BJU Press

BJU Press
Mission statement Christ-centered resources for education, edification, & evangelism.
Location Greenville, SC
Owner Bob Jones University
Founder Bob Jones University
Established 1973
Website bjupress.com

BJU Press (formerly Bob Jones University Press), founded in 1973, publishes textbooks for Christian schools and homeschools as well as trade and children's books.

History

Although Bob Jones University published its first trade book, A History of Fundamentalism in America by George W. Dollar, in 1973, BJU Press originated in the need for textbooks in the burgeoning Christian school movement. Walter Fremont, Dean of the School of Education, was an "enthusiastic supporter," and much of the early academic direction of the Press was provided by the University's provost, Philip D. Smith.[1] The Press also published the University's magazine, Faith for the Family from 1973 until publication was discontinued in 1986.

The first textbook published by BJU Press was Physical Science for Christian Schools (1974), written by George Mulfinger and Emmet Williams. Initially the Press had planned to publish only a few texts in areas where philosophical disagreement with secular texts was substantial, but shortly the Press developed a full range of K-12 texts and materials. An early decision was that BJU Press would not simply repackage secular texts, as its competitors had done, but would create new books from a Christian viewpoint.[2]

As the home school movement began to grow in the 1980s, the Press decided to begin selling its publications to homeschool families. This marketing strategy proved so successful that by 1988, BJU Press was the largest textbook supplier to homeschool families in the nation.[3] It also provides testing, record-keeping and consulting services.[4]

Current status and divisions

BJU Press is the largest book publisher in South Carolina, and more than a million pre-college students around the world use BJU textbooks.[5] The Press also publishes trade books for adults and biographies and fiction for children and young adults, including wholesome books with no specific Christian references.[6] The imprints of BJU Press include JourneyForth Books and Bob Jones University Press, which produces scholarly works. In 2006 the Press had approximately 2,500 titles in print[7]

BJU Press "controls every aspect of publication with in-house authors, editors, compositors, computer and board artists, photo editors, page designers and its own presses," and many of its employees have worked for BJU Press for more than twenty years.[8] In 2009, the chief publication officer, William Apelian, said, "The cornerstone of our philosophy is a Christian world view, call it Bible integration. That's why we have control of the entire process."[9]

Controversy

In August 2008, the Association of Christian Schools International filed suit against the University of California (Association of Christian Schools International et al. v. Roman Stearns et al.) for refusing to grant high school credits for courses taken using certain BJU Press texts. U. S. District Court judge S. James Otero accepted the argument of two University of California professors that the text United States History for Christian Schools was inadequate because it claimed that the Bible was "the unerring source for analysis of historical events," attributed "historical events to divine providence rather than analyzing human action," and provided "inadequate treatment of several major ethnic groups, women and non-Christian religious groups." The judge also ruled that the book did not "encourage critical thinking skills and failed to cover 'major topics, themes and components' of U.S. history."[10]

References

  1. ↑ Daniel L. Turner, Standing Without Apology: The History of Bob Jones University (Greenville, S.C.: Bob Jones University Press, 1997), 283, 304. ISBN 0-89084-930-7.
  2. ↑ Turner, 265, 437n. 18.
  3. ↑ Deb Richardson-Moore, "BJU Press Has Quietly Risen to Top in Homeschool Publications," Greenville News, 26 May 1996.
  4. ↑ Dick Hughes, "Books-a-Millions: Bob Jones makes a business of textbooks," Greenville Journal, December 11, 2009, 27.
  5. ↑ Jenny Moore, "Greenville Benefits from BJU in Economic, Social Areas,"Greenville News, 20 September 2006, 9A.
  6. ↑ Turner, 265.
  7. ↑ Literary Market Place, 2006, 38.
  8. ↑ Greenville Journal, December 11, 2009, 27.
  9. ↑ Greenville Journal, December 11, 2009, 27.
  10. ↑ "Association of Christian Schools International et al. v. Roman Stearns et al. Decision" (PDF). University of California. August 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-24.. The three texts were American Government for Christian Schools (1989), Biology for Christian Schools (1991), and United States History for Christian Schools (2001).

External links

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