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| Motto | Strength Truth Beauty |
|---|---|
| Type | Private unaccredited |
| Established | 1974 |
| President | Arlin Horton |
| Undergraduates | 4,712 |
| Location | Pensacola, Florida, USA |
| Mascot | Eagle |
| Website | www.pcci.edu |
Pensacola Christian College (PCC) is an Independent Christian College in Pensacola, Florida, founded in 1974 by Arlin Horton.
History
Horton founded the College to provide higher education with a religious viewpoint. After about thirty years, the school's population had grown to about 4,500 students, representing every state in the Union and over sixty foreign countries. Pensacola Theological Seminary was founded in 1998.
The school is also an active proponent of Christian education; their in-house publisher, A Beka Book (named after Horton's wife, Beka), provides K-12 curriculum that is widely used by Christian schools and homeschooling families.
In 2005 more than 3,500 delegates attended practical clinics and seminars sponsored by the college. The Principal's Clinic provides administrators and teachers with materials, methods, and principles for starting and building a fundamentalist Christian school. They also hold a Summer Seminar that provides faculty and administrators with an in-depth orientation into the operations of a Christian school.
Academics
Pensacola Christian College's statement of purpose is: Pensacola Christian College was founded with the purpose of training young men and women for a life of service to Jesus Christ.
PCC offers over sixty undergraduate programs of study. Post-graduate degrees are offered in Education, Music, Art, Divinity, Ministry, Nursing, and Business Administration. A history major is available, but does not offer any coursework related to the Pre-Columbian Americas or to any other civilization whose existence would contradict the college's beliefs concerning the age of the earth. PCC is not accredited so pursuing a graduate degree, or getting employment where an accredited degree is required, may be difficult for PCC graduates. However, the nursing program is certified by the Florida State Board of Nursing.
Accreditation
Pensacola Christian College is not accredited by any accreditation body recognized by its country. According to the US Department of Education, unaccredited degrees and credits might not be acceptable to employers or other institutions, and use of degree titles may be restricted or illegal in some jurisdictions. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported:
Nor does it advertise its unaccredited status. A search of the Web site turns up no mention of accreditation. It is not mentioned in the college's viewbook either, which dedicates four pages to sports activities and two to campus facilities. It is mentioned, in small print, on the inside flap of the course catalog: "Pensacola Christian College has never made application for regional accreditation as the College believes it would jeopardize the College's philosophical distinctives." The catalog goes on to say that getting other colleges to accept Pensacola's credits "has seldom been an insurmountable problem."
However, several former PCC students interviewed by The Chronicle stated otherwise:
applied to the University of Florida and was told that none of his credits would transfer. "I had to start over," he says. So, after three years at Pensacola, he enrolled as a freshman at nearby Santa Fe Community College
graduated from Pensacola in 2003 with a degree in early-childhood education. But because the college is not accredited, she cannot teach in public schools
It should be noted that other Christian colleges are accredited, and there exists at least three acreditation bodies whose mission is to allow Christian schools to become accredited without compromising their religious beliefs.
King-James-Only
Pensacola Christian College supports the exclusive use of the King James Version of the Bible, a tenet of the King-James-Only Movement. However, PCC simply considers the Greek Textus Receptus that forms the basis of the King James New Testament to be superior to other available New Testament texts; it does not espouse the "advanced revelation" or "re-inspiration" views of some KJV-only groups (such as those of fellow Pensacolan Peter Ruckman).
In 1996, Dell Johnson, then the dean of Pensacola Theological Seminary, gave two chapel messages advocating the exclusive use of the King James Bible and the Received Greek text. In 1997, the school released a video featuring Johnson, Dr. Michael Bates, and the late Dr. Theodore P. Letis entitled "The Text Is The Issue." The following year, Letis and Johnson presented a history of textual criticism in American Bible seminaries, blaming Benjamin B. Warfield and his followers including A.T. Robertson in the Southern Baptist Convention, Lewis Sperry Chafer at Dallas Theological Seminary, and Charles Brokenshire at Bob Jones University for what they considered undesirable changes.
At the end of the video, Johnson attempted to steer clear of being lumped with certain King James Only advocates such as Jack Hyles, Peter Ruckman, and William Grady, who hold a stricter view on which versions are acceptable.
Politics, Taxation and Religion
The school has an active Anti-Tax Rebel stand and will report anyone who they feel is breaking the tax laws of the country. They will also prevent any student from associating with anyone they feel has an anti-taxation stance.
Senior vice president Rebekah Horton feels that it is her duty to report anyone she feels is breaking tax law. In the mid 1990s, after she learned of Kent Hovind's anti-tax stand said "'We know the Scriptures do not promote (tax evasion),'" during testimony against Hovind during his 2006 trial, "'It's against Scripture teaching'.... Horton believed it was the college's duty to report the misleading doctrine. 'I didn't want to see innocent people get led astray,' she said. Pensacola Christian College then decided its students no longer were permitted to work with Creation Science Evangelism".
Campus Church
In addition to Pensacola Christian College, they also run a local church on their campus called the Campus Church (which all dormitory students are required to attend), Christian radio network Rejoice Radio, and the weekly television broadcast Rejoice in the Lord from the Campus Church.
On December 10, 2006, Horton announced that Neal Jackson would be the pastor of the Campus Church. Jackson received his Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts degree from PCC. He also has a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Luther Rice Seminary. In addition, Lloyd Streeter has accepted the position of co-Pastor. This position had been held previously by Dr. Jim Schettler who left in May 2006. Until January 2007, Rejoice in the Lord was still broadcasting sermons from Dr. Schettler.
Regimen
PCC's Articles of Faith reject the teachings of Calvinism and the modern day Charismatic Movement, specifically stating that charismatic students will not be permitted to participate in or promote speaking in tongues, and would be better served attending elsewhere.
Rules and regulations
Rules at PCC are similar to those of other fundamentalist Christian colleges; the college maintains that "Attendance at PCC is a privilege not a right." The college has four levels of punishment; students can be socialed, campused, shadowed, or expelled. Students who have been socialed are not permitted to speak or interact with members of the opposite sex for a period ranging from one day to two weeks, depending on the severity of the offense. Campused students are not permitted to leave the campus grounds or speak with any other student being disciplined for two weeks. Individuals who are shadowed are assigned to a floor leader (a fellow student who is paid by PCC to enforce campus discipline) and must attend that person's classes, sleep in their room, and cannot speak with anyone else for the duration. The final form of punishment is expulsion from the college. Shadowing is often used in conjunction with expulsion, while a student is awaiting arrangements for him to leave campus. In certain circumstances, students have been made to leave campus within the 24 hour period after expulsion without arrangements being made.
Regulations govern all aspects of student life, including clothing, hairstyles, dorm room cleanliness, types of outside employment, borrowing, magazines, and music. PCC only permits students to listen to classical music or traditional Christian music. Mixed-gender interaction has the strictest rules. Stairwells and elevators are segregated by gender, members of the opposite sex are not permitted to touch in any way (even shaking hands is against the rules), off campus mixed-gender meetings are forbidden unless a PCC chaperon is present, and staring into the eyes of a member of the opposite sex, called by students "eye kissing", or "optical intercourse" is discouraged by the administration.
Pensacola Christian College also decided its students are no longer permitted to work with Creation Science Evangelism because of the possible anti-taxation stance of one of its members Kent Hovind
Demerits
Demerits are given for breaking the rules. Students are campused for two weeks when they accumulate 75 demerits in a semester, with two more weeks of restriction for each additional 25 demerits. If a student receives 150 demerits in a semester, they are automatically expelled. However, the administration reserves the right to make any changes in the discipline procedures as the situation warrants. Violations can include the use of language considered profane or foul by the college, being in another dorm room after a certain time, the use of tobacco products, and the possession or use of pornography. Students are not allowed to meet with other mixed groups off-campus without written permission. Additionally, being in a dorm room belonging to a member of the opposite sex, the use of alcohol, gambling, engaging in actions considered by the college to be immoral, and engaging in social activities as a group away from the campus with members of the opposite sex can result in immediate dismissal. Pre-marital or extra-marital sex is grounds for expulsion. Many of these rules apply to the lives of students both on and away from campus while enrolled at the college.
Publishing
A Beka Book
A Beka Book is a publisher of K-12 curriculum that is used by Christian schools and homeschooling families around the world. It is affiliated with Pensacola Christian College and is named after college president Arlin Horton's wife, Rebekah Horton. A Beka Book, along with BJU Press, are considered the two major publishers of Christian-based educational materials in America.
A Beka Book is criticized for publishing Christian, Bible-based infomation regarding evolution. The publisher portrays creationism as based on science. The University of California and National Center for Science Education has criticized A Beka as selling works that contain Christian Bible-based information regarding origins of life. The University of California has deemed books by A Beka and Bob Jones University Press as "inconsistent with the viewpoints and knowledge generally accepted in the scientific community."
For many years period A Beka had tax exempt status, but in January 2005 the IRS ruled that the college's publishing arm was liable for taxes as a profit-making entity. The decision found that it was liable for 60% for the college's income. PCC paid the initial federal tab, estimated at $44.5 million, and A Beka paid another $3.5 million dollars.
The Student Voice
Two PCC alumni started an electronic newsletter in 1996 entitled The Student Voice. This newsletter voiced opposition to various rules and policies of the college. Horton responded to the newspaper's first issue with a speech in the campus chapel, calling the newspaper "an attack from Satan", reminding students that they agreed to follow the rules when they came, that they were not forced to attend the school, and that anyone involved with the newspaper was subject to expulsion. Shortly thereafter all active students who were on the email list of "The Student Voice" were expelled as well as anyone else who had possession or knowledge of individuals in possession of a printout of "The Student Voice". The following semester PCC banned all devices which would allow an individual to connect their personal computer to the internet. Later, The Student Voice was moved to PensacolaChristianCollege.com. The Student Voice released new issues regularly for two years and continued to release their newsletter irregularly through their website until 2003. As of 2006, their website still keeps an archive of the issues of The Student Voice, but it has not been updated since 2003.
Claims by former alumni from the year in question also mention a ring of student and internet pornography that was intercepted as well. It is possible that The Student Voice was not the sole reason for loss of internet access at PCC. During the Summer of 2004, a new, heavily filtered, wireless internet became available to students on campus.
Notable alumni
- Maria Boren (Grant) - Job candidate on the 2nd season of NBC's reality TV show, "The Apprentice". Also featured on the cover of Maxim.
- Cathy McMorris - elected to United States House of Representatives from Washington state
See also
References
- Pensacola Christian College Update - Spring 2006
- Are All Unaccredited Schools Bad? Baker's Guide to Christian Distance Education
- Florida Board of Nursing Nursing Programs June 2006
- "Educational accreditation". US Department of Education.
- ^ Bartlett, Thomas (2006). "A College That's Strictly Different," The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- ^ Fail, Angela (October 20, 2006). "Christian College leader says taxes are part of religion: Hovind argues God's workers are exempt". Pensacola News Journal. Cite error: The named reference "antitax" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- Campus Church welcomes new Pastors
- Bio of Pastor Jackson
- Student Voice Rule List
- "Creationist lawsuit against UC system to proceed". National Center for Science Education. August 10, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
- "College Pays Millions in Taxes". Christianity Today. October 28, 1996. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
External links
- Pensacola Christian College official site
- The Student Voice
- PCCBoard
- Christianity Today: College Pays Millions in Taxes
- PCC Student Reviews
- LewRockwell.com Libertarian view of PCC by Scott M. Rosen