History in the Heritage

By Christina Littlefield

The debate over Pepperdine’s standing as a Christian university has dominated the philosophical life of the university since its founding in 1937. 
Originally, George Pepperdine considered not including Bible classes in his curriculum, believing that to do so might infringe on the work of the church.
Pepperdine began, however, with strict rules between genders and a daily chapel requirement. Today, the university's lax rules in comparison to other Church of Christ schools have earned it a "black sheep” stigma, and the Convocation requirement has been reduced to once a week. 
The relationship of the school with the Churches of Christ fluctuated under differing leadership. For seventeen years beginning in 1940, Academic Dean Dr. E.V. Pullias brought to Pepperdine an unyielding commitment to academic excellence. He also earned Pepperdine the designation of being "liberal" from members of the Churches of Christ. 
The affiliation flourished again under the university’s third president, Dr. M. Norvel Young. Many faculty resigned when Dr. Young, minister of the largest Church of Christ in the fellowship, became president of the university in 1957. Hearing of Young’s appointment caused Pullias to remark: "I know he can run a Sunday school, but can he run a university?" But Young quelled the fears of those desiring to keep a strong academic curriculum, and he hired many new Church of Christ faculty. Still, he found that raising funds from Church of Christ members was difficult. He thus nurtured a tie with the business community while he nurtured the relationship with the Churches of Christ. 
Following Young, William S. Banowsky was the first president to define Pepperdine as offering a "values-centered education," and served the dual constituency well. In 1974, he restructured Pepperdne's Board of Trustees by redrafting the university’s articles and bylaws. Previously, the trustees had consisted of 12 members, all of whom had to be from Churches of Christ. Banowsky’s change provided for a 40-member Board of Regents, with only a bare majority required to be Church of Christ members. 
Under Banowsky, one-third of the faculty complained that Pepperdine was in danger of losing all Christian impact. Most of the faculty being hired at the time were Christian but not Church of Christ. 
According to Hughes, while the spirituality of the campus diminished, the academic quality of the school and the quality of the students rose significantly in Banowsky's time.
"William Banowsky served on the pulpit of the largest Church of Christ, but under his leadership the decision was almost made to be a private university instead of a Christian university," said Dr. Keith Whitney, chair of the Business Division.
Banowsky's successor, Dr. Howard A. White, was determined to reverse many of the trends he thought were secularizing the university. White sought to hire Church of Christ faculty and instituted a mission statement.
His successor, Dr. David Davenport, continued to implement many of White's ideas, focusing on the mission statement and on imbedding it in all aspects of the university. He also strived to bring the "values-centeredness" closer to Pepperdine's Christian mission. 
President Benton will continue Davenport's efforts and build upon them. When asked if he sees Pepperdine settling into the secular abyss, Benton replied, "Not on my watch. I see no reason why faith and academic strength must be viewed as incompatible. They are not."