Henry - A History of Biola University Since 1908

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J. in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth" (Luke 12:33). This made such an indelible impression upon him that for the remainder of his life he was scrupulous in his giving: in fact, he gave far more than a tithe of his wealth. Mr. Stewart was careful, also, to see that his investments were used wisely, such as in evangelistic efforts which were fundamental. He felt he should invest in the ministries which would immediately evangelize the lost rather than to establish endowments for future programs. His philosophy changed, however, as a result of his investment in a missionary venture in China. Mr. Stewart had underwritten the expense of Dr. Keller, a medical missionary in China who was evangelizing the "boat people" in Hunan Province. When Mr. Stewart wanted to sponsor a second boat for Bible training classes, Dr. Keller told him that he could not use another boat because a qualified man to manage it was lacking. As a result of this discovery, Mr. Stewart said, ''I began to appreciate the fact that if we had a million dollars to be used quickly in evangelizing the world, there is apparently no channel where it could be safely used. Later he stated, "It seemed a wise thing to provide facilities for training men and women who could be depended upon to teach the truths of redemption to such dark places of the world as God, in his providence, might call them." Thus, he saw the need for such a school as Biola. Wishing to implement his new decision Mr. Stewart endowed a Chair of Bible Studies at Occidental College, a Presbyterian School in Highland Park, a suburb of Los Angeles. To ensure his money would be used in sound Bible teaching, he laid down some strict rules for the endowment: "(l) Provision for Bible study under the direction of teachers who recognize the Scriptures as the Word of God; (2) The study of Bible History and Literature be re- quired for graduation from the College; (3) Provision be made to provide special training for Christian work for those who desire it." Again, this

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