Welcome to Walter Martin Jude 3
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” Jude 3 (NKJV)
Cindee Martin Morgan and Rick Morgan
“The moment you enlist in the army of God, you personally become a target. You need to remember that if you're living for and walking with Jesus Christ, the powers of darkness are aligned against you.” ~~ Dr. Walter Martin
Breaking the Silence: A Response to Bill Alnor's Crusade against CRI
by Elliot Miller
In Breaking the Silence the Christian Research Institute's Elliot Miller responds to false accusations against CRI's President, Hank Hanegraaff. Dr. Walter Martin's daughter, Cindee, and son-in-law, Rick, have participated in this powerful defense of CRI and its President. Please click here or on the book's title to open a free PDF version. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, or another PDF viewer to read this book.
Also available in HTML format on CRI's website at: http://www.equip.org/breaking_the_silence
Dr. Walter Martin
by
Cindee Martin Morgan
The 'Cornerstone' of the public accusations against Hank Hanegraaff is
the allegation he used deceit to gain his position as President of the
Christian Research Institute (CRI). Many assume if Hank could
conspire to steal a ministry, he is capable of anything and everything he is
accused of.
Rick and
I invite you to witness something extraordinary the Lord has done.
This miracle shines a glaring light on the false conspiracy
theory that is harming the ministry my father, Dr. Walter Martin
founded, more than 50 years ago. It exposes one of
the greatest spiritual attacks CRI has ever known.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)
In June of 2008, the Lord put it on our hearts to establish a few YouTube channels in the hope of becoming a greater voice for His unborn little ones, threatened by abortion. Much to our surprise, God would also use this effort to bring about the destruction of a weapon formed to destroy CRI. Our YouTube channel, "Mt. Moriah Music", features our pro-life music. My personal ministry channel, "Cindee Morgan", is the one I do most of my correspondence from. In an effort to build a broader ministry base on my channel, we began posting Walter Martin video clips that we prayed would be a good witness not only to the body of Christ, but to the world. The response was overwhelming as we immediately began receiving e-mails from people wanting to share with us how my father's teaching, and CRI, touched their lives.
I was
eventually contacted by one of Hank's enemies, who without
realizing it, was being used by the Lord to bring about something only
God has the power to do: the impossible. I will refer to this person as "John". John politely
expressed that he used to be a Christian, appreciated my father's
teaching but stated that he is now an agnostic. Ironically, John used to
work for CRI more than ten years ago. He was candid about his efforts to discredit Hank. He asked if
I might be interested in having some of my father's materials he had
possession of. The following is an
e-mail I received from John:
"Hi
(again) Cindee,
If you're interested, I have HUNDREDS of Walter's Bible Class cassettes.
I will be more than happy to let you have them all. Just let me know if
you'd like them, and we'll figure out a way to get them to you. I'm
still in -----------(Location edited). Feel free to contact me.
Best wishes..."
- John
Moved by his
generosity, we offered to pay for the materials as well as the postage,
but John insisted on covering the nearly $100.00 shipping cost. Before
long the tapes and videos arrived as promised, in two large cardboard
boxes that each stood about three feet high. The boxes contained
individual rows of boxes that revealed well organized audio cassettes.
Our jaws dropped as we realized we had been given many master
copies belonging to CRI. As the Lord would later reveal through another
source, this ex-employee had been reproducing and selling Walter
Martin materials on the Internet for personal profit. It made us wonder
what other Walter Martin material had been stolen
from CRI.
By the grace of
God John sent us over 600 audio tapes.
Had
he realized Rick and I support Hank and the ministry of CRI, it is
doubtful we would have received them.
Of the massive amount
of tapes, 7 cassettes were marked to flag Dr. Martin speaking of
his plans involving Hank Hanegraaff and the leadership of CRI. It is
clear the Lord wanted to get our attention, and get it fast. Discovering
these specific tapes ourselves would have been like finding a needle in
a haystack had not someone, long ago, taken the time to flag them. We
may never know who did this, but know it was part of God's plan. John had these materials, in his possession, for
more than a decade. He could have lost or destroyed them at any time.
These tapes might have never seen the light of day had God not moved an
enemy's heart to accomplish His will---the good of CRI. As Joseph told
his brothers,
CRI is falsely
accused of throwing these resources out. It is astounding to
witness the Lord use a former CRI employee, turned agnostic, to
unwittingly unearth this treasure chest of truth that has been buried
for more than a decade.
As Scripture affirms,
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a
watercourse wherever he pleases."
Proverbs 21:1 (NIV)
We pray the
Lord will use this miracle to open John's eyes and see that the God,
whose existence he denies, has indeed used him to protect a ministry He
built for His glory. As God's Word boldly proclaims,
"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every
tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the
LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.
Isaiah
54:17 (NIV)
We invite you
to tune in and hear the Lord "turn back time" to the year 1988 as God
allows the world to hear from CRI's founder, Dr. Walter Martin. In his
own words, Dr. Martin enthusiastically defines his plans for CRI. Hear
the founder, then President of CRI, publicly give his well thought
out opinion of Hank Hanegraaff. Learn what he thought of Hank's
credentials and how, for years, he personally researched them before
seeking him out. Discover whether or not Dr. Martin considered Hank a
friend or merely a casual acquaintance---as some claim. Listen to Dr.
Martin clarify the Executive Vice President position he prayed about
filling at CRI. Tune in to witness Dr. Martin, twenty years after his
death, promoting the man he chose to lead CRI into the future. Hear Dr.
Martin introduce the person he prayed about, for two years, who
would accept this mantle of leadership. Hank Hanegraaff became the Executive Vice President of CRI before Dr. Martin's death. Be
blessed to hear Dr. Martin's fierce determination and foresight to
leave CRI with a capable leader should God unexpectedly call him home.
Tragically, countless people have been deceived into thinking a conspiracy to take over CRI took place. After Walter Martin died, intense jealousy and selfish ambition reared its ugly head inside the walls of CRI, igniting a firestorm that had a life of its own. "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 3:16 Longtime CRI board member Everett Jacobson, my uncle, assured everyone the board had honorably carried out Walter Martin's plan for Hank to lead CRI into the future. Everett Jacobson was one of the godliest men we have ever known. My father loved him and referred to him as "the brother I never had." My uncle faithfully served on CRI's board for over 40 years and gracefully weathered the storms of controversy with both these men of God.
As the years went by, Christians with no first hand
knowledge or connection to CRI joined in the public assault on this
ministry. While some claim to be merely 'indicting' CRI's leadership,
and not the ministry itself, their methods are like using an iceberg to
kill the captain of the Titanic. You cannot attack the captain of the
ship in this way without the risk of destroying the entire vessel and
harming those on board. This has been an all out attack on the
vessel of CRI; It is an attempt to sink this ministry by seeking to
destroy its support.
Although some
would argue the point, publicly scourging a brother is wrong even when
done under the cloak of "accountability".
It is horrifying to
witness self-appointed 'watchdogs' submit their 'verdicts' to the entire
world as they wipe their spiritual boots on everyone they have 'judged'.
They wear, as a badge of honor, the fact they have stayed out of an
official courtroom unlike other believers who may have chosen that path
to defend themselves from slander. Who among us would want to be
handed down a 'verdict' from a Kangaroo 'court' held in cyber space
where anyone's reputation can literally be destroyed overnight?
The "defendant's" reputation is hauled in front of an online
firing squad that fires and reloads with every click of the mouse. Dr.
Martin did not engage in these types of practices and they should be
condemned.
Openly
challenging someone’s theology is Scriptural and is what Dr. Martin did
on a regular basis. People either loved him or hated him for this.
As stated in his life verse Jude 3, Dr. Martin's passion was to
"earnestly contend for the faith." Dr. Martin refused to put his brother on 'trial' and participate
in his 'execution'---the destruction of his reputation or ministry. He
took special care not to slander a brother in Christ. He recognized and
respected the authority of the local churches. This kind of authority
has never been given to the World Wide Web or any public forum. For
Christians to accuse their brother in the 'court' of public opinion is
to follow the world's example of dealing with
conflict. The use of the
Internet, as a courtroom, is evil because it is a form of vigilante
justice. God has established local churches as a protection for all
believers. It is not, as some may argue, "standing silent in the face of
evil" to live within these protections and admonitions. My father's
life helped teach me these principles.
These tapes
bear witness to the fact that Dr. Martin did not leave CRI without an
anchor. Twenty years ago he was faithful to fulfill his responsibility
the Lord had given him, and to this day the anchor holds. Walter Martin successfully navigated the 'ship' of CRI and was faithful to
protect her until the day God called him home.
"Hank
Hanegraaff personifies the next phase of development for CRI and is
uniquely equipped through his dynamic leadership abilities, knowledge of
God’s Word, and teaching ability to make sound, biblical apologetics a
simple yet effective tool in the hands of the laity. His success as a
businessman, strategic planner, author, and speaker have equipped him to
lead the ministry of the Christian Research Institute aggressively into
the future and to build on the work that I by God’s grace began."
The following is an excerpt from Breaking the Silence:
The Martin Family's Controversy with CRI: An Inside Perspective
Bringing Hidden Things to Light–Job 28:11
Cindee and I recently went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls
exhibit at the
Just as the Dead Sea Scrolls lay buried in a desert
cave for over twenty centuries, these audio tapes with Walter Martin's
words were buried, by accident or design, for over twenty years. Those
who miss the miracle of this are to be pitied.
Regardless of what a person may think of Walter
Martin's comments, they deserve to be heard publicly and considered.
This is all we have tried to do. This is not about Cindee and me. This
is not about copyright issues. This is about bringing into the light
information that speaks to the issue of Hank's credibility. To throw
these comments by Walter Martin back into the darkness of oblivion would
be like trying to rebury the Dead Sea Scrolls. Truth is truth; words are
words; regardless of the relative importance of the issue.
I guarantee you, Hank's credibility and reputation are
far more important to Hank's kids, than the Dead Sea Scrolls. They have
a right to see evidence that supports their father accessible on the
Internet, just as the accusations have been so accessible.
A Lawsuit Filed
While we were at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, Hank
and CRI were given a copy of the lawsuit that has been filed against
them, and against us, by Darlene Martin and the “Martin Family Trust.”
While we were at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, our videos at YouTube
were once again attacked. I waited until we got home to tell my wife. It
was our daughter's birthday and we were there celebrating at her
request. I did not want this attack to mar that wonderful time we were
having. The next day, we were sent our “courtesy copy” of the lawsuit by
Darlene's attorney. Ten years ago, extended family members accused us of
being traitors to the Martin family for daring to speak
privately to Hank Hanegraaff.
Their mindset has now come full circle. We see this lawsuit as an
attempt to punish us for supreme disloyalty to the family by going
public with our support of Hank Hanegraaff. The saddest part of this is
that our support has primarily been in our airing Walter Martin’s own
words about Hank. Walter Martin would be the last person to condone or
promote family loyalty over truth and conscience before the Lord.
Due to the pending lawsuit, several clips of Walter
Martin speaking about his plans for Hank are currently unavailable on
our YouTube channel. These clips remain available on our
www.WalterMartinJude3.com Website.
Ironically, within days of the lawsuit being served on
us, the words that have been suppressed on our YouTube channel suddenly
appeared on the Risches' YouTube channel, buried within larger clips of
Walter Martin addressing his Bible class.
Please be in prayer for Hank, for CRI, and for us.
This is not a carnal battle about copyrights: this is a spiritual battle
against a man and an institution that have been used mightily by God for
His purposes. Please pray that our extended family will be reconciled
with us, and with Hank. "With men it is impossible, but not with God:
for with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27 NIV).
*** Lawsuit Update***
The lawsuit filed against us and CRI has been
dismissed! Cindee and I want to thank each of you who have
prayed for us during this time. Thanks for helping us to
carry this heavy burden (Gal 6:2). The Lord bless you!
Please refer to the Navigation links on the left side of the page. Dr. Martin's comments about Hank can be found in the Audio/NMCC Bible Class section. Video clips from Dr. Martin's Memorial Service can be found directly under the Video section.
Copyright © 2010 Walter Martin Jude 3. All Rights Reserved