Introduction

Protestant fundamentalism has had no denominational boards and no higher organizational authority. In their absence, institutions of higher education have often served as the forums in which conservative evangelicals debated the meanings of their faith. They have also become vital centers for political and cultural activism. From the 1920s through the 1980s, colleges, universities, Bible institutes, and seminaries have been the hubs of a loosely connected network of evangelical and fundamentalist churches and organizations. In many ways, the institutional needs of higher education have shaped fundamentalist religion, politics, and culture just as much as fundamentalist religion has shaped a distinctive sort of school.

Latinos’ Informational Needs in Attaining Accredited Theological Education

This paper explores published articles that report on theological education in the Hispanic/Latino community. It looks at U.S. demographic changes and the needs of the Latino community to provide civic and church leadership within their communities. The article reports on past efforts, and challenges, to increase Latino enrollment in graduate theological education. It looks at current strategies by Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH) to collaborate with American Theological Schools (ATS) and the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) to certify unaccredited Bible Institutes so that the educational standards will be strengthened and create a clearer pathway for Latinas/os to enter ATS accredited member schools. The purpose of the paper is to present the AETH commission report and discuss ways to help strengthen ways to meet the informational needs of students in Bible Institutes as well as provide more resources that will meet the needs of the Latino community.

Fundamentalist Institutions and the Rise of Evangelical Protestantism, 1929–1942

In April of 1952 an article inChristian Lifemagazine proclaimed Chicago “the evangelical capital of the U.S.A.” To back this claim, editor Russell T. Hitt cited a host of evangelical agencies in greater Chicago: mission boards, denominational offices, colleges, Bible institutes, seminaries, publishing concerns (includingChristian Lifeitself) and youth organizations. In total, the author mentioned over one hundred different agencies such as Youth For Christ International, the Slavic Gospel Association, Scripture Press and the Swedish Covenant Hospital. At first glance, the article appears to present a confusing list of unrelated organizations, but closer inspection reveals a coherent pattern.