The Immutable Kingdom – Appendix IV
By Scott A. Klaft
Educational Facilities
As the veterans of the Restoration plea began to fade into history, there were a great number of men who intended to refresh the troop numbers. The church grew in strength and influence as the numbers of churches in any given area multiplied. Soon there was need for men to fill their pulpits. Missionary work had begun by men like John Moody McCaleb, making it abundantly clear the world needed more men to preach. As there were many schools already formed by the sects, the brethren understood the danger of allowing the young, future leaders to be influenced by their philosophies. The brethren realized a very conspicuous need for schools wherein the truth could be taught with free flowing clarity.
There had already been several schools established by men such as Alexander Campbell with Bethany College, Robert Milligan with Kentucky University, and even the school in Nashville headed by David Lipscomb. For the most part, however, these schools could either not accommodate for the need, or the young people could not travel the distance. More schools were needed, and the brethren stepped up with the funds to create them. Jesse P. Sewell was instrumental in this regard.
Since new schools were springing up in many places, the old debate over the missionary society renewed once again. It seems that no matter how old some issues become, there are always means of resurrecting them. Many highly respected and influential preachers such as J. D. Tant saw these schools as a usurpation of the work given for the church to accomplish; and, therefore, these schools were a type of sect. Meanwhile, other spiritual and intellectual giants such as R. L. Whiteside observed, “Some brethren oppose the Christian Colleges because the Bible is taught in them; the devil opposed them for the same reason.”
Time pushed on, and the curriculum of the schools expanded to teaching in all areas in academia. The Nashville Bible School led the way, striding forward in this new century. It was particularly well supported by the brotherhood and fund-raising preachers due to the tremendous influence of the Gospel Advocate periodical. There were, of course, ebbs and flows in the beginning; but, by the time David Lipscomb passed on to his reward, the school was well established, and the Board of Trustees decided to honor the man by renaming the school after him (despite Lipscomb’s previous refusal to do so while still alive to object).
Abilene Christian College began in Middle Tennessee, but moved to West Texas to accommodate the need in 1906. R. L. Whiteside joined the faculty in 1908. Had it not been for the work of Jesse P. Sewell, it was likely that many of the schools being established might have collapsed for lack of funds.
A. G. Freed left another school in Denton, Texas to join his former student, Nicholas Brodie Hardeman in establishing a school in Henderson, Tennessee. Attempting to buy the old, emptied Georgia Roberson Christian College building, they were refused by the seller. They determined then to open across the street. The National Teacher’s Normal & Business College, after the generosity of J. A. McAlister of Milan, TN, finally opened the doors in the fall of 1908 with more than four hundred enrolled, and one hundred of them in Hardeman’s Bible classes. In 1914, the well beloved and venerated seventy-one year old T. B. Larimore came to the school to spend the rest of his days as the head of the Bible department and preacher for the church in Henderson, resulting in considerable attention being drawn to the school.
Many other schools and missions began in the early years of the 1900’s. The Western Bible & Literary College in Arkansas; Cordell Christian College in Oklahoma; Lockney College and Bible School in Texas, Gunter Biblical & Literary College in Fort Worth; Alabama Christian College; Thorp Spring Christian College, and many others, were established throughout the United States. Some survived. Some with new names; others did not survive at all.
(Next Week: The Conclusion of the Series)
