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Biola University was founded in 1908 as the '''B'''ible '''I'''nstitute '''O'''f '''L'''os '''A'''ngeles by [[Lyman Stewart]], co-owner of the Union Oil Company of California (subsequently known as [[Unocal]]; the company was purchased by [[Chevron Corporation]] and no longer exists), and T.C. Horton, a [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]] and Christian author.<ref name="IHPE">William Jeynes and David W. Robinson (2012), ''International Handbook of Protestant Education'', Springer, ISBN 9400723865, [http://books.google.com/books?id=NIBlry_2oLQC&pg=PA127 p. 127.]</ref><ref>William Deverell and Greg Hise (2010), ''A Companion to Los Angeles'', Wiley, ISBN 1405171278, [http://books.google.com/books?id=_ek3WDQpWJcC&pg=PA196 p. 196.]</ref>
Biola University was founded in 1908 as the '''B'''ible '''I'''nstitute '''O'''f '''L'''os '''A'''ngeles by [[Lyman Stewart]], co-owner of the Union Oil Company of California (subsequently known as [[Unocal]]; the company was purchased by [[Chevron Corporation]] and no longer exists), and T.C. Horton, a [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]] and Christian author.<ref name="IHPE">William Jeynes and David W. Robinson (2012), ''International Handbook of Protestant Education'', Springer, ISBN 9400723865, [http://books.google.com/books?id=NIBlry_2oLQC&pg=PA127 p. 127.]</ref><ref>William Deverell and Greg Hise (2010), ''A Companion to Los Angeles'', Wiley, ISBN 1405171278, [http://books.google.com/books?id=_ek3WDQpWJcC&pg=PA196 p. 196.]</ref>


In 1912, the school appointed [[Reuben Archer Torrey|R. A. Torrey]] as dean, and in 1913 began construction on a new building in [[downtown Los Angeles]] at the corner of Sixth St. and Hope St., which included a 3,500-seat auditorium for church services by the [[Church of the Open Door]], two large [[neon sign]]s on top of the building proclaiming "Jesus Saves," and a set of eleven bells on which hymns were played three times each day.<ref name="Stargel">Cory Stargel and Sarah Stargel, ''Early Downtown Los Angeles'', Arcadia Publishing, 2009, ISBN 0738570036, [http://books.google.com/books?id=1XGVAdrVtbIC&pg=PA36 p. 36.]</ref><ref name="IHPE"/><ref>Randall Herbert Balmer (2002), ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism'', Westminster John Knox Press, ISBN 066422409, [http://books.google.com/books?id=syUupeVJOz4C&pg=PA69 p. 69.]</ref><ref>David Kipen (2011), ''Los Angeles in The 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City of Angels'', University of California Press, ISBN 052026883, [http://books.google.com/books?id=aezmS52IavcC&pg=PA159 p. 159.]</ref> In 1949, the institution took the name Biolo College, in 1959 it moved south to its present location in [[suburban]] La Mirada, and in 1981 it was renamed Biola University.<ref name="Stargel"/><ref name="IHPE"/><ref></ref>Hans Joachim Hillerbrand (2004) ''The Encyclopedia of Protestantism'', Volume 1, Routledge, ISBN 0415924723, [http://books.google.com/books?id=4bnvbTel4Y4C&pg=PA388 p. 388.]</ref><ref name="History">[http://www.biola.edu/about/history/ Biola web site: History]</ref>
In 1912, the school appointed [[Reuben Archer Torrey|R. A. Torrey]] as dean, and in 1913 began construction on a new building in [[downtown Los Angeles]] at the corner of Sixth St. and Hope St., which included a 3,500-seat auditorium for church services by the [[Church of the Open Door]], two large [[neon sign]]s on top of the building proclaiming "Jesus Saves," and a set of eleven bells on which hymns were played three times each day.<ref name="Stargel">Cory Stargel and Sarah Stargel, ''Early Downtown Los Angeles'', Arcadia Publishing, 2009, ISBN 0738570036, [http://books.google.com/books?id=1XGVAdrVtbIC&pg=PA36 p. 36.]</ref><ref name="IHPE"/><ref name="RHB">Randall Herbert Balmer (2002), ''Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism'', Westminster John Knox Press, ISBN 066422409, [http://books.google.com/books?id=syUupeVJOz4C&pg=PA69 pp. 68-70.]</ref><ref>David Kipen (2011), ''Los Angeles in The 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City of Angels'', University of California Press, ISBN 052026883, [http://books.google.com/books?id=aezmS52IavcC&pg=PA159 p. 159.]</ref> In 1949, the institution took the name Biolo College, in 1959 it moved south to its present location in [[suburban]] La Mirada, and in 1981 it was renamed Biola University.<ref name="Stargel"/><ref name="IHPE"/><ref name="RHB"/><ref>Hans Joachim Hillerbrand (2004) ''The Encyclopedia of Protestantism'', Volume 1, Routledge, ISBN 0415924723, [http://books.google.com/books?id=4bnvbTel4Y4C&pg=PA388 p. 388.]</ref>


In 1917, the Institute published a four-volume version of ''[[The Fundamentals|The Fundamentals: A Testimony To The Truth]]'' ( a series of essays affirming conservative [[Protestant]] and [[Reformed]] beliefs), which had originally been funded by Lyman Stewart and his brother Milton, and edited by R. A. Torrey and others.<ref>Mal Couch (2000), ''The Fundamentals for the Twenty-First Century: Examining the Crucial Issues of the Christian Faith'', Kregel Academic, ISBN 0825423686, [http://books.google.com/books?id=-wxAbeThxyYC&pg=PA16 p. 16.]</ref><ref>George M. Marsden (1982), ''Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth Century Evangelicalism, 1870-1925'', Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195030834, [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=9swPktfLJigC&pg=PA118 pp. 118-123.]</ref>
In 1917, the Institute published a four-volume version of ''[[The Fundamentals|The Fundamentals: A Testimony To The Truth]]'' ( a series of essays affirming conservative [[Protestant]] and [[Reformed]] beliefs), which had originally been funded by Lyman Stewart and his brother Milton, and edited by R. A. Torrey and others.<ref>Mal Couch (2000), ''The Fundamentals for the Twenty-First Century: Examining the Crucial Issues of the Christian Faith'', Kregel Academic, ISBN 0825423686, [http://books.google.com/books?id=-wxAbeThxyYC&pg=PA16 p. 16.]</ref><ref>George M. Marsden (1982), ''Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth Century Evangelicalism, 1870-1925'', Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195030834, [http://books.google.com.au/books?id=9swPktfLJigC&pg=PA118 pp. 118-123.]</ref>
Line 37: Line 37:
In the late 1920s, religious disputes broke out within the Institute, and evangelist [[Charles E. Fuller]] (a former graduate) was drafted as second vice president to resolve the issue and to find a new dean and a president (Elbert McCreery and William P. White, both associated with [[Moody Bible Institute]], were chosen to fill these posts).<ref>Tom Sitton and William Francis Deverell (2001), ''Metropolis in the Making: Los Angeles in the 1920s'', University of California Press, ISBN 0520226275, [http://books.google.com/books?id=b1jJtMXo1UEC&pg=PA238 pp. 238-243.]</ref>
In the late 1920s, religious disputes broke out within the Institute, and evangelist [[Charles E. Fuller]] (a former graduate) was drafted as second vice president to resolve the issue and to find a new dean and a president (Elbert McCreery and William P. White, both associated with [[Moody Bible Institute]], were chosen to fill these posts).<ref>Tom Sitton and William Francis Deverell (2001), ''Metropolis in the Making: Los Angeles in the 1920s'', University of California Press, ISBN 0520226275, [http://books.google.com/books?id=b1jJtMXo1UEC&pg=PA238 pp. 238-243.]</ref>


During the [[Great Depression]], the Institute suffered serious financial difficulties.<ref name="RHB"/> In 1932, Louis T. Talbot, pastor of the Church of the Open Door, assumed the presidency and helped raise much-needed funds.<ref name="RHB"/>
In 1945, a School of Missionary Medicine was included within the Institute.<ref name="History"/>
During the next two decades, Talbot led a shift away from missions, instead concentrating on academic programs.<ref name="RHB"/> The [[Talbot School of Theology|Talbot Theological Seminary]] became the Institute's first graduate school, and in 1977, the graduate programs of [[Rosemead]] Graduate School of Professional Psychology were acquired by the College and relocated to the La Mirada campus.<ref name="RHB"/> A School of Business was added in 1993.<ref name="RHB"/>


== Theology ==
== Theology ==

Revision as of 03:46, 29 May 2012

Biola University
File:Biola logo16.png
MottoAbove All Give Glory to God
TypePrivate
EstablishedFebruary 25, 1908
AffiliationNon-denominational, Evangelical Christian
Endowment$60 million[1]
PresidentBarry H. Corey, Ph.D
ProvostDavid Nystrom
Academic staff
900
Undergraduates4,106
Postgraduates1,995
Location
La Mirada
,
CA
,
USA
CampusSuburban, 96 acres (39 ha)
Athletics17 varsity teams, called Eagles
ColorsRed and white   
AffiliationsCCCU
GSAC
MascotEagle
Websitewww.biola.edu

Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located in La Mirada, California. The university has several satellite campuses in Chino Hills, Inglewood, San Diego, and Laguna Hills.

History

Biola's former Los Angeles building: under construction (top) and complete in 1916 (bottom). It was demolished in 1988.[2]

Biola University was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute Of Los Angeles by Lyman Stewart, co-owner of the Union Oil Company of California (subsequently known as Unocal; the company was purchased by Chevron Corporation and no longer exists), and T.C. Horton, a minister and Christian author.[3][4]

In 1912, the school appointed R. A. Torrey as dean, and in 1913 began construction on a new building in downtown Los Angeles at the corner of Sixth St. and Hope St., which included a 3,500-seat auditorium for church services by the Church of the Open Door, two large neon signs on top of the building proclaiming "Jesus Saves," and a set of eleven bells on which hymns were played three times each day.[2][3][5][6] In 1949, the institution took the name Biolo College, in 1959 it moved south to its present location in suburban La Mirada, and in 1981 it was renamed Biola University.[2][3][5][7]

In 1917, the Institute published a four-volume version of The Fundamentals: A Testimony To The Truth ( a series of essays affirming conservative Protestant and Reformed beliefs), which had originally been funded by Lyman Stewart and his brother Milton, and edited by R. A. Torrey and others.[8][9]

In the late 1920s, religious disputes broke out within the Institute, and evangelist Charles E. Fuller (a former graduate) was drafted as second vice president to resolve the issue and to find a new dean and a president (Elbert McCreery and William P. White, both associated with Moody Bible Institute, were chosen to fill these posts).[10]

During the Great Depression, the Institute suffered serious financial difficulties.[5] In 1932, Louis T. Talbot, pastor of the Church of the Open Door, assumed the presidency and helped raise much-needed funds.[5] During the next two decades, Talbot led a shift away from missions, instead concentrating on academic programs.[5] The Talbot Theological Seminary became the Institute's first graduate school, and in 1977, the graduate programs of Rosemead Graduate School of Professional Psychology were acquired by the College and relocated to the La Mirada campus.[5] A School of Business was added in 1993.[5]

Theology

Biola University is officially non-denominational, but the most represented denominations at the university are Baptist and Evangelical Free. Biola is well known for its conservative evangelical doctrine, while many other evangelical schools identify as either moderate or liberal. The vast majority of students and faculty identify themselves as evangelical, but Biola students and faculty hold to a myriad of perspectives within the overall schema of Protestant orthodoxy. Biola holds to the key doctrine of Biblical inerrancy, the idea that the original writings of the Bible were without error with regard to both theological and non-theological matters. The institution officially holds to the teaching of premillennial dispensationalism, and requires its faculty members to be in accord with this theological and cultural perspective. As a final guarantee of strict adherence to its theological worldview, the university requires every faculty member, when first hired and again upon application for tenure, to submit their understanding of and complete agreement with each item of the doctrinal and teaching statements to the Talbot School of Theology for evaluation.

Conferences

"The Word," mural by Kent Twitchell

Biola holds two annual student conferences, the Missions Conference during the spring semester and the Torrey Memorial Bible Conference during the fall semester. Both graduate and undergraduate students are required to attend.[citation needed]

The Missions Conference is the largest annual missions conference and the second largest missions conference in the world, second only to the tri-annual Urbana Missions Conference. It is a three-day student-run event that is intended to inspire students towards missionary activity and provide information about missionary work. Classes are canceled Wednesday through Friday in the middle of spring semester to accommodate this. The conference offers ethnic meals, cultural awareness field trips, on-campus cultural experiences, and interaction with missionaries.[11]

The Torrey Memorial Bible Conference is also a three-day conference dedicated to students' spiritual growth. Every year a specific topic is chosen that is geared towards the typical college student's spiritual needs.

The annual one-day Biola Media Conference seeks to advance the integration of faith and the arts. It brings together Christian media leaders and other Christians for education, inspiration, and networking.[12]

On November 16, 1996, the university hosted the first national conference on intelligent design. Later, Intervarsity Press published Mere Creation (ISBN 0-8308-1515-5), a collection of the papers presented at the conference. Subsequent intelligent design conferences were held at the University in 2002 and 2004.[citation needed]

On October 3, 2009, Biola sponsored the first ever Film Music Guild Conference (known as the FMG Conference 2009), a project intended to bring students from film and music schools in Los Angeles together to learn from top industry professionals. It is the only conference in world designed to bring together student filmmakers and student composers for discussion.[citation needed]

Messianic Jewish Studies

On October 8, 2007, Biola opened the Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies, in Manhattan. The Center offers a Masters in Divinity in Messianic Jewish Studies. The program, which is in cooperation with Chosen People Ministries, focuses on the education and training of leaders in the Messianic Jewish community.[13]

Organization

Colleges and schools

Biola offers 37 undergraduate majors and 145 professional fields of study, as well as master's, doctoral, and professional degrees. Degrees include B.A., B.S., B.M., B.F.A, M.A., M.B.A., M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., D.Miss., Psy.D., Ed.D., and Ph.D. All are regionally and professionally accredited and are integrated with evangelical Christian doctrine.[citation needed]

The schools are:

  • Crowell School of Business
  • Rosemead School of Psychology
  • School of Arts and Sciences
  • School of Education
  • Cook School of Intercultural Studies
  • School of Professional Studies
  • Talbot School of Theology

All undergraduate students are required to take 30 units of Bible classes, regardless of their major, resulting in a minor in theological and biblical studies. The mission of Biola University is "biblically centered education, scholarship, and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ."[This quote needs a citation]

Biola is ranked 170th among "National Universit[ies]" [14] and 16th among "Up and Coming Schools" by U.S. News & World Report.[15]

Accreditation

Biola University holds institutional accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and certain programs are accredited by:

  • 1960 California Commission for Teacher Preparation and Licensing
  • 1961 Western Association of Schools and Colleges
  • 1966 State of California Board of Registered Nursing
  • 1970 National Association of Schools of Music
  • 1972 National League for Nursing
  • 1977 Association of Theological Schools
  • 1977 Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
  • 1980 American Psychological Association
  • 1998 The National Association of Schools of Art and Design
  • 2006 Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs
  • 2006 Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Founders

  • Lyman Stewart
  • T. C. Horton

Presidents

  • William P. White, 1st president (1929–1932)
  • Louis T. Talbot, 2nd and 4th president (1932–1935, 1938–1952)
  • Paul W. Rood, 3rd president (1935–1938)
  • Samuel H. Sutherland, 5th president (1952–1970)
  • J. Richard Chase, 6th president (1970–1982)
  • Clyde Cook, 7th president (1982–2007)
  • Barry Corey, 8th president (2007–present)

Student organizations

Since its founding in 1908, Biola students have organized and run numerous student organizations, including the Biola Men and the King's Daughters. Biola currently has over 50 student-run clubs and organizations funded and monitored by the club director within the Associated Student government. Interestingly, the Associated Student government is both representative and administrative, containing both a student Senate and an events board composed of students, something highly uncommon in university student governments. The annual budget of the Associated Students consistently exceeds $500,000 and past leaders of the Associated Students have gone on to work in business, ministry, politics, as well as working in leadership in the University.

In Spring 2012, the Biola Rugby Football Club won its first game as a club against the UCI 3rd side, 34-5. The Biola Fight Club, a student-led Mixed Martial Arts club, was the first "MMA" club at a Christian university, though it was discontinued for unknown reasons. Other notable clubs include Maharlika ("royalty" in the Filipino language), a Filipino culture club that puts on a PCN (Pilipino Culture Night) every year in May, the Hawaii Club, which promotes the state of Hawaii and Polynesian culture, the Biola Asian Student Association(BASA), a heterogeneous Asian ethnic club, and the Honorable Biola Cheese Society, a club that began as a floor tradition with weekly meetings consisting of classical music, poetry readings, cheese tasting and grape juice.

The Film Music Guild, started by music composition student Dave Martina in 2006, is a quickly growing student organization. Originally teaching film students about music and music students about film, the Film Music Guild has recently began broadening its goals to include creative collaboration, specifically in film. On October 3, 2009, the Film Music Guild brought about 120 students and 12 industry professionals (including Pete Docter, director of Pixar's Up; John Ottman, composer and editor of Valkyrie, and many others) into the same room to discuss storytelling, film music, and creative collaboration. The Film Music Guild plans on making this an annual event.

Running parallel to the Associated Student Government is the Student Missionary Union (SMU). Established in 1923, SMU's mission is "To motivate and mobilize students to align their lives toward the completion of the Great Commission." SMU is the largest student-run missions organization in the Western hemisphere, putting on the largest annual Missions Conference in the country, as well as sending out an average of 12 student-led missions per year all over the world.

Athletics

A member of the NAIA Division I, Biola competes in the Golden State Athletic Conference in the following 17 intercollegiate sports:

  • Baseball (men)
  • Basketball (men and women)
  • Cross Country (men and women)
  • Cheerleading (women, maybe men)
  • Golf (men and women)
  • Soccer (men and women)
  • Softball (women)
  • Swimming (men and women)
  • Tennis (men and women)
  • Track (men and women)
  • Volleyball (women)

Biola University also has a club men's lacrosse team that competed in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse Conference, but as of 2009 they compete in a new conference, the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC). Biola also has a club men's rugby team that will begin playing in the SCRFU in 2013.

In 2005, the university's soccer pitch, Barbour Field, was completely rebuilt, incorporating a FieldTurf synthetic grass surface, new lighting, and a parking garage beneath the field.

Publications

The university has been involved in the publication of the following magazines and academic journals:

  • The King's Business was a monthly publication of Biola from 1910 to 1970. In the first decades of its publication, it was the leading journal for conservative Christianity and the early fundamentalist movement. In fact, The Fundamentals and The King's Business shared the same chief editor (R. A. Torrey) and were supported by the same "concerned laymen" (Lyman and Milton Stewart).
  • Philosophia Christi is a peer-reviewed journal published twice a year by the Evangelical Philosophical Society with the support of Biola University as a vehicle for the scholarly discussion of philosophy and philosophical issues in the fields of ethics, theology, and religion. The journal is indexed by The Philosopher's Index and Religious & Theological Abstracts.
  • Journal of Psychology and Theology has as its purpose to communicate recent scholarly thinking on the interrelationships of psychological and theological concepts, and to consider the application of these concepts to a variety of professional settings. The major intent of the editor is to place before the evangelical community articles that have bearing on the nature of humankind from a biblical perspective.
  • Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care has as its purpose advancing the discussion of the theory and practice of Christian formation and soul care for the sake of the educational ministries of the church, Christian education, and other para-church organizations through scholarly publications that are rooted in biblical exegesis, systematic theology, the history of Christian spirituality, philosophical analysis, psychological theory/research, spiritual theology, and Christian experience.
  • Christian Education Journal has as its purpose to strengthen the conception and practice of Christian education in church and para-church settings.
  • Great Commission Research Journal is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to research and scholarly thinking on church growth.
  • Biola Magazine is the official magazine of Biola University.
  • Sundoulos is the official magazine of Talbot School of Theology.
  • The Chimes is Biola's student newspaper.
  • The Point is a magazine produced by Biola's journalism program that won the 2008 Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award, the highest honor for a collegiate magazine.
  • The Inkslinger is a student creative arts journal.

Notable alumni

Biola's notable alumni include Princess of Swaziland Sikhanyiso Dlamini, Major League Baseball players Tim Worrell and Todd Worrell, founder of Fuller Theological Seminary Charles E. Fuller, author Josh McDowell, film director Scott Derrickson, U.S. Senator John Thune, Emmy Nominated Television producer of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Andy Luckey, award-winning author and psychologist John Townsend.

Notable faculty

  • William Lane Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy
  • J. Vernon McGee, (late) Professor of Bible and Department Chair
  • J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy
  • Robert L. Saucy, Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology
  • John H. Coe, Director, Institute for Spiritual Formation
  • David Hunt, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Divine Foreknowledge and Agency

References

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2010. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2010 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2009 to FY 2010" (PDF). 2010 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Cory Stargel and Sarah Stargel, Early Downtown Los Angeles, Arcadia Publishing, 2009, ISBN 0738570036, p. 36.
  3. ^ a b c William Jeynes and David W. Robinson (2012), International Handbook of Protestant Education, Springer, ISBN 9400723865, p. 127.
  4. ^ William Deverell and Greg Hise (2010), A Companion to Los Angeles, Wiley, ISBN 1405171278, p. 196.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Randall Herbert Balmer (2002), Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism, Westminster John Knox Press, ISBN 066422409, pp. 68-70.
  6. ^ David Kipen (2011), Los Angeles in The 1930s: The WPA Guide to the City of Angels, University of California Press, ISBN 052026883, p. 159.
  7. ^ Hans Joachim Hillerbrand (2004) The Encyclopedia of Protestantism, Volume 1, Routledge, ISBN 0415924723, p. 388.
  8. ^ Mal Couch (2000), The Fundamentals for the Twenty-First Century: Examining the Crucial Issues of the Christian Faith, Kregel Academic, ISBN 0825423686, p. 16.
  9. ^ George M. Marsden (1982), Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth Century Evangelicalism, 1870-1925, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195030834, pp. 118-123.
  10. ^ Tom Sitton and William Francis Deverell (2001), Metropolis in the Making: Los Angeles in the 1920s, University of California Press, ISBN 0520226275, pp. 238-243.
  11. ^ Talbot School of Theology | On-Campus Activities « Biola University
  12. ^ Journalism | Special Programs « Biola University
  13. ^ News & Events | "Biola Opens New Site in Manhattan" « Biola University
  14. ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities
  15. ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/up-and-coming
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