Arlington Baptist University

Last updated

Arlington Baptist University
Former names
Fundamental Baptist Bible Institute, Bible Baptist Seminary, Arlington Baptist College [1]
MottoPreparing Worldchangers
Type Private Bible college
Established1939
President Clifton McDaniel [1]
Students220 [2]
Location
Arlington
,
Texas
,
United States
Colors     Navy, Red, & White
Sporting affiliations
 NCCAA
MascotPatriots
Website abu.edu

Arlington Baptist University is a private Bible college in Arlington, Texas. [3] It offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs (only at the masters' level; ABU does not offer doctoral programs). [4]

Contents

History

The college was founded by J. Frank Norris in 1939 as Fundamental Baptist Bible Institute. [5] The university started with 16 students and held classes at the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth. The college's first graduates became pastors or missionaries through the World Fundamental Baptist Fellowship (as World Baptist Fellowship was then known). [6]

In 1945, the university was renamed the Bible Baptist Seminary. [7] Norris stepped down as the college's president, and George Beauchamp Vick became the new president. Shortly thereafter, Norris worried that Vick had been given too much power, so Norris regained control over the school and removed Vick as president. [8] Vick's removal angered many pastors, who had reportedly grown tired of Norris' ways and who began to pull away from him, the college, and the World Baptist Fellowship. [8] By 1950, these pastors had established the Baptist Bible Fellowship International and Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, with George Vick as president. [9]

After Norris died in 1952, the college no longer met at his church, so moved to temporary facilities in downtown Fort Worth.

Earl K. Oldham became the college's president in 1953. [10] During Oldham's tenure, the college's name was changed to Arlington Baptist College, and it was moved to its present location in 1955. [10]

In 1980, Wayne Martin was appointed president, who led the college to full accreditation. Martin was succeeded in 1992 by Wendell Hiers as interim president until the appointment of David Bryant in 1993. [1] [11] D.L. Moody (no relation to the evangelist of the same name) served as president from 2009 to 2019. Appointed in 2020, Clifton McDaniel currently serves as the president of the school.

In 2015, the college applied for an exception to Title IX, allowing it to discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons. [12] Notwithstanding the request, the ABU Student Handbook (pp. 38-39) affirms the university's position that sexual activity is limited to heterosexual marriage only, and "[s]tudents participating in sexual misconduct [which it defines as all behavior outside of heterosexual marriage] will be subject to dismissal". [13]

On June 1, 2017, the institution's name changed from Arlington Baptist College to Arlington Baptist University. In conjunction with the name change, the bachelor's and master's programs were divided into schools rather than divisions. [14]

Accreditation

The university has been accredited by the Association for Biblical Higher Education since 1981. [15] The college is also approved by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification [16] and by the Texas Veterans Commission as an approved institution to receive veteran's educational benefits. [17]

Athletics

The Arlington Baptist women's basketball team in action against the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions in 2015 Athletics-WBSK vs ABU-0846 (16028405280).jpg
The Arlington Baptist women's basketball team in action against the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions in 2015
The Patriots men's basketball team in action against Texas A&M-Commerce in 2015 Athletics-MBSK vs ABU-1443 (16215754925).jpg
The Patriots men's basketball team in action against Texas A&M–Commerce in 2015

The university participates as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, Southwest Region, Division II, and is a member of the Association of Christian College Athletics. [18] The college fields intercollegiate teams, known as the Patriots, in baseball (men's), basketball (men's and women's), volleyball (women's), soccer (men's and women's), golf (men's and women's), and softball (women's). [18]

Campus

Arlington Baptist University is the educational institution for the World Baptist Fellowship, which maintains its headquarters on the campus. An 8-foot bronze sculpture of J. Frank Norris (sculpted by Pompeo Coppini), founder of both the university and the Fellowship, is displayed on the campus. [19]

The campus is the site of the former Top O' Hill Terrace casino, which has been recognized with a Texas state historical marker. [20] Historic features from the casino still present on the campus include a sandstone guardhouse, an iron gate, an open-air tea garden, and escape tunnels; [19] the public is allowed to tour the facilities by appointment during normal business hours. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Baptists</span> Baptists who hold to a Calvinist soteriology

Reformed Baptists, Particular Baptists and Calvinistic Baptists, are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology. Depending on the denomination, Calvinistic Baptists adhere to varying degrees of Reformed theology, ranging from simply embracing the Five Points of Calvinism, to accepting a modified form of federalism; all Calvinistic Baptists reject the classical Reformed teaching on infant baptism. While the Reformed Baptist confessions affirm views of the nature of baptism similar to those of the classical Reformed, they reject infants as the proper subjects of baptism. The first Calvinistic Baptist church was formed in the 1630s. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith is a significant summary of the beliefs of Reformed Baptists. The name "Reformed Baptist" dates from the latter part of the 20th century to denote Baptists who retained Baptist ecclesiology, and reaffirmed Reformed biblical theology, such as Covenant theology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Texas Baptist University</span> Baptist university in Marshall, Texas, US

East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) is a private Baptist university in Marshall, Texas, United States. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

The World Baptist Fellowship (WBF) is a separatist fundamentalist Independent Baptist organization. The organization was founded by J. Frank Norris (1877–1952) of Texas, a southern fundamentalist leader in the first half of the 20th century. It is headquartered in Arlington, Texas.

The Independent Baptist Fellowship International (IBFI) is an Independent Baptist fellowship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth E. Hagin</span> American preacher (1917–2003)

Kenneth Erwin Hagin was an American preacher. He is known for pioneering the Word of Faith movement, following in the footsteps of E. W. Kenyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Master's University</span> Christian university in Santa Clarita, California

The Master's University is a private non-denominational Christian university in Santa Clarita, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cedarville University</span> Baptist university in Cedarville, Ohio, US

Cedarville University is a private Baptist university in Cedarville, Ohio. It is chartered by the state of Ohio, approved by the Ohio Board of Regents, and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Theological Seminary</span> Theological seminary in Dallas, Texas

Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as extension sites in Atlanta, Austin, San Antonio, Nashville, Northwest Arkansas, Europe, and Guatemala, and a multilingual online education program. DTS is the largest non-denominational seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Frank Norris</span> American pastor

John Franklyn Norris, more commonly known as J. Frank Norris was a Baptist preacher and controversial Christian fundamentalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyles–Anderson College</span> Baptist college in Indiana, U.S.

Hyles–Anderson College (HAC) is a private Independent Fundamental Baptist college in unincorporated Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana. As a ministry of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, it focuses on training pastors, missionaries and Christian teachers to work in Independent Baptist schools. It was founded in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary</span> Southern Baptist seminary in Louisiana, USA

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Missions and evangelism are core focuses of the seminary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criswell College</span> Christian college and divinity school in Dallas, Texas

Criswell College is a private Baptist Christian college and divinity school in Dallas, Texas. The college's stated mission is to provide ministerial and professional higher education for men and women preparing to serve as Christian leaders throughout society, while maintaining an institutional commitment to biblical inerrancy.

Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary is a private Christian college and seminary in Ankeny, Iowa.

Mission University (MU) is a private Baptist Bible college in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1950, MU focuses on training Christian professionals and ministers. It offers accredited associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interdenominational Theological Center</span> Theological school in Atlanta, Georgia, US

The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest free-standing African-American theological school in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Baptist Theological Seminary</span> Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, USA

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The seminary has been an innovator in theological education, establishing one of the first Ph.D. programs in religion in the year 1892. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to a newly built campus in downtown Louisville and moved to its current location in 1926 in the Crescent Hill neighborhood. In 1953, Southern became one of the few seminaries to offer a full, accredited degree course in church music. For more than fifty years Southern has been one of the world's largest theological seminaries, with an FTE enrollment of over 3,300 students in 2015.

George Beauchamp Vick (1901–1975), known as G. B. Vick, or G. Beauchamp Vick, was pastor of Temple Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan, from 1950 to the 1970s. J. Frank Norris, pastor of Temple Baptist from 1934 to 1950, appointed Vick in 1935 to help him manage the church, as Norris himself traveled between it and First Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1950, Vick had a falling out with Norris and became solitary pastor of Temple Baptist. Vick and others disillusioned with the direction Norris had taken, founded the Baptist Bible Fellowship International and Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartland Baptist Bible College</span>

Heartland Baptist Bible College is a private independent Baptist Bible college in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Before 1998, the college was located in San Dimas, California, and was known as Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College.

The John Leland Center for Theological Studies, known as Leland Seminary, is a nondenominational theological institute in the Baptist tradition based in Arlington County, Virginia, with several satellite locations elsewhere in Virginia. Leland is partnered with the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention, though the center has ties with a range of denominations and churches. Leland is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium.

The Baptist University of the Américas (BUA) is a private Baptist university in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1947. It was previously known as the Mexican Baptist Training School, the Mexican Baptist Bible Institute, the Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary and the Hispanic Baptist Theological School. The school is associated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Academic History and Info". Arlington Baptist College. Retrieved April 26, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Arlington Baptist College – Student Body". Peterson's. Archived from the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ Snider, Mark D., ed. (August 2008). Colleges in the South. Peterson's. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-7689-2695-8 . Retrieved April 25, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Accreditations and Affiliations". Arlington Baptist University. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  5. ↑ Leonard, Bill J. (2007). Baptists in America. Columbia University Press. p. 116. ISBN   978-0-231-12703-5 . Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  6. ↑ Brian, Hart. "Arlington Baptist College". Handbook of Texas Online . Texas State Historical Association . Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  7. ↑ Jonas, W. Glenn, ed. (2008). The Baptist River: Essays on Many Tributaries of a Diverse Tradition. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press. p. 111. ISBN   978-0-88146-120-6.
  8. 1 2 Jonas, W. Glenn, ed. (2008). The Baptist River: Essays on Many Tributaries of a Diverse Tradition. Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press. p. 113. ISBN   978-0-88146-120-6.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Todd M. & Donald Wiebe (2010). Melton, J. Gordon & Martin Baumann (eds.). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. pp. 284–85. ISBN   978-1-59884-203-6.
  10. 1 2 Bryant, Vickie (2012). Top O' Hill Terrace. Arcadia Publishers. p. 100. ISBN   978-0-7385-8527-7.
  11. ↑ "David Bryant". New Testament Baptist Church. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  12. ↑ Hacker, Holly K. (August 29, 2016). "9 Texas colleges rank among the 'absolute worst' for LGBT students, gay rights group says". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Student Handbook 2022-2023" (PDF). abu.edu. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  14. ↑ "abu.edu". www.abu.edu. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  15. ↑ "ABHE Membership Directory". Association for Biblical Higher Education. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Arlington Baptist College Teacher Certification Program". Texas State Board for Educator Certification. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Accreditations and Affiliations | Arlington Baptist College". Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-21.
  18. 1 2 "Athletic Handbook". Arlington Baptist University. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  19. 1 2 Baker, T. Lindsay (2011). A Gangster Tour of Texas (1st ed.). College Station: Texas A&M University Press. p. 281. ISBN   978-1-60344-258-9.
  20. ↑ "Top O' Hill Terrace". Historical Markers Database. Texas Historical Commission. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Tour a Texas Historic Landmark".