There’s a New Player in Town

Earlier this week, Moody Radio Vice President Collin Lambert addressed the future of broadcasting at Moody in his blog post. He introduced two new online tools for listeners, and today, we will learn more about the Internet radio player.

By Adam Grandy, manager web marketing, Moody Radio

A popular trend in technology is the ability to stream audio content on desktop and laptop computers. At Moody Radio, we’ve found that technology like this has changed the landscape of radio and you now desire instant accessibility to our programs.

For some of you it’s more convenient to listen live online, while others may want to listen to previously aired broadcasts. As Collin mentioned, in just a few short weeks, Moody Radio will launch an exciting new Internet radio player so you can listen to your favorite Moody Radio programs whenever and wherever you would like.

This new player is easy to use, offers many new features, includes almost all of Moody Radio’s programs, and is fully compatible with Windows and Mac computers.

While our programs have been available via Internet for a while, the new radio player offers a substantially improved user experience. It provides information about programs and music not presently available to you. For example, live streams will display the program name and host.  And for music, the player will display the song’s name, artist and album.

The player also shows a list of recently played programs and songs for each live stream as well as links for more information about guests.

Additionally, in the age of social networking,  we are especially excited about the opportunities this player allows for you to share your favorite programs with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Finally, it uses new technology that allows for better cross-platform compatibility, which also equates to a better user experience. Its new interface and ease of use gives you the ability to discover new programs by making it easy to sample other programs on demand.

The player is scheduled to launch in early spring though a specific date has not been set. But, don’t worry, we wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t coming soon. In the coming weeks, more information will be available on this blog, so stay tuned!

The Future of Moody Radio

Read below to learn how Moody Radio is preparing for its bright future with exciting new initiatives that seek to reach more people in more ways with the Good News it is called to proclaim.

By Collin Lambert, vice president, Moody Radio

In the world of communications we are asking the question, “What is the future of radio?”  I do not believe anyone knows for certain. But what we do know is that 93 percent of Americans still use radio on a weekly basis. That statistic indicates to me that the future of Moody Radio is bright. And we’re not sitting still, waiting to see what happens next.  

Collin Lambert

We have innovation and creativity in our DNA. From the very beginning, when we signed on our first AM station in 1926, Moody Radio has been on the cutting edge of technology. In the 50s, we were quick to add FM and in the 80s led the way to launch one of the first Christian satellite networks in the country. In recent years, we have implemented online streaming, podcasting and HD Radio. And, within the last 18 months, we launched an iPhone app that allows iPhone/iPod Touch users to access Moody Radio programming on the go. Still to come are the launch of an online media player and an Android app, giving even more people access to Moody Radio around the world.

In addition to exciting advancements in technology, we recently finished a comprehensive strategic planning effort. This plan will propel us into the future. And, in fact, some of those proposals are already being enacted, like creating a more diverse staff to more accurately reflect the Body of Christ, increasing Spanish programming and growing financial support. Still to come are execution of other community initiatives, construction of a Global Media Center and development of more creative programming.

Yet, all the technology in the world and all the strategic plans are pointless without a quality message. For 85 years, Moody Radio has been faithful to its calling to proclaim the Word, be a trusted voice and friend, unpack today’s issues from a Biblical perspective, help people take the next step in their walks with Christ, and create dynamic partnerships and relationships with creativity and innovation. That is what we are called to do at Moody Radio. That is why the future looks so bright.  

Finally, I want to encourage you to be an ambassador for Moody Radio. You have the ability to share a life changing resource with people in any walk of life, anywhere in the world.  Direct them to www.moodyradio.org, it’s where you turn…for life!

The Conversation That Sparked an Idea

In our 125th year, Moody Bible Institute will pilot a summer studies program specifically for Christians enrolled in non-evangelical colleges and universities. Read below to learn about the story and vision behind this new initiative.

By Gregg Quiggle, professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute, Chicago
About 20 years ago, I had the distinct privilege of dining with a member of the United States Congress. I was particularly excited because the congressional representative was Paul Henry, a gifted Christian thinker and the son of one of my heroes, Dr. Carl Henry. Dr. Henry was one of a group of men that included Billy Graham who called for an intellectually robust form of evangelical Christianity. His book, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, spurred a generation of young Christians to reengage the culture and think deeply about their faith. That movement shaped my life and education, and it helped stimulate my pursuit of higher education. Unfortunately, Mr. Henry went home to be with Jesus because of a brain tumor in 1993. Dr. Henry joined his son in 2003.

Sometime around 1990, Mr. Henry came to Moody Bible Institute to speak and graciously agreed to have dinner with me. During the course of our dinner, Mr. Henry asked if Moody offered courses during the summer. When I indicated we did, he immediately asked if we offered apologetics. Again, I answered, “yes,” and Mr. Henry exclaimed, “Why don’t you tell anybody?” What we didn’t do at the time was open these classes to non-Moody students. He went on to tell me that he had a daughter attending the University of Michigan, and he had been trying to find an apologetics course for her to take during the summer.

That conversation has stuck with me ever since. I also learned that only about 13 percent of the evangelical students who attend college will attend either a Christian college or Bible college. I have often wondered how many Christian students would really benefit from taking a summer course or two at Moody.

I’m excited to say that this summer Moody will pilot a new program designed precisely for these students--Moody Summer Studies. We have specially designed this program for Christian students in non-evangelical colleges and universities. As a Christian educator, I am really looking forward to this program as the courses will be fun to teach, and I believe they will be a real benefit to these students.

The program will eventually consist of four unique philosophy and apologetics courses that reflect the strengths of Moody but are designed especially for these students. We have also designed the courses with the intention that they will transfer back into the students’ home universities or colleges.

I wish I could thank Congressman Henry for that conversation and his Dad for his thoughtful book. When begin this new program, I will remember them both and the role they played in making it happen.

Perhaps you are such a student or a parent or friend of such a student. Please visit the Moody Summer Studies webpage to learn more about the program. I hope to see there!

Q & A with Moody's Provost

Recently, Jamie Janosz, associate dean of student transitions and associate professor of communications, sat down with Dr. Junias Venugopal, provost and dean of education, to learn about how God led him to Moody in July 2010 and his hopes for education. 

JJ: Dr. Venugopal, I understand that you have a very diverse background. Could you explain how you became interested in Christian higher education?

JV: God called me to a ministry of helping people develop in their spiritual walks with Christ and to do this as a catalyst, so that I am not adding any part of me to the process, but that it is all Him they seek to emulate.

First, I did this as a pastor. After a few years, I realized that the pastor is an educator. The Church is about moving people one step closer in their spiritual walks, and that is also the role of Christian education. 

  

 “I don’t want students to walk out of Moody with diplomas, but without the passion of faith. There are three parts of education that need to be part of any curriculum: head, heart and hands. My focus is on the heart, the passion of loving Christ.”
— Junias Venugopal

JJ: Why did you decide to come to Moody Bible Institute?

JV: Moody is the premiere place to train people for ministry. I was invited by Paul Nyquist to apply, and I felt God directed me to Moody.

I first become familiar with Moody while studying at Dallas Theological Seminary. And, Columbia International University, where I spent the last seven years, was founded with the intention to be the “Moody of the southeast.” I have found that Moody has a greater focus on evangelism, with more of a heart for the city.

JJ: What would you like to accomplish as our provost and dean of education?

JV: A provost has an opportunity to shape both culture and curriculum–sometimes more than the faculty who actually make the curricular decisions.  Because of the faculty’s focus on teaching their particular disciplines, they might not see the big picture that is available from an administrator’s vantage point.

On that note, I would love to see a robust general education curriculum. Our students need to think as well as they minister. I’d like Moody grads to be the most well-grounded, articulate witnesses for Jesus Christ. The Christian minister of tomorrow has to be an astute and winsome witness.

Additionally, I don’t want students to walk out of Moody with diplomas, but without the passion of faith. There are three parts of education that need to be part of any curriculum: head, heart and hands. My focus is on the heart, the passion of loving Christ.

JJ: It is great to hear how student-focused you are. How would you describe Moody students?

JV: They love the Lord. They are passionate about serving God and are loyal friends.

JJ: As you look to the future, what challenges lay ahead for education at Moody?

JV: One challenge will be for us to resource all of Moody’s educational venues. We need to develop more ways to bring in finances as we don’t want to change D.L. Moody’s historic concept of debt-free education.

We also need to develop a well thought out strategy for all of our campuses and Distance Learning. I want us to consider how we can best develop global partnerships through these venues.

And, we need to remain committed to our core curriculum in order to produce the best Bible and theology scholars.

From Chicago to the World

Moody Publishers Vice President Greg Thornton addressed the future of publishing in his post earlier this week. Today we see what the future looks like in action.  

By Paul Santhouse, director of acquisitions Moody Publishers
Nothing is more fun than meeting an author for lunch, reaching into your bag and placing a copy of his brand new book on the table. The mouth goes open, eyes tear up and there’s often a gasp—after all those months of toil and patience ... here it finally is!

Book publishing is no hasty business. It can take over a year to release a book. No wonder authors get choked up—they’ve likely given up all hope of ever seeing their book in print!

But things are changing.

When Dr. Paul Nyquist launched Moody Bible Institute’s strategic planning process last year, he challenged each ministry to be agile, think globally and reach beyond the way things normally work. And, if there’s any industry that does things the normal way, it’s book publishing. Busy people in large buildings toiling for months on bulky products that are costly to ship. Where does “nimbly reaching the globe” enter that picture?

Our team wrestled with this for weeks. We purchased a globe and brought it to meetings. Then we taped a world map to the wall and marked up the thirty largest cities. Someone read an article about HP Labs. Though headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., HP’s research labs are located in countries all over the world. How better to serve their global customers than by experiencing life where those customers live?

Suddenly, one of the team members pointed across the street to where the students were walking to class. “Don’t we have students here from all over the world? Why don’t we train them to do publishing?”

It was one of those inspired moments. Thanks to digital technology, start-up publishing no long requires 12 months of lead time or a huge warehouse stacked with pallets. With the right equipment, a few key people in a strategic location can easily publish the Good News in any corner of the globe.

We’ve been working tirelessly ever since. Thanks to a healthy and creative partnership with the Communications faculty, Moody Publishers now sponsors a Moody Bible Institute class in book publishing. Not only are the students learning all the publishing disciplines from veteran staff members, but they are also gaining experience by publishing books of their own during the semester. And let me tell you, these students are bright. The book ideas and author contacts they’re generating would easily pass muster at the best publishing houses.

If you were to visit the conference room where we spent all those hours discussing how things could be, you would now find an entire wall covered with a world map and a copy of Operation World on the table. As we pray for the countries of the world, we ask the Lord of the harvest to send us laborers, so we can train them to return home after graduation and publish the Good News of Jesus Christ in the language of the people they know best—their own.

The Future of Publishing

As we celebrate our legacy, Moody is moving forward with excitement and expectation. Today’s post addresses how Moody Publishers is embracing the future of this changing industry.

By Greg Thornton, vice president Moody Publishers
Through the centuries, really ever since Johannes Gutenberg invented his movable type printing press more than 500 years ago, book publishing has been a rather quiet, conservative and somewhat mysterious field. The business model was solid and predictable: publish a certain number of new releases and hope that at least a few of them catch on and sell more than the industry average of 3,000 copies per title.

Greg Thornton

Then along came the Internet and the world of digital – digital manuscripts, digital printing and digital readers like the Kindle and the iPad (not to mention PCs, laptops and cell phones). The changes multiplied as major companies like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Lulu made it very easy for anyone to publish a book with very little money down. Now throw in the turmoil that major retailers like Borders are experiencing, and it’s not surprising that some are predicting the end of book publishing.

Yet industry leaders like Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson are more optimistic about publishing than ever before. Even The New York Times is saying that it’s far too early to kiss book publishing goodbye. Why?

Publishers have made the shift to digital and taken advantage of the staggering sales of e-readers. Statistics are showing that those with e-readers are buying and reading more books. And why not? Millions of very affordable titles are just seconds away via download. And not only are e-books sales dramatically increasing, but 2010 saw an increase in overall print sales as well. Interestingly, Americans are spending a larger share of their personal budgets on books than they did in 1960.

As well, publishers are using social media tools like blogs, Facebook and Twitter to connect their good books to very specific audiences. Even more, they are engaging with these audiences directly, learning how to better edit, title and package books to meet readers’ needs.

At Moody Publishers, we’ve been hard at work this past year on publishing plans that align with Dr. Paul Nyquist’s Biblical Mission. Global Vision. for Moody Bible Institute. We are committed to helping our readers know, love and serve Jesus Christ. Accordingly, we’re organizing all of our activities around audience-focused publishing teams that will work even harder to know and serve their specific audiences. We will accomplish this as we deliver biblical, relevant content (print and e-book) to readers all over the world.

Thanks for helping us fulfill this mission as you buy, read and recommend Moody Publishers titles. And please, let us know of your encounters with Jesus as you read one of our great books and post your stories at Insidepages.net.

An Unexpected Educator

D.L. Moody’s birthday is tomorrow, Feb. 5. In recognition of this important day, we asked our very own Moody “expert” to contribute his thoughts on this great man of God.

By Gregg Quiggle, professor of Theology at Moody Bible Institute, Chicago 
Almost 25 years ago, I walked into a classroom at Moody to teach my first class.  I knew a little about the school, but quite honestly I knew even less about Dwight Moody. I guess I thought he was a fundamentalist evangelist from Chicago.

Gregg Quiggle

Over the years, I have not only grown to know Moody Bible Institute, I have become fascinated by Mr. Moody. He was a remarkable man. It is true, he was an evangelist, but he was not really a fundamentalist. It is also true that although he lived in Chicago for some of his life, he always considered the small rural town where he was born, Northfield, Mass., his home. Indeed, after he returned from his breakthrough campaign in the United Kingdom in 1875, he made Northfield his center of operations.

One of the more interesting things I have learned about Mr. Moody was his commitment to education. It is hard to imagine a person less suited to become a leader in educational innovation. Moody was one of nine children. His father died when he was only five, and his mother Emma was financially strapped and eights months pregnant with twins. As a result, Moody got, at best, five years of formal education.

He never forgot what it was like to be a poor child deprived of education. Later in life on one of his trips to Scotland, he quaintly observed that he “regretted exceedingly he had never had a college education himself; but he did not get it, and he was doing the best he could without it.”[1] It is hardly surprising one of the emphases of his life was education, especially educating the poor children. A colleague remarked,

“The sight of poor boys and girls deprived of the means of education would not let him rest until he had provided some method by which their lives should be enriched and made more in accordance with Heaven’s designs for them. He dotted this fair plain with houses that young men and young women should have the means of so enlarging their lives that they might be useful to their fellows.”[2] 

By the time he died, Moody had been instrumental in the founding of four schools in the U.S. and another in Scotland. He also served on the board of trustees at Wellesley and Mount Holyoke.

Moody’s first school was designed for poor girls. Northfield Seminary for girls opened in Northfield, Mass. in1879 and was a trailblazer in women’s education. The second, the Mount Hermon Boy’s School, followed in 1881. Both schools mixed education, practical instruction and Bible training. They also were remarkable for their commitment of educating people of color. Moody aggressively recruited children of slaves, Native Americans and poor immigrants. Both schools included Roman Catholics. Commenting on these two schools, Moody remarked,

“These are the best pieces of work I have ever done. I have been able to set in motion streams which will continue long after I am gone.”

The Moody Bible Institute was added to these schools in 1886. It was urban and designed to prepare men and women for Christian service.

Now, as I walk around campus, I often think about Mr. Moody. I think of the poor boy who probably often wished he could go to school. I think about the remarkable vision and energy of the man that worked to make education possible for poor boys and girls. I think of his burden to train workers to serve Christ in His church. Dwight L. Moody was a gifted evangelist, but he was also an educator. Sometimes as I walk into the classroom, I think of Mr. Moody and what a privilege it is to teach here. I think (and hope) he would like what we have become.

---

[1] William R. Moody, Life of Moody, 194. Moody often lamented his lack of education. “He himself had the scantiest equipment for his life-work, and he daily lamented¾though perhaps no one else ever did¾his deficiency.” Drummond, 85.

[2] Quoted in William R. Moody, Life of Moody, 563.

The Student's Perspective

Moody Bible Institute’s annual Founder’s Week was started 110 years ago for students, and over the years, we have been blessed by the many friends of Moody who have shared their love for this annual conference with us. Today, in honor of Founder's Week and our heritage, we are posting a student’s perspective on this historical conference.

By Krystallin Baker, Senior, Communications major and Pubic Relations intern 
I still remember my first Founder’s Week three years ago. I was a transfer student, and having lived in Chicago not even a semester, I found the city overwhelming and exciting. As I sloshed through snow and dodged patches of ice on the sidewalk during my mile-long walk to The Moody Church from campus, I thought Founder’s Week seemed too good to be true. 

Transferring in to Moody Bible Institute has given me a different perspective on a lot of things here, Founder’s Week being one of them. The concept of a college allowing you a week off from classes to attend a Bible conference was foreign to me. Three years later, as I walk to the last Founder’s Week of my Moody career, I still count it a blessing to be allowed the privilege of free attendance, a week off from classes and the chance to listen to some of the world’s finest Christian speakers.

Over the course of my years at Moody, I have a myriad of memories associated with this special week. There is of course the freezing cold; as the campus-wide joke goes, the temperature is guaranteed to drop right before opening session Monday night. And, there’s the crazy rush to the school cafeteria at meal times. But of all the memories I’ll take away with me from Founder’s Week, the strongest and brightest are my memories of the great truths God has taught me during these weeks.

Though I probably won’t remember the name of every speaker who crossed the threshold of The Moody Church, the stories they have told, the testimonies shared and the Biblical truth they have communicated carry eternal significance in my life. I have been encouraged by stories of God’s victory, such as the testimony of Wess Stafford. I have been convicted by the compelling messages “greats” such as Chuck Colson and Franklin Graham. And, I have been humbled by the Scriptures shared by countless speakers whose names are too numerous to list.

Founder’s Week is a busy time for students, running from session to session all day long, working on copious amounts of homework, and, for many of us, working jobs amidst it all. But, Founder’s Week is an incredible opportunity to silence our hearts, be still before the Lord our God and listen to His Word taught brilliantly by His gifted children. Moody has a legacy that stretches across the years, a legacy I am overwhelmed to think I am some small part of. A legacy reflected in the Biblical teaching of Founder’s Week.