Christian Research Institute

What Christian Research Institute does

Christian Research Institute (CRI), founded in 1960 by Dr. Walter Martin, is a private non-profit Christian apologetics ministry headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The organization produces theological research and educational content aimed at equipping Christians with biblical discernment, responses to cultural and doctrinal issues, and identification of false teaching. Its core audience is the general evangelical Christian community seeking deeper scriptural understanding and worldview analysis.

CRI's product surface is centered on the equip.org website and comprises the Hank Unplugged Podcast & Shorts (a long-form podcast and short-form video series hosted by Hank Hanegraaff), the peer-reviewed Christian Research Journal, written articles covering theology, culture, and current events, and broader multimedia content. The ministry also sells books and resources through an integrated Shop. There is no proprietary technology platform; CRI is a content ministry rather than a technology company, with no app, API, SDK, or AI/ML components disclosed.

The business model is non-commercial in structure: core content is distributed free of charge, and revenue is generated through donor contributions and book/resource sales. Hank Hanegraaff, who succeeded Dr. Walter Martin and has led the ministry for approximately thirty years, is the central figure and brand anchor. The organization operates with a small staff (1-10 employees), claims a global audience reach, and is privately held with no parent company, acquisitions, or external investor backing disclosed.

Name

Christian Research Institute

Legal name

Christian Research Institute

Website

https://equip.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Christian Research Institute is a non-profit Christian apologetics ministry founded in 1960 that produces theological articles, podcasts, and a scholarly journal to equip Christians with biblical discernment, serving a global evangelical audience through donations and book sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Media and Apologetics Content

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Nonfiction & Theology Publishing (Apologetics, Doctrine, Ethics) (MPAJAHAG)

Keywords

• Christian apologetics
• Theological education
• Religious broadcasting
• Christian publishing
• Biblical discernment

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The ministry operates on donations from supporters and listeners, with a dedicated Donate section on the website.
2. Book and Resource Sales: The ministry operates a Shop section selling books and resources including the Complete Bible Answer Book and other publications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Christian Research Institute produces and distributes researched Christian apologetics content through its equip.org website, including the Hank Unplugged Podcast & Shorts series, the Bible Answer Man broadcast, the Christian Research Journal, articles, and multimedia content. The ministry sells related books and resources through an integrated online shop, and is funded primarily by donations from individual supporters.

Product overview

Christian Research Institute operates a content ministry platform centered on Hank Unplugged Podcast & Shorts, providing audio and video discussions on theology, culture, and Christian worldview. The offering includes the Christian Research Journal (scholarly publication), articles, multimedia content, and a shop for books and resources. The organization focuses on equipping Christians through biblical discernment, theological education, and cultural analysis content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Bible Answer Man: Original radio broadcast ministry founded by Dr. Walter Martin, later hosted by Hank Hanegraaff
• Hank Unplugged Podcast & Shorts
• Christian Research Journal

Products and services

• Hank Unplugged Podcast & Shorts A podcast and video series hosted by Hank Hanegraaff featuring guest interviews and discussions on faith, theology, culture, and current events from a Christian worldview, available free on equip.org, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
• Christian Research Journal A scholarly publication of Christian Research Institute providing in-depth theological analysis, book reviews, and research articles on Christian doctrine and contemporary religious issues, including fringe-files column coverage of cults and new religious movements.
• Shop (Books & Resources) Online store on equip.org offering books and ministry resources authored or curated by Hank Hanegraaff and the institute, including the Complete Bible Answer Book and other Christian apologetics publications.
• Bible Answer Man Broadcast The original Bible Answer Man radio/audio broadcast founded by Dr. Walter Martin and hosted by Hank Hanegraaff, providing researched biblical answers to theological and cultural questions, distributed as audio and podcast episodes.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stand to Reason: Apologetics-focused Christian ministry producing podcasts, articles, and training resources to equip believers to defend their faith, directly comparable to CRI's Hank Unplugged and Bible Answer Man offerings.
• Reasonable Faith: William Lane Craig's Christian apologetics organization producing multimedia content, articles, and a journal on theology and philosophy, overlapping CRI's apologetics/orthodoxy mission.
• Got Questions Ministries: Provides researched biblical answers to questions across doctrine, cults, and Christian living, mirroring CRI's Bible Answer Man approach with article-driven, free content distribution.
• Summit Ministries: Trains Christians in worldview and apologetics through conferences, content, and curriculum, comparable in discernment/orthodox worldview mission to CRI's equipping focus.
• CrossExamined: Frank Turek's Christian apologetics ministry producing podcasts, debates, and training content on Christianity and culture, directly comparable to Hank Unplugged's interview-style apologetics.
• CARM (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry): Matt Slick's apologetics organization producing articles assessing cults, theology, and world religions, highly comparable to CRI's cult-discernment and theological research mission.

Broad incumbents

• Focus on the Family: Large Christian media ministry with broadcast, podcasts, and publications covering family, theology, and cultural engagement; overlaps with CRI on discernment and orthodox content but at much greater scale and breadth.
• Moody Radio: Established Christian broadcasting network with longstanding radio programming and theological content, comparable to CRI's legacy Bible Answer Man broadcast foundation.
• The Gospel Coalition: Broad evangelical content network publishing theological articles, podcasts, and a journal, overlapping with the Christian Research Journal in scholarly theological discourse.

Emerging players

• Bible Gateway: Digital platform offering Bible reference, devotionals, and study resources; complements CRI's content ministry as an adjacent faith-based reference destination for Christian audiences.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSTqybUY8iFE4gKTsD1ws_A
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/christian-research-institute-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Christian Research Institute