Second Feature

On February 25, 1908, The Bible Institute of Los Angeles was founded to equip men and women to be effective ministers of the gospel in a world that was becoming increasingly secular.

Formed by the Rev. T.C. Horton and Lyman Stewart, founder of Union Oil Company, the non-denominational school offered degrees in Bible training, hosted the nation’s largest Christian magazine, The King’s Business, and aired the first Christian radio program west of the Mississippi, which later became known as “The Biola Hour.”

Enrollment grew rapidly under the direction of Biola’s first dean, R.A. Torrey (1911–1925). By 1915, the school had more than 1,000 students and was housed in 13-story twin towers in downtown Los Angeles. At the time, this was the tallest building in the city. By the late 1920s,

Biola had already graduated many influential Christian leaders, such as author and pastor Donald Grey Barnhouse and Charles Fuller, who later founded Fuller Theological Seminary.

But even with the steady growth of Christian schools like Biola, the 1920s and 30s were a time when many of the nation’s leading seminaries began to take a “liberal” stand on the basic doctrines of the faith. The leadership of Biola decided in 1936 that it was time to expand the school’s curriculum to include a Bachelor of Theology degree. In 1943, Biola established the Bible Theological Seminary of Los Angeles to recognize those students doing seminary level work.

During this time, Dr. Louis T. Talbot, then pastor of the Church of the Open Door, was serving his second tenure as Biola’s president (1932-1935, 1938-1952). He saw the increasing need for Biola to offer a three-year seminary degree to effectively fill the gap left by the liberal seminaries.

In 1952, during his last year as Biola’s president, Talbot worked to establish a fully accredited theological seminary. The seminary’s first dean was noted Christian scholar Charles Feinberg, who, along with his colleagues, unanimously voted to name the seminary “Talbot Theological Seminary.” In 1981, the seminary’s name was changed to “Talbot School of Theology” when Biola moved from college to university status.

Today, Talbot School of Theology is one of the nation’s leading evangelical seminaries and continues to grow with the needs of Christian leaders, offering ten different Master of Arts majors or emphases, the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), the Master of Theology (Th.M.), and three doctoral degrees.

When Myers Hall was constructed to house Talbot in 1962, 46 students attended. A chapel that included office and classroom space was added in 1975 when enrollment reached 460. In 1999, student population had reached 664. During the fall semester of 2007, 1,119 students were enrolled at Talbot (up 10% from just the previous year). Since 1999, the number of full-time Talbot faculty has grown from 40 to 62, and administrative staff from 13 to 23.

Biola University also has experienced healthy growth, up 120% in the past 15 years. During that same time, enrollment increased just 12.8% at public colleges and universities, 28% at private schools, and 70.6% at institutions belonging to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (of which Biola is a member). Clearly, Biola is providing what the Christian community desires—a quality university education taught from a biblical worldview.

Biola’s growth deeply impacts Talbot School of Theology, as Talbot plays a strategic role at Biola. Talbot not only is a comprehensive seminary, preparing men and women for professional ministry, it also enables the entire University to fulfill its mission and vision. Talbot helps ensure that every course is taught from a biblical worldview, anchors Biola as a Global Center for Christian Thought, and provides the impetus to serve as a Global Center for Spiritual Renewal. Each year, over 3,000 undergraduates develop a biblical worldview under the guidance of Talbot professors. At Biola, all undergraduate students are required to take 30 units of Bible and theology, nearly all of which are taught by Talbot faculty.

Although the demand for Talbot classes has skyrocketed, no new facilities have been added since 1975. Classes are scattered across Biola’s campus, and faculty offices are located in five separate buildings. To serve Talbot’s growing needs, and to provide educational facilities to enable Talbot to its mission well into the 21st century, Biola’s Board of Trustees has approved a plan to create a “campus within a campus” for the School of Theology. The multi-million dollar plan includes two new instructional and office buildings, the renovation of the existing Feinberg Hall, and a community gathering plaza with café.

The new buildings will frame the existing Calvary Chapel/Feinberg Hall building, creating a defined campus area specifically for Talbot students, faculty and staff. Currently, Talbot classes and faculty offices are spread across Biola University’s campus, utilizing space in buildings belonging to a number of other campus disciplines. The vision for the new Talbot project is to bring all facets of Talbot School of Theology together into one campus area, improving the quality of the seminary experience for all involved.