Back to the Bible

Last updated

Back to the Bible
Formation1939 (1939)
Website www.backtothebible.org

Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. [1]

Contents

History

1939-1984

Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, [2] Back to the Bible expanded by supporting missionaries and broadcasting via shortwave radio to other countries. By the mid-1950s, it was being broadcast somewhere in the world in any given minute, [3] and in 1954 the organization's first international Bible teaching ministry office opened in Canada. By the time of Epp's retirement in 1981, the Back to the Bible program was syndicated as a daily 30-minute broadcast on more than 800 radio stations worldwide. [4]

Under Epp's direction, the broadcasts were also noted for music by the Back to the Bible Choir and quartet. [2] Several popular phonograph recordings were made by the choir in the 1940s and 1950s. Back to the Bible also had a weekly youth program on Saturdays, featuring a youth choir and serialized adventures with a Christian theme, such as the Danny Orlis series written by Bernard Palmer. [5] Both the music segments and youth program were discontinued in the 1980s.

By the 1970s the organization had offices in Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, France, India, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Venezuela. [6]

1984-2013

Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, Illinois, was appointed as leader of the Lincoln-based ministry in 1984, [7] and served in this capacity until 1989. He was followed by Woodrow Kroll. [8] Back to the Bible had long followed a consistent half‑hour format in which its teachers explained Scripture and its relevance to listeners’ lives. In the early 2000s under Kroll's leadership, the ministry expanded its local presence in Lincoln by sponsoring concerts and extreme‑sports events along with building new youth‑oriented spaces such as a coffeehouse and concert hall. [9] [10]

In late 2007, Kroll announced that he would step down from his duties and that James MacDonald would become president of Back to the Bible. In addition, MacDonald's radio ministry, Walk in the Word, would merge with Back to the Bible. [11] However, in early 2008 Kroll announced that the merger had fallen through, and that he would continue as president. [12]

2013-Present

Back to the Bible announced Woodrow Kroll's retirement in January 2013. Dr John Munro, senior pastor at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, became the program's next Bible teacher and served from August 2013. In August 2014 he was removed from this position following a complaint from a member of his church staff; after investigation by the church he was reinstated as senior pastor, but Back to the Bible stood by its decision to dismiss him from his role there. [13] [14]

From August 2014 to June 2016, the daily Back to the Bible program featured Bible teaching from Warren Wiersbe, David Chadwick and Darrell Bock.

In July 2016, Ron Moore, pastor of The Bible Chapel in the Pittsburgh area, was named president and Bible teacher. He served as president until February 2018, and was succeeded by David Platt.

Back to the Bible ceased broadcasting in the United States on the radio in October 2020; it has continued to be produced as a podcast, with the ministry stating that brokered programming fees on most religious stations had made continuing to syndicate the program no longer viable. [15]

Current situation

As of 2018 Back to the Bible had offices in nine countries outside the United States, Canada (fiscally and legally autonomous), [16] Ecuador, India (fiscally and legally autonomous), Indonesia, Jamaica (fiscally and legally autonomous), Japan, Nepal, Sri Lanka (fiscally and legally autonomous), Trinidad & Tobago and broadcasts in multiple languages. [17]

As of 2026 the charity has a 3-star rating from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of American charities. [18]

Bible teachers

Bible TeacherYears
Theodore Epp 1939–1980
Warren Wiersbe 1980–1990
Woodrow Kroll 1990–2013
John Munro 2013–2014
Warren Wiersbe (Interim)2014–2016
David Chadwick [19] (Interim)2015–2016
Darrell Bock (Interim)2015–2016
Ron Moore [20] 2016–2018
David Platt [21] 2018–2018
Bryan Clark [22] 2018–2020
Nat Crawford [23] 2020–2023

References

  1. ↑ "Back to the Bible website". 2008. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Ward, Mark (2017). The Lord's Radio: Gospel Music Broadcasting and the Making of Evangelical Culture, 1920-1960. McFarland. p. 91. ISBN   978-1476667348 . Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  3. ↑ Christopher H. Sterling, Cary O'Dell, ed. (2010). The Concise Encyclopedia of American Radio. Routledge. p. 270. ISBN   978-1135176846.
  4. ↑ Theodore H. Epp biography, Mennonite Encyclopedia online
  5. ↑ Back to the Bible, God at work 40 Years, Lincoln, Nebraska: Back to the Bible (1979)
  6. ↑ Randall Herbert Balmer (2002). Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 42. ISBN   978-0664224097 . Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Back to Bible Post Goes to W. Wiersbe". Omaha World-Herald. May 11, 1984. p. 1. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ McKee, Jim (August 29, 2004). "Radio Ministry Was Nurtured in Lincoln". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 3. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  9. ↑ Reeves, Bob (June 11, 2005). "God's Word Goes Live". Lincoln Journal Star. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  10. ↑ Stohs-Krause, Hilary (March 5, 2006). "Back to the Bible Has Worldwide Audience; Newest Project Is Local". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 6. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  11. ↑ Reeves, Bob (December 22, 2007). "Back to the Bible Plans Merger". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 1. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  12. ↑ Reeves, Bob (January 23, 2008). "Merger of Broadcast Ministries Falls Through". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 3. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ Elisabeth Arriero (September 7, 2014). "Suspended Calvary pastor John Munro to return after complaint 'not supported'". Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  14. ↑ Morgan Lee (September 8, 2014). "Fired 'Back to the Bible' Pastor Cleared of Charges by Megachurch". Christianity Today. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Gleanings: December 2020".
  16. ↑ Back to the Bible Canada
  17. ↑ Back to the Bible International
  18. ↑ "Back to the Bible". Charity Navigator . Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  19. ↑ David Chadwick Archived 2016-08-02 at the Wayback Machine , Back to the Bible
  20. ↑ Ron Moore, Back to the Bible
  21. ↑ Meet David Platt Archived 2018-04-28 at the Wayback Machine , Back to the Bible
  22. ↑ Meet Bryan Clark, Back to the Bible
  23. ↑ Meet Nat Crawford, Back to the Bible
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.