The Christian Sentinel Report

Eastern Christian Outreach can not endorse CRI; Calls for resignation of CRI president Hank Hanegraaff

(posted July 2, 2001, continually revised, with the last revision Jan. 14, 2005)

Background information from Bill Alnor precedes the statement
Notice: As a result of more scandal that has affected CRI during the summer of 2003, we have some updates to the below statement that renews a call for Hanegraff's resignation. It began in June 2003 with our exposing the fact that Hanegraaff's salary was increased without justification to more than $250,000 yearly! The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability also rapped CRI. In August 2004 we documented the fact that Hank and Kathy Hanegraaff's salary (including expense accounts, etc.) had zoomed to more than $410,000 per year without justification, and that there were media reports that indicated that Kathy Hanegraaff rarely came in to work; that CRI employees were unsure of what her role was and that her office was instead used as a storage area. We also continued our look at CRI into 2005. Some of our stories included reports of CRI moving to North Carolina where Hanegraaff took possession of an estate on a gated community. In our January 2005 E-update we revealed that Wallwatchers, an independent organization that examines ministries' finances and ethical controls, slammed CRI and issued a "donor alert." To follow the latest scandals involving CRI, follow the links below. However we do apologize for some of the links no longer working in our original statement on CRI at the bottom of the page.

Wallwatchers raps CRI and issues a donor alert (January 2005). The Christian Sentinel continues to call for the resignation of Hanegraaff. Bill Alnor comments on "The Last Disciple."

The Money Grab continues at CRI (August 2004). The Hanegraaffs earnings go over the $410,000 range. Meanwhile, Hanegraaff abandons Southern California for golf course living in North Carolina.

"Overwhelming evidence" that CRI president Hank Hanegraaff plagiarized repeatedly.

Hanegraaff's salary tops $250,000 (June 2003 E-update)

ECFA investigates CRI; CRI forced to pay back misused funds.

Christianity Today exposes Hanegraaff and CRI. Misuse of funds documented. (June 19 article)

August 2003 E-Update on the CRI scandal

Christian Sentinel Publisher Bill Alnor's Explosive Editorial on the CRI Scandal

Background

This statement is a revision from our last one on this topic that was dated 1996 and sent out to a number of pastors. That statement has never appeared on cultlink.com. It was updated due to a number of factors, including knowing falsehoods and deception coming from CRI president Hank Hanegraaff and his defenders in June 2001 concerning his plagiarizing others' materials. Another factor in this statement's expansion has been the ungodly way in which Hanegraaff and others at CRI insist on attacking people. We have noted this before in the Christian Sentinel.

A more complete response to these recent deceptions by Hanegraaff and CRI defenders of June 2001 will be published in the near future by the Christian Sentinel. In this new statement we also call for Hanegraaff to resign immediately, along with others associated with that ministry, including Elliot Miller, Bob and Gretchen Passantino, Paul Young and John Stoffel. (Click here for a second Stoffel link.)

I am personally saddened to have to revise our earlier statement because the fact of the matter is that I personally agree with Hanegraaff on many issues, and years ago Jackie and I helped assist him with some of his research on the Word-Faith movement that he used in Christianity in Crisis. I was also a one time staunch defender of Hanegraaff, as I had been on the Bible Answer Man show with Hank a number of times. I was formerly the news editor of the Christian Research Journal and later a contributing writer.

Bill Alnor, President of Eastern Christian Outreach

Publisher of The Christian Sentinel

Bill Alnor with Hank Hanegraaff in happier times

Bill and Jackie Alnor with Walter Martin at their wedding

Statement on CRI

Despite much good work done by the Christian Research Institute over the years, and the fact that CRI's Bible Answer Man broadcast and the CRI Journal (and related publications) have helped many people, we are sad to report that this ministry can no longer support or endorse in any way the ministry of Hank Hanegraaff and the Christian Research Institute. We are also advising churches, individuals and Christian organizations NOT to contribute financially to CRI. Eastern Christian Outreach has received dozens of reports from inside that organization within the past decade that detail alleged financial irregularities, fundraising problems and alleged moral and ethical lapses by some in leadership at CRI. We have seriously investigated these reports (which now reach into the thousands of pages of documentation), and in the past have had discussions with CRI leaders, including Hanegraaff, and we are not satisfied with most of CRI's explanations.

CRI leaders protest greatly, and frankly, judging from their behavior in the past they will probably go to great pains to discredit this report, and will attempt to villainize Bill and Jackie Alnor. But these facts remain, and they are but the tip of the iceberg:

	Although CRI has rejoined its membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (1), grave questions still surround the ministry's finances and fundraising (2);
	At least 106 people have either been fired, dismissed or resigned from CRI during the tenure of Hanegraaff, with many of them citing Hanegraaff's character as a reason in their leaving CRI. (One of Hanegraaff's top two research assistants filed a lawsuit against Hanegraaff and CRI that was later settled out of court with CRI paying $20,000 of the researcher's legal bills, not to mention hundreds of thousands of additional dollars of contributors' money spent on high-priced attorneys and private detectives;
	Hanegraaff has displayed poor judgment in purchasing a $731,000 house in one of Southern California's most exclusive gated communities using CRI donors' money (then went on to deny the purchase later on tape), while steadily increasing his salary to the present range, despite intense bad publicity -- even scandal -- concerning his leadership that has now even reached the pages of a prominent national newspaper, not to mention numerous Christian publications;
	Hanegraaff has plagiarized Dr. D. James Kennedy's non-profit Evangelism Explosion program and has incorporated it into his own for profit Memory Dynamics and Personal Witness Training teaching material. He also allegedly stole others' material in the process, and this has been reported in the media. His recent explanation on the matter (in June 2001) was deceptive and totally unacceptable, as was a similar explanation by one of his defenders. (See D. James Kennedy's statement, and listen to Kennedy on Real Audio on the matter. Researcher Robert Bowman responded to new CRI claims made through statements by Gretchen Passantino and Hanegraaff in late June, 2001. Click here for access. Also see links to other sources on the matter by following the links on the footnote number 3 below.)
	In recent days credible reports have surfaced over how Hanegraaff assumed the leadership of CRI. The allegations are that he used deception to do it. See the Los Angeles Times article for more details.
	There are also allegations, which are also based on confirmed research, that Paul Young, the second in command at CRI, abandoned his wife in Canada. This case has never been satisfactorily dealt with in a biblical way; Estelle Young was shattered by her husband's flight to California to join Hanegraaff. (4)
	CRI has downgraded overseas missions since Hanegraaff's tenure. International coordinator Paul Carden, a man of great wisdom, spiritual depth and know-how, lost confidence in Hanegraaff's leadership and he was forced out. CRI Brazil, which was an important part of CRI founder Walter Martin's vision, was cut loose. CRI Canada was restructured in a very negative way with director John Teibe unfairly forced to resign after he questioned Hanegraaff's direction. Support was pulled for at least one other major overseas outreach.

Alternatives to CRI

For those seeking to contribute to worthy discernment ministries, Eastern Christian Outreach is happy to recommend many of them, including Watchman Fellowship, Personal Freedom Outreach, and the Spiritual Counterfeits Project.

Footnotes

1. In our 1996 statement we noted that CRI was "unable to regain membership in ECFA," which was based on Hanegraaff's exact statement in a current legal deposition connected with a lawsuit filed against CRI, that CRI could not rejoin the organization. The week after our statement ran, CRI rushed and rejoined ECFA, claiming that Bill Alnor had been wrong with that statement -- when it was Hank Hanegraaff, under oath, who said CRI could not rejoin.

2. These areas include Hanegraaff's outrageous salary at $147,500 a year (not including book royalties); the ministry's unfulfilled fundraising promise of some time ago that they would put the CRI library on line (which would violate copyright laws, and which also sparked a letter of rebuke from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA); CRI's aggressive use of telephone solicitors to garner more contributions, and other substantive issues. (In the alleged CRI telephone calls, according to a number of pastors who notified Eastern Christian Outreach, a voice came on stating that Hank Hanegraaff wanted to talk to them. But instead they were offended to be subjected to a taped message from Hanegraaff asking for financial support.)

3. Eastern Christian Outreach does not necessarily endorse all the content in a few of the following web sites, but most of the research is good. We especially recommend Rob Bowman's research paper titled "Is the Good News Bear a Copycat?" The archives of the anonymous publication On the Edge, are also helpful, though we wish its authors would reveal their identities. Researcher Anton Hein's "Apologetics Index" is especially helpful on this topic. We also heartily recommend Jay Howard's research into the manner in which Hanegraff took over CRI. Howard directs the Association for Theological Studies. And of course, Walter Martin's Religious Info Net is especially helpful. This is produced by family members of the late Walter Martin, the founder of CRI. Please study its pages for a compelling look at deception in the highest levels of CRI. Again, we recommend that no one contribute to CRI at this time.

4. Bill Alnor has spent much time talking with Estelle Young, and with examining various documents on the matter, including correspondence between Paul Young and CRI Canada over the matter. More on this in the future.

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