Another Bible College?

I hear that some of the folks who left Piedmont Baptist College this spring are attempting to establish yet another Bible college set to open this next school year. My initial response to this news is, “Why?” Aren’t there already a plethora of solid, fundamental Baptist colleges in our country? And besides Baptist colleges, we also know of several non-denominational fundamental schools such as Bob Jones University and Clearwater Christian College that certainly provide a good college-level education from a Christian perspective.

The reasons for starting another Bible college are many, I’m sure, but the question needs to be asked, “With so many Bible colleges already on the map, how does yet another college justify its existence?” I can think of a few arguments that might be used to justify the start-up of another Bible college, none of which could sway me to recommend the new school to a prospective student.

1. Unemployed professors need a place to teach.
2. A geographical region of the country has no good Christian college. This might be due to the closing of a college or to doctrinal declension in an existing college.
3. A popular pastor or other Christian leader wants to establish a school that bears his unique personal ministry emphases (because no one else does ministry quite like him).
4. A wealthy individual desires to invest his money in Christian education, especially in a place that is not already heavily endowed.
5. A group of supporters calls out for another school. They may not be aware of all that is involved in starting a new school, but they don’t like any of the schools that are currently available. Another way of describing this reason: it’s down to you and me, and I’m not sure about you.
6. A group of churches or pastors or lay Christians believe that they can provide a better college education than any other school currently in existence.

Option number 2 may be a legitimate reason for starting a school, but in this day of affordable and fast transportation, I would not be inclined to see the geographical argument as viable as it may have been in the past. Someone could probably lump numbers 3, 4 and 5 together in this list as representing a major reason for new college start-ups. Of course, no one would like to admit that they don’t trust anyone else to do college education the right way, but this is essentially the statement being made when there are so many good options available. The sixth option might be a worthy reason for starting a college, but I would want to see a school prove itself over a number of years before lending support.

Keeping current Christian colleges viable and improving provides plenty of challenge for anyone interested in college ministry. I would prefer to see God’s people direct their efforts in this worthy endeavor rather than in the proliferation of more schools.