Friends Foundation and Development
The Friends values on which George Fox University was founded set it apart from other evangelical universities. In the past, Quakers have been on the religious forefront of social justice movements including abolition, women’s rights, and peacemaking. Today GFU’s student population is a diverse combination of different denominations, and GFU continues to promote global action and conscientious living based upon Christian foundations.
Lifestyle Expectations
Quaker influence on the GFU campus is still glimpsed in the current lifestyle contract. Early Quaker practices and educational standards created a stricter contract that banned playing cards, social dancing, and mandated curfew. Today’s contract is much more lenient but still maintains a dedication to core values.
The goal of the George Fox University lifestyle standard is to create a community in which individuals are encouraged to be transformed into the image of Christ. In addition, we desire that our common life would reflect the teachings and Spirit of Christ in all that we do and say. In this ongoing process of transformation, all members of the George Fox community are encouraged to consider the following questions as a means of self-examination, in the tradition of the historic Friends (Quakers).
2017-2018 Student Handbook
Chapel
The first handbooks of the university claimed “the college is positively Christian,” and chapel is integral to the faith-learning education at George Fox University. The school began as a fully Quaker institution, and chapels used to be mandatory and regulated fairly heavily. The Student Handbooks from the mid-20th century describe how “students are required to attend chapel each school day”, absences were recorded, and seating was assigned. Students are no longer required to attend a daily chapel meeting or give a weekly recitation from the Bible, but there are 15 chapel credits required every semester for undergraduate students who have not completed 93 academic credits (some exceptions available – see the George Fox University Chapel Credit page for more information).
Currently, in addition to the chapel services that are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, there are several other options for chapel credit, such as Shalom, a weekly worship event with a more reflective and laid-back structure, Spanish chapel, a worship service in Spanish, and Masses held by the Catholic community on campus. Koinonia is a monthly series where students can learn about other peoples’ diverse backgrounds in a Christian setting.
While never intended to replace church attendance and involvement, chapel has topics as varied as social justice, worship, and scripture memorization. These evolving chapel focuses are controversial but integral parts of GFU history.
One continuing issue was the evangelical vs. social justice action emphasized in chapel and on campus. Throughout the early 1900s this was a theological discussion, and in the 1930s and 40s this contrast became more prominent in the Oregon Friends community. Twenty-five students in 1946 sent a petition to the Oregon Yearly Meeting (NWYM’s predecessor) for “more frequent spiritual chapels” and “administration and faculty who will take the lead spiritually, socially and educationally.” GFU history shows students continued to be influential in deciding this emphasis. Post-Vietnam War students were especially concerned with both Christian social activism and spiritual growth, asking for chapels that related to current issues in the world and on campus. Students, faculty, and administration could pursue both deeper spiritual lives and greater involvement in the world through a combination of evangelical and social action.
Campus Institutions
Peacemaking
The current George Fox University Statement of Faith states “We believe that God has called us to be and to make disciples of Jesus Christ and to be God’s agents of love and reconciliation in the world. In keeping with the teaching of Jesus, we work to oppose violence and war, and we seek peace and justice in human relationships and social structures.” Traditionally Quakers practice peacemaking. Prior to GFU’s merger with Western Evangelical Seminary, the Statement of Faith had a clause stating “We believe all war is utterly incompatible with the plain precepts of our divine Lord and Lawgiver.” During World War I some Pacific College students joined the military, but better known were the students that participated in war relief service in Europe during and after the war. A number of students served during WWII, but there were also some who served in Civilian Public Service Camps as conscientious objectors.
The Center for Peace and Justice
The Center for Peace and Justice, previously the Center for Peace Learning, was founded in 1984. Its goal is to “nurture agents of hope, people who embody in their citizenship, careers, and daily lives God’s promised gifts of peace and reconciliation,” and is a way George Fox University implements its Christ-centered, Friends mission. Students can attend guest lecturers and forums hosted by the Center for Peace and Justice, take courses in their curriculum, and pursue a minor in Peace studies and a certificate in Conflict Management.
Equality in Leadership
Quaker women have been allowed to speak in meetings since the denomination’s founding, and this equal view of women’s voices influenced George Fox’s history. Both men and women were professors and students from Pacific College’s founding, and the current lead campus pastor is a woman: Jamie Noling-Auth. GFU trains both men and women for spiritual leadership positions, reflecting the egalitarianism of the Evangelical Friends tradition.
Quaker Heritage Week
Quaker Heritage Week was started by Arthur Roberts and the Department of Religious studies in 1975 to recognize GFU’s background and familiarize students with Quaker traditions. This week provides an annual opportunity for featuring a particular aspect of the Friends heritage in ways that enrich other Christian traditions as well.