Dr. Youssef is the founding rector (preacher) of Atlanta’s The Church of the Apostles and is the founder of the international radio and television outreach Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. He is an expert in “Red state” moral issues (abortion, gay marriage, tyrannical courts, world tragedies) and matters especially pertaining to the Middle East, whether they be political, cultural or religious in nature. One month before Yasar Arafat’s death, Dr. Youssef was asked to meet with him to share the Gospel message. He continues to work with religious leaders in Israel/Palestine to create a religious peace to assist in creating an atmosphere for a political peace.
Born and raised in Egypt, Dr. Youssef speaks fluent English and Arabic. He and his wife came to America in 1977 and he became a U.S. citizen in 1984, he is also an excellent interview regarding immigration. His family has flourished in America and his daughter even worked in the Bush White House for the first year, following her work on the campaign, and co-authored education policy for the administration.
Dr. Youssef’s ministry, Leading The Way, reaches into 191 countries with dual-language programs (one line spoken in English by Dr. Youssef, one line in another language by a translator). Listeners/Viewers not only hear an encouraging message, but are also able to learn the English language. China has recently encouraged citizens to listen to these programs to learn English as those in service oriented jobs, by law, must know the language in order to work during the Olympics in 2008. Dr. Youssef has also received strong communications from Iraqis before and after the war. He says there is great hope in that country now that wasn’t in the letters before. The program is aired on Radio Monte Carlo, where many Iraqis listen to learn English as well as hear the Gospel. The TV program also airs in English in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Youssef has a master’s degree in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in California (1978), and a doctorate in Social Anthropology from Emory University in Georgia, he studied for his undergraduate degree while living in Australia where he met his wife. He served for over 9 years with the Haggai Institute, traveling around the world teaching courses on cross cultural communication, before founding The Church of the Apostles in 1987.
Dr. Youssef has authored 21 books ranging from evangelical devotionals to a doctoral dissertation on terrorist cells in the Middle East. His book on the Middle East was first published in 1985, stating that there was more of a threat there to the United States, than the Cold War. The book, including interviews with those considered to be the infancy of Al Queda, was reissued in 2002 where Dr. Youssef stated, “I still believe today that this book is a very important work for understanding the rise of modern Islamic terrorism.”
