Accreditation History in Adventism: Flirting
with the World
A very good article that explains the origin of
Liberalism in Adventism is the article by W. White in 1983. There is a Trojan
Horse of Liberalism in Adventism and it is very important for the Adventist believer
to understand this. Either a fact is biblical or cultural. If it is
biblical it is correct. If it is based on culture or environment, it is skew.
Full-stop.
What about Slavery in the Bible? Answer: Paul did not say that slaves cannot be ordained
elders. But he definitely did not open the door for women.
Combine the following for a good history of
Adventism between 1915-2021.
---Article “Flirting with the World” (below); ---combined and followed by J. Zurcher, Touched
with Our Feelings: A Historical Survey of Adventist Thought on the Human Nature
of Christ views in Adventism; ---combined followed by the article of A. Timm, “Seventh-day
Adventists on women’s ordination A brief historical overview”; ---combined and added to the Glazier View
Proceedings and articles summarizing the Ford Preterism of an “F. F. Bruce kind”;
---plus and combined with the understanding of
the role of Gerhard Hasel and Robert Pierson in weeding out the chaff of
liberalism in Adventism, ---his books against Higher Criticism and its
inroads in Christianity and Theology ---the book by John Hurst, A history of Rationalism 1864
is a very good combination to understand the
history of Adventism between the death of Ellen White and 2021.
Woman
Ordination History Article: https://www.adventistarchives.org/seventh-day-adventists-on-womens-ordination-a-brief-historical-overview.pdf
Here is the Flirting
with the World article of White in full.
Source: William G. White “Flirting with the World:How
Adventist College in America got Accredited” Adventist Heritage Vol. 8/1
(Spring 1983): 40-51
The introductory paragraph of the letter from
the American Medical Association announcing the granting of a "Class A Rating" to the College
of Medical Evangelists, on November 16, 1922. Loma Linda University Archives Medical
Evangelists. But despite its threats and increasing pressures from the American
Medical Association after it received an "A" rating, the
medical school did not deny admission to other Adventist college students; as a
safeguard, Pacific Union and Walla Walla Colleges arranged for accredited Occidental
College in Los Angeles to launder their premedical students' credits by placing
them on Occidental transcripts for forwarding to Lorna Linda's
College of Medical Evangelists. By 1928, medical school entrance requirements generally
had increased to three years of college work, but Adventist schools r were no
closer to accreditation. That year, in an unscheduled address at the Autumn
Council, Henry C. Harrower, a California physician, charged Adventist higher education
with inadequacy: many graduates of the College of Medical Evangelists were
unable to practice in some states because their undergraduate work was taken in
unaccredited schools. He claimed that even in the liberal arts, Adventist colleges
were little more than glorified secondary schools in need of sweeping
improvements. Realizing the necessity of improving the church's higher
education, the Council created a Board of Regents to adopt standards and
accredit colleges, hoping that the new Association of Seventh-day Adventist
Colleges and Secondary Schools would either be recognized as' an equal with
regional associations or that Adventist colleges could be accredited as a group
by the North Central Association. Educators in the church believed neither
outcome was likely, and by 1931 it was obvious to denominational leaders that
the "school men" .were correct. The 1931 Autumn Council reconsidered
accreditation at length, authorizing junior and senior colleges to secure
regional he regional academic accreditation that is now a common feature of
Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities in the United States was
achieved only after a decade of debate on all levels of church administration,
the expenditure of enormous amounts of Depression money, and, some say, the loss.
of souls at secular universities and the introduction of
"worldliness" on to college campuses. The origins of the controversy are unclear, but
it intensified with the arrival of Percy T. Magan at the College of Medical
Evangelists in 1915. The new denominational medical school had been given a mediocre
"c" rating in 1911 and again in 1914, despite herculean efforts
toward improvement. Disappointed, many at the school decided to discontinue
the effort for class "A" recognition because of the expense. But when
the United States entered World War I, the school's "c" rating
allowed students to be conscripted into the armed forces. To prevent their
induction and enable students to meet license requiremente in more states,
Magan and other staunch supporters of the College of Medical Evangelists
strengthened their efforts, achieving the thrill of success in an "A"
rating in 1918.By then, the American Medical Association was warning the fledgling
medical school that it should only accept students from regionally accredited
colleges. Magan urged presidents of Adventist colleges to secure this regional
accreditation, threatening that the medical college might organize an
undergraduate division if the colleges were not accredited. During the 1920's, Emmanuel Missionary and Union
Colleges had become accredited as junior colleges by the North Central
Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, thus assuring
their premedical students admission to the College of ADVENTIST HERITAGE 41 Walla Walla College, College
Place, Washington. 42 ADVENTIST HERITAGE Pacific Union College, Angwin,
California. The College of Medical Evangelists, Loma Linda,
California. Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska. All photographs provided through the courtesy of
Loma Linda University Archives Atlantic Union College, South Lancaster, Massachusetts. Emmanuel Missionary College, Berrien Springs, Michigan. Washington Missionary College, Takoma Park, Maryland. ADVENTIST HERITAGE 43 Elder William H. Branson accreditation as quickly as possible. That
decision opened a four-year debate on the pros and cons of accreditation and
resulted in some positive movement toward accreditation by several colleges. Those who opposed accreditation, including General
Conference Vice-President William H. Branson, Vice-President for North America
James L. McElhany, and Secretary of Educa tion Warren
E. Howell, supported their position by pointing out the expense required to
expand physical facilities and sponsor faculty for graduate study. Adventist colleges
then offered little evidence of campus planning, lacked adequate libraries and
science laboratories, and had many neglected frame buildings complete with
safety hazards. By the late 1920's, few Adventists had been brave enough to earn
post-baccalaureate degrees. Those denominationally employed usually had to do
so secretly, with the unofficial approval of a college president. Beginning in 1928, however, Adventist colleges
had begun faculty graduate training programs to meet denominational and, after
1931, regional accreditation requirements. The usual expectation was for department
chairmen to have earned doctorates with a mandated minimum percentage of
faculty members with master's and doctoral degrees. Those who had previously
risked their employment by earning advanced degrees were now eagerly recruited.
Opponents of accreditation feared that teachers, having lost their faith and
devotion to the 44 ADVENTIST HERITAGE Elder James L. McElhany. church through exposure to atheistic and
evolutionary theories in secular universities, would introduce worldly
teachings in the church's schools. The proponents of accreditation, including most denominational
educators, pointed to the American Medical Association requirement that class
"A" medical schools only accept students from regionally accredited
colleges. Pressure also came from nursing school entrance and licensure
requirements which, by 1930, specified credits from accredited colleges and/or
high schools. Accreditation of Adventist academies by state education
authorities or regional associations required employment of teachers with state
teaching credentials. By the early 1930's, many states required non-public
schools teachers to have state certification based on credits from
accredited colleges. Thus, pressure for accreditation came to be felt
particularly strongly in the areas of education, medicine, and nursing. Another significant pressure was economic in origin.
Prior to 1930, most Adventist college graduates easily found denominational
employment. But increasing numbers of graduates coupled with
denominational layoffs in the Depression reduced employment prospects. Most
Adventist educators believed that students and parents expected
denominational institutions to prepare patrons for non-church employment, to
qualify them to enter graduate and professional schools, and to meet various
state licensure requirements. However, Professor Warren E. Howell. degrees from unaccredited colleges could not do
that he proponents of accreditation won the opening battle in 1931, and the six
senior colleges worked toward regional accreditation with all possible speed.
Adventist college presidents and faculties had become actively
interested in accreditation in some measure many years prior to the 1931
General Conference Autumn Council. They had responded to the developments in
American colleges generally as well as to the volleys launched by P. T. Magan.
The six colleges which experienced the greatest pressure were: Atlantic Union
and Washington Missionary in the East; Emmanuel Missionary and Union in the central
states; Pacific Union and Walla Walla in the West. None started from scratch in
the thirties, but accreditation was achieved for all in the next two decades
through a complex of local, regional and even national influences. Pacific
Union College succeeded first, Walla Walla and Union College later but with important
consequences for General Conference opinions and actions. The others followed,
each with its unique configuration of problems and struggles on the way to
achievement. Interest in regional accreditation at Pacific
Union College began as early as 1925 when Warren E. President Percy T. Magan, College of
Medical Evangelists. Howell of the General Conference Education Department
rebuked sentiments favoring accreditation by "outside agencies." Attempting to strengthen the faculty for
regional recognition, President William E. Nelson employed Pacific Union College's
first Ph.D. in 1928. –The following year, his board granted the first graduate study
leaves for the summer of 1929, and that fall the college was inspected by the
new Adventist Board of Regents, with Howell presiding. In his report to the faculty,
he indicated that the college needed eight distinct departments with chairmen
who h.ad at least two years of graduate study, including master's degrees and
preferably doctorates, and that better classroom facilities should be provided.
Responding, the board voted to construct a science building and to create a
department of education. Nelson began a program of professional improvement for
faculty. The board continued to grant requests for summer
and part-time study, voting the first full-time study leave in 1930-31. Following the 1931 Autumn Council decision which
granted the school permission to seek senior college accreditation, the
administration stepped up its efforts. The board had already approved construction
of a music building and had appropriated $3,000 for graduate study for 1931-32.
In December 1931, they established a committee to submit a comprehensive plan
to secure accreditation. That month Nelson applied for accreditation ADVENTIST HERITAGE 45 President William E. Nelson, Pacific Union College. by the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher
Schools. Since detailed self-study documents were not in
use then, the application consisted of a letter to Frederick E. Bolton,
chairman of the Northwest Association's Commission on Accrediting Higher
Institutions, and a few pages of required information. In preparation for the
inspection, the board approved $6,600 for graduate study in 1932-33,established
two new departments (secondary education/psychology and speech/journalism),
approved construction of a normal building (to house the elementary school and teacher
training department) and home economics building, and approved expansion of
library and manual arts training facilities. Nelson worked to increase library
holdings and usage. In his quadrennial report in 1932, he reported that by the end
of the 1932-33school year Pacific Union College hoped to meet the requirements
of the Adventist Board of Regents and "incidentally meet the requirements
of other accrediting bodies." Following a visit by Bolton, who was impressed with
Adventist lifestyle, Pacific Union College was accredited as a junior college
by the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools in April 1932.
Nelson told no one of this but inquired 46 ADVENTIST HERITAGE about needed improvements to secure senior
college accreditation. Among other things, Bolton urged that teachers limit their
work to one department. He urged the adoption of a realistic plan of faculty ranking
and said there should be "a few men with Ph.D.'s from recognized graduate
schools." The Northwest Association would have to be assured that Pacific Union College graduates would be admitted
to regular graduate standing at the University of California. The college complied with these recommendations. The Universities of California and Southern California
expressed their willingness to admit graduates of Pacific Union College. Three
teachers were scheduled to complete Ph.D.'s and three to finish master's degrees
in 1933. Following a visit in March by the dean of St. Mary's College (a member
of the Accrediting Association), the Commission granted the school full senior
college accreditation in April 1933. While the board knew of Nelson's plans to secure
Association Accreditation, most of the faculty did not. He announced the full
Association recognition in chapel, an almost complete but delightful surprise to
all. Walla Walla College was interested in regional accreditation as early as
1920 when it was already financially assisting teachers with summer graduate study.
In the state of Washington regional accreditation depended on accreditation by the
University of Washington which granted junior college recognition to Walla
Walla in 1922. The science building, approved by the board in 1923,was probably
built with accreditation in mind. The college's obvious interest in achieving
official certification prompted two visits in 1925 by Warren E. Howell, of the
General Conference. He warned the board and faculty of dangers in seeking
"outside recognition" and of teachers attending universities. Following his second visit, the board voted in December
1925 to cease efforts for accreditation; it also rescinded a policy of
sponsoring teachers for' summer study. Within two months, ho'wever, problems concerning
certification of Walla Walla College's academy teachers forced reconsideration
of the issue, although no action was taken. With the development of the
Seventh-day Adventist Board of Regents in 1928, the board resumed its practice
of assisting teachers with summer graduate study, approved the first full-time
doctoral study leaves in 1930-31, and recruited teachers with advanced degrees. When Howell was at Walla Walla College in November
1929 to inspect for denominational President William M. Landeen, Walla Walla College. accreditation, he admonished the college to
continue sending teachers, especially department heads, to graduate school and
recommended physical improvements. In response, the board expanded facilities for
science and manual arts and authorized construction of a gymnasium. When John E. Weaver became President in July 1930,
he applied to the University of Washington for senior college---accreditation.
Following the 1931 Autumn Council decision, Weaver guided the school in further
academic and physical plant improvements, and Walla Walla College finally
received junior college accreditation from the Northwest Association of
Secondary and High Schools. Desiring to proceed immediately with senior recognition,
the college board appropriated additional money for the library, elected
William M. Landeen as President, to replace Weaver following his resignation, and
in July 1933, authorized the building of a new dormitory,. At the 1933 Autumn Council,
Walla Walla College was urged to secure full accreditation. A University of Washington inspection team in January
1934 submitted a report recommending further improvements. By year's end, all recommendations
had been met or money appropriated for that purpose, and in January 1935,
senior college accreditation was finally secured from the University of Washington.
Bolton and a group of Northwest Association inspectors responded with a visit
in late March reporting that, among other ADVENTIST HERITAGE 47 President Harvey A. Morrison, Union College. things,. they were pleased with the college's
effective organization, definite objectives, and competent faculty. In April
1935, the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools accredited
Walla Walla College as a four-year College. While all this was in process, the Spring
Council convened. One item for discussion related to accreditation, since 'both
Union and Emmanuel Missionary Colleges had asked the General Conference to
consider reducing the number of senior colleges in the hope that those
remaining would get adequate financial backing for their accreditation efforts.
There was considerable support in the General Conference for at least limiting
the number of senior colleges that should be regionally accredited. Introduction
of a plan calling for the accreditation of only two colleges (excluding Walla Walla
College) was averted dramatically when Landeen presented a telegram from Bolton
indicating that Walla Walla College would be fully accredited. By the fall of 1935, however, many General Conference
officers were so frustrated by the expensive and seemingly futile efforts of
both Union and Emmanuel Missionary Colleges and by the prospect of similar
problems at Washington Missionary and Atlantic Union Colleges that they decided
to act. In response to a report on accreditation by a survey commission on
education, William H. Branson delivered an impassioned half- 48 ADVENTIST HERITAGE President William W. Prescott, Union College. hour address blasting' efforts for regional
accreditation and concluded, ."We have departed far from the blueprint
.... We find we have made a mistake." Also commenting on the report,
General Conference Vice-Presiden t James L. McElhany said, "We will see the day when we will rue what
we have done. . . . I hope the Lord will lead us some day ... to give further
study' in rescuing our educational system from the world." The resulting controversial decision authorized regional
accreditation only for Pacific Union and Emmanuel Missionary Colleges. The
other Adventist colleges were to be satisfied with denominational accreditation
only. Walla Walla' College would be permitted to keep its regional accreditation
provided there was no additional expense. Union College was devasted by' the decision. It
had a longstanding interest in accreditation. President Harvey A. Morrison had quietly
steered the institution toward recognition by the North Central Association of
Colleges and Secondary Schools as early as 1915 by encouraging teachers to pursue
graduate work. When the board of trustees refused to permit application for
accreditation, in January 1922, Morrison resigned. Very soon, however,
realizing its decision. jeopardized the President Milian L. Andreasen, Union College. admission of students to the College of Medical Evangelists,
the board voted to seek junior college accreditation after all. This was
received in March 1923. In spite of the board's continuation of summer study
leaves, Morrison's departure and disappointment with the decision to seek
junior rather than senior college accreditation resulted in Union's loss of all
teachers with advanced degrees. Sensing a pro-accreditation sentiment at the
1924 Autumn Council, Union College president William W. Prescott appointed a
faculty committee to begin preliminary work. His successor Paul L. Thompson continued
and completed the task, applying for four year accreditation in 1929. But the
North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools advised against an
inspection because the chance for approval was slim. Later, at its annual
meeting in March 1930, the regional Association provided another formidable
challenge to Union when it decreed that degree-granting schools could no longer
be accredited as junior colleges; those currently in that category had until
March 1933 to qualify for accreditation as four-year colleges. Union College's efforts suffered another blow when
Thompson resigned in June 1931, accepting a position in" a Baptist college
and soon leaving the Seventh-day Adventist church entirely. Milian L. Andreasen
became Union's President over General Conference objections. He led the board
to approve major expenditures for science equipment, and he George A. Williams, Lt. Governor of Nebraska. prepared the faculty for the North Central
Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools inspection in the spring of
1933that would scrutinize the testing program, the success of the graduates, library
adequacy, the quality of teaching, and data about faculty preparation, teaching
loads, finances, buildings, and equipment. Before the inspection, the college
established its first student personnel program. The inspectors came and
reported progress but recommended that junior college accreditation be
continued for another year. Andreasen pressed ahead with efforts for faculty
professional development. Improvements emerged in the physics laboratory. And
all the while, faculty committees continued preparation for a 1934 inspection. In March 1934, Aaron J. Brumbaugh and John L. Seaton
inspected the college to find commendable gains since 1933 but also noted a
number of weaknesses. There were many academic
inconsistencies in graduation requirements and course prerequisites. There were
too few Ph.D.'s on the faculty, too many courses in some areas, need for a new
library, inadequate financial subsidies in lieu of an endowment, and a large
indebtedness. Union College's junior college accreditation was continued for yet another year. The winter of 1934 saw several physical
improvements on campus. Library holdings were strengthened, and additional
science equipment arrived. ADVENTIST HERITAGE 49
President Henry J. Klooster, Emmanuel Missionary College. More important, the board voted construction of a
$54,000 library, and the Central Union Conference assumed the college's $65,000
indebtedness. Brumbaugh and Seaton returned in March 1935. They noted tremendous improvement in many areas,
and although they recommended senior college accreditation, the North Central
Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools merely extended the junior
college ranking for one or two years. Their board of review thought salaries
were too low, teaching loads too high, department offerings off balance, and
dormitories inadequate. The resilient administration and faculty had determined
to correct those weaknesses when the 1935 Autumn Council decision cast a pall
over their efforts. They saw clearly that the decision could cost the college
its very existence and determined to contest it. In .December, Andreasen with
four board members, including former Nebraska Lt. Governor George A. Williams,
traveled to Washington to appeal the 1935 Autumn Council decision. This happened
in May 1936, when the General Conference Executive Committee came to understand
that the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools policy did
not permit the school to retain junior college accreditation while operating as
a senior college. Lack of regional accreditation or reduction to a junior
college meant Union College would have to drop its pre-health professions curricula
and could not prepare either secondary or elementary teachers for state
certification since 50 ADVENTIST HERITAGE President Benjamin G. Wilkinson, Washington Missionary College. training had recently been increased to three
years in most states. Students would go to other colleges in such numbers that
the institution would be unable to operate. The Committee saw Union's problem
and the problem facing all Adventist schools. It overturned the earlier Council
decision, thus allowing all Adventist colleges to seek accreditation. Union College's faculty and administration restructured
their curricula, responding to advice from Brumbaugh who had been retained as consultant.
Physical improvements enhanced the residence halls and the biology laboratory.
Friends, including Lt. Governor Williams, enlisted the aid of, the University
of Nebraska and prominent Lincoln citizens on Union College's behalf. The Central
and Northern Union Conferences agreed to provide the essential annual $27,500
subsidy basic to fiscal stability. . When in January 1937, Louis B. Hopkins and Alphonse
M. Schwitalla, SJ, spent two days on campus, they commended the college for its
significant progress and later recommended accreditation as a four-year
institution. This the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools finally granted in April 1937 he
experiences of Union College and Emmanuel Missionary College with the North Central
Association prior to 1937 present a striking parallel in many respects. Both became interested in accreditation President Godfrey T. Anderson, Atlantic Union College. early in the century in response to the College
of, Medical Evangelists' requirements; both had received junior college
accreditation in the early twenties; both had been advised against regional recognition
by the impressive Howell. The pattern of escalating expectations and successive
improvements challenged faculty, administration and boards at both of these
colleges. . In 1937, Emmanuel Missionary College in Michigan
suffered the fourth denial of its application for senior college status, and
worse still, lost its junior college standing! But two years later,
under the presidency of Henry J. Klooster, the college in Michigan achieved
what it had so long sought. It does not appear that regional accreditation became
an issue at either Atlantic Union College or Washington Missionary College as
early as it had in the schools to the west. But by 1930, both felt the same
pressures for accreditation, especially in regard to entrance requirements for
graduate and professional schools, problems with teacher certification, and
(after war began) for the admission of returning servicemen and women. Self-studIes and consultations with regional educators
served at both colleges to identify weaknesses; board and administration
efforts gradually achieved the minimum standards
insisted upon by the regional associations. Washington Missionary College,
probably unique among Adventist colleges, achieved accreditation in December
1942 on the first application, after a very well guided approach. Atlantic
Union College was looking seriously toward accreditation about the same time,
challenged also by a General Conference threat of reduction to junior college
status because of academic and physical weaknesses. Faced with what amounted to three refusals by
its regional association between 1933 and 1941, the administration, led by
Godfrey T. Anderson, worked carefully through the demanding process. In October
1945, the college formally applied for New England Association membership.
Representatives again inspected the school in November, said that it still had
much to accomplish but gave it accredited status anyway in December 1945. Thus, after a twenty-five year struggle, all six
colleges were fully accredited, and during the next twenty years, the four
remaining junior colleges became fully accredited as four-year institutions. Why did the process take so long? Money was certainly
an issue. Even though the amounts were minimal by contemporary expectations,
they were staggering to a small denomination with several small colleges, all
hard pressed to operate during the Depression years. A more fundamental reason was enunciated by Hopkins
and Schwitalla in the introduction to their 1937 survey of Emmanuel Missionary
College. The examiners noted that among Adventists, as in other "recently
founded Protestant denominations," an attitude of caution with reference
to higher education has resulted in the development of conflicting views concerning
the relationship between religious belief and practice, on the one hand, and
the objectives and methods of higher education, on the other. This attitude of
caution appears to be particularly predominant among Seventh-day Adventists. The examiners summarized Seventh-day Adventist beliefs
and practices that they thought had a bearing on the conduct of institutions of
higher learning. Included were a conservative fundamentalist attitude
toward the Bible, a pronounced idealism concerning the objectives of life
coupled with rigorous individual demands, an emphasis on the dignity of labor
demanding the development of manual skills as part of education, dedication to
the aims of the denomination, and the desire motivated by faith rather than
remuneration to occupy positions of usefulness in the organization. They concluded, It is easy to see how these ... principles have
a bearing upon educational administration, stimuli to the development of
scholarship, aids to growth of faculty, faculty, tenure, the construction of curriculum,
teaching methods, the financial administration of a school, and upon the many
other phases of educational endeavor. Indeed, the practical reconciliation of "religious
belief and practice" and "the objectives and methods of higher
education" was a significant development in the history of the church
which permitted denominational colleges to reach a milestone in their development-regional
accreditation. ADVENTIST HERITAGE 51
1945