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| MailBox Updated March 7/2003 The Student Voice welcomes your comments and opinions. We encourage writers to actually deal with issues, however, rather than speculate on the spiritual life of the editor. We still receives a regular amount of mail from those who have been affected by PCC in one way or another. In an attempt keep this site vibrant, those messages will be posted in the mailroom at irregular intervals, along with comments. Names will never be used, but please explicitly request if you do not want your letter posted at all. Responses are in green
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| As a former student i appreciate the honest assessment of PCC's many problems.
I attended only one semester and found the legalistic state in which PCC thrives smothering and infuriating. I
see it as a hypocrite-manufacturer. I state firmly I have close friends who still attend PCC, and I still really
like several of my instructors. However, I believe that many "PCC-ers" will be suprised when(if) they
reach heaven and they realize that in heaven there will not be formal, inpersonal worship, and that God is not
impressed by how well they can make and keep their rules. All He will look for is wether or not they showed love
to their fellow believers and to the lost. Here PCC will be found lacking, a whitd sepulchre full of bones. Please
continue your blunt approach. Sincerely, S Came to your site for the first time. I graduated from PCC in '99 and had some problems because of their lack of accredidation. I had forgotten about your site until I stumbled across it. You really became popular during my 4 year sentence because of the controversy. The "powers that be" instilled the rule that students may not visit the Student Voice website. I teach in a Christian high school in Orlando, FL and one of my goals is that when my students graduate, they know what they believe and why they believe it. Christianity is personal, not some "cookie-cutter" religion and I believe that institutions and authorities like PCC tend to do more harm to the cause of Christ than good. Keep up the good work, S I would just like to say that I think that most of the things that you have on this website are so untrue. I attend PCC right now, and half of the things that you are saying about it are totally false. The reason we have so many rules is to keep the entire student body (4000 now) under control. They have no other way of keeping order than by disciplining us in the way they do. I also do not believe that someone should give their opinion about PCC unless they have attended there for ATLEAST one semester because what one hears about the college is totally different from the reality of it. I find it sad that you need to "bash" all of the "negative" rules, but don't mention any of the positive things about PCC. Like how God has worked in so many people's lives and how He has led them in the right direction for His will. I mean, of course, not everyone that goes to PCC is going to agree with every single rule, but that happens anywhere. I really hope that people who read the things on this website do not agree with all that is said and will visit PCC and find out for themselves how it really functions. I appreciate your reading this letter. Thank you. M Dear SV, After 4 ½ years of contemplation since I graduated PCC, I believe it is time for me to weigh in on that institution and I hope my comments can be published on your website so others may read my thoughts. At the time I went, I really had no options, PCC was where my parents told me I would go. Since I tried to obey them as much as possible, I went. I was there. I adjusted. I witnessed the “Student Voice purge” in 1996-1997 school year. I remember the chapel it was discussed, I remember the overall message, “our authority comes from God. You are not allowed to question this.” At the time I was naïve. I did not believe PCC to be perfect, nor was I a typical “PCCer”. I never dated girls on campus. I didn’t meet my wife there. I was never campused. I served in two different offices in my collegian. I even graduated early. I needed to leave because something was not right. Since leaving I see what was not right. Arrogance. PCC teaches they are right, period. There is no room for them to error. It does not matter what history says, it does not matter what science says, PCC is right. The PCC administration believes this whole-heartedly, everything they do is the best. There is nothing comparable to anything they do. Pride. PCC boasts of God’s blessing by pointing out the nice buildings and the sheer power they hold with their earnings from A Beka Book and they use that to point their finger at you when you criticize or question anything. Well, money is nice and buildings are great, but if you follow that mindset to its’ logical conclusion, then Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt are blessed of God since they have money, power and buildings. Lack of scholarship. PCC does not have enough professors who have actually earned their PhDs. There are no PCC professors who are actively producing scholarly papers, books, or appearing on local TV programs to speak on current events. PCC claims to have the best Bible program, however, no PCC Bible professor produces any major work on the Bible and they do not participate in major theological conferences or on translations of the Bible or notes for study Bibles. Control. My wife attended a well-respected, 130 year old Christian college. She thought her school was strict, however, upon viewing the PCC handbook, she was amazed at the sheer amount of control PCC asserts on its’ students. It’s really sad if you think about it; PCC regulates nearly every aspect of your life, calling it “discipline”, however, their intent is to mold you in their image and conform you to their version of spirituality. This even extends to the graduate programs, the staff of PCC and the faculty as well. Their personal lives are controlled; they are denied the “priesthood of the believer” that the Reformers fought so hard for in the 16th century. Mistrust. PCC does not trust their students. Only selected students have email because PCC does not believe every student can be trusted with email. The Internet is restricted to only a few websites because PCC does not trust students to be able to discern for themselves. You are watched wherever you go. If you go to Wal-Mart there is someone there, if you are at the mall, chances are someone will be watching you. If you are called to a dean to be questioned, you are assumed guilty before you are even able to explain your side. Externalities. PCC implicitly teaches if you conform to their standards of holiness, then you will be holy because PCC’s standards are from God. Sure, they will mention in a sermon every now and then that it’s not the case, but actions speak louder than words. They focus so much on how you look and what you do, that they leave out the heart and that is sadly lacking in a place that has much potential. The Campus “Church”. Yes, the place PCC hails as a bastion of spiritual learning and great teaching is a sham. It is not a place where PCC students are able to function in a local church setting. You are herded in, you listen, and you are herded out. There is no way a PCC student can exercise the spiritual gifts God gives them because they are sitting in a seat. The Bible is clear that in order to grow to your potential, a Christian must be able to function in a local church setting. This does not happen at the Campus “Church”. The Bible program. Name one PCC graduate in the past two decades who has produced a major theological work, pastors a large church, or has made an impact on the evangelical culture. You won’t be able to. Granted numbers are not important, however, PCC claims to send out the best Bible graduates possible, yet many PCC grads you encounter can’t exegete a passage or preach a true expository sermon to save their lives. They are not taught hermeneutics, which is a basic discipline taught at over 99% of all Bible institutions and seminaries. They are forced to tow the college line on doctrine while they attend, there is no open room for theological debate or discussion, it’s simply PCC’s way, or go somewhere else and be apostate. Accreditation. Lack of accreditation is an issue when you are a school that has only been in existence since the 1970’s. PCC claims accreditation is a “slippery slope” to compromise and they will be forced to hire homosexuals and atheists, and then allow the government to approve their teachings, thus compromising basic Biblical standards. That is simply not the case. Accreditation bodies are independent of the government and even a low tier accreditation would help students more than none at all. When I applied to the graduate program I am working in, I received a “what to do” letter from PCC incase my program did not accept their unaccredited credits. That should not be something I should worry about when I apply. I was told for 3 ½ years how good my degree was and what a hot commodity I would be, yet the message I receive after wards is, “well, we may not be good enough.” Accountability. PCC is accountable to no one. Not its’ alumni, not the Board of Directors, not the Campus “Church”, and no Christian organization. This is a bad idea. In Acts, we see that churches were accountable to each other, the apostles were accountable to the Church and there were times when even Peter had to be confronted and corrected. PCC will not place themselves in any situation where they are accountable for their actions. There are no means to file a grievance with the College if you believe you are treated unfairly and there is no ecclesiastical body in place to confront the College if they deviate into unorthodoxy or heresy. PCC claims they are only accountable to God, and yes, every person is accountable to God, however, God gave us the means to be accountable here on earth as well, so we can be able to please Him more. My list is not exhaustive and I pray people do not read this and call me bitter. I have nothing to be bitter about, however, as an alumnus of Pensacola Christian College, I have a right to be concerned, and as a Christian it is my duty to continue to pray for a reformation to occur at 250 Brent Lane, Pensacola, Florida. Soli Deo Gloria, b |
