Lee University - by John D Coats (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In 1918, the Church of God established a Bible training school in Cleveland, Tennessee. Originally construed as the Christian training arm of the Church of God, Bible Training School (its early official name) began to outgrow its mandate: a division for high school was added during the Great Depression, a defunct Methodist college was purchased post-WWII, and the namesake college was born in honor of BTS's second president, Rev. F. J. Lee. In contemporary times, Lee University has broadened its outreach beyond the Church of God to a larger evangelical Christian base, and its enrollment has grown to more than five thousand students, one of the largest enrollments among the Appalachian Colleges Association, of which Lee University is a member. Coats argues that the beginnings, stalled rise, and modern iteration of Lee University is directly linked to larger trends within the Church of God denomination. Coats also argues the church's Holiness-Pentecostal tradition is linked with the university's operation in Appalachia, and the region and its religion played an extensive role in both the university's growth and its reputation"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

In 1918, the Church of God established a Bible training school in Cleveland, Tennessee. Meant to be the Christian training arm of the denomination, the school grew to include a high school, music school, and junior college at its campus in Sevierville, Tennessee. Following World War II, it returned to Cleveland and took the name Lee College in honor of the second leader of the denomination and school, Reverend F. J. Lee.

In Lee University, John Coats not only chronicles the history of the college but also explores the university's connection to and representation of the Church of God in the American South, offering a microcosm of an evolving evangelical denomination into the second half of the twentieth century. As a faculty member at Lee, Coats is uniquely positioned to offer an inside perspective of the institution's history, examining the people and politics that have shaped it over time. Telling the story of the school through the contributions of influential leaders, key turning points, and ongoing tensions between traditionalists and progressives within the Church of God, Lee University is an ideal resource for those interested in Appalachian religious and Pentecostal history.

Review Quotes

"Well-written and convincingly argued. . . . Lee University's history is particularly compelling given the growth of Pentecostalism in the second half of the twentieth century. Far more than an institutional history, [this] book sheds light on both the successes and challenges that such growth presented."

--James R. Goff Jr., author of Close Harmony: A History of Southern Gospel

About the Author

John D. Coats is a professor of history and chair of the Department of History, Political Science, and Humanities at Lee University. His articles have appeared in Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Historical Dictionary of the Gilded Age, and Historically Speaking, among others.