The Free Grace Pastor Who Led Hulk Hogan to Christ

Dr. Lindstrom

I remember watching Hulk Hogan on TV back in the 90s when he was wrestling with the WCW. Every Monday I came home from school and turned on the TV to watch WCW Monday Nitro. Back then I didn't know if it was fake or if it was the real deal. To me, that's what made it more exciting! Hulk Hogan was my favorite wrestler; he was larger than life. One of the things that appealed to me about Hogan's persona was that, despite his rough edges, I always sensed that there was something good in his heart. Something else that I always appreciated about Hogan was his patriotism. Hogan loved his country, and he wasn't ashamed to wave the American flag and to speak out publicly about his beliefs. As everyone probably knows by now, Hulk Hogan passed away a few weeks ago. RIP Hulkster!

What many people may not realize is that Hulk Hogan was saved through a Free Grace ministry! I didn't know this either until recently, when I saw a YouTube video by Yankee Arnold about it.[1] In the video clip, Yankee talks about how Hogan got saved through the ministry of Pastor Hank Lindstrom. Then I saw another video clip on YouTube of Hogan being interviewed on the Joe Rogan podcast, and Hogan was talking about how when he was 14 years old, some of his friends convinced him to start attending a Bible "Youth Ranch" in the Tampa, Florida area near where he lived. Apparently, the youth group needed a guitar player, and Hogan liked playing guitar. So Hogan began attending this "Youth Ranch" with his friends, and that's where he met Pastor Lindstrom. In the podcast, Hogan explained how Pastor Lindstrom constantly drilled John 3:16 into his brain until one day it just made sense and Hogan understood that Christ died on the cross for his sins and if he would just believe that Jesus died for his sins he would not perish but have eternal life! And Hogan says he trusted Christ to saved him and that's how he got saved. It was through the ministry of Pastor Hank Lindstrom.

This is what Hogan said about it on the Joe Rogan podcast. Hogan put it like this: "I kind of like would go to a Southern Baptist church when I was a kid, because my Mom and Dad took me to church one time there, and I was hooked. My parents only went once with me, but it was close enough to my house where . . . I would go there to Ballast Point Baptist, so I was raised in a Southern Baptist church. And then when I started playing in a rock and roll band, when I kind of like got in junior high and stuff, I kind of like wasn't going to church at all, and a couple buddies of mine, who became ministers, they were twin brothers, Ron and Don Satterwhite, they asked me to come to Hank Lindstrom's Youth Ranch, because all the kids were there. It was like a Bible study thing, and Bible bros and all that stuff. And they would all sing, but they didn't have anybody to play guitar. So they knew I played guitar, so I went there and I played all the three chord progressions for the little Christian songs and stuff. And then this minister, Hank Lindstrom, he hit me hard with the John 3:16, 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes that He gave His Son will not perish but have everlasting life.' And I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 14. But then I derailed, . . . kept playing music in rock n' roll bands and got way away from my faith, and then as the years went by, . . . I started seeing how things went, and it's got me to the point now where I'm locked back in. I'm locked and loaded, . . . after all the life experiences and, . . . seein' how people live, and what money does to people . . . okay, money makes it easier but it's not the live-and-die-all situation that some people say it is, you know? And it's just that relationship I have, not so much with religion, but with my Lord and Savior, is what I function on."

Notice that Hogan mentioned Pastor Hank Lindstrom as instrumental in his salvation. So I just want to give recognition to Pastor Hank Lindstrom, the man who led Hulk Hogan to Christ. Here is Pastor Lindstrom telling about it some years later. He said: "I took my daughter, a couple years ago, to a gym opening with Hulk Hogan. And we waited in this long line forever. [Then] we got to the front of the line and Hulk Hogan saw me (and I led him to Christ); he stopped the line and he pulled my daughter and I out of the line, and he grabbed us and took us over to the Macho Man, and introduced me as the man that saved his life. And the Macho Man looks at me, looks back at the Hulk, and said, 'This is the guy that saved your life?!' Here's the Hulk, you know, and here's the Macho Man, muscles everywhere, and Hulk really used it as a witnessing opportunity: he said 'Yes, this man beat John 3:16 into me for about three months.' And then he quoted it several times, 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' [And Hulk said:] 'And finally it got through. And I trusted Christ. I was saved. And this is the man that saved me.' After that we walked over to the new gym owners, there was about three or four guys that I guess owned the gym, and this was a proud moment for them as they opened the gym, and Hulk said, 'I want you to meet somebody who's significant in my life: this is the man that saved my life!' And again, they looked me over like, 'Is this the man who saved Hulk Hogan's life?' And then he went through it again; he quoted John 3:16 again and said, 'Yeah, he used this verse over and over again with me, until finally it sunk in and I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. This guy named Hank Lindstrom beat him over the head with John 3:16.' And what is interesting is that he doesn't use all the lousy terminology that's out there: 'commit your life,' and 'join the church,' or 'surrender,' or 'turn around,' or 'repent' [in the sense of turning from sins or a behavior change], he simply said, 'I believed it, and I trusted Christ and I was saved.' So obviously if you're taught right [correctly] from the beginning, it seems like you're able to carry the right message through, and he never got corrupted by the bad terminology that's out there, which I was real tickled to death that after all these years he still had the [right message] ... John 3:16 and 'whosoever believeth' is the one that gets saved, and not all the other nonsense."[2]

This is interesting, because Pastor Lindstrom passed away in 2008. And I read somewhere online that Pastor Lindstrom may have told this story in 2006. And he said the incident happened "a couple years ago". This could simply be a generic way of saying "some time ago," almost like a placeholder for an unspecified duration of time. Or maybe Pastor Lindstrom forgot how many years had actually elapsed. Because when I searched online, I found a Tampa Bay Times newspaper article from August 16, 1993 with the headline: "Hulkster, other wrestling stars to shine at gym's opening". The first few paragraphs of the article read as follows:

"Hulk Hogan and other World Wrestling Federation stars will sign autographs and greet the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the grand opening of Gold's Gym-Aerobic & Fitness Center. The center is in Fashion Square Shopping Center on the northeast corner of Waters Avenue and N Dale Mabry Highway [in Tampa, Florida].

The new facility contains more than 15,000 square feet of state-of-the-art fitness equipment and will offer cardiovascular programs, professionally supervised training and a weight management program for weight loss or muscle gain."[3]

This is probably the event that Pastor Lindstrom was remembering. This becomes all the more likely because "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan were estranged in 2003-2004 (and afterwards), and were publicly feuding. In fact, Randy Savage released a rap album in 2004 titled Be a Man. The title track was actually a "diss track" aimed at Hulk Hogan! So it's unlikely that the two men were at any public events together around that time. Eventually they did reconcile, but it was not until years later.

There is a parable that Jesus told in the Gospel accounts about a man who went out to sow seed. And in this case, that man was Pastor Hank Lindstrom. He sowed the good seed of the Word of God in the hearts (soils) of many, and one of them was Hulk Hogan. That good seed took root in Hogan's heart, and in time it grew into a beautiful planting (Isa. 61:3; Jn. 15:8; Eph. 3:17-18) that bore "much fruit". Only time will show the full impact that Hogan's testimony will have on this world! 

Pastor Lindstrom and the Hulkster have now gone to their eternal home, and are rejoicing together in the presence of their Savior. A fitting Bible verse that comes to mind in regards to both men is where Jesus talks about the seed that was planted in the good soil. Jesus tells His disciples: "And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" (Mk. 8:20, NLT). 

And so, the legacy of a faithful pastor and a transformed wrestling legend lives on, a powerful testament to the boundless grace of God.

Some Objections Answered:

Objection #1. "Mr. Hogan was in his second adulterous marriage. Holy Scripture warns that no adulterer will enter the kingdom of God." This objection echoes the vainglorious words of the Pharisee in Luke 18 who prayed to himself thus, "God, I thank thee that I am not like other men, swindlers, unjust, adulterers..." (vv. 9-12). But Jesus reveals that this man wasn't even saved! (See Luke 9:14.) Sadly, this same brand of self-righteousness is common in the church today. The objector is just another hypocrite who fails to understand that "The ground is level at the foot of the cross." No doubt the objector is referring to the sins/vices listed by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:3-5, and by the apostle John in Revelation 21:8, 21:27, and 22:15 (incidentally, when John refers to those "outside," that is a reference to unbelievers; cf. Mk. 4:11-12; Jn. 12:31; 1 Cor. 5:12-13; Col. 4:5; Rev. 20:10). In each of these vice lists, those referred to are unbelievers, i.e. the unsaved (those "outside" of God's whole eternal kingdom in hell), in contrast to Christians who are said to be "washed," and "sanctified," and yes, also "justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11) -- even though (and here's the key point) these Christians were still committing some of those same sins that the unsaved were doing! Thus, the comparison is not between those who do those sins and those who don't, but rather the comparison is between how God views the unsaved who practice those sins, versus how God views His children who practice many of those very same sins. God sees His children under the soul-cleansing blood of His Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! (Cf. Exod. 12:13; Jn. 1:29.) In other words, although God obviously knows that His children still sin, He views them as judicially forgiven (Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 4:5-8; Eph. 1:7; Col. 2:13-14), and even perfectly righteous (1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21), in Christ![4] 

Objection #2. "Hogan said he 'accepted' Christ as his Savior, but the Bible doesn't use that terminology. Instead, it simply says 'believe'. Therefore maybe Hogan wasn't saved." This objection has been variously stated. For example, one person put it this way: "The term 'accepting Christ' is not a good term to use to describe receiving the gift of salvation and eternal life. The Bible gives us the perfect term - believe on the Lord Jesus Christ - to accurately convey salvation." Someone else went so far as to say: "Accepting the payment [of Christ] is a work." It should be noted, however, that both of these objections are false. Here's the statement I wrote in response to the individual who said that "Accepting the payment [of Christ] is a work." I said: "You may think so, but it's not a work according to Jesus in the Gospel of John. You mean well and I applaud your zeal for a free salvation, but it's not true that 'accepting' a gift is a work. Rather, to accept a gift is the same as to receive it. And of course, these are both synonyms for believing. Someone may say that the word 'accept' isn't found in the New Testament. That's false, by the way. But even if that were the case, that's like saying that the word 'Trinity' isn't found in the Bible so it's not true. Or that the word 'rapture' isn't in the Bible so it's not true. Those exact words may not be in the Bible, but the concepts (the ideas) are completely biblical. Furthermore, in regards to the word 'accept,' Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament says that 'to accept' is one of the meanings of the Greek word lambanō, meaning: 'to take,' 'to receive,' or 'to accept'. This word is used many times in the New Testament, such as in Revelation 22:17, 'take the water of life freely.' This Greek word (lambanō) is also used in John 12:48 and in John 17:8. Bauer lists this as the meaning of the Greek word lambanō in these Bible verses: 'to accept as true, receive...something, figuratively...receive someone's words (and use them as a guide) John 12:48; 17:8;' (Bauer's Lexicon, 3rd edition, p. 584, definition 7). This is significant, because in John 12:48 Jesus says, 'He who rejects Me, and does not receive [or 'accept'] My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.' So Jesus is saying that in order to be saved from judgment, unsaved people must 'accept' His words as true! Similarly, in John 17:8, Jesus clearly uses the word 'received' (lambanō, 'to accept') as a synonym for believing. So if we are going to be honest with the biblical text, and more specifically if we are going to be honest with the words of Jesus Himself in the Gospel of John, we may need to change our thinking in regards to the word 'accept' (that is, the Greek word lambanō), and understand that it is a valid and biblical synonym for the word 'believe'."[5]

Objection #3. "Hogan stated that he got saved because of John 3:16. Doesn't this support the view of Zane Hodges and the Grace Evangelical Society, which says that a person doesn't need to know or believe in the facts of the gospel to get saved, as long as they merely believe in Jesus' promise of eternal life, that's saving faith? Thus, no knowledge or belief in the facts of the gospel are necessary for salvation." Let me illustrate the objection this way: A well-meaning but misguided person might say something like, "Aha! See! John 3:16 is all a person needs to know to get saved!" But that's like saying, "Acts 16:31 is the only information a person needs to know to get saved!" (For those who may be unaware, Acts 16:31 is where the apostle Paul tells the Philippian jailer to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.") I like how Yankee Arnold says that, "It's all you need to do, but it's not all you need to know."[6] This is an excellent distinction! Because the Bible says that the apostle Paul went on to tell the Philippian jailer and his family more information from God's Word (see Acts 16:32-34; cf. 1 Cor. 15:1-4/5). The same is true in regards to Hulk Hogan's experience. Obviously Hogan heard more information from Pastor Lindstrom than only John 3:16! Because Pastor Lindstrom preached the gospel from 1 Corinthians 15, not merely John 3:16. Furthermore, Hogan said that he grew up attending a Baptist Church on the corner near where he lived. I'm not exactly sure what they preached, but no doubt it was more than just John 3:16! And then at the Youth Ranch that Hogan started attending as a teen, he heard more of the gospel than just "John 3:16" there too. Are we really to believe that at the Christian Youth Ranch, they shared absolutely no other Bible verses with Hogan besides John 3:16? That's highly unlikely! It would be absurd to think that. Such a conclusion goes against everything we know about Pastor Lindstrom and his gospel message. For example, in a Bibleline article written by Pastor Lindstrom titled "A Relationship with Jesus?" (dated 8-24-2006 in the Audio Archive), Lindstrom says: "'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).' We need to present the GOSPEL when witnessing to the lost, because the GOSPEL is the power of God unto SALVATION. We need to present the death of Christ as the payment for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection!"[7] So obviously Pastor Lindstrom shared other Bible verses with Hogan besides John 3:16; but Hogan was just focusing in on John 3:16 as the most significant one in his salvation experience.

References:

[1] Yankee Arnold, "Hulk Hogan Accepts Jesus Christ As His Savior" (YouTube), Yankee Arnold Ministries.

[2] Hank Lindstrom, "Hulk Hogan won to Christ by Hank Lindstrom" (YouTube), Jesus is Right.

[3] Sue Usberghi, "Hulkster, other wrestling stars to shine at gym's opening" (Tampa Bay Times), August 16, 1993.

[4] I discuss the vice lists in greater detail in the comments section of my blog post, "Is Repentance Sorrow for Sin? 10 Reasons Why It Is Not" (FGFS, February 18, 2023). See my comments there for more information. Another excellent resource on this topic is the article written by Dr. Charlie Bing, "Understanding the Vice Lists in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:3-5" (GraceNotes, Number 96). Here's how a Hulkamaniac might say it: "Charlie Bing and I are tag-team partners for the gospel! Whatcha gonna do when Free Grace runs wild on you, brother?!"

[5] See Walter Bauer, revised and edited by Frederick William Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (3rd edition), p. 584, s.v. λαμβάνω, definition 7.

[6] Yankee Arnold, "No Cross – No Gospel!" (YouTube), Yankee Arnold Ministries.

[7] Hank Lindstrom, "A Relationship with Jesus Christ?" (Bibleline Ministries), emphasis his. Note: This teaching is dated "08-24-2006" in the Audio Archive.