Craig Olson was born to Clyde and Louise Olson from the tiny hamlet of Borup in northern Minnesota. Their forebears emigrated from Norway to establish homesteads on the rich farmland of the Red River Valley. They attended a one-room schoolhouse and belonged to a high school graduating class of less than thirty people. After the Second World War, Clyde moved to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul with his new wife. He took a job as an equipment operator with the local public gas utility. He worked outdoors in the hot Minnesota summers and bitter cold winters for about thirty years before he was forced to retire due to severe rheumatoid arthritis. He and Louise raised five children according to their strict Scandinavian standards. Olson has a B.A. in Ancient Greek from Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He has taught Bible studies from the original Koinea Greek version of the New Testament to adult Sunday School classes. He spent eight years as a missionary with the Overseas Missionary Fellowship in northern Japan where he shared preaching responsibilities in Japanese with the pastor of a local Japanese church. Upon returning to the States in 1987, he got a job with an automotive supplier to the Japanese transplant auto–makers. He used his Japanese language skills to liaison with Japanese staff, troubleshooting problems and promoting the business. He was able to salvage several important accounts due to his ability to unearth the hidden agendas of his company’s Japanese clients.Olson is an avid student of the Bible. His language skills and knowledge of other cultures give him an ability to understand scripture in its historical and linguistic context. He lives in Wheaton, IL, with his wife, Shan. He has two children and two stepchildren. His daughter Heather works for a travel adventure company and lives in Breckenridge, Colorado. His son Curt resides in the Chicago area and is a social worker. His step-daughter Shauna is a nurse in a local clinic. Her brother Dan is a captain in the U.S. Army and graduate of West Point Academy.