Joseph Parker

James Ford Jr.

JAMES FORD, JR. (Moody Bible Institute, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) has been the Senior Pastor at Christ Bible Church (formerly South Shore Baptist Church), located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, since 1982. He serves on several boards, including the Alumni Board of Moody Bible Institute, is President of Impact Ministries, and provides the messages for Impact Ministries’ radio broadcast, Treasured Truth for Troubling Times. Pastor Ford is a contributor to the book Heart for the City and is the author of When A Man Loves A Woman and Seven Reasons Why God Created Marriage. He and his wife, Leslie, have three children and six grandchildren, and live in Chicago, Illinois.

Allyn K. Sloat

ALLYN K. SLOAT (B.A., Trinity College; M.Ed., University of Illinois) is the former Pastor of Education and Adult Ministries at Winnetka Bible Church in Winnetka, Illinois and editor of Christian Education.

John Jelinek

DR. JOHN JELINEK (Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary, Th.D., Grace Theological Seminary) is the former Dean of Education and Vice President and Academic Dean at Moody Theological Seminary. Prior to serving at Moody Seminary, Dr. Jelinek was professor of Theology and Academic Dean at the Michigan Theological Seminary for ten years and an associate professor at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA and at Alaska Bible College. He has published numerous articles and reviews in periodicals and books. His commentary on the biblical books of Amos and Leviticus is featured in The Moody Bible Commentary, published by Moody Publishers. Dr. Jelinek and his wife of 37 years, Linda, live in Willow Springs, IL and have three adult children, Rebekah, Micah John, and Anna.

Ron Moore

RONALD MOORE serves as Senior Pastor of The Bible Chapel, a multisite church with 4,000 people meeting at four campuses throughout the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. Before joining Back to the Bible, Ron's teaching was heard each week day on a national program called The Journey. Ron earned a Master of Theology (Th.M.) and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. He also holds a masters degree in education from Texas A&M. He has written several books including Journey Through the Bible, Journey Through the Psalms, Journey Through the Gospels and Ignite. He and his wife, Lori, have been married since 1980 and have four adult children.

Mike Fabarez

DR. MIKE FABAREZ is the founding pastor of Compass Bible Church and the president of Compass Bible Institute, both located in Aliso Viejo, California. Pastor Mike is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Talbot School of Theology, and Westminster Theological Seminary in California. Mike is heard on hundreds of stations on the Focal Point radio program. He has authored several books, including 10 Mistakes People Make About Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife; Raising Men Not Boys; Lifelines for Tough Times; and Preaching That Changes Lives. Mike and his wife, Carlynn, are parents of three grown children, two sons and one daughter, and have four young grandchildren.

Ruth Paxson

RUTH PAXSON (1889-1949) was Bible teacher, missionary, and author. Born in Manchester, Iowa, she graduated from the State University of Iowa and then attended Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute. She served as YWCA secretary for Iowa and eventually traveled as secretary for the Student Volunteer Movement. In 1911, Ruth sailed for the mission field in China, sponsored by the YWCA. Health concerns forced her to leave China soon thereafter and she then taught Bible in Europe and the United States until her death. She is author of several books, including Life on the Highest Plane and Caleb the Overcomer.

Carl Laney

J. CARL LANEY (B.S., University of Oregon; M.Div., Th.M., Western Conservative Baptist Seminary; Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) is professor of biblical literature at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon. He is the author of commentaries on First and Second Samuel, Ezra and Nehemiah, and Zechariah for the Everyman's Bible Commentary series. Dr. Laney has also written several other books, including God (Understanding Christian Theology Series), Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary, The Divorce Myth and Baker's Concise Bible Atlas. He resides in Portland, Oregon.

Gregory A. Hatteberg

GREGORY A. HATTEBERG (Joliet College; Moody Bible Institute; Dallas Theological Seminary) is the director of Alumni for Dallas Theological Seminary and a seminar leader for Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. Prior to joining the staff at DTS, Mr. Hatteberg worked in Admissions at Moody Bible Institute. He completed graduate studies at the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, and has traveled extensively in Israel and beyond. Based on his experiences in Israel, he co-authored The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land with Dr. Charles Dyer. He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of four children.

Ralph Gower

RALPH GOWER (M.E., B.D., London Bible College; Ph.D., University of Liverpool) is currently the minister of Cornerstone Baptist Church, Ainsdale, in the north west of England. He has spent most of his life in the area of Religious Education as teacher, lecturer, researcher, administrator and inspector, and has written educational material for teachers and children. He has contributed articles to various Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias and is the author of The New Manners & Customs of Bible Times, Frontiers, Religious Education in the Junior Years, Religious Education in the Infant Years, and Life in New Testament Times. He has been a guide and tour leader in Israel. He resides in Lancashire, England.

Mark Hitchcock

MARK HITCHCOCK graduated from law school in 1984 and worked for a judge at the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for four years. After a clear call to full-time ministry, Mark attended Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating in 1991. Since that time he has served as senior pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. He completed his Ph.D. at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2005 and serves as an adjunct faculty member at DTS in the Bible Exposition Department. He has authored over twenty books related to end time Bible prophecy. Mark and his wife Cheryl live in Edmond, Oklahoma. They have two sons, Justin and Samuel.

Melinda Schmidt

MELINDA SCHMIDT graduated from Moody Bible Institute and holds a B.S. in Broadcasting-Bible from Calvary Bible College. She has served with Moody Radio since 1980 in various hosting capacities. She is now a co-host of the radio talk show for women, Midday Connection (www.middayconnection.org) . Melinda has served as an editor and contributing author to Come to Our Table: A Midday Connection Cookbook, Daily Seeds from Women who Walk in Faith, and Tending the Soul. Married to Dave, they are parents of two young adults, Kelly and Kevin.

Alfred Martin

ALFRED MARTIN (B.A., Washington College; Th.M., Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) is author of a number of books including The Holy Spirit: Investigation of the Personality, Deity, and Ministries of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah for the Everyday Bible Commentary series, and Not My Own: A Biblical Perspective on the Stewardship of Life. Throughout his career, he served as vice-president and dean of education at Moody Bible Institute and as professor at Dallas Bible College. He is now at home with His Lord.

Michael J. Easley

MICHAEL EASLEY received his Bachelor of Science in education from Stephen F. Austin State University, and his Master of Theology and Doctor of Ministry degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. He served as Senior Pastor at Grand Prairie Bible Church and Immanuel Bible before becoming the eighth president of Moody Bible Institute. In January 2009, he became the Teaching Pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Nashville, TN. Dr. Easley has authored two books: Interludes, Prayers and Reflections of a Servant’s Heart and The DaVinci Code Controversy. Dr. Easley and his wife, Cindy, were married in 1980, and together they are raising four children.

Lawrence O. Richards

LAWRENCE O. RICHARDS (University of Michigan, Dallas Theological Seminary, Northwestern University) was one of the most prominent Christian Education writers during the second half of the twentieth century. He has written more than 70 books, including Creative Bible Teaching, Every Name of God in the Bible and Life of Christ. He was a contributor to Christian Education: Foundations for the Future. Larry resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Janet Pope

JANET POPE is a 2012 graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary with a Masters in Theology. Teaching the Bible is her passion, and her distinct speaking ministry inspires others to run to God’s Word first. Her solid foundation comes from memorizing entire books of the Bible—15 books and counting. Janet and her husband Ethan live in Dallas, Texas.