news at free will baptist bible college     Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN, has been the official college of the Free Will Baptist Denomination since 1942. To find out more information about the school, visit their website at www.fwbbc.edu.

FWBBC ‘Holds the Line’ on Tuition Costs

In a bold move geared to help parents and students struggling with the economic downturn, Free Will Baptist Bible College announced a tuition freeze for the 2011-2012 academic year, according to President Matt Pinson. The college’s decision to hold the line on tuition and all other basic costs (room and board, miscellaneous fees, and more) keeps the sticker price within reach of families dealing with the worst economic crunch since the Great Depression.

“Our current and prospective students and their parents are taking a hard look at the financial bottom line,” President Pinson said. “While we can’t change the recessed economy our Free Will Baptist families face, we wanted to take a positive and bold step to make a difference where it mattered most—tuition and other expenses.”

This marks the first time in almost 50 years that no increase in tuition or other expenses has occurred at FWBBC. With families becoming more rigorously selective in choosing a college, freezing tuition costs for a year will spotlight the student-friendly atmosphere of FWBBC.
David Williford, vice president for institutional advancement, said, “Thank God for the faithful support of donors whose financial commitment to the mission of FWBBC makes this decision to flat-line tuition for 12 months a possibility. It needed to be done, and I’m so glad the Trustees made the decision, but it would not have happened without the generous gifts of our donors.”

The college’s enrollment services staff pushed the word out nationwide this spring and summer to prospective Free Will Baptist students and parents regarding the cost freeze on tuition.
Rusty Campbell, director of enrollment services, said, “We plan a news blitz with post cards, emails, letters, phone calls, website updates, chapel announcements, and more. This is a unique moment, and we want to spread the good news as far and as fast as we can. The ‘Hold the Line’ decision on tuition costs may well be the deciding factor for a number of prospective students and their parents.”

FWBBC began charging tuition for the first time in 1948. While the college operated from 1942 until 1948 without tuition fees, economic conditions in post-World War II America plus rising costs to maintain an expanding curriculum and a professional faculty placed FWBBC on the same page with other U.S. colleges as a tuition-driven institution.

Arkansas Welcomes FWBBC Preaching Team

The Social Band Association in Arkansas hosted a 10-man preaching team from Free Will Baptist Bible College, February 19-20, as a number of local churches opened their pulpits Sunday morning to the ministerial students following a Saturday night youth rally at First Free Will Baptist Church in Jonesboro. Junior student Zachary Maloney preached during the youth rally.

Weekend activities resulted in the Preaching Team addressing nearly 1,300 people and traveling over 1,000 miles, according to John Murray, Christian service director and event organizer.
“We have some exciting young people in our churches,” Mr. Murray said. “I was so glad we had a chance to visit with a number of them after the rally on Saturday. The parents and host pastors were open and welcoming, eager to learn more about the ministry of FWBBC.”

Fourteen Arkansas students are currently enrolled at FWBBC. Reverend Mark Stripling, pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church in North Little Rock, serves on the college’s Board of Trustees. Student Body Chaplain David Landers is from Arkansas, as are freshman class officers Catie Pointer (secretary-treasurer) and Nick Hewitt (chaplain). Other Arkansas students also provide campus leadership roles in student organizations.

JETS Publishes Pinson, Reid Articles

The Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS) published materials by two Free Will Baptist Bible College personnel in the December 2010 issue. One item is a book review by Garnett Reid who teaches Bible and specializes in Old Testament Studies; the other is a major paper on Arminian theology by President Matt Pinson.

Dr. Pinson’s 13-page paper, “The Nature of Atonement in the Theology of Jacobus Arminius,” is presented in six sections plus a summary-conclusion.
Pinson writes, “Jacobus Arminius is one of the best known and least studied theologians in the history of Christianity. His writings have been neglected by Calvinists and Arminians alike.

Arminius scholar Carl Bangs is correct when he says that most modern treatments of Arminius assume a definition of Arminianism that does not come from Arminius.”
Dr. Reid’s two-page article reviews Judges, a 538-page volume by Trent Butler, published in 2009 by Thomas Nelson ($49.99). Reid says the author “likens his work in solving the riddle of Judges to that of a detective. Over the course of his investigation, Butler unravels many enigmas, examines evidence that may solve a few more, and leaves some to stand as cold cases.”

Reid places the volume in the top tier of studies on Judges for four reasons: It tackles difficulties in the text honestly and offers plausible solutions; it converses with an extensive sampling of modern literature on Judges; it displays sustained sensitivity to the rhetorical features of the text; it views the book as accurate historical testimony.

Both Dr. Pinson and Dr. Reid are frequently published in theological journals and denominational publications. Books by Pinson include the 2009 Perspectives on Christian Worship: Five Views (ed.) (Broadman & Holman); The Washing of the Saints’ Feet (Randall House, 2006); Four Views on Eternal Security (ed.), (Zondervan, 2002), and others. Dr. Reid’s most recent book, Deuteronomy 6 in 3D: What Matters Most, was published in 2010 by Randall House. He also writes the regular column, “Intersect,” in ONE Magazine.

Matt Pinson has been president of FWBBC since 2002. Garnett Reid joined the FWBBC faculty in 1982.

Earl Langley to Represent FWBBC in Tennessee

Reverend Earl Langley, long-time pastor and state leader, has joined the staff of Free Will Baptist Bible College as the Tennessee field representative. He will promote FWBBC at district and quarterly meetings, according to David Williford, vice president for institutional advancement. Reverend Langley is an FWBBC alumnus with more that 50 years of pastoral experience.

“We are so pleased that Brother Langley will represent FWBBC in Tennessee,” Mr. Williford said. “He is well known and respected in the state. He has been a successful pastor here and understands how the state association functions; he is also a champion of Christian education. Earl chaired the organizational committee to establish Pleasant View Christian School and worked with a group of pastors to organize Newport Christian Academy.”

Langley, the fourth of 12 children, was born in East Tennessee. He was called to preach as a teen in Sparta. He and his wife Melba and their two children moved to the Nashville area where he attended FWBBC. He later graduated from Luther Rice Seminary. His pastoral ministry spans 52 years in five states—Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Mississippi, and Florida.

His broader denominational outreach includes two years as principal of the Free Will Baptist School in the Virgin Islands, as well as elected positions on state boards and moderator of quarterly meetings and district associations. He published a column in the Mississippi Messenger while pastoring in Mississippi and wrote Bible studies for Master’s Men while pastoring in Tennessee.

Reverend Langley said, “President Pinson contacted me in the summer of 2010 and invited me to travel the state of Tennessee to represent FWBBC at various district and quarterly meetings. I’m a supporter of the college and Christian education in general, and I’m delighted to share in this important work.”