Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

I know a good bit about the CoC Universities in Tennessee and Arkansas. Freed Hardeman has always been and still is the staunch conservative school in this area. Harding University in Search Arkansas is also quite conservative. Even both of these have liberalized somewhat in the last few years. I just noticed Freed Hardeman finally changed its dress code so shorts can be worn and the dresses don't have to be knee length. Harding does allow some forms of non contact dancing now. David Lipscomb appears to have gone on the liberal bandwagon totally from the little I have seen. Pepperdine in California now appears to be a bastion of liberalism. I wonder about the church schools in other states, particularly Texas that I know nothing about. What are your thoughts/opinions?

The closest Church of Christ university, Southwestern Christian College, is about 50 miles from me in Terrell,TX. Its an undergraduate university and primarily black. Never been to it though I hear it is rather mainline in theology.

I never really concerned myself with Church of Christ colleges or universities because I the interests I was blessed to excel in are low paying and not in very big demand. I did not want to go into a large amount of debt for an education that would probably would have been no better or maybe even worse than a secular university. I went to Navarro College and the University of Texas in Tyler for my undergraduate degree and did grad work at UT Tyler and Texas Womans. Didn't finish the master's because I hated teaching and saw no reason to continue.

It is my impression that Florida College is the most conservative of all. It is affiliated with NICOC churches, which means it has to be conservative to keep drawing students. Anyone have recent experience with Florida College?

I am a recent graduate of Florida College and can attest that it is the most conservative COC College.

I was part of the transitional generation, I guess. In the 90s Florida College began to be more prominent but there were still a lot of preachers around who hadn't attended a college (my father being one example). I went to Johnie Edwards' Preacher Training School in Ellettsville, IN and that was a pipeline to many rural CoC outposts. And there were 1st or 2nd year FC students who went to enhance their resume. Edwards had this general Bible knowledge test that was administered over the course of several days. I recall scoring about 68% and the high score for the class was about 76%. That person received several antiquated CoC books on various subjects. Most of the Florida College guys were scoring in the 50s and there were some old guys in the class from hillbilly churches in Appalachia that were below 50%.

Anyhow, I was stupid enough at my first church to suggest a version of this test. Most of the people who took it scored in the low 30s. And they thought they knew their Bibles oh so well. Looking back on it, few of the questions were related to the Gospel. And exposing weakness in a CoC person, especially a couple who had been elders at some past time, was an exercise in self immolation.

garrett.gage75 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 26, 2023 3:58 pm I am a recent graduate of Florida College and can attest that it is the most conservative COC College.

And you ended up here with us??? Good for you!!

The non class brethren used to have a college. Gunter Bible College in Gunter, TX.