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Theodore Epp
Theodore H. Epp (January 27, 1907–October 13, 1985) was an American Christian preacher, radio evangelist, and author, best known as the founding director of Back to the Bible, a globally influential radio ministry. Born in Oraibi, Arizona, to Russian Mennonite immigrant missionaries working with the Hopi Indians, Epp grew up in a faith-filled environment. Converted at age 20 in 1927 under Norman B. Harrison’s teaching in Flagstaff, Arizona, he pursued theological education at Oklahoma Bible Academy, Hesston College in Kansas, and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University), earning a Th.M. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1932. Epp’s preaching career began as a pastor in Goltry, Oklahoma, at Zoar Mennonite Church (1932–1936), where he married Matilda Schmidt in 1930, raising six children—Gerald (who died young), Eleanor, Herbert, Bernice, Marilyn, and Virginia. In 1936, he joined T. Myron Webb’s radio ministry, and on May 1, 1939, launched Back to the Bible in Lincoln, Nebraska, with just $65, trusting God for provision. The program grew from a 15-minute local broadcast to a daily 30-minute show on over 800 stations worldwide in eight languages by his 1985 retirement, featuring his expository preaching and music from the Back to the Bible choir and quartet. He authored nearly 70 books, including David: A Man After the Heart of God and Practical Studies in Revelation, emphasizing practical faith and biblical literacy.
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Theodore Epp addresses the issue of 'pet cares' in our lives, emphasizing that excessive concern for material possessions and hasty decisions can lead to anxiety that disrupts our faith and peace. He highlights three characteristics of excessive care: prioritizing things over God's will, making rushed decisions under pressure, and experiencing constant agitation due to unrest in our souls. Epp encourages believers to cast all their cares upon God, reminding them that true peace comes from being in alignment with His will rather than from acquiring possessions. He concludes with the reminder to seek God's kingdom first, assuring that all other needs will be met.
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Do You Have 'Pet Cares'?
Philippians 4:6,7; Matthew 6:24-34 There are at least three characteristics, or marks, that indicate we have excessive care. The first is being more concerned about things than about God's will for us. We will never have peace by acquiring things; peace comes only by being in God's will, with or without the possessions we think we so greatly need. Ours in the western world is a credit card society, and we are able to obtain about anything we want almost instantly. Then the anxiety comes in struggling to pay for all that was bought on impulse! Whether anxiety comes from wanting possessions or from concern over how to pay for them, it must be underscored that anxiety chokes the life of faith and strangles the peace of God. A second mark of excessive care is that in our hurried state we allow ourselves to be pressured into hasty decisions and actions. Life provides many illustrations of times when we feel we must make a decision immediately, and then later we realize it was not that urgent after all. When we are in league with God, we can afford to wait for His perfect time. A third characteristic of excessive care is that we are constantly agitated because of unrest in our souls. Faith--not worry--brings answers to prayers. Some people have what I call "pet cares." They like to keep these cares to talk about, and one gets the feeling they do not really want to get rid of them. But God says we are to bring all of our cares to Him. Usually one discovers he is either casting all of his cares upon God, or he is keeping all of his cares for himself. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33).
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Theodore H. Epp (January 27, 1907–October 13, 1985) was an American Christian preacher, radio evangelist, and author, best known as the founding director of Back to the Bible, a globally influential radio ministry. Born in Oraibi, Arizona, to Russian Mennonite immigrant missionaries working with the Hopi Indians, Epp grew up in a faith-filled environment. Converted at age 20 in 1927 under Norman B. Harrison’s teaching in Flagstaff, Arizona, he pursued theological education at Oklahoma Bible Academy, Hesston College in Kansas, and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now Biola University), earning a Th.M. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1932. Epp’s preaching career began as a pastor in Goltry, Oklahoma, at Zoar Mennonite Church (1932–1936), where he married Matilda Schmidt in 1930, raising six children—Gerald (who died young), Eleanor, Herbert, Bernice, Marilyn, and Virginia. In 1936, he joined T. Myron Webb’s radio ministry, and on May 1, 1939, launched Back to the Bible in Lincoln, Nebraska, with just $65, trusting God for provision. The program grew from a 15-minute local broadcast to a daily 30-minute show on over 800 stations worldwide in eight languages by his 1985 retirement, featuring his expository preaching and music from the Back to the Bible choir and quartet. He authored nearly 70 books, including David: A Man After the Heart of God and Practical Studies in Revelation, emphasizing practical faith and biblical literacy.