Tennessee Temple University was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

university in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

Temple Baptist Seminary Temple Baptist Seminary is the graduate school of Christian theology of Piedmont International University. Originally established as "Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary" in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1948, the name was changed to Temple Bap ...

was the university's graduate school of

Christian theology Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

, also operating in Chattanooga. The university merged with

Piedmont International University Carolina University (CU), formerly Piedmont International University (PIU), is a Private university, private Christianity, Christian university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Carolina University offers both residential and online programs incl ...

in 2015.

History

Tennessee Temple was founded in 1946 under the leadership and vision of Dr.

Lee Roberson Lavern "Lee" Edward Roberson (November 24, 1909 – April 29, 2007) was an American pastor and evangelist. He was the founder of Tennessee Temple University and Temple Baptist Seminary in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Camp Joy, in Harrison, Te ...

. As the pastor of a prominent

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The word ...

church,

Highland Park Baptist Church Highland Park Baptist Church was a prominent Southern Baptist church in the Highland Park neighborhood of Chattanooga, Tennessee. During the four-decade pastorship of Dr. Lee Roberson, it was a center of the Independent Baptist movement and bec ...

in Chattanooga, Roberson saw a need to train people for ministry through higher education. Believing that God was leading him to act upon this need, he began an evening Bible institute which would eventually blossom into a

Bible college A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for Christian ministry with theological educ ...

and a

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual capac ...

. Later, a seminary would be added. Under Roberson's leadership from 1946 to 1983, the university was "at the center of the

Independent Baptist Independent Baptist churches (some also called Independent Fundamental Baptist or IFB) are Christian congregations, generally holding to conservative (primarily fundamentalist) Baptist beliefs. Although some Independent Baptist churches refuse af ...

movement." The close relationship that the school maintained with Highland Park Baptist Church, one of the early

megachurch A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...

es of the modern era, created many ministry training opportunities for the students of Tennessee Temple. This model would be the inspiration for the Rev.

Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelism, televangelist, and conservatism in the United States, conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, ...

to begin what would become

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Liberty i ...

. Tennessee Temple's peak enrollment was more than 4,000 students in the early 1980s, but enrollment had dropped by 3,000 by 1991. As of September 2013, there were "just over" 400 students enrolled. In September 2013, university leaders reported that the institution was considering a campus relocation, from Highland Park to a larger site on Woodland Park Baptist Church property located on Standifer Gap Road. In February 2014, the university announced that it would sell most of its Highland Park campus buildings to Redemption to the Nations, the parent organization of Redemption Point Church, and move to a new site by June 2015. In March 2015, it was announced that, as of April 30, 2015, Tennessee Temple University would dissolve and merge with

, a private Christian college in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, North Carolina.

Presidents

Dr.

, 1946-1974 Dr. J.R. Faulkner, 1974-1985 Dr. J. Don Jennings, 1985-1990 Dr. L.W. Nichols, 1991-1993 Dr. Roger H. Stiles, 1993-2002 Dr. David E. Bouler, 2002-2005 Dr. J. Daniel Lovett, 2005-2011 Dr. Steven F. Echols, 2011-2015

Notable alumni, students, and faculty

Kay Arthur Kay Lee Arthur (born November 11, 1933) is Christian author and bible teacher and co-founder of Precept Ministries International. Early life and education Kay Lee Arthur was born on November 11, 1933, in Jackson, Michigan. She grew up in a r ...

, co-founder of Precept Ministries International, 1965 *

Dan Lothian Dan Lothian is founder of Little Park Media and a former CNN White House correspondent. Prior to covering the White House, Lothian was CNN's Boston Bureau Chief. He traveled across New England and around the country for CNN covering politics and ...

, former White House Correspondent for

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

, 1987 *

Kevin Malone Kevin Malone is a fictional character in the American television series ''The Office (US TV series), The Office''. He is portrayed by Brian Baumgartner. Kevin's counterpart in the The Office (UK TV series), UK TV series is Keith Bishop, who sha ...

, former general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, coach *

Dallas Willard Dallas Albert Willard (September 4, 1935 – May 8, 2013) was an American philosopher also known for his writings on Christian spiritual formation. Much of his work in philosophy was related to phenomenology, particularly the work of Edmund H ...

, former professor of

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and noted

author, 1956

Athletics

The Tennessee Temple athletic teams were called the Crusaders. The university was a member of the

National Christian College Athletic Association The National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) is an association of Christian universities, colleges, and Bible colleges in the United States and Canada whose mission is "the promotion and enhancement of intercollegiate athletic co ...

(NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the Mid-East Region of the Division I level. The Crusaders were also a member of the

United States Collegiate Athletic Association The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) is a national organization for the intercollegiate athletic programs of 72 mostly small colleges, including community/junior colleges, across the United States. The USCAA holds 15 nationa ...

(USCAA) from 2013–14 to 2014–15 (when the school closed). Tennessee Temple competed in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball (fast-pitch), track & field and volleyball. Club sports included cheerleading and wrestling.

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{authority control Defunct private universities and colleges in Tennessee Baptist universities and colleges in the United States Liberal arts colleges in Tennessee Universities and colleges in Chattanooga, Tennessee Baptist Christianity in Tennessee Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Educational institutions established in 1946 Educational institutions disestablished in 2015 1946 establishments in Tennessee 2015 disestablishments in Tennessee