Letter From Hank

Please stand with us prayerfully and financially. The need has never been
more urgent — the vision never more compelling. . .

Dear Friend,

Have you ever wondered how Todd Bentley, Benny Hinn, T.D. Jakes, and a host of other popular prosperity preachers can “slay” devotees “in the spirit” with a mere wave of the hand?

Is this a genuine move of the Holy Spirit as they contend? Or are Benny Hinn and company merely aping the practices of pagan spirituality?

Back in the early 19th century a French physician named Franz Anton Mesmer (from whose name the word mesmerize is derived) caused people to laugh, fall into trances, and jerk spasmodically by simply gesturing in their direction.

Dr. James Braid who has been credited with coining the word hypnosis discovered that through mental manipulation, he could alter a patient’s state of consciousness to such an extent that he was able to perform surgical procedures that were virtually painless.

In recent history pseudo-Christian cults have seized upon these principles to advance their pernicious practices. J. Gordon Melton underscores this reality by correctly associating mesmerism (hypnotism) with the mind science cults. Says Melton...

"Mesmerism was developed into a new healing system by Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866), a professional mesmerist who felt that many diseases could be cured by suggestion and were therefore essentially illusory."

As shocking as it may seem, what was once relegated to the ashrams of cultists is now replicated at the altars of churches. And the experiences are so “real” that many key evangelical Christian leaders are convinced they cannot be explained apart from the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tragically, many of these leaders are dangerously ignorant of the striking parallels between their experiences and those of meditators who achieve altered states of consciousness through occult practices. As has been well documented, the dangerous effects may involve depression, detachment, depersonalization, disillusionment, and many equally serious disorders.

And as I have repeatedly warned both preachers and parishioners, God is not obligated to protect people from the consequences of unbiblical behavior. Whether one is a Christian or a cultist, the consequences of swallowing cyanide are identical — and the same can be said of the spiritual cyanide that is daily being dispensed via the “Christian” airwaves.

In fact, that is why I want to place a booklet titled Aping the Practices of Pagan Spirituality in your hands as soon as possible.

This informative booklet can be read in less than an hour. Yet it not only provides a devastating exposé of false practices that have their roots in the world of the occult but it will help you understand how men like Hinn are able to manipulate the masses under the guise of Holy Spirit anointing.

People in crowded churches are particularly susceptible — a fact that has been capitalized on by dictators, political orators, and regrettably by those who take the sacred name of Christ upon their lips. As I note in my booklet, “The effect of suggestion on crowds seems virtually without limit. It can make black appear white. It can obscure realities, enshrine absurdities.”

Sadly, however, many who fall prey to the “slain in the spirit” phenomenon are not moved in the least when its deceptions are exposed.

Pagan religions and pseudo-Christian cults have long capitalized on the power of suggestion to promote their practices. Counterfeit Revivalists like T.D. Jakes and Todd Bentley (the new “Lakeland revival”) are following in their train.

With the Lord’s help, and with the financial support of faithful friends like you, I’m committed to respond to this deception on the Bible Answer Man broadcast and through the various ministry outreaches of the Christian Research Institute.

You need to be equipped with a ready response too.

That’s why I’ve packed Aping the Practices of Pagan Spirituality with solid biblical content and airtight answers to the practices of pseudo-Christian revivalists. Please share it with someone you know who has fallen victim to the skin of the truth stuffed with a great big lie...

...AND PRACTICES THAT DELIVER DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES!
But don’t forget to read it yourself first... because once you do, you’ll understand why these practices are so dangerous at this particular juncture in Christian history!

I’ll walk you step by step through the most critical errors. And that’s just for starters.

In Aping the Practices of Pagan Spirituality, I reveal:

• How men like Hinn work their devotees into Altered states of consciousness.
• Why Counterfeit Revivalists carefully craft their services to enhance the likelihood that Christians will cave in to the power of Peer pressure.
• That Todd Bentley and company bank on the fact that the Expectations of their followers will give birth to the experience itself.
• And that while epidemics of laughter, shaking, or being “slain in the spirit” may appear to be spontaneous, in reality they are often the result of Suggestions and subtle stimuli.

While leaders of the Counterfeit Revival create the illusion of slaying subjects in the spirit, in the end they create only disillusionment and self-deception. The power of the Spirit creates life and limb. The power of suggestion creates only a lamentable lie...

...AND YOU AND I MUST EXPOSE IT!

We must stand for truth. And that’s why I’m inviting you to do two critical things right now:

1. Request your copy of Aping the Practices of Pagan Spirituality on the enclosed reply card.
2. Enclose a generous gift with your reply in the envelope provided.

There’s simply no more time for sitting on the fence. We must engage our culture before it’s too late.

Against a rising tide of error and confusion, committed believers like you and I must hold out a lifeline to our brothers and sisters whose faith has been shaken. To millions who are without hope and without God in this world, we must offer the hope of genuine revival.

WE MUST ANSWER SEEKING PEOPLE WITH THE TRUTH.

You know they are out there. If you’ve tuned in to our radio broadcast lately, you’ve heard men and women from across North America asking probing, urgent questions.

Some callers are even being fooled by close encounters with Counterfeit Revivalists.

For every person who makes it onto the broadcast, there are tens of thousands more listening. To keep providing the answers they seek, we need your immediate help.

Please send the best gift you can. It’s summer, and with so many of our friends away on well-deserved vacations, our income has not kept up with our needs. I know the Lord will provide, but I’m asking you to ask Him what your part in that provision should be.

Thank you in advance for your kindness. And remember to request your copy of Aping the Practices of Pagan Spirituality when you send your gift today. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Because truth matters,

Hank Hanegraaff
President

P.S. Please help today. The need has never been more urgent. Thank you again for your generous support!