Woodrow M. Kroll

Last updated
Woodrow Kroll
Rev Woodrow Kroll.jpg
Born (1944-10-21) October 21, 1944 (age 79)
Education Th. D., Th. M, Geneva-St. Albans Theological Seminary
M. Div, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
SpouseLinda Piper
ChildrenTracy, Timothy, Tina, and Tiffany
Parent(s)Frank and Betty Kroll
Congregations served
First Baptist Church in Middleboro, Massachusetts
Back to the Bible
daily radio program (19902013)
Offices held
President of Practical Bible College (now Davis College), 1981-1990

Woodrow Michael Kroll (born October 21, 1944) is an evangelical preacher and radio host. He was the president and Bible teacher for the international Back to the Bible radio and television ministry. He was president of Davis College (formerly Practical Bible College) in Johnson City, New York, United States.

Contents

In addition to preaching and teaching, Kroll is a prolific writer, having authored more than 50 books expounding on the Bible and Christian living.

Background and education

Kroll was born to Frank and Betty Kroll in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. [1] His father, Reverend Frank Kroll, attended Practical Bible Training School (as it was then called) from 1936 to 1939 and pastored the Park Gate Baptist Church in Ellwood City for thirty-three years. Kroll followed in his father's footsteps and attended Practical Bible Training School from 1962 to 1965.

Kroll earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967 from Barrington College. He then studied at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity degree in 1970. [2] He earned the Master of Theology and Doctor of Theology degrees from Geneva-St. Albans Theological Seminary. Kroll did post-graduate studies at Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of Virginia, and the University of Strasbourg in France.

He is married to the former Linda Piper. [3] Their son Timothy has followed his father and grandfather in ministry and is the senior pastor at Northside Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida since 2005. [4]

Ministry and teaching career

Kroll began his ministry as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Middleboro, Massachusetts (19681970). He then taught at Practical Bible Training School (now Davis College) 19711973. From 1975 to 1980, he chaired the Division of Religion at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. On January 17, 1981, Kroll was inaugurated as president of Practical Bible Training School, also teaching Bible and preaching while serving as president. [2]

During Kroll's presidency, the school obtained accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) and the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC, now the Association for Biblical Higher Education). He also developed the administration, curriculum, and much of the school's structure as it exists today, now as Davis College. Kroll resigned on April 27, 1990, to become President and Senior Bible Teacher of the Back to the Bible international radio ministry.

Back to the Bible

Begun in 1939 by Theodore Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Back to the Bible broadcast became a worldwide ministry by the time its founder retired in 1981. Epp was succeeded by Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, Illinois, who served as leader of the Lincoln, Nebraska-based ministry between 19811989. Dr. Kroll was inaugurated in 1990 as the third president of Back to the Bible, the position he held until 2013. During his 23 years of service to Back to the Bible the ministry outreach grew. At the time of his retirement, Woodrow Kroll was heard daily on 1250 radio stations in the United States and anywhere in the world the English language was spoken.

The HELIOS Projects

Upon retirement from radio, Woodrow Kroll founded a ministry that gave an outlet for his 50 years of teaching and ministry experience. WKMinistries launched The HELIOS Projects in 2014. Each project was written and recorded personally by Dr. Kroll. The first project is HELIOS CT "'Talking Thru the Christian Faith'". In 199 sessions, each 20-22 minutes long, Kroll uses a conversational style as if he were sitting across an imaginary table to guide the listener into knowing what Christians believe and why they believe it. In HELIOS GS "Telling God's Story" he retells 372 stories from the Bible, drawing out spiritual insights and practical lessons from each. HELIOS FF "Foundations of the Faith" is a more remedial approach to understanding what Christians believe for those who may not yet be literate. Using either a USB, an app, print, or a solar-powered handheld device, The HELIOS Projects are designed to put A Bible and Christian faith education right in your hand.

Books authored by Kroll

Among the more than 50 books Kroll has written on the Bible and Christian living are: [3]

Related Research Articles

John Flipse Walvoord was a Christian theologian, a pastor, and the president of Dallas Theological Seminary from 1952 to 1986. He was the author of over 30 books, focusing primarily on eschatology and theology, including The Rapture Question, and was co-editor of The Bible Knowledge Commentary with Roy B. Zuck. He earned AB and DD degrees from Wheaton College, an AM degree from Texas Christian University in philosophy, a Th.B., Th.M., and Th.D. in Systematic Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Litt.D. from Liberty Baptist Seminary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King James Only movement</span> Bible translation (KJV) advocacy groups

The King James Only movement asserts the belief that the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is superior to all other translations of the Bible. Adherents of the King James Only movement, mostly members of Conservative Anabaptist, traditionalist Anglo-Catholics, Conservative Holiness Methodist and some Baptist churches, believe that the KJV needs no further improvements because it is the greatest English translation of the Bible which was ever published, and they also believe that all other English translations of the Bible which were published after the KJV was published are corrupt.

James Montgomery Boice was an American Reformed Christian theologian, Bible teacher, author, and speaker known for his writing on the authority of Scripture and the defence of Biblical inerrancy. He was also the Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1968 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. I. Packer</span> English-born Canadian evangelical theologian (1926–2020)

James Innell Packer was an English-born Canadian evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. He was considered one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, known for his best-selling book Knowing God, written in 1973, as well as his work as an editor for the English Standard Version of the Bible. He was one of the high-profile signers on the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, a member on the advisory board of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and also was involved in the ecumenical book Evangelicals and Catholics Together in 1994. His last teaching position was as the board of governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, in which he served from 1996 until his retirement in 2016 due to failing eyesight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martyn Lloyd-Jones</span> Welsh pastor, author, and physician

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones was a Welsh Congregationalist minister and medical doctor who was influential in the Calvinist wing of the British evangelical movement in the 20th century. For almost 30 years, he was the minister of Westminster Chapel in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John MacArthur (American pastor)</span> American Reformed Baptist pastor, televangelist, and author (born 1939)

John Fullerton MacArthur Jr. is an American pastor and author who hosts the national Christian radio and television program Grace to You. He has been the pastor of Grace Community Church, a non-denominational church in Sun Valley, California since February 9, 1969. He is currently the chancellor emeritus of The Master's University in Santa Clarita and The Master's Seminary.

Donald Arthur Carson is an evangelical biblical scholar. He is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and president and co-founder of the Gospel Coalition. He has written or edited about sixty books and served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2022.

Darrell L. Bock is an American evangelical New Testament scholar. He is executive director of Cultural Engagement at The Hendricks Center and Senior Research Professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) in Dallas, Texas, United States. Bock received his PhD from Scotland's University of Aberdeen. His supervisor was I. Howard Marshall. Harold Hoehner was an influence in his NT development, as were Martin Hengel and Otto Betz as he was a Humboldt scholar at Tübingen University multiple years.

Walter C. Kaiser Jr. is an American Evangelical Old Testament scholar, writer, public speaker, and educator. Kaiser is the Colman M. Mockler distinguished Professor of Old Testament and former President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, retired June 30, 2006. He was succeeded by James Emery White.

John Dwight Pentecost was an American Christian theologian, best known for his book Things to Come.

Alistair Begg is a Scottish pastor. He is the senior pastor of Cleveland's Parkside Church, a position he has held since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth For Life Christian radio preaching and teaching ministry, which broadcasts his sermons daily to stations across North America through over 1,800 radio outlets. He is also the author of several books.

Malcom Ollie "Mal" Couch, Jr. was the founder and first president of the Tyndale Theological Seminary. He was a pastor, an author of many books, and writer of 40 documentaries on Bible prophecies and biblical issues. While president of Tyndale Theological Seminary Couch recruited some very well known scholars and Bible teachers to teach the student body. Dr. Norman Geisler, Dr. Paige Patterson, Dr. Robert Lightner, Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, and Paul Enns were used in the educational endeavors at Tyndale Seminary. After Dr. Couch retired from Tyndale Seminary he became a Vice President of the Scofield Graduate School and Seminary located in Modesto, California.

John D. Hannah is an author and professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. His official title is "Distinguished Professor of Historical Theology, Research Professor of Theological Studies." He served as the department chair of Historical Theology for over twenty years and has taught at DTS since 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erwin Lutzer</span> Canadian-American pastor and author

Erwin W. Lutzer is a Canadian-born evangelical Christian speaker, radio broadcaster, and author. He is the former senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, Illinois (1980–2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Ryken</span> American Presbyterian minister and theologian (born 1966)

Philip Graham Ryken is an American theologian, Presbyterian minister, and academic administrator. He is the eighth and current president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois.

Millard J. Erickson, born in Isanti County, Minnesota, is an Evangelical Christian theologian, professor of theology, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Sperry Chafer</span>

Lewis Sperry Chafer was an American theologian. He co-founded Dallas Theological Seminary with his older brother Rollin Thomas Chafer (1868-1940), served as its first president, and was an influential proponent of Christian Dispensationalism in the early 20th century. John Hannah described Chafer as a visionary Bible teacher, a minister of the gospel, a man of prayer with strong piety. One of his students, Charles Caldwell Ryrie, who went on to become a world renowned theologian and scholar, stated that Chafer was an evangelist who was also "an eminent theologian."

John Samuel Feinberg is an American theologian, author, and professor of biblical and systematic theology. He is currently listed as Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology (retired) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is noted for his expertise in theodicy.

Bruce A. Ware is an American theologian, former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, and a key figure in the debate over open theism.

Scott Miller Gibson is an American pastor, theologian, and educator who currently serves as a professor of preaching, is the holder of the David E. Garland Chair in preaching, and is director of the Ph.D. in Preaching Program at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. He was previously the Haddon W. Robinson Professor of Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (1991-2018). Gibson is an author, lecturer, preacher, and conference speaker specializing in homiletics.

References

  1. Balmer, Randall (2001-02-19). "The Wireless Gospel". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  2. 1 2 Floyd Hays Barackman (2005). History of Practical Bible Training School: Davis College.
  3. 1 2 "President's Page". Back to the Bible. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  4. Moore, Waveney Ann (31 August 2005). "Northside Baptist names head pastor". St. Petersburg Times . Retrieved 26 May 2016.