Christian Countercult Website Profiles

Ankerberg Theological Research Institute

Statement of Faith Statement of Purpose Religious Groups Considered History Discussion

Name: The Ankerberg Theological Research Institute (ATRI)

Group or Owners: John Ankerberg

Education: M.Div.; M.A.; D.Min. (Luther Rice Seminary)
Position: Director

Date started: Unknown
Last accessed: October 23, 2000
Total hits reported on frontpage: 457,716

Religious Affiliation: Fundamentalist Christian (denominational affiliation unknown)

501(c)3: Unknown;ministry support information page does not indicate that ATRI is a tax-exempt organization.

Location: Chattanooga, TN

Statement of Faith

While there is no explicit Statement of Faith posted on the site, many of the articles and page links reveal quite clearly the theological framework within which the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute resides. The most complete set of these articles are found in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section, which the site operators maintain are those most often directed to the ATRI.

    Scriptural Inerrancy
    After a lengthy discussion of the differences between a belief in "strict" inerrancy versus "limited" inerrancy (i.e., the former holds that the Bible is without error in all fields of knowledge and experience, including history, biology, geology, and geography; the latter that the Bible is inerrant with respect to morality, spirituality, and matters of faith, but may contain errors of scientific fact), Ankerberg declares:

    "If Jesus is God, what God says is by definition true and therefore His unqualified endorsement of the full inerrancy of Scripture proves the validity of the inerrancy position. Finally, the character of God Himself proves the inerrancy of Scripture."

    Two points of notice here. First, Ankerberg holds to a very high Christology, as evidenced by his equation of Jesus with God, and believes therefore that Jesus is incapable of error. Second, he maintains that Jesus adhered to and "endorsed" "the full inerrancy of Scripture." This position is based largely on his exegesis of passages such as Matthew 5:18; John 10:35; 17:17; and Luke 16:17.
    Ankerberg's position is similar to that of many fundamentalists who offer the limited options of Scriptural inerrancy as a choice between believing all or believing nothing:

    "If Scripture contains errors in those areas we can test on the basis of historical, archaeological and scientific fact, on what logical basis can we assume it doesn’t contain errors in those areas we cannot test such as theology and ethics (the nature of God, salvation, morality, etc.)?"

    Jesus Christ
    Under "How do I become a Christian?" Ankerberg presents an excerpt of an interview with Erwin Lutzer. In that portion, Lutzer leads the viewer in a conventional "sinner's prayer." At the conclusion of the prayer, Lutzer notes: "If you have prayed that prayer and God sees your heart, He will have received you, accepted you, on Christ's behalf so that you can spend eternity,eternity with Him." That is, acceptance by God is predicated on individual acceptance of Jesus as the sole propitiation for sin.
    Creation
    On their sister site, Harbor Lighthouse, a section entitled "Science" presents the ATRI claims for a special and immediate Creation. The position taken is: "In sum, there are multiple, strong Biblical and theological reasons to believe that the creation event was instantaneous and not extended over any substantial amount of time." Perhaps the most interesting theological reason given is the immediacy with which Ankerberg and his associates believe God's commands would have been fulfilled.

    "When a king mentioned in the Bible made a command he was almost always obeyed immediately. The only exceptions appear to be those situations where the king’s power is being challenged and/or is limited in some way. Given that God is the King of kings (I Timothy 6:15) and the all-powerful One (Job 42:2; Luke 1:37, etc.) His power is not in question. It would seem to follow that the commands of God should be obeyed with immediate fulfillment."

    Ankerberg supports this by appealing to the nature of the Hebrew verb used in the creation account.

    "In Genesis One the verbs offering the content of what God spoke are in the jussive form. In Hebrew, jussives are either jussives of request—when a subordinate addresses a superior—or jussives of command—when a superior addresses a subordinate. Given that God is superior to His creation the verbs in Genesis One cannot be jussives of request. They must be jussives of command. This means that God in Genesis One is commanding the creation to come into existence. Given that He is the all-powerful King of Kings, immediate obedience would be expected."

Statement of Purpose

There is no explicit statement of purpose, but site content makes it clear that the presentation of Christianity as the exclusive vehicle for human interaction with the Divine is the major focus.

Religious Groups Considered

The site considers a wide range of topics of interest to fundamentalist Christians. The specific religious groups which Ankerberg considers are:

    Hinduism
    Engaging in tactics which are not uncommon among countercult apologists, Ankerberg cites an article from the politically conservative National Review about the author's impressions on his "trip to India":

    "It's the utter degradation of the scene; the squalor, defecation, hashish, the pus-filled wounds on the backs of the holy men, pilgrims pushing and crowding into temples where a sweetish stench dominates--all that, plus the dead . . ."

    "But the objects of worship are brutal, inhuman deities who know how to scare, punish, avenge, mock and cheat, not to elevate and forgive; and the environment surrounding the worshippers repels rather than attracts: horrid, grimacing idols with cunning or cruel stares; incredibly gaudy vulgarity, copulating monkeys, defacating cows, mud, stench, garbage. Hippies are drawn to this witches' brew, and the reason is not far to find. What attracts and keeps them here is the degradation: of reason, of self-esteem, of vital forces, of faith in God and man." (Paul Molnar, "Oh Benares," The National Review)

    Once again, in a phenomenon not uncommon among countercult apologists, Ankerberg is not quoting the primary article directly, but rather is citing a quotation from a 1985 Spiritual Counterfeits Project Newsletter. He concludes his own thoughts, however:

    "What gave India all this--and more? No one can deny it was the religion of Hinduism, a religion millions of Americans are now welcoming with open arms."

History

Unknown; did not respond to request for information.

Discussion

This the web presence of the John Ankerberg Show, a religious affairs commentary-and-debate program hosted by John Ankerberg of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The first link under "Contents" displays the television, radio, and satellite schedule for the show. RealPlayer online broadcasts are also available. The bottom of this page contains seasonally sensitive offers which visitors may choose to purchase. For example, on 12 November 1999 the offer included a selection of resources on the inappropriateness of Christian participation in Hallowe'en.

The "Articles" link navigates to a brief selection of essays on various topics. At last visit, these included: "The Science of Archeology and the Biblical Record"; "Shamanism"; and "What is the source for the Christian's peace?" Each short essay concludes with an offer to purchase a book or tape on the specific topic.

Indeed, the site itself, while well designed and easily navigated, appears to be little more than an Internet forum for the opinions of Ankerberg and his associates, and a clearinghouse for their publications and merchandise. For example:

    On shamanism:
    "What exactly is a "shaman"? Does shamanism bear a significant relationship to modern cultism? How does it relate to the revival of new American cults and religions? Dr. Ankerberg explains."
    On human origins (actually, abortion):
    "Many people mistakenly feel that abortion is a "religious" issue. But it is not. It is a scientific issue, and specifically, a biological issue. Dr. Ankerberg explains."
    From the "Frequently Asked questions" library:
    "How do popular "angels" support the world of the occult? Dr. Ankerberg explains."

Each of the main "Contents" links on the site (with the exception of "Return Home," "Feedback," and a hyperlink to their sister site Harbor Lighthouse) eventually navigates the visitor to an online shopping page where video and audiotapes of Ankerberg's lectures and presentations on a variety of topics may be purchased. An example was the frontpage on 10 November 1999. (N.b., the site is vertically framed, so there are no separate URLs.) Below a picture of Ankerberg and an invitation to watch The John Ankerberg Show, was a link claiming "I started a campus revolution." Following the link, one finds a RealAudio portion of an Ankerberg talk and an offer to purchase the full version.

The only place where more information is available is the "Frequently Asked Questions." Under most headings, a brief essay is presented on the topic as an answer to a question Ankerberg has been asked. At the bottom of the article is a shopping cart button and the opportunity once again to purchase books, tapes, or tracts which more fully explain Ankerberg's position on the issue. Some headings (e.g., The New Age) navigate only to an online shopping page.

Far from providing any in-depth analysis or discussion of major topics, the ARTI site is more of an advertising forum for the published books, tracts, video- and audiotapes produced by Ankerberg and his associates. There is considerably less actual information available here than on many amateur countercult sites.

Related Sites:

Harbor Lighthouse: A Ministry of the Ankerberg Theological Research Institute

Douglas E. Cowan, Ph.D.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City
Copyright © 2000 Douglas E. Cowan