Pensacola Christian College

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Education (This Major's Salary over time)
“Fifty years from now…can you guarantee me 100% that you would still be supportive of this school? Can you guarantee that this school will not change its view? Think about it, a lot can change. Can you guarantee that you will still be supporting this college 50 years from now?” Those were the questions that a chapel speaker posed to the student body one morning in his chapel message and those questions have stuck with me over the years, and those questions have come back to my mind recently.

I, too, received an e-mail from PCC stating that I should visit this site and express my positive views of the college due to the negative reviews which are being stated against the school. I have wrestled with the position of keeping quiet and not saying anything or stating my views for the record. There is no doubt that this college has been used greatly over the years to train young men and women in a variety of fields. But I do also agree with others, I sincerely believe that the true focus of the college has changed.

Graduating from PCC took place eleven years ago for me and since leaving the college I have had a bitter taste in my mouth. Since then I have not proudly recommended nor have I proudly stood by my alma mater. I generally keep it quiet and try to avoid the topic when it does come up for discussion.

No place is perfect and I am not going to list every disagreement that I had with the school, but here are a few of the major topics with me while attending there and since leaving the school:

The Rules of the College

This is probably the most talked about and controversial point of the campus. The rules did not bother me too much, but they did get very old and stifling by the time my college career ended. If you are a person who has trouble following rules this is definitely a place that you should not attend.

Yes, there will be rules anywhere we go and each place needs to have rules in order to function. Personally I believe that when rules are created and implemented there should be a reason as to why they are there. Rules should be practical, beneficial, and helpful while providing an opportunity to build character in a person. Rules should not be there to strike fear in a person, cause suspicion, and make them wonder whether or not they will be on campus the next day. And most of all, the written and unwritten rule book should not be the Bible of the campus.

I sometimes fell into this PCC mentality while teaching, creating rules for students that were not beneficial or practical. It was just an attempt to control the students in an unfair manner or to compensate for a blunder that I made and used it as a last resort. The end result: it did more harm than good.

As I regrettably learned too late students are more likely to follow you if you can capture their hearts and attitudes rather than stifling them through legalism.

Respect & Trust

The administration of the school demands respect from their students and any form of disrespect or what they deem as disrespect is quickly taken care of. Students there are not allowed to question things in a respectful manner even if they do not truly understand the reasoning behind it; if you dare question authority, you are quickly branded as a person who is not right with God or are a rebellious person. I also know this from personal experience.

The administration does not demand their staff and faculty to treat students in a fair and respectful manner. Students for the most part are viewed as a group of children in adult bodies and they are not given the chance to be trusted or given the chance to express their views in a respectful manner whether the teacher may or may not be in agreement with the student. While I was there at the school no opportunities were given in the classroom to express your views on a given topic to encourage critical thinking or a chance to defend your views. Facts were given by the teachers, notes were taken, and you were expected to apply those notes to the views and mindset of PCC.

True, this is a young group of people who are still learning, growing and maturing, but hindering them by treating them as irresponsible children and always viewing them with suspicion does no good for either side.

The KJV Only Debate

I have feelings on this issue, but I will keep it brief. If PCC firmly believes in the KJV only stand, that’s fine, for they are entitled to their view and stand on the issue. If I am going to send my child there I want them to learn about the Bible not regurgitate facts time and time again on why KJV only is the best translation. This debate has been going on since I graduated eleven years ago and has caused harmed in the inner circles of Christian college, and all I can say about this topic: over-kill!

Critiquing the College

Before leaving the college I was given the chance to critique the school. They asked for what I believed were the positive things of the school while asking for the negative things of the school. I gave my viewpoints on both topics while answering the other questions which were posed on the questionnaire before me. Not too long after the survey was completed I was pulled out of Work Assistance and summoned to the offices of the administration.

While walking across campus I knew what I was heading into. Naively I was optimistic that the college would question me further on what was presented, and I was prepared for my arguments. I was never given that chance. Immediately I was reprimanded for having a bad attitude, having a heart problem, and I was not given the chance to explain any of the statements that were made. Nor was I questioned any further on the statements.

It does not came as a surprise to me that PCC is sending out e-mails to their fellow alumni asking to come to their defense because they can not handle the negative reviews that have been made against the college since this website is out of their control, a website that they cannot control the views or the opinions of what is being said against them. There is a phrase for that and that is called “the truth.”

Being critiqued in a public forum or personally is not easy and it makes us uncomfortable, but ultimately it is a useful tool. It helps identify strengths, weaknesses, and pinpoint potential problems. I think that a responsible administration would use this to their advantage while logically and responsibly weeding out legitimate and illegitimate comments to help better improve the school. It is sad to see a school spend time, energy and resources scouring the internet for clues on the identities of anonymous people so they can be blacklisted rather than spending time correcting legitimate problems to the best of their ability.

I tried to critique PCC eleven years earlier and I was informed me that I had a bad attitude and a heart problem and sent me on my way. I thought I would be the last person that you would call upon to fight in a battle for you. My question to the administration is this: why are you calling on this “rebellious” person in an e-mail to come to your defense in your hour of need?