Why These Schools Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education

Why These Schools? Historical Perspectives on Nazarene Higher Education Stan Ingersol Each religious movement breeds its own folklores, and a folklore whose truth is often assumed is that Nazarene colleges were founded to train ministers. This folklore has some merit, for certain Nazarene colleges did originate from a desire to train Christian workers—though not ministers exclusively. But in other cases the folklore is not true at all. Some Nazarene colleges began with the intention to establish a liberal arts college, while others emerged from schools founded originally to educate grammar and high school age youth. In the case of the latter, the focus was on educating a Christian laity and forming the identity of Nazarene youth in a way that integrated basic educational achievement with moral and spiritual training rooted in certain theological understandings. Thus, any generalizations about the purpose of early Nazarene colleges must be broad enough to take into account different intentions—training Christian workers and educating a Christian laity. Training Schools for Christian Workers The origins of present–day Point Loma Nazarene College offers a place to begin. It is commonly asserted that Phineas Bresee was the college's founder, and in a larger sense that is true. But if being a founder means being the initiator, then Bresee is not its founder. On this point, there is agreement between Timothy L. Smith (the late dean of Nazarene church ...