Bob Jones University Enters a New Era

That is new student enrollment. It doesn’t address the overall enrollment. How many came back?

Okay, I’ll go out on a limb here. 1991 BJU grad here.

I see lots of families who are dropping off students, and in this context, some students may not have even checked in yet (if they even have “check-in”) anymore. So this event wouldn’t accurately reflect the current dress code.

Am I thrilled to see some women students in tight blue jeans welcoming visitors? Not really. This is definitely not the BJU when I was there, but that doesn’t make this necessarily sinful either, though it is disappointing. It’s not my preference of modesty for the ladies in my home (they can wear pants but not tight ones), but others are welcome to draw their own lines elsewhere. I’d expect something else for the classroom and other events, and this representation doesn’t reflect that. I’d personally have more of an issue with a skirt above the knee than anything I see here. That’s just me as the father of two teenage girls I’m seeking to educate with an understanding of what draws the male eye. Tight pants can be an issue for guys too, so…why not err on the side of caution? Beats me. I guess it’s just what everybody wants to do.
BJU has always been known as an unusual place, and frankly, the rules were part of that distinction. It didn’t bow to social pressure; it just set its policies, and students could keep them or go somewhere else. I remember people referring to the place as the West Point of Christian universities. I think that was a good thing because of the discipline it taught, and it’s sad to see much of that distinctiveness gone now. (And seriously, when I was there, my friends and I didn’t talk about the rules; we were too busy with grades, etc.) Sure, there are still rules there, but if you were at a Greenville mall, you could once pick out a BJU student right away because the students looked so different. Now they look like everybody else. It’s not a sin issue, but I’m not overly thrilled with it. What’s wrong with looking different on purpose?

I’m on campus almost every day (not an student or employee) and often wonder why they even bother with an handbook. Frequently, the dress does not follow the handbook. It appears to be every man for himself. Skinny pants, shorts (even short shorts) and short dresses are the norm. My biology classes never taught me that me knee started 2-3 inches above the bend in my leg. I was very embarrassed by one BJA senior this year when she leaned over to sign her baby sister into our Sunday School class. I thought for sure we were going to see things for the bedroom only.

BJU’s main competitors in the market are no longer PCC, Ambassador, Maranatha, etc. They now compete with North Greenville, Liberty, Wheaton, etc. for students. I’m not editorializing, just stating what I see based on what I’ve been told by people on faculty and in the admin

Until John E offered this factoid, I never would have considered that BJU is competing for the same set of students as are considering Wheaton or Liberty. Wheaton is fully evangelical, Liberty is solidly CE. Both are to the left of BJU, not just in terms of standards, but in ecumenicism and doctrine.

I do see similarities between the institutions in that all three are regionally accredited and have broader non-ministerial academic offerings than more narrowly focused bible colleges. Bob Jones’ bible requirements (for non-ministerial majors) are still more extensive than the other two, but are a relatively small component of the program of study. If a student wants to receive significant bible training and major in a secular academic field, he or she will probably have to look at graduate school for it.

So the question is, what does BJU offer for a student coming from a full blown evangelical background that Wheaton does not? I’m really hard pressed to think of an answer and thus find it hard to believe that someone coming from an evangelical background would choose BJU over Wheaton. If BJU is really competing for students with Liberty and Wheaton, I don’t see any way they can succeed in attracting them unless the sub-cultural standards are broadened to accommodate those students from CE and evangelical backgrounds.

But now here comes the hard question…What does Wheaton or BJU offer that the secular school does not? I would posit not much more other than a few more bible classes, the guarantee of not being challenged by anti-biblical worldviews, and the guarantee of acceptance of Christian sub-cultural standards. My assessment is that if a student is majoring in a non-bible field, the primary advantage of the BJU/Wheaton/Liberty experience is that it provides a Christian safe-space for four years.

I’m thoroughly in agreement with Tyler that choosing a college based on whether it offers the appropriate Christian cultural safe-space is not a good decision. My hope is that by the time they are eighteen, our truly regenerate young people will have already been discipled in thinking through issues of modesty and cultural engagement and will make Christ honoring choices regardless of whether they are in college or not.

I think BJU is coming back strong. May God continue to strengthen this ministry.

[AndyE] Adam Blumer wrote:

I loved what I got at BJU and I’m hoping for the same for our son, who we dropped off at BJU a couple weeks ago for the beginning of his freshman year. We are very excited for him, and as far as I can tell he has had a great start. I’m still happy to send my children there, and I’m praying that will still be the case when it is time for my girls to go to college.

Adam - I just had a son graduate in 2016 from BJU have a son and daughter there now and two more on the way, God willing. Unlike you I’m not an alumni and first went onto campus a little skeptical and even slightly fearful. I found nothing but seemingly loving people on my initial visit. That same love of Christ and His people has characterized all of my children’s years with the faculty there. Douglas MacAurthur wrote of the “simplicity of true greatness” in great men (and women). Even though this is an academic environment, the faculty do not seem to think too much of themselves and have proven themselves to be God’s children in their love for us in many important ways. They have helped us through some trials, with many menial needs and have shown hospitality that goes far beyond all expectation.

Even after graduation, because my oldest son found a job in his career field in Greenville, faculty and retired faculty are among his closest friends.

JBL wrote, “So the question is, what does BJU offer for a student coming from a full blown evangelical background that Wheaton does not? I’m really hard pressed to think of an answer and thus find it hard to believe that someone coming from an evangelical background would choose BJU over Wheaton. If BJU is really competing for students with Liberty and Wheaton, I don’t see any way they can succeed in attracting them unless the sub-cultural standards are broadened to accommodate those students from CE and evangelical backgrounds.”

I’ve asked that question of BJU faculty. They told me that in private conversations with students, the students admit that they find the rules weird, but mostly inconsequential to their lives. I had a hard time understanding that until I wrote an article about smartphones and kids.

In my research, I was fascinated to read a study that talked about how teenagers post-social media/smart phone world define rebellion and independence differently than previous generations. My generation (Gen X) sought to exert our independence through movement and money. Having a car and a job were huge benchmarks for us. The ways in which we expressed our autonomy were able to be controlled to a large extent by Christian educators, like at BJU. The rules felt like a stifling addition to our inability to pursue freedom on our terms.

Today’s teens, however, express their autonomy through their social media accounts, and having a smart phone is the new “having a car.” Since smart phones don’t need gas, insurance, upkeep, etc., jobs are less important. Plus, their relationships with each other are being carved out and curated on social media. My generation went to the mall to express our independence and to help define our “group.” Teens today go to Instagram or whatever current social media trend has caught their fancy. BJU can’t really control the new means of independence the way they could the old.

This means that even though many of the current students come from homes and churches that have far less rules than even the “kinder, gentler” BJU does, BJU’s rules have less personal impact on the students. The students are looking at finding a college more holistically. They’re finding what they like in terms of academics, opportunities, profs, and comparing it to the alternatives; the rules no longer carry as much weight as most of us would think.

It’s a new world, and I feel old.

Thanks for the reply, but with respect then, why loosen the standards at all if none of the evangelical / current matriculating classes mind them?

Don’t misunderstand, some rules do/did have to be loosened, I think. I’m just saying/thinking that maybe the line of demarcation for how many rules are too many for today’s college students may not be where we would guess.

Also, some of the rule changes weren’t made for pragmatic market reasons. Some of the changes were because the administration came to the conclusion that they were saying the wrong thing with the rule. My understanding of the change in focusing more on discipling instead of discipline was because of that.

For the record, I’m just trying to read the tea leaves like everyone else.

I was embarrassed because my husband and impressionable children were in there with me. Its not BJU’s fault except for the fact that they have a handbook that means absolutely nothing to them. The young people are a direct reflection of their parents, their pastors, and of the spiritual training they have received. I could name other instances of immodest dress. It is seen in the Dining Common, atheletic fields, back campus, and in local churches. My point is why bother to have a handbook if no attempt is going to be made to teach and admonish. There is never perfect compliance any more than there is with speeding, but the problem is rampant and is being ignored. They either need to work on it or get rid of the rules. It is not that hard. I’ve worked in an office before where a dress code was required, but never enforced and all it said was we’re inconsistent and don’t really care.

Michelle, I always assumed what you said was an exaggeration, but you are not the first source I’ve heard it from (re: enforcement of rules). I wonder if any parents of current BJU students would like to chime in and say whether this description is consistent with their child’s experience.
Some may not be attuned to how a campus like BJU works, or at least it did at one time if it doesn’t now. Students come on campus, read the handbook, and actually sign a paper saying they will abide (don’t have to say agree) with the rules while a student on campus. So then disobedience does become a sin issue because you would be disobeying those in authority. This was quite serious when I was a student, and it most certainly was dealt with, all the way down to whether you took out the trash or cleaned the sink (and getting demerits if you didn’t). I just kept the rules, like most folks did (no big deal). The place was strict, but I’d have to say that it built character in all of us.
Thanks, Andy E and TimG, for your encouraging words. I’m very glad, Tim, your child has had a great experience at BJU. It was an amazing place when I was a student there too, and please don’t think expressing my concerns here means I’m anti-BJU. That’s not the case. I love the place and hope God blesses it.