IS WORLD-VIEW OF DISPES CHANGING?? NANCY PEARCEY ADDRESSES DISPE BIBLE COLLEGE

NANCY PEARCEY ADDRESSES DISPE BIBLE COLLEGE

From time to time I have been noting significant changes in the outlook of dispes today. Now let me tell you of one of the most interesting of these because it is occurring at a dispe Bible College with impeccable dispe credentials -- this is Philadelphia College of Bible (PCB), which was formed by the union of two dispe schools, one of which had as one of its founders none other than C. I Scofield !! When I was living in Philly, during the 60s and early 70s and was in very close touch with PCB, they used the Scofield Reference Bible for all classes, they had a very close relationship with Dallas Seminary (the premier dispe seminary), PCB was regarded as either the top or one of the top dispe Bible Colleges in the USA, there was no concern for a Biblical world-view and their “secular” courses were taught no differently than at Humanist colleges, and their Academic Dean (Clarence E, Mason, Jr.) made it crystal clear in his Syllabus that “The only mission of the church to the world is evangelism”. That was THEN (1960s and early 1970s)

NOW look at this diametrically opposed statement in the Commencement Address at this college delivered on May 5, 2007 by Nancy Pearcy (a protogee’ of Francis Schaeffer): “For example, we’re called to bring the gospel to people who work in politics. But we’re also called to transform political structures political structures, to bring biblical principles to the transformation of civil society. We should reach out to teachers as individuals. But we are also called to bring a biblical view of education into our schools. We want to save artists and musicians, but we also want to save the art world.” The basis for Pearcey’s assertion is the principle she sets forth in the very opening of her Address: “We typically hear Christians say that the Bible is the authoritative source of truth for faith and morals. But we don’t always hear Christians say that the Bible gives a framework for the rest of knowledge as well -- for law and politics, for business and economics, for the arts and humanities. ... In the New Testament we’re commanded to take every thought captive to Christ -- not just moral or theological thoughts, but every thought. In other words we’re called to craft a Christian worldview, which simply means a biblically informed view of t he entire world and everything in it.”

PCB is now called PBU, Philadelphia Biblical University, although in fact it is still a Bible College , not a real university. Anyway, as an alumna of PCB, now called PBU, my wife receives all the materials sent out to the alumni, including their quarterly magazine PBU Today. The quotes above are taken from the Summer 2007 issue of this magazine. I have been looking at this magazine carefully over the past several years during which I have been noting more and more articles on Christian Worldview”, some of them quite good. Therefore this address by Nancy Pearcey should be seen as a culmination of a trend that has been in place for a number of years.

OK, guys those are the facts!! Whether or not the principles set forth by Pearcey are in conflict with dispe or not, there they are - being proclaimed at a dispe bible college. I am not going to tell you how to deal with this -- that is NOT my point. My point is that from now on when you critique dispe you do so based on what dispes are saying and doing TODAY, not on what they said or did 50 or 100 years ago.