SOUTHAMPTON, NY – The Order of Archons of St. Andrew of the Ecumenical Patriarchate held their 15th annual retreat the Kimisis tis Theotokou Parish in Southampton, NY.
The theme was “Experiencing the Authentic Christian Life,” and the featured speaker was Hank Hanegraaff, one of the best-known and charismatic theologians and Evangelical preachers who a year ago converted to Orthodoxy.
Hanegraaff serves as President and Chairman of the Christian Research Institute, which is based in North Carolina. He is host of the nationally syndicated Bible Answer Main radio show, heard throughout the United States and Canada and streamed on the Internet.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading Christian authors and apologists, Hanegraaff is the author of more than 20 books with over three million copies in print.
The Complete Bible AnswerBook is a compendium of themost common and most difficult questions regarding Christianity,culture, and cults that he has receivedover the past three decades. Answers tosuch questions as: “How can Christianslegitimize a God who orders thegenocide of entire nations?” “Does theBible promote slavery?” and “Whathappens to a person who dies withoutever hearing of Jesus?”
Two other books, Christianity in Crisis and Resurrection,each won the Gold Medallion forExcellence in Christian Literatureawarded by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Other noteworthy volumes include ThePrayer of Jesus, which rose to numberone on the Christian Marketplace Bestseller list October, 2002.
Hanegraaff and his wife, Kathy, livein Charlotte, NC, and are parents totwelve children.
Kimisis Presiding Priest Fr. Alexander Karloutsos, who is Protopresbyter of the Patriarchate and spiritual advisor of the St. Andrew Order, told TNH “we had about 60 Archons and 27 guests,” and explained that the Archons have gathered at Kimisis for their annual retreat for the past four years.
Fr. Karloutsos spoke very highly of Hanegraaff, calling him “one of the greatest preachers” and “understands Orthodoxy and has it in his heart and when he speaks it is like listening to the Fathers of the Church. He constantly refers to the Fathers and he also refers to the Ecumenical Patriarchate as the First See of the Orthodox Church. He impressed me very much.”
Karloutsos explained that Hanegraff was attracted to Orthodoxy because of the Holy Eucharist. “When you participate in the Eucharist, you feel that you enter the Church.”
He also told TNH that Hanegraaff plans to write a book about why he became Orthodox.
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