[Sly Fox]

I know several on the board have direct ties or even paper hanging on their walls.

Tennessee Temple University To Close After Almost 70 Years
Monday, March 2, 2015

Tennessee Temple University, after almost 70 years in operation in Highland Park, is set to close after this semester.

Trustees are set to vote on Tuesday morning to merge Temple with Piedmont International University of Winston-Salem, N.C. Students who are not graduating this semester would have the option to continue their education there. Bryan College in Dayton, Tn., and Shorter College at Rome, Ga., would be other options.

Click Here for Full Story

This would have been an unimaginable turn of events 30 yars ago. And for the record, the old Highland Park Baptist Church has left downtown Chatty and moved to the old Camp Joy where it is now pastored by a former FlameFans poster.

[JakeP50]

WOW! I went there for Youth Alive a few years back, it seemed like a nice campus. Sucks to see it go.

[Sly Fox]

My parents graduated from TTU back in the '60s when it was one of a handleful of the more influential Independent Baptist schools in the country. Under Lee Roberson it carried great sway in Baptist circles and with our founders. Believe it or not, TTU was part of the model Doc used to start the school. While our school has exploded, TTU fell into decline for decades. But even in its passing, TTU's place in Evangelical movement should not be forgotten.

[VAGolf]

Sweet Briar College also announced today that they will close.

[JK37]

I liked Lee Roberson when I heard him speak. He came to my church and preached every night at a revival for four straight nights and twice on Sunday. He was quick and to-the-point. He told my dad if it couldn't be said and summed up in 20 minutes, it wasn't worth saying. Impressive for a fundy!

One of the greatest challenges and responsibilities of leadership is the succession plan. Not only does it sustain one's legacy, it also verifies whether the leader was a true teacher or not. That's what proved Doc's greatness as a visionary and leader.

[Sly Fox]

Doc considered Lee Roberson one of his mentors along with fellow IFB stalwarts BR Lakin & John Rawlings. A generation of pastors across the nation came through TTU in its heydey. So the school's impact continues to be felt today albeit in smaller reverberations.

[VAGolf]

Doc considered Lee Roberson one of his mentors along with fellow IFB stalwarts BR Lakin & John Rawlings. A generation of pastors across the nation came through TTU in its heydey. So the school's impact continues to be felt today albeit in smaller reverberations.

Yeah, they also used to kick out students for going to Gaither concerts...

[Sly Fox]

They were certainly considerably more conservative than we are today.

[Cider Jim]

So many great Temple stories--both good and bad.

The GOOD:
1. That's where Jerry, Sr. got one of his honorary doctorates in the mid-1970s. He once walked into my office, saw my diploma, and said, "Yea, I graduated from there, too."
2. According to Dr. Connie Pearson, who taught at both Temple and Liberty, she personally heard Jerry, Sr. tell the story that he was visiting Temple's campus when he got the vision for Liberty.
3. My freshman year (1979), was Temple's largest enrollment at 4,000 students; at the same time, Liberty had around 2,000 students (or fewer), and had only been on the mountain for a year or two. And neither were regionally accredited in 1979, though Liberty was regionally accredited the next year in 1980.

The BAD:
1. Lee Roberson never saw the need for regional accreditation, and once Liberty got it in 1980, their enrollment grew every year while Temple's declined.
2. Temple had the opportunity to move their campus to the top of Lookout Mountain where Covenant College is currently located, but Roberson didn't want the church and college in two different locations. Ironically, Highland Park Baptist Church changed its name to Church of the Highlands and moved away to the Camp Joy property a few years ago.
3. Last year, Temple sold its old, run down campus with the hopes of relocating across town, and all they needed was 2 million to do so. With 70 years of alumni, they were only able to raise $65,000 from 1% of its alumni.
4. Lee Roberson's favorite quote was, "Everything rises and falls upon leadership" (Yes, that's Roberson's original quote, NOT John Maxwell's), but once he retired, Temple had one poor leader after another.

[SuperJon]

I drove right back that church a couple weeks ago and had no clue the connection. It's definitely out in the middle of nowhere.

[Humble_Opinion]

Very insightful thoughts Cider...

+1

[4everfsu]

The days of a church started Bible college are coming to an end.

[ballcoach15]

I remember when Dr. Falwell said he was starting a college, people laughed.

[ATrain]

I remember when Dr. Falwell said he was starting a college, people laughed.

Congratulations. This qualifies you as an

[Stevev]

I attended TTU back in 82 before I came to Liberty. I just didn't fit in at TTU, too much emphasis on Evangelism and "Old School" doctrine for my taste so I was happy to come to LU. Sad to see it close. I think that the enrollment was about 3K at that time but rather stagnant. I guess they didn't adapt well to a changing society and didn't have the financing to continue with there declining enrollment.

[TIMSCAR20]

I attended TTU back in 82 before I came to Liberty. I just didn't fit in at TTU, too much emphasis on Evangelism and "Old School" doctrine for my taste so I was happy to come to LU. Sad to see it close. I think that the enrollment was about 3K at that time but rather stagnant. I guess they didn't adapt well to a changing society and didn't have the financing to continue with there declining enrollment.

My High School Coach was a TTU player named Dave Montgomery. He played in the early 80's. Tommy McMasters (Yes Carter's Dad) was one of my favorite college basketball players in HS. I saw him when I attended the NCCAA National Championships at Tennessee Temple. I used to go to Temple for basketball camp. I played in their invitational Tournament as a HS Sophomore and scored my then career high 29 points vs TT High in the Championship game. Our star player got hurt and I came off the bench on fire. It was truly the 1st time in my life that I felt like an exceptional basketball player. Before that I just thought I was average.

If I didn't play at Liberty I probably would have ended up at TTU if I didn't stay home in Philly and try to walk-on at LaSalle or Drexel. Coach Ron Bishop and Lefty Glasscock were like legends to us Christian School kids. Sad that the school closed. Lots of memories.

[4everfsu]

[youtube]

[/youtube]