Theodore H. Epp (January 27, 1907 – October 13, 1985) was an American

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Christian clergy In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church body, church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spir ...

man, writer, and radio evangelist. Epp was the founding director of the ''

Back to the Bible Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. History Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Back to the Bible expanded by supporting missionari ...

'' radio broadcast and speaker on the program from 1939–1985. As of 1999 the program was heard worldwide on over 800 stations in eight languages.

Early years and education

Epp was born in

Oraibi, Arizona Oraibi, also referred to as Old Oraibi, is a Hopi village in Navajo County, Arizona, United States, in the northeastern part of the state. Known as Orayvi by the native inhabitants, it is on Third Mesa on the Hopi Reservation near Kykotsmovi V ...

, the son of

Russian Mennonite The Russian Mennonites (german: Russlandmennoniten it. "Russia Mennonites", i.e., Mennonites of or from the Russian Empire occasionally Ukrainian Mennonites) are a group of Mennonites who are descendants of Dutch Anabaptists who settled for a ...

immigrants. His parents were missionaries to the

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

Indians there. After graduating from

Oklahoma Bible Academy The Oklahoma Bible Academy (OBA) is an interdenominational Christian private school located in Enid, Oklahoma. OBA is the oldest coeducational private school in the state of Oklahoma. History In 1911 a group headed by J.B. Epp of the New Hoped ...

, Epp attended

Hesston College Hesston College is a private college in Hesston, Kansas, United States. It is associated with the Mennonite Church USA and has an enrollment of about 400 students who typically come from about 30 states and 15 other countries. History In 1909, t ...

Hesston, Kansas Hesston is a city in Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,505. Large manufacturing facilities for AGCO (farm equipment) and Excel Industries (lawn mowers) are located in Hesston. It ...

, and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's ...

). Epp received a ThM degree in 1932 from

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is a Baptist theological institute in Fort Worth, Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. It was established in 1908 and is one of the largest seminaries in the world. It i ...

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

Ministry

Epp started his ministry as a pastor and radio preacher in

Goltry, Oklahoma Goltry is a town in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 249 at the 2010 census. Goltry shares the Timberlake school district with the nearby towns of Helena, Jet, and Nash. Geography Situated in far southeastern Alfalfa ...

, and then relocated to

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United St ...

, where he established the ''Back to the Bible'' radio program. It was first broadcast May 1, 1939, on a local station and was eventually

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

as a daily 30-minute program to more than 800 radio stations worldwide by the time of his retirement in 1985. Under Epp's direction, the broadcasts were also noted for music by the Back to the Bible Choir and the Back to the Bible Quartet. Several popular recordings were made by the choir in the 1940s and 1950s. ''Back to the Bible'' also had a weekly youth program, featuring a youth choir and serialized adventures with a Christian theme. Both the music and the youth programs have since been discontinued. Epp wrote nearly 70 books and magazine articles. Theodore Epp died in 1985 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park there. The ''Back to the Bible'' program he founded was led after his death by Warren W. Wiersbe, later followed by various successors. The program remains headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska.

References

External links

Back to the Bible Online
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Epp, Theodore American evangelicals American Mennonites American radio personalities Hesston College alumni Biola University alumni Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumni Mennonite ministers People from Alfalfa County, Oklahoma Writers from Lincoln, Nebraska 1907 births 1985 deaths People from Navajo County, Arizona 20th-century Anabaptist ministers