The Bible Answer Book [Hardcover]

Hank Hanegraaff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2004

Hank Hanegraaff has heard it all. He knows what questions plague believers and nonbelievers. And he's done something about it--he's spelled out the answers. The Bible Answer Book is a simple guide covering 80 of the top questions that the Bible Answer Man has dealt with in his ministry. Topics include parents and kids, religions, difficulty, faith, fear, sin, salvation, and many more issues vital to understanding the path to better understanding God. Each question is approached in Hanegraaff's scholarly, easy-to-understand style, and he even suggests additional sources for readers who want to explore the topics further.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849995442
• ISBN-13: 978-0849995446
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hank Hanegraaff serves as president and chairman of the board of the North Carolina-based Christian Research Institute International. He is also host of "The Bible Answer Man" radio program, which is broadcast daily across the United States and Canada as well as around the world through the Internet at http://www.equip.org.

Widely considered to be one of the world's leading Christian apologists, Hanegraaff is deeply committed to equipping Christians to be so familiar with truth that when counterfeits loom on the horizon, they recognize them instantaneously.

Through his live call-in radio broadcast, Hanegraaff equips Christians to read the Bible for all it's worth and answers questions on the basis of careful research and sound reasoning. Additionally, Hanegraaff regularly interviews today's most significant leaders, apologists, and thinkers.

Hanegraaff is the author of award-winning best sellers, including "The Prayer of Jesus," "Christianity in Crisis," and "Resurrection," the latter providing a stirring and persuasive defense of the central event in Christianity. "Resurrection" and "Christianity in Crisis" both won the Gold Medallion for excellence in Christian literature awarded by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Hanegraaff's books "Counterfeit Revival" and "The FACE that Demonstrates the Farce of Evolution" each won the Silver Medallion. "The Prayer of Jesus" was honored as a top 10 best-selling nonfiction book in both 2001 and 2002 by the Christian Booksellers Association, while the small-group video presentation "The Prayer of Jesus EZ Lesson Plan" taught by Hanegraaff won a Telly Award in 2003.

Recent releases include "The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says about the End Times . . . And Why It Matters Today"; "The Legacy Study Bible"; "The Bible Answer Book, Volume 1," which answers common questions regarding Christianity, culture, and cults; and "The Bible Answer Book, Volume 2," in which he tackles tough questions, including "How can Christians legitimize a God who orders the genocide of entire nations?" and "How could the Bible command a rape victim to marry her rapist?"

He is also coauthor of the novel "Fuse of Armageddon"; The Last Disciple fiction trilogy ("The Last Disciple," "The Last Sacrifice," and, forthcoming, "The Last Temple"); "The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?"; and "Seven Questions of a Promise Keeper."

Other works include "The Covering: God's Plan to Protect You from Evil"; "The Third Day"; "Fatal Flaws: What Evolutionists Don't Want You to Know"; and "The Millennium Bug Debugged."

Hanegraaff is a regular contributor to "Christian Research Journal" and "The Plain Truth" magazine. A popular conference speaker, he addresses churches, schools, and businesses worldwide. He is frequently invited to appear on national media programs to discuss a wide range of issues.

Hanegraaff and his wife, Kathy, live in North Carolina and are the parents of nine children--Michelle; Katie; David; John Mark; Hank, Jr.; Christina; Paul; Faith; and baby Grace--and the grandparents of five.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bible Answer Book, March 25, 2004

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bible Answer Book (Hardcover)

With the opening of the Passion of the Christ, Christians either have had or will be called upon to answer questions about what they believe and why. At least at some point in time, most of us have been faced with either pleading the fifth or having to defend their faith by "well, it's in the Bible and I believe it." Unfortunately, that does not really answer the question.

Hank Hannegraff has made a career of handling the questions people have about Christianity, and giving better answers than it's true because that's what I believe. Christians who buy and read this book will have the equivalent of a question and answer episode of the Bible Answer Man program in their shirt pocket or purse. It's small size will make it easy to carry for handy reference, and the bite sized answers cover a wide range of topics. Some seem a bit simplistic, others are more relevant and thought provoking. Each section is thoroughly cross referenced to books and articles that will help the reader go into more detail.

**** This book may not answer every question a Christian might find themsevles confronted by, but it's a start. As an aside, the photography that illustrates the Bible Answer Book is gorgeous and would be frameworthy if it were larger. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for debate and study; I don't agree on everything, but it's well balanced, October 19, 2005

By 

T-Dogg (Central Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bible Answer Book (Hardcover)

Hank's done it again. At first I thought "Why am I paying $20 for a leather-bound question and answer booklet"? The reason: it's a real great way to start conversation with an unbeliever, or even to use for study with a believer regardless of the length of time they've been in Christ. It really is a gorgeously-made book, and won't suffer the wear-and-tear that all of our other mini-bible knowledge books have suffered.

The book covers 81 base questions, but leads to the study of infinitely more. Included are questions pertaining to... Doctrine ("How Can I be certain that I've not committed the unforgivable sin?" and "Can a Christian lose their salvation?"), modern political agendas ("Should Christians celebrate Christmas?" and "What is abortion?") and cults and other religions ("Is the New World Translation of the Bible Credible?" and "Is the Allah of Islam the God of the Bible?").

Although I agree with most of Hank's assessments, there are so many issues covered that every Christian will have a difference of opinion at some point. Under the question "Is the tithe for today?" Hanegraaff admits "Of all the questions asked to answer, this is beyond a doubt the most difficult. Not only because the subject of tithing is hotly debated, but because I must confess that I personally have not always been faithful in giving a tenth or more to the work of the Lord. And I am not alone. Research demonstrates...." (p.74) Yadda, yadda. In my humble opinion, Hanegraaff presents this particular information in an unbalanced fashion, quoting Malachi 3:8 and fourth century's Jerome.... When Hank could of rather quoted Deuteronomy 14, which tells us that "tithe" is specifically produce from the Holy Land of Israel (not money to be used as a modern-day temple tax), and furthermore that the tithe was in part to be eaten by the family who brought the tithe, could be sold for strong drink, and was used to feed the poor, widows, foreigners, and orphans as well as the Levitical priests (Deut. 14:22-29). As far as the early church (before Jerome comes on the scene hundreds of years later) there is no record of Christians collecting a "ten-percent church tax" to build churches, pay pastors, etc. Furthermore Hank cites the writings of Randy Alcorn, when he could have also mentioned the awesome book "Should the Church teach Tithing" by Russell Earl Kelly. To be fair to Hank, though, if you search the topic on equip.org, there are other articles contradictory to Hank's personal opinion. Overall, Hank's final plea is that Christian's give joyfully not just to church, but to help those less fortunate as well. Can't argue with that.

One another topic, Hank's answer to "Did Demons have sexual relations with women in Genesis 6:4?", ..."I believe the better interpretation is that "sons of God" simply refers to the godly descendants of Seth, and "daughters of men" to the ungodly descendants of Cain" (p.108). In fact, a good many bible teachers, from Chuck Smith of the Calvary Chapel movement to John MacArthur (study bible, Charasmatic Chaos) conclude that the "Sons of God" in question are the same 'spirits in prison' (probably 'angels') that are spoken of in 1 Peter 3:19-20 -- those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat -- and later in 2 Peter 2:4-5 -- For God did not spare even the angels when they sinned; he threw them into hell, in gloomy caves and darkness until the judgment day. And God did not spare the ancient world -- except for Noah and his family of seven" (NLT).

Anyways, you get the point: I am a Hanegraaff fan but because of Hank's overall message of doctrinal soundness and Godly faith, I search out his answers just as I would Mohammed, Benny Hinn, or Joseph Smith.

Again, it really is a great book for it's purpose, which is to encourage study of God's word, equip the saints for confronting false doctrines, and do it as user-friendly as possible with a small handy-book that invites people to check out what's between the covers. I'm looking for the CD audio for some buddies...

I'd just like to point out also that a reviewer below (Independent Baptist Preacher J. Knapp) attacks Hank Hanegraaf and this book for teaching that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible isn't the only legitimate translation of the Bible. Knapp pushes the heresy that the KJV is the only translation without error and that all other translations are inspired by Satan. I would invite Mr. Knapp to answer me why the KJV incorrectly reads that Jehoichin became King at the age of EIGHT (compare with 2 Kings 24:18) ... or to explain that the original KJV of 1611 had the apocryphal books (Tobit, Maccabees, etc.) or that the 1611 translators themselves invited other translations as the word of God. For the record, in "The Bible Answer Book" Hank Hanegraaff states "We must be equipped to demonstrate that the Bible is divine rather than human in origin." (p.157)

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid Primer, Lacks Depth but Should Spark Deeper Study, April 1, 2004

By 

K.H. - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Bible Answer Book (Hardcover)

Hank Hanegraaff of the Christian Research Institute and the popular Bible Answer Man program has compiled a qustion and answer book based off his radio program. This book works as a primer for Christians, particularly those who have had very little training dealing with other sects, atheists, and evoluntionary thought. The book fails in that the answers are a little to "pat."

All in all, it accomplsihes what it sets out to do: give Christians quick answers like those he gives on the radio; however, a larger book, with those quick answers as an opening then followed by more theology would be better.

Hank has a gift for communicating easy ansers for tough questions, but lacks taking his genius to the next level. His first two books were outstanding, since then the best he has done is average works like this one, with brief great moments, some missed opprotunities, and ultimately medicore works.

I recommend the book, but hopeful it will spark Christians to study further and more rigorist works.