’s people are castigated as cultish
simply because they do not acquiesce with some of the fundamental doctrines of
sectarianism. In one small sheet, the C.R.I. has made several charges against
those who profess to be Christians only. The two most prominent are summarized
as follows.
First, it is alleged that those
affiliated with the
No informed Bible student
subscribes to this theory. Babies are not born in sin, and the water of baptism
has no intrinsic power to remove sin. Baptism is simply an act of obedience,
commanded by God, that provides the believing, penitent person with access to
divine grace, by which he is saved (Eph. 2:8-9; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3-4;
Gal. 3:26-27; Eph. 5:26; Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet. 3:21).
Was Peter a cultist when, on the
day of Pentecost, he proclaimed: “All of you repent, and let each of you be
immersed in the name of Jesus Christ into order to obtain the forgiveness of
your sins . . .” (Acts 2:38)? Was Jesus himself a cult leader when he
announced: “He who believes and is baptized, shall be saved” (Mk.
Second, the C.R.I. faults the
Lord’s people for teaching that the child of God must remain steadfast,
continuing in God’s grace, if he is to inherit eternal life – a concept,
incidentally, explicitly taught in the Scriptures (see Acts 13:43; 2 Cor. 6:1;
Heb. 12:15).
Mr. Hanegraaff and his spiritual
kinsmen contend that no matter what the Christian does (even to the point of
openly renouncing God), he remains eternally secure and cannot be lost. A
doctrine more corrupt could scarcely be found (see Gal. 5:4; Heb.
A dramatic example of the falsity
of this dogma is demonstrated by the apostasy of Judas Iscariot. Judas was a
disciple chosen by the Lord himself. He was granted miracle-working power by
which to confirm the validity of his ministry (cf. Mt. 10:2-8). Yet, he “fell
away” from his divinely entrusted role (Acts
In such a brief discussion as
this, one could hardly hope to deal with the wide range of anti-biblical views
advocated by Mr. Hanegraaff and those associated with him at the “Christian
Research Institute.” A concluding remark will be sufficient to underscore the
absence of confidence that Hanegraaff actually entertains with reference to his
doctrinal platform.
Over the years the folks at C.R.I.
(Martin, Hanegraaff, et al.) have lustily pursued debate encounters with a host
of cultists. They have engaged the heretical movements in verbal and written
battle time and again, and begged for additional conflicts.
By way of remarkable contrast,
they utterly refuse any responsible exchange with qualified representatives of
the churches of Christ. There are any number of competent men who would happily
meet Hank Hanegraaff in a public debate format, should the gentleman agree to
such an arrangement. It is quite unlikely, however, that the encounter will
ever transpire.
And why not? The obvious needs not
to be stated.
http://www.christiancourier.com/penpoints/hankHanegraaff.htm
Christian Research Institute Accused of
'Naïve' Bookkeeping
By Marshall Allen in
Report by whistleblowers to
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability prompts CRI employees to
reimburse funds.
Jen Hubbard said she knew right away
that Christian Research Institute (CRI) had spending problems. Committed to
working at nonprofit ministries, the 27-year-old was thrilled to be at CRI,
where Hendrik (Hank) Hanegraaff hosted the popular Bible Answer Man radio
broadcast. But the way Hanegraaff spent money did not seem right, Hubbard told
Christianity Today.
Hubbard's subsequent actions
sparked an investigation by the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability (ECFA), and in March, the watchdog agency found CRI had
"breached compliance" with key member standards. After further
investigation and counsel, CRI employees agreed to pay back significant sums of
misused ministry funds and create better accountability systems in the
organization.
Poor internal controls
CRI hired Hubbard as a donor
communications specialist in May 2002. She became alarmed when she saw ministry
spending practices and heard employee concerns about the outlays. Meanwhile,
she was sending monthly financial appeals to donors, urging them to give
generously lest CRI suffer ministry cutbacks. The ministry generated more than
$500,000 a month in donations in 2001.
"It's kind of hard to make
those pleas when you see the extravagance from the inside," said Hubbard,
who held similar positions with Insight for Living and Joni and Friends.
One item she was particularly
concerned about was CRI's paying $66,000 in July 2002 for a blue Lexus sc,
purchased for Hanegraaff's use. That same year former employees said a lull in
giving resulted in layoffs at the $9.3 million ministry.
When her supervisor refused to
take her complaint seriously, Hubbard started looking for proof. In December,
while doing after-hours overtime work at the Rancho Santa Margarita–based
ministry, she quickly grabbed two dozen internal CRI documents—including
invoices and receipts—to show her superiors the problems. She had access to
some of the material in the normal course of her duties. The rest was in an
unlocked file cabinet near her desk.
When officials found out what she
had done, CRI fired her. The same day, January 20, she sent copies to the ECFA.
Hubbard wasn't the only one
concerned. Others included Joshua Scott, 28, a Bible Answer Man call screener,
and Thaddeus Williams, 24, a researcher, phone counselor, and writer. Williams
became spokesman of a group of concerned employees. On January 20 and 21, he
spoke with CRI executives Paul Young and John Stoffel to seek reform and
reconciliation. The three concluded that Hanegraaff would sell the sports car,
and that Williams would lead an internal accountability board of CRI employees,
Williams said. But in early February, CRI fired Williams. The stated reason was
excessive tardiness.
In March the ECFA announced it was
conducting a "compliance review" and said CRI had "breached
compliance" with three of the watchdog agency's seven standards of member
conduct: board governance, financial controls and policies, and use of ministry
resources. ECFA noted CRI did not have "adequate systems in place to
ensure that expenditures are properly documented in a manner consistent with
sound internal control or to substantiate the ministry purpose of disbursements
made."
The ECFA further found that CRI
had not addressed "potential conflicts of interest transactions involving
related parties" and that "there were not sufficient Board policies
or oversight to identify these deficiencies." At one point in the
investigation ECFA President Paul Nelson told CT, "They don't have
sufficient internal controls in place, so you really don't know what you don't
know."
But ECFA also said it had found no
evidence that "the deficiencies were willful on the part of the
ministry" or that "the ministry's effectiveness or outreach had been
compromised." Nelson characterized CRI's actions as "naïve."
The ECFA said in mid-June that CRI
had become compliant with ECFA standards, but that the compliance review
remained open. It said CRI had provided "significant reimbursement for
certain disbursements that could not be clearly substantiated as having a
ministry-related purpose."
Problem spending
Neither CRI nor the ECFA would
provide details on repayments to CRI. Hubbard, Williams, and Scott, however,
produced receipts from last year that may illustrate some of the problems:
CRI paid Kathy Hanegraaff, Hank's
wife, $3,141 for miscellaneous personal expenses.
The ministry paid nearly $8,000 in
flooring for Hanegraaff's home office.
CRI paid two months of dues,
totaling $3,100, at the country club in the gated community of Coto de Caza,
where the Hanegraaffs and their nine children live.
CRI paid for Hank Hanegraaff's
vitamins and for flowers he sent to his mother.
The ministry paid maintenance
bills for Hanegraaff's children's computers in the amounts of $400, $300
(twice), and $200.
Paul Young, CRI's executive vice
president and a board member, declined to comment on the misuse of tax-exempt
money.
Employees were also concerned
about Hanegraaff's salary. According to publicly available financial disclosure
forms, CRI paid Hank Hanegraaff $251,886 in 2001 (the most recent year for
which statistics are available). This represents an increase of $52,886 (26.5%)
over the previous year. Kathy Hanegraaff received a salary of $87,600 as CRI's
director of planning.
Young, who keeps the ministry's books
and earned $130,475 in 2001, told CT he could not remember the amount of
Hanegraaff's raise.
Board issues
The ECFA announced in June that
CRI had implemented stronger internal controls to track spending. Formerly, the
five-member CRI board wasn't adequately monitoring spending, Nelson said. The
current board includes Hank Hanegraaff (the board's president), Young, longtime
board member
The ECFA said, "CRI is
actively seeking to increase the size of its Board, as well as the diversity of
professional disciplines represented on the Board."
Nelson declined to provide
specifics concerning transactions involving potential conflicts of interest
with related parties. But he acknowledged ECFA looked into the actions of Chuck
Merritt, who has been an unpaid member of the board since 1999.
Merritt was senior vice president
at Dallas-based KMA Communications, responsible for overall business
development. Financial disclosure documents show that in the past three years,
CRI paid KMA $868,811 for development and fundraising services, including
$386,943 in 2001. In June, ECFA decided the Merritt connection was not a
conflict of interest, because in "recent months" Merritt had changed
his status with KMA, becoming a consultant, Nelson said.
But Michael Barrick, spokesman for
Wall Watchers, a ministry monitoring agency, said the board link between CRI
and KMA at least gives the "appearance of impropriety."
"They're spending 19 percent
of their income on fundraising, where the industry average is 7 percent,"
Barrick said. "That does raise a question in my mind regarding that KMA
connection."
Merritt declined to comment.
Still wounded
Hubbard, who is still unemployed,
told CT she knew she might lose her job by contacting the ECFA, but she still
feels wounded by how she was treated.
"We're really happy to hear
they're willing to make the changes," Hubbard said from her home in
ECFA didn't promise Hubbard any
protection for blowing the whistle, but Nelson says the investigation would not
have happened without her, and CRI is a better organization now than it was
before the investigation.
Said Young of CRI, "This is a
not-for-profit organization under good watch-care, and we've done what was
required to do." CRI welcomed the ECFA investigation "with open arms.
... If there's deficiencies, we want to improve them, because we want to be
squeaky clean."
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/008/6.19.html
