A shot of Biola's stately downtown edifice in the late 1920s
As if I needed more reasons to be proud of my lovely school, here are a few more I've turned up in my historical research.
- In their evangelistic zeal, Biola students in the 20s started what were known as "floating Bible schools." A crew of a dozen Biolans would commit to two years on a ship, stop at various ports around the world and either go out into the port city to witness or teach courses on the vessel itself.
- The founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators, the largest non denominationally-affiliated missions organization, and one which has translated portions of the Bible into more than 1,000 languages worldwide, was a member of the Church of the Open Door (the church that met in Biola's building and was symbiotic with the school).
- The building was the tallest skyscraper in L.A. for about a decade (then the library was built next door in 1925).
-In the 1950s, the Church of the Open Door's midweek Bible study drew about 2,300 people every Thursday. Led by Dr. McGee, it was the largest midweek Bible study in the country.
- Two red neon signs reading "Jesus Saves" were perched atop the building's roof from 1935-1985. Every letter was 7 feet tall and could be seen for miles.
- Tuition was, for decades, absolutely free.
1 comments:
Thanks, Michelle, for mentioning Cameroon Townsend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators. 'Uncle Cam' was committed to partnership with the Church in completing the Bible translation task. Our vision has not changed: That God’s Word is accessible to all people
in a language that speaks to their heart. Our mission has: To see a Bible translation program in progress in every language still needing one by 2025. You can find out more at www.wycliffe.org.
Bob Creson, President, Wycliffe USA
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