:: Monday, July 21, 2003 ::

The Bible Money Man

See September 08, 2003 followup at The Bible Answer Man Revisited.

Hank Hanegraaff, commonly known as The Bible Answer Man because of his radio show, has been a leading author in Christian circles for some time. I've met him, heard him speak several times and have read several of his books. Hank has never been afraid to name names, something I respected. That's why I don't feel bad about naming him now. As the August 2003 issue of Christianity Today reported, Hank and his Christian Research Institute are having some embarrassing financial problems again.

The article informs us that the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability "found CRI had "breached compliance" with key member standards." This is not encouraging news. The whistleblower, Jen Hubbard

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.

I wonder how many CRI donors drive $66,000 cars? It's not like Hank couldn't afford to buy it himself:

CRI paid Hank Hanegraaff $251,886 in 2001...Kathy Hanegraaff received a salary of $87,600 as CRI's director of planning.

The Hanegraaffs have nine kids, but somehow Hank and Kathy find over 50 hours per week each for their CRI jobs. Still, it does seem that collecting over a third of a million in salary in addition to numerous perks like the Lexus sports car and expense accounts totalling more than $1,500 a month goes a little far, especially in light of the pleas for cash that I've heard from CRI's phone solicitors after purchasing some merchandise. Of course, considering the hundreds of thousands in their fundraising budget, it's no wonder they tracked me down:

They're spending 19 percent of their income on fundraising, where the industry average is 7 percent," Barrick said.

Some time ago I was asked why Contend4TheFaith didn't link to CRI. Although I believe they have some useful materials (I subscribe to their journal), I've been very concerned about allegations of possible financial and ethical impropriety. I took a wait-and-see attitude, and now that these additional revelations have come to light, I have to believe that there are serious problems at CRI. The family of the original Bible Answer Man, the late Walter Martin, has made serious allegations on their web site. I hope there are misunderstandings here, but I'm quite troubled about the whole situation, especially since anything that I've been able to check with other sources appears to be accurate.

I pray that Hank and CRI come clean and commit themselves to a ministry that is beyond reproach. Although the ECFA report called CRI more naive than engaged in willful wrongdoing, I'm skeptical. Questions that have been raised in the past have apparently been ignored. Hank's salary continues to rise by leaps and bounds, and what about his bestseller book royalties? They may be donated, but if he's collecting those as well, there's no way to justify everything he's getting from CRI as legitimate ministry needs. Money and power have been the downfall of many. Perhaps everyone in ministry, including Hanegraaff, should read Jim Bakker's I Was Wrong. It may serve as a needed wake-up call.

Update: August 17, 2003 Los Angeles Times article:

Audit's Lesson Was 'Painful' for Evangelist

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