Tennessee Temple: Can someone tell me about it?

[Squidward]

Doing research for an online degree. I was interested in their Master's of Ministry. They appear to be associated with the SBC. I noticed on their Facebook page that a lot of alum are shocked to see photos of people skating, girls in jeans, and female athletes wearing regular sports unis instead of what they called culottes(skirts, I guess).

Was this college once IFB or have they always been Southern Baptist?

 

[agedman]

Doing research for an online degree. I was interested in their Master's of Ministry. They appear to be associated with the SBC. I noticed on their Facebook page that a lot of alum are shocked to see photos of people skating, girls in jeans, and female athletes wearing regular sports unis instead of what they called culottes(skirts, I guess).

Was this college once IFB or have they always been Southern Baptist?

They have always been SBC, however "old school" as long as Dr. Lee Roberson was active and able it held more to what some might consider IFB moderate standards.

They were a good school, and the graduates that I meet through the years were dedicated believers (well most were).

If one looks at Baylor University in the early 50's, they no doubt would find similar standards that TTU held in the 60's and 70's.

I have no idea what the current academic standards are, nor the reputation.

 

[agedman]

I might add that John of Japan probably has a great deal of information that you can gather from him.

He would be more than happy to help in this matter.

 

[Squidward]

Gotcha! Thanks!

 

[John of Japan]

Doing research for an online degree. I was interested in their Master's of Ministry. They appear to be associated with the SBC. I noticed on their Facebook page that a lot of alum are shocked to see photos of people skating, girls in jeans, and female athletes wearing regular sports unis instead of what they called culottes(skirts, I guess).

Was this college once IFB or have they always been Southern Baptist?

I'm a '76 grad of the college, and took a semester of seminary at that time and then another in '86 on furlough from Japan.

With apologies to agedman, the school was founded in 1946 as an SBC school, but founder Dr. Lee Roberson took both his church (Highland Park Baptist Church, a mega church of the day) and school out of the convention in 1955 in response to the local SBC association's opposition.

It was IFB until recent years when both the church and school went back into the SBC. So, the great majority of alumni do not support the school anymore, which explains why their student body has decreased from over 3000 in my day to a few hundred nowadays.

The distance learning program of the seminary is about the only part of the institution that is prospering nowadays, IMO. I understand that they have a couple of thousand students and the program is prospering, so the MM could be a good fit for you. However, I would not recommend anyone to take a job teaching there at the present time, according to conversations I've had with long-time teachers there.

 

[Squidward]

Thanks for that assessment John! Others I have been looking at are Cornerstone in Grand Rapids, MI, Luther Rice, and MBTS(Midwest)

 

[John of Japan]

Thanks for that assessment John! Others I have been looking at are Cornerstone in Grand Rapids, MI, Luther Rice, and MBTS(Midwest)

I'm sure the Lord will lead you to the right choice as you surrender to His will. God bless! :wavey:

 

[agedman]

I'm sure the Lord will lead you to the right choice as you surrender to His will. God bless! :wavey:

John,

Thank you for jumping in.

I didn't know the association had withdrawn from Highland Park.

Thank you for the correction.

 

[John of Japan]

John,

Thank you for jumping in.

I didn't know the association had withdrawn from Highland Park.

It's actually a pretty complicated history, so people not connected would have a hard time knowing it. The county association condemned the church and the school (which was under the church) as not being SB, so Dr. Roberson and the good church people decided to make the charges a reality and withdrew from the SBC.

Thank you for the correction.

Any time. :wavey:

 

[Revmitchell]

Thanks for that assessment John! Others I have been looking at are Cornerstone in Grand Rapids, MI, Luther Rice, and MBTS(Midwest)

Luther Rice is a good school just know they do not yet have their regional accreditation.

 

[Greektim]

Luther Rice is a good school just know they do not yet have their regional accreditation.

"yet" as in they are moving towards it???

 

[Revmitchell]

"yet" as in they are moving towards it???

Yes........................

 

[Siberian]

"yet" as in they are moving towards it???

LRU is doing great in all respects ($, faculty, library, enrollment, etc). Even so, it has been trying for a number of years to achieve regional accreditation, and some obstacles still remain. One of the faculty told me that while RA is still in their cross-hairs, they are going to go for ABHE first (they are TRACS-only now).

My guess is that they will eventually have RA, but it will be a while yet.

 

[Squidward]

Luther Rice is a good school just know they do not yet have their regional accreditation.

Thanks. That does mean a lot to me. I would hope that RA is high on their priority list. I don't want an unaccredited degree to create a dead end for me in case an MDiv is in my future which it probably is. I highly doubt that TRACS would fly for a few other colleges.

Don't get me wrong, everyone. I personally see no problem with TRACS accreditation. I just don't want that to become an issue later in life for me for schools that might take issue with it.

 

[Squidward]

Well, after much prayer and more research I have registered with Midwest BTS. I really like their MATS program they offer online which will allow me to work on my schooling while still serving at my church and learning the ropes.

 

[Jerome]

A few months ago TN Temple finally got somewhat of a nod from the Southern Baptist state convention. This after a president was brought in from an SBC seminary; virtually all faculty now attend Southern Baptist churches; there was a ceremony where they all officially submitted themselves to the teachings of the BFM, the school is leaving its campus and moving in with some Southern Baptist church, etc.

So the state convention passed a resolution saying it "affirms the actions of Tennessee Temple University in embracing Southern Baptist doctrine and Tennessee Baptist life.":

http://www.tnbaptist.org/page.asp?cat=aboutus&subcat=annualmeet

However it's not yet listed among the Convention's education institutions:

http://www.tnbaptist.org/page.asp?cat=aboutus&subcat=inst

 

[John of Japan]

A few months ago TN Temple finally got somewhat of a nod from the Southern Baptist state convention. This after a president was brought in from an SBC seminary; virtually all faculty now attend Southern Baptist churches; there was a ceremony where they all officially submitted themselves to the teachings of the BFM, the school is leaving its campus and moving in with some Southern Baptist church, etc.

So the state convention passed a resolution saying it "affirms the actions of Tennessee Temple University in embracing Southern Baptist doctrine and Tennessee Baptist life.":

http://www.tnbaptist.org/page.asp?cat=aboutus&subcat=annualmeet

However it's not yet listed among the Convention's education institutions:

http://www.tnbaptist.org/page.asp?cat=aboutus&subcat=inst

Thanks, Jerome, this is very informative.

As far back as 2005 when we were on a furlough, I visited Temple with two friends who were also alumni, two of us IFB and one SB. We stopped by the gym and a guy came up to us and asked what we wanted. Turned out he was the new head of the gym. When we said we were independent Baptist he said, "What's that??" :laugh: Apparently he knew nothing of the history of the school. So even way back then their focus was on hiring SB people.

 

[Jerome]

TN Temple to "Merge" with Piedmont Intl. Univ.

School left basically homeless after failed scheme to move onto campus of a financially strapped Southern Baptist church:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/...netennessee-temple-university-far-its/291216/

the merger effectively means that come May 1, Tennessee Temple University will no longer exist

"I guess a lot of people are going to say 'Oh, they closed,'" said President Steve Echols on Monday. "But there is a huge difference in closing and merging."

In 2012, Highland Park Baptist Church moved to Harrison and renamed itself Church of the Highlands. That same year, Echols, a staunch Southern Baptist, was brought on to lead Temple, and ostensibly strengthen the school's ties to the Southern Baptist Convention.

Though much of the school's problems existed when he arrived, Echols said Monday that some people blame him for the most recent troubles, which include neighbors angry in 2013 over a new perimeter fence and run-down buildings.

Temple wanted to get out from under its Highland Park campus, and Woodland Park, saddled with debt and an unfinished church, was happy to have the school's financial support. Temple would pay $600,000 for the church's property, and the church would use that money to finish its building.
. . . . .
But a contract on some of the school's Highland Park properties fell through. Anticipated donations of $2 million never materialized. Less than 1 percent of 17,000 alumni members responded to a fundraising campaign, which accumulated only $65,000.

 

[John of Japan]

School left basically homeless after failed scheme to move onto campus of a financially strapped Southern Baptist church:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/...netennessee-temple-university-far-its/291216/

Wow. I didn't see that coming. Thanks for informing us.

I note that less than 1% of the 16,000 alumni responded to the request for funds. It doesn't surprise me. They have ignored us for decades, so there is little reason for alumni to support the school. I long ago switched my loyalties.

 

[salzer mtn]

Highland Park Baptist church had a summer camp and called it camp joy. This was in the early 60's and my sister went their for a week and said it was a night mare. They believed in easy believism at the time and they stayed after my sister to make a confession of faith which she was about ten years old at the time. One morning before breakfast one of the councilors told my sister she would have to confess faith in Christ and get in a line to be baptized before they would let her eat breakfast. My sister was a little girl with a big appetite so she agreed.