Christian universities change image, offerings

Religious-based institutions are now listing more than religious studies in their course catalogs.
LANGHORNE, Pa. (AP) -- His internship with the Philadelphia Flyers doesn't raise eyebrows. Neither does his ultimate dream job of managing a professional sports team. Even his college major -- business administration -- doesn't generate double takes.
Rather, Jeremy VanEtten gets puzzled looks after revealing where he goes to school -- Philadelphia Biblical University. "You tell people where you go and they say, 'Are you going to be a priest?'" he said.
A different aspect
VanEtten is devoted to the church; he just doesn't see himself working for one.
Within higher-education circles, conservative Christian colleges like Philadelphia Biblical University have long been regarded as niche schools with missions revolving around training future ministers and missionaries, not career professionals.
That image is slowly changing, as more Bible colleges broaden curricula and seek formal recognition as credible institutions with competitive academic programs, experts say. They seek to prepare students for the work force while adhering to the core biblical foundation and world view that prepares them for life.
Simply put, these schools have discovered what their secular and Christian liberal arts cousins know -- when people are paying big bucks for an education, they want choices as well as assurance their degree is marketable.
"The image in most people's mind is, we prepare pastors and missionaries and that is it," said W. Sherrill Babb, president of Philadelphia Biblical University, which is marking its 25th anniversary in Bucks County. "That's part of us, but it's not the whole."
A trend pioneer
The university is considered a pioneer in the trend. Formerly called the Philadelphia College of Bible, the school opened in 1913, but by 1979 was struggling with fewer than 500 students and nowhere to expand in its city campus.
College leaders looked at 35 locations throughout the Delaware Valley region to relocate, stopping when they reached the 115-acre property in Langhorne Manor, just beyond the border with Penndel.
What they saw was possibilities, though that was about it, Babb said.
"There were no hotels when we came here, few restaurants, two toll booths at the [Pennsylvania] Turnpike exit," he said. "There was nothing. It was undiscovered."
The proximity to public and private transportation arteries helped the school expand to its current offering of undergraduate, graduate and advanced degree programs to roughly 1,300 students. The Langhorne Manor campus is the largest of the seven Philadelphia Biblical University campuses in the United States and Europe.
Traditional programs as well
The undergraduate programs include traditional programs, such as Bible ministries, Bible education and Christian counseling. Over the last eight years, though, the school introduced new double-major programs, where students can earn two bachelors degrees, in Bible and business administration, music, social work or education.
A desire to better attract a broader student population led university officials to successfully gain approval to change from college to university status in 1999. To earn the distinction, a school must, among other things, offer five approved graduate degree programs, Babb said.
With its 100th anniversary approaching in 2013, Philadelphia Biblical University is working to continue efforts to broaden its appeal. There are plans to offer doctoral degrees within nine years, as well as expand program offerings and move students from the nearby Penndel dormitories onto campus, Babb said.
"We are on the cutting edge of biblical education," Babb added.
Philadelphia Biblical University was also among the first Bible colleges to earn accreditation, meaning an independent education agency reviewed its programs, practices and structure to assure they met recognized higher education standards.
Most colleges are accredited, but of the more than 1,200 biblical higher education institutions in the United States and Canada, only a fraction are accredited or in the process of seeking accreditation.
Historically small
Historically, Bible colleges are on small campuses -- typically 300 to 500 students -- and they are associated with a particular denomination or church, said Larry McKinney, executive director of the Association for Biblical Higher Education, one of the largest accrediting groups, representing 150 schools, including Philadelphia Biblical University.
Most offer a handful of undergraduate degrees and no graduate programs. Religion and humanities are emphasized and Bible studies are integrated with curriculum and campus life.
An atmosphere where the pursuit of faith and knowledge are equally valued is why 21-year-old Adria Holub transferred to Philadelphia Biblical University after two years at the College of New Jersey. The Middletown senior is studying biblical ministries, and her career goal is to one day teach religion at a secular college.
"Some people think you must be stupid to go to a biblical university. ... They think you don't work hard. They also write you off as being totally closed-minded," she said. "There are people here who have excellent minds."