Hi all,
On this very special episode of Divine Intervention, we report live on scene from the 2011 National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennesee. I got to meet and talk with many of the key players of the NRB like Dr. Frank Wright, the President and CEO of NRB, and Craig Parshall, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for NRB. I also ventured out onto the exhibition floor and spoke with some interesting people like Jason DeZurik of World View Warriors ministry, and actor, comedian, and writer, Torry Martin.
Frank Wright, Ph.D.
President/CEO of NRB
Dr. Frank Wright is president and chief executive officer of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) and chief executive officer of the NRB Network. Located in the Washington, DC area, NRB is an international association of Christian communicators whose member organizations represent millions of viewers, listeners and readers worldwide. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the NRB Network is the non-profit programming entity created by NRB to gain expanded media access for the programs of NRB members. Currently, these programs are distributed through a non-commercial channel on DIRECTV (channel 378).
The focus of NRB members is on proclaiming the good news of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, transforming culture through sound biblical teaching, and preserving religious liberty by keeping the doors of electronic media open for the Gospel. The work of NRB, as an association, is to expand opportunities for the Gospel in electronic media, to protect the rights and interests of Christian broadcasters in legislative and regulatory arenas, and to provide educational and networking opportunities for its members.
As an ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church (PCA), Dr. Wright has a long history of involvement in Christian ministry, including a 25-year association with the ministries of Dr. D. James Kennedy. Prior to assuming the presidency of NRB, Dr. Wright served as founding executive director of the Center for Christian Statesmanship, a spiritually based outreach to members of Congress and their staff.
Now in his fifteenth year working on Capitol Hill, Dr. Wright has close working relationships with congressmen, senators and influential staff, as well as administration officials at the highest levels.
Although Dr. Wright holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Florida Atlantic University, his background is not limited to academic achievements. Aside from earning his doctorate and publishing academic papers, Dr. Wright has distinguished himself by his leadership in numerous ministry settings, including:
• Elected as an Elder at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Dr. Wright also served as director of Community Services, guiding the church’s outreach programs to the poor. Currently, he serves as an Elder at McLean Presbyterian Church (PCA) in McLean, Virginia.
• As a founding board member of a Fort Lauderdale crisis pregnancy center, Dr. Wright served eight years on the board of directors, the last four as president and chairman.
• Dr. Wright served as executive director of the Alliance for Responsible Growth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating local municipalities on the impact of pornography.
• Serving on the board of directors of various Christian organizations, Dr. Wright also served on the board of Knox Theological Seminary. He currently serves on the boards of the NRB Network, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), Evangelism Explosion International, and Coral Ridge Ministries Media.
Dr. Wright is an accomplished speaker, Bible teacher and ministry leader. In many ways, he has been uniquely prepared for his role as president of NRB. Few people in America share his blend of executive presence, practical ministry experience and significant influence in the corridors of power in Washington.
Craig L. Parshall
Senior Vice President and
General Counsel
Craig Parshall is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for National Religious Broadcasters (NRB). As Senior Vice President, Craig oversees the communications and media efforts of NRB. As General Counsel, Craig heads the Office of General Counsel, and handles both the internal legal issues for NRB, as well as external legal and constitutional issues that implicate NRB’s mission to maximize freedoms for Christian broadcasters. Prior to coming to NRB, Mr. Parshall’s law practice emphasized on constitutional rights and civil liberties. He has been licensed to practice law in, and has represented clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the federal District Courts and federal Courts of Appeal in Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Denver, Dallas, New Orleans and Richmond, and has argued cases before the state supreme courts of Wisconsin and North Carolina, and before the highest court in Maryland, the Court of Appeals.
Mr. Parshall has assisted leaders on Capitol Hill in drafting legislative language protecting religious liberties, and he has testified before Congress on constitutional issues. Craig has appeared on numerous national media outlets, including NBC’s Today Show, CNN, CBS radio, C-Span, PBS, NPR and Court TV. His cases have been profiled in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Boston Globe, the National Law Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Milwaukee Journal, the L.A. Times, and the Des Moines Register, among others.
As a writer, Mr. Parshall has authored seven legal suspense novels. Recently his legal thrillers have been translated into Dutch.
JASON DEZURIK
CEO and Founder
Worldview Warriors
Host
Do Not Keep Silent
Jason DeZurik is one of the Midwest’s leading radio personalities for students. His reputation for presenting Biblical truth, candid opinions and playful personality have made Do Not Keep Silent one of the most listened to programs on the New Vision FM radio network. Because of his 15 years in youth ministry, DeZurik is respected as a leading expert on teen spirituality. Jason’s unique blend of modern Christian music and insightful views on student issues has captured the attention of young at heart radio listeners of all ages. DeZurik also keeps a full schedule speaking at Christian schools, clubs, youth events, and music festivals (which includes Lifelight in South Dakota). He has spoken in over 20 states in the last 2 years. Online, he maintains a strong social networking presence and creates blogs and podcasts for Worldview Warriors, the nonprofit company he founded to equip students to impact this generation for Jesus Christ.
TORRY MARTIN - Comedy For God
Although Martin has a long list of accomplishments as an actor, author, storyteller and a standup comedian, he prefers to use his gifts for laughter, writing and entertaining to bring serious messages to audiences through the softening blows of humor. After telling a typical “Torry Story” revolving around his own blundering and misfortune, Martin pulls in the spiritual lesson in a sometimes subtle way. “If I can keep them laughing while they’re learning it doesn’t hurt their brains as much.”
Martin was a standup comic and actor in Los Angeles before he became a Christian. After finding the Lord, Martin moved to Alaska and lived in a remote cabin with a friend who was studying for ministry. He gave up acting and comedy for two years and studied the bible while becoming grounded in his faith. After being encouraged by some friends at his church, Torry began writing comedy sketches which he entered into the national competition sponsored by the Gospel Music Association called Christian Artists, now called Seminar in the Rockies. He won the grand prize two years in a row and now returns annually as an instructor. Martin has written for “Adventures in Odyssey”, a children’s radio series produced by Focus on the Family. For this self-proclaimed “hippie-for-the-Holy-One,” the melding of talent and faith have also resulted in the release of several books, including “Under the Circumstances,” and “What a Character,” both are collections of comedy sketches about Christian life.
Published by Lillenas Drama, the books are available in Christian book stores worldwide. While the sketches rely heavily on comedy to convey their messages, they also harbor moments of drama, often pulling no punches to get the point across. “I like using comedy in my writing because we need to be able to make fun of ourselves,” Martin says. “We take ourselves too seriously, but we don’t take God seriously enough and that needs some fixing.” Martin says he hopes his material will help and audience focus more on their relationships with God and place less emphasis on the technicalities of differing denominations or outside appearances. His blend of hilarious personal experiences, human observations and spiritual applications have made him one of the most entertaining and comical speakers around. From churches to corporate functions, banquets to biker rallys, or prisons to praise gatherings, the appeal of Torry Martin’s material makes him a perfect choice for groups and gatherings of all kinds.
Click the links below to listen to this very special episode of Divine Intervention as we report live from NRB 2011!
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