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Back to the Bible radio ministry is reaching out to the Lincoln community
Ever since the Back to the Bible radio ministry was launched in 1939, the general format of the program has been the same: A Bible teacher (first Theodore Epp, then Warren Wiersbe, and now Woodrow Kroll) talked for a half hour about the meaning of a Bible passage and its relevance to listeners' lives.
Now the program has a new format. The message hasn't changed - it's still about delivering biblical truth to the modern world - but instead of Kroll giving a monologue in an empty studio, he gives his message before a live audience, whose members laugh, ask questions and sometimes even put him on the spot.
The new audience-participation style to the venerable radio show is only one of the new things at the Lincoln-based ministry which reaches out to the world but has been little known by many Lincolnites.
Creating a stronger presence in "our own back yard" goes beyond inviting Lincoln people to participate in the studio audience, Kroll said. This summer, Back to the Bible will host a concert and an extreme sports demonstration, and by November it plans to open a coffeehouse and concert hall that will offer a hangout for local teens and a venue for local Christian music groups.
At a recent recording session for radio programs that will be aired in August, 16 local people made up the audience. What was once a sterile studio has been transformed into a room resembling a study, with hardwood bookshelves, framed art reproductions on the walls and comfortable seating.
While technicians watched through a control-room window, Kroll presented lessons based on the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, talking directly to the studio listeners. From time to time they plied him with questions, which he incorporated into the program.
"It allows me to be more natural," Kroll said. "When I speak before an audience, I interact with the audience. I've always tried to be conversational, but it's a lot more effective with a real, live audience."
Before the recording session began, Kroll and Tami Weissert, vice president of media and communications, explained the format to participants.
"We want you to...