Illinois Cracks Down on Un-Accredited Bible Colleges

[Bob Nutzhorn]

As a parent looking at colleges for my daughter to attend, I understand and actually agree with my state on this one - weird. I am guessing this law is being pushed because of parents who feel as though they have been robbed - pay for four years of college where you are told your child will receive a degree, only to find out, it is completely meaningless to anyone outside of that college. If you are going to a non-accredited college knowing that you will be in ministry (quite a bold assumption by the way), then what difference does it make if you get a diploma or a degree. If you are just wanting it shown that you are completing the course requirements, than a diploma should be fine. If you want more than that, go to an accredited school. If a school wants to offer more than that, get accredited. This is more about the consumer not being lied to about what they are receiving than it is about the government controlling what the school is teaching. This is not big-brother making sure everyone is teaching what the state deems acceptable.

The problem isn’t lack of government oversight but lazy parents. This is just another example of big brother taking care of people too stupid or lazy to take care of themselves. It is another sign of the times indicating how far America has drifted spiritually and culturally from its founding ideals. I don’t care what the government say, my children and I will investigate the schools they consider attending and make our decisions on which is best for each. We don’t want or need the government to hold our hands and tell us which ones are safe and which ones are dangerous. I still love President Reagan’s famous quote: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

No blame on churches starting “colleges” and offering “degrees” and convincing those parents who have never been to college and don’t know what they are looking for in a college to send their children and hundreds of thousands of dollars there? I still do not understand why those schools that don’t want to have this “government” oversight really NEED to be able to offer a degree rather than a diploma. It is less confusing for the consumer to be able to have a differentiation. I totally agree with less government oversight and intrusion, but I also have had to work with parents whose children come home from school with a useless degree with credits that will not transfer anywhere. Even BJU education grads are very limited in what they can actually do with their degree - unless you want to teach in the same circles as BJU. Previously, being accredited did not matter as much as it does now. We can complain about that, but it is fact. When schools mislead their constituents about what their degree means (and they do - I have been to college fairs - I know they do), it is unfair and unjust to the consumer that believes their pastor and believes the school that their pastor recommends. I am guessing that the legislators that have introduced this piece of legislation have received complaints about this very thing. I don’t know everything in the bill, and I would not argue for the bill, but I do agree with the basic concept in the article.