Arlington Baptist University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Bible college A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christianity, Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for C ...

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...

. It offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs (only at the masters' level; ABU does not offer doctoral programs).

History

The college was founded by

J. Frank Norris John Franklyn Norris, more commonly known as J. Frank Norris (September 18, 1877 – August 20, 1952) was a Baptist preacher and controversial Christian fundamentalist. Personal life J. Frank Norris was born in Dadeville in Tallapoosa County ...

in 1939 as Fundamental Baptist Bible Institute. The university started with 16 students and held classes at the First Baptist Church of Fort Worth. The college's first graduates became pastors or missionaries through the World Fundamental Baptist Fellowship (as

World Baptist Fellowship The World Baptist Fellowship (WBF) is a separatist fundamentalist Independent Baptist organization. The organization was founded by J. Frank Norris (1877–1952) of Texas, a southern fundamentalist leader in the first half of the 20th century. It ...

was then known). In 1945, the university was renamed the Bible Baptist Seminary. Norris stepped down as the college's president, and

George Beauchamp Vick George Beauchamp Vick (1901–1975), known as G. B. Vick, or G. Beauchamp Vick, was pastor of Temple Baptist Church of Detroit, Michigan, from 1950 to the 1970s. J. Frank Norris, pastor of Temple Baptist from 1934 to 1950, appointed Vick in 193 ...

became the new president. Shortly thereafter, Norris worried that Vick had been given too much power, so Norris regained control over the school and removed Vick as president. Vick's removal angered many pastors, who had reportedly grown tired of Norris' ways and who began to pull away from him, the college, and the World Baptist Fellowship. By 1950, these pastors had established the

Baptist Bible Fellowship International The Baptist Bible Fellowship International (BBFI) is a conservative Baptist Christian denomination. It is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. History The Fellowship was founded during a meeting at Fort Worth in 1950 by a group of 100 pasto ...

and Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, with George Vick as president. After Norris died in 1952, the college no longer met at his church, so moved to temporary facilities in downtown Fort Worth. Earl K. Oldham became the college's president in 1953. During Oldham's tenure, the college's name was changed to Arlington Baptist College, and it was moved to its present location in 1955. In 1980, Wayne Martin was appointed president, who led the college to full accreditation. Martin was succeeded in 1992 by Wendell Hiers as interim president until the appointment of David Bryant in 1993. D.L. Moody (no relation to the evangelist of the same name) served as president from 2009 to 2019. Appointed in 2020, Clifton McDaniel currently serves as the president of the school. In 2015, the college applied for an exception to

Title IX Title IX is a landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receiv ...

, allowing it to discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons. Notwithstanding the request, the ABU Student Handbook (pp. 38-39) affirms the university's position that sexual activity is limited to heterosexual marriage only, and " udents participating in sexual misconduct hich it defines as all behavior outside of heterosexual marriagewill be subject to dismissal". On June 1, 2017, the institution's name changed from Arlington Baptist College to Arlington Baptist University. In conjunction with the name change, the bachelor's and master's programs were divided into schools rather than divisions.

Accreditation

The university has been

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. It is a member of the ...

since 1981. The college is also approved by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification and by the Texas Veterans Commission as an approved institution to receive veteran's educational benefits.

Athletics

The university participates as a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic c ...

, Southwest Region, Division II, and is a member of the

Association of Christian College Athletics The Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA) is an organization of collegiate athletics in the United States. It was incorporated to provide an opportunity for smaller Christian college members to compete on an equal level of competition ...

. The college fields intercollegiate teams, known as the Patriots, in baseball (men's), basketball (men's and women's), volleyball (women's), soccer (men's and women's), golf (men's and women's), and softball (women's).

Campus

Arlington Baptist University is the educational institution for the

, which maintains its headquarters on the campus. An 8-foot bronze sculpture of J. Frank Norris (sculpted by

Pompeo Coppini Pompeo Luigi Coppini (19 May 1870 – 26 September 1957) was an Italian and American sculptor. Although his works can be found in Italy, Mexico and a number of U.S. states, the majority of his work can be found in Texas. He is particularly f ...

), founder of both the university and the Fellowship, is displayed on the campus. The campus is the site of the former Top O' Hill Terrace casino, which has been recognized with a Texas state historical marker. Historic features from the casino still present on the campus include a sandstone guardhouse, an iron gate, an open-air tea garden, and escape tunnels; the public is allowed to tour the facilities by appointment during normal business hours.

References

External links

* * {{Coord, 32.739, -97.157, type:edu_region:US-TX, display=title Universities and colleges in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex Independent Baptist universities and colleges in the United States Education in Arlington, Texas Universities and colleges in Tarrant County, Texas Universities and colleges established in 1939 Association of Christian College Athletics member schools 1939 establishments in Texas Buildings and structures in Arlington, Texas