By T. Emmett Bramwell
Concordia Vox
In the realm of radio, Lutherans have a long and rich history. The Lutheran Church-Missour Synod owns and operates the nation’s longest continually running religious radio station, KFUO. But as technology changes and audiences shift from regional to national to international, so too does the way radio is delivered. Perhaps it should not be a surprise to hear that just as Lutherans spearheaded use of the technology of yesteryear, we are at it again.
Pirate Christian Radio (www.piratechristianradio.com) is an Internet-based radio station designed to reach an international audience. Noticing that Christian broadcasters were no longer interested in solid Law/Gospel programming, founder, Chris Rosebrough, who holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, did what any good entrepreneur would do: In 2007, he decided to start his own radio station.
The result is arguably the most innovative approach to Lutheran radio in the past 50 years. By intentionally targeting an international audience, PCR took to the Internet with a goal of providing eight hours of Christ-centered radio in both preaching and talk formats. An ensemble of solid programming was put together that “proclaims the true Christian Gospel message that ‘Christ was crucified for our sins’ [and] exalts and defends the historic Christian faith from those who are trying to replace or mix it with pop-psychology, self-help, mysticism, liberalism, and Oprah-fied spirituality.”
Headlining Pirate Christian Radio is none other than “Issues, Etc.,” a show which was abruptly dropped from the Missouri Synod’s KFUO lineup on March 18, 2008. Many listeners were dismayed to find that ‘Issues’ had been canceled. However, after talking to Rosebrough, a man who loves to laugh, it would seem that the stir surrounding “Issues, Etc.” in the spring of 2008 has been turned into an opportunity for expanded service. Shortly after the plug was pulled on “Issues, Etc.,” Chris hopped on a flight to St. Louis with a proposal to put Rev. Wilken and producer Jeff Schwarz back on the air. Bringing “Issues, Etc.” onboard was paramount for the young station as the show brought an already established listening audience.
But “Issues, Etc.” is hardly the only thing going for Pirate Christian Radio. Other programs broadcast on the station include the following:
- “White Horse Inn” is a program hosted by four men of different denominational affiliations including Dr. Rod Rosenbladt, professor of theology at Concordia University – Irvine, Calif. All the hosts “long to see a second reformation take hold of our churches and return them to the God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-wrought places of worship they should be.” The White Horse Inn has been around for nearly 20 years.
- “Fighting for the Faith” is hosted by the Pirate Christian himself, Rosebrough. The premise behind this show is “to compare what people are saying in the name of God to the Word of God.” The entire show is built upon discernment, from the news to the sermon reviews and even the hilarious satire. That’s right, Fighting for the Faith not only provides solid biblical discernment but also delivers gut-wrenching humor that also makes a point. When asked about Marty Python’s Flying Circus Church, the unique satirical skits, Rosebrough commented that the “freedom of the Gospel lets us laugh,” and that he loves to laugh. The fact that he is a huge Monty Python fan has some notable influence on his comedic style.
- “Table Talk Radio,” “everyone’s favorite theological game show,” is hosted by Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller and seminarian Evan Goeglein. The show discusses “various articles of the Christian faith, the Holy Scriptures as well and current events as they relate to the faith.”
- “The God Whisperers” is co-hosted by Rev. Bill Cwirla who, in addition to radio and the parish, is also the President of Higher Things, “a Lutheran youth organization that strives to shape a confessional, liturgical Lutheran identity among those in high school and college.” The other Whisperer microphone is manned by Rev. Craig Donofrio, who, in addition to radio and the parish, is the executive director of South Orange County Outreach, “a mission society based in Southern California dedicated to apologetics forums and church planting.” Donofrio is also responsible for much of the leg work that went into building the Pirate Christian Radio lineup.
The rest of the programming is made up of: “Sermons From Holy Trinity,” “The Gift: Sermons from Faith Lutheran,” “Internet Monk,” “Radical Grace,” “SOCO,” “Higher Things,” “The Feast,” “Dying to Live,” “Living Water,” “Words of Hope” and “Time Out.”
So, with a year and a half under its belt, has Pirate Christian Radio achieved its goal of reaching an international audience with Christ-centered radio? The answer seems to be: yes. According to Rosebrough, “PCR is currently listened to in 67 countries.”
Rosebrough said he believes the success has come because the station is “not trying to beat people over the head with Lutheranism” but are simply providing a “Biblical meal people can’t get other places.” Listeners are discovering that “there are places left to hear the Gospel.” As a result of this approach, many people are coming to Lutheranism. Rosebrough said he receives e-mails on a regular basis from listeners who visited a Lutheran church after hearing the programming on PCR and have decided to continue worshipping there.
PCR has listeners at Concordia University Ann Arbor.
C.J. Luttinen, a pre-sem student double majoring in Biblical languages and psychology stumbled upon PCR on iTunes and had this to say about Fighting for the Faith: “I love that Chris takes a hard-line stance on his view of the Bible and defends it well. He goes against all takers and reviews the big names in today’s ‘Christian Mainstream.’ I listened for a week and already began to love it before I found out he was LCMS. What a bonus. It’s really helpful to hear what some of these big names are saying and then be given direct Bible passages breaking down why they are either right or wrong in their views. I had heard Rob Bell was controversial for a while but never heard him speak outside of the Nooma videos. Fighting for the Faith really helped to show me what he’s saying is wrong.”
Another CUAA listener, David Appold, who is doing his student teaching in Saginaw, said: “I regularly listen to Fighting for the Faith, with the occasional episode of “Issues Etc.” thrown in. In the past I’ve also been able to listen to some of the sermons that they broadcast daily.
“The best part of Fighting for the Faith is the sermon review. Whether it is a review of a good sermon or a bad one, Rosebrough does a great job of highlighting the pure teachings and correcting the false ones,” Appold added. “I think it’s especially helpful for future pastors to start thinking about what should be in a sermon; should it be a bunch of fun stories with a nice inspirational message, or should it be a true exposition of the Biblical text, with the Law preached in its fullness to drive us to our Savior, and then the Gospel given to show us who that Savior is and what He has done for us.”
Pirate Christian Radio is a listener-supported radio station and that is currently in the middle of building a crew of 1,000 supporters. To become a Crew Member, a person agrees to support PCR by donating $6.95 a month. Pirate Christian Radio has set up a Pirate Cove that can only be accessed by these members. Inside the cove is a treasure trove of information designed to equip Pirate Christian Radio listeners with the tools necessary to effectively discern what is taught throughout Christendom today.
T. Emmett Bramwell
Concordia Vox
In the realm of radio, Lutherans have a long and rich history. The Lutheran Church-Missour Synod owns and operates the nation’s longest continually running religious radio station, KFUO. But as technology changes and audiences shift from regional to national to international, so too does the way radio is delivered. Perhaps it should not be a surprise to hear that just as Lutherans spearheaded use of the technology of yesteryear, we are at it again.
Pirate Christian Radio is an Internet-based radio station designed to reach an international audience. Noticing that Christian broadcasters were no longer interested in solid Law/Gospel programming, founder, Chris Rosebrough, who holds an MBA from Pepperdine University, did what any good entrepreneur would do: In 2007, he decided to start his own radio station.
The result is arguably the most innovative approach to Lutheran radio in the past 50 years. By intentionally targeting an international audience, PCR took to the Internet with a goal of providing eight hours of Christ-centered radio in both preaching and talk formats. An ensemble of solid programming was put together that “proclaims the true Christian Gospel message that ‘Christ was crucified for our sins’ [and] exalts and defends the historic Christian faith from those who are trying to replace or mix it with pop-psychology, self-help, mysticism, liberalism, and Oprah-fied spirituality.”
Headlining Pirate Christian Radio is none other than “Issues, Etc.,” a show which was abruptly dropped from the Missouri Synod’s KFUO lineup on March 18, 2008. Many listeners were dismayed to find that ‘Issues’ had been canceled. However, after talking to Rosebrough, a man who loves to laugh, it would seem that the stir surrounding “Issues, Etc.” in the spring of 2008 has been turned into an opportunity for expanded service. Shortly after the plug was pulled on “Issues, Etc.,” Chris hopped on a flight to St. Louis with a proposal to put Rev. Wilken and producer Jeff Schwarz back on the air. Bringing “Issues, Etc.” onboard was paramount for the young station as the show brought an already established listening audience.
But “Issues, Etc.” is hardly the only thing going for Pirate Christian Radio. Other programs broadcast on the station include the following:
* “White Horse Inn” is a program hosted by four men of different denominational affiliations including Dr. Rod Rosenbladt, professor of theology at Concordia University – Irvine, Calif. All the hosts “long to see a second reformation take hold of our churches and return them to the God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-wrought places of worship they should be.” The White Horse Inn has been around for nearly 20 years.
* “Fighting for the Faith” is hosted by the Pirate Christian himself, Rosebrough. The premise behind this show is “to compare what people are saying in the name of God to the Word of God.” The entire show is built upon discernment, from the news to the sermon reviews and even the hilarious satire. That’s right, Fighting for the Faith not only provides solid biblical discernment but also delivers gut-wrenching humor that also makes a point. When asked about Marty Python’s Flying Circus Church, the unique satirical skits, Rosebrough commented that the “freedom of the Gospel lets us laugh,” and that he loves to laugh. The fact that he is a huge Monty Python fan has some notable influence on his comedic style.
* “Table Talk Radio,” “everyone’s favorite theological game show,” is hosted by Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller and seminarian Evan Goeglein. The show discusses “various articles of the Christian faith, the Holy Scriptures as well and current events as they relate to the faith.”
* “The God Whisperers” is co-hosted by Rev. Bill Cwirla who, in addition to radio and the parish, is also the President of Higher Things, “a Lutheran youth organization that strives to shape a confessional, liturgical Lutheran identity among those in high school and college.” The other Whisperer microphone is manned by Rev. Craig Donofrio, who, in addition to radio and the parish, is the executive director of South Orange County Outreach, “a mission society based in Southern California dedicated to apologetics forums and church planting.” Donofrio is also responsible for much of the leg work that went into building the Pirate Christian Radio lineup.
The rest of the programming is made up of: “Sermons From Holy Trinity,” “The Gift: Sermons from Faith Lutheran,” “Internet Monk,” “Radical Grace,” “SOCO,” “Higher Things,” “The Feast,” “Dying to Live,” “Living Water,” “Words of Hope” and “Time Out.”
So, with a year and a half under its belt, has Pirate Christian Radio achieved its goal of reaching an international audience with Christ-centered radio? The answer seems to be: yes. According to Rosebrough, “PCR is currently listened to in 67 countries.”
Rosebrough said he believes the success has come because the station is “not trying to beat people over the head with Lutheranism” but are simply providing a “Biblical meal people can’t get other places.” Listeners are discovering that “there are places left to hear the Gospel.” As a result of this approach, many people are coming to Lutheranism. Rosebrough said he receives e-mails on a regular basis from listeners who visited a Lutheran church after hearing the programming on PCR and have decided to continue worshipping there.
PCR has listeners at Concordia University Ann Arbor.
C.J. Luttinen, a pre-sem student double majoring in Biblical languages and psychology stumbled upon PCR on iTunes and had this to say about Fighting for the Faith: “I love that Chris takes a hard-line stance on his view of the Bible and defends it well. He goes against all takers and reviews the big names in today’s ‘Christian Mainstream.’ I listened for a week and already began to love it before I found out he was LCMS. What a bonus. It’s really helpful to hear what some of these big names are saying and then be given direct Bible passages breaking down why they are either right or wrong in their views. I had heard Rob Bell was controversial for a while but never heard him speak outside of the Nooma videos. Fighting for the Faith really helped to show me what he’s saying is wrong.”
Another CUAA listener, David Appold, who is doing his student teaching in Saginaw, said: “I regularly listen to Fighting for the Faith, with the occasional episode of “Issues Etc.” thrown in. In the past I’ve also been able to listen to some of the sermons that they broadcast daily.
“The best part of Fighting for the Faith is the sermon review. Whether it is a review of a good sermon or a bad one, Rosebrough does a great job of highlighting the pure teachings and correcting the false ones,” Appold added. “I think it’s especially helpful for future pastors to start thinking about what should be in a sermon; should it be a bunch of fun stories with a nice inspirational message, or should it be a true exposition of the Biblical text, with the Law preached in its fullness to drive us to our Savior, and then the Gospel given to show us who that Savior is and what He has done for us.”
Pirate Christian Radio is a listener-supported radio station that is currently in the middle of building a crew of 1,000 supporters. To become a Crew Member, a person agrees to support PCR by donating $6.95 a month. Pirate Christian Radio has set up a Pirate Cove that can only be accessed by these members. Inside the cove is a treasure trove of information designed to equip Pirate Christian Radio listeners with the tools necessary to effectively discern what is taught throughout Christendom today.
To find out more about Pirate Christian Radio visit www.piratechristianradio.com/.
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