144 thoughts on “Advertising: Golden State Baptist Style”

  1. Wow, I’m first!!!!

    I didn’t have time to listen to the whole thing, but I was wondering how large this college is. It seems on the small side for the various majors I heard them mention. Also, are *all* their professors pastors?

    1. I was listening for that as well. Pretty sure they only have Bible & teaching majors based on having only Pastor’s for profs.

      1. But are all profs partors(sic)?

        Partors? oh, yeah those who seperate from others to the 4th and 5th degrees. “I must part from you if you have any friends who might be aquainted with someone who is associated in any way form or fashion with those who have fellowship with folks who may know someone who drinks alcohol, attends movies at the theatre, is associated with any females who wear pants, or guys who have hair long enough to touch their ears…” Partors

      2. Oops typo ,we all make them right, or is it only us fundamentalist people? Well what I meant to put is not all our Profs. Are PASTORS.

        1. some are funnier than others, and parting is one of the things fundies do best, so it just worked.

  2. If this college is so awesome, how come I’ve never heard of it? Actually, I’d rather have a degree from a college I’ve never heard of than from the notorious BJU.

    1. It’s an hac clone. So west coast kids can enjoy the delicious flavor of Koop-aid without having to travel all the way across the country.

      And that video was just plain creepy. I was waiting for treiber to come galloping out on his white horse, with the Serapis and angels saluting.

  3. Umm, actually, this one appears to be worse than BJU:

    “The General Information section highlights more rules for students. It states that “the activities on campus, the dormitory life, and the entire program of the college require the full participation and cooperation of every student.” Students must attend North Valley Baptist Church, unless an active member of another “local, fundamental Baptist church” before applying to the school. Even then, the student “must first obtain special administrative approval in order to attend his home church while enrolled at GSBC.” Attendance at the daily chapel service is required. “Golden State Baptist College students are expected to go soul winning for a minimum of three hours per week.” Christian service of all students (such as teaching Sunday school classes, working on bus routes, or participating in the music ministry) “will be under administrative supervision.”

    Even BJ didn’t require soul-winning for a certain number of hours every week. And they would admit students from any Bible-believing church, but this one will not allow kids from a charismatic church. Not that there were many charismatics at BJ, but still . . . .

    I’m shuddering just to think about attending this school.

    1. I remember when a couple of friends in high school were thinking of going to GSBC… they started telling me about some of the rules there and I began arguing with them that that kind of thing isn’t necessarily Biblical, but more man-centered than anything (that was the gist of it)… they were not happy with me lol

    2. The fundy u I went to had all these rules, except you had to go soulwinning for a minimum of 5 hours per week.

      Due to the economy, they have however, relaxed their daily chapel attendance policy. If a student does not have class on a weekday, they may skip chapel if they have to work.

    3. I cannot imagine being forced to go “soul-winning”, wherein I spend time finding strangers to take my tract and listen to me explain the Romans Road. Thankfully my “extensions” (ministry opportunities) at BJU included helping out in Awana, a nursing home ministry, and a Sunday morning children’s church teacher/piano player.

    4. You need special permission to go to church off-campus? No secular college or university is that bad. None.

    5. Um, this isn’t my old fundy U is it?! Except we had to present the plan of salvation to at least five people, there wasn’t a set number of hours. We went out for like two hours, I think. Gah, I hated it, it was so fake.

      And when I started they had introduced a new rule that every student had to participate in a Sunday afternoon ministry, because there weren’t enough of us doing things.

      Way to force outward conformity. I understand some people need to be pushed to step outside of their comfort zone, but they’re more concerned with the outward result then really helping the student.

      1. I don’t think so, you had to have at least 4 gospel presentations a month, otherwise you had to go to a soulwinning training meeting before the normal visitation meetings. It really was just a punishment meeting, because whoever was running the meeting just took attendance and make you explain why you didn’t have enough gospel presentations. I felt sorry for all the honest kids who actually went to those meetings and kept putting that they had less than 4. I frankly, just lied. I figured out that the favorite students were big fakes (which for the most part I wasn’t, and therefore was not favored), so I didn’t feel that guilty taking matters into my own hands and refusing to let them punish me.

  7. I’ve been to the GSBC campus once with my friend (who was kicked out over something she didn’t do… the admins had no evidence, either). I thought she was kidding when she said how tiny it was. But no… that campus is TINY. She and I had fun picking out who was a drone and who wasn’t (it’s quite easy lol)

  10. Oh… muh gawd.

    I like how they didn’t explain what they were doing on the buses until they were almost done with that section. “Yeah, we go around the neighborhood and knock on doors and take people’s children and put them on a bus, what?”

  12. I liked the editing and camera work. However, i am not a fan of the man-centered legalism.

    I wish I could have a cup of coffee with some of these kids and try to save them from a world of hurt.

    1. The video is beautiful. It’s great media work. Too bad it’s to put kids in a bunker of narrow, man-reverencing fundamentalism.

  16. I can’t believe I watched the whole thing. Isn’t there a little asynchronous feeling about the fact you KNOW they preach against how evil San Francisco is, and then hype it as so wonderful to be near?

      1. Lol I was thinking that it was the one error in the video, don’t they mean at GSBC you can’t do things you can do ANYWHERE else?

    3. I noted that with delight. There’s no chance they make it through any semester without some hard preaching about how EVIL SF is, and I doubt I would be wrong if I suggested they might occassionally have street preaching excursions to go tell SF how EVIL they thing SF is.

  20. I think I need to separate from them because they don’t boycott Starbucks coffee. All the godly Christian places are taking a stand against Starbucks for quoting the gays and agnostics on their coffee cups.

    1. Haha when I was in college we took a quick trip through starbucks that hopefully stretched out to a half hour to kill some of that 5 hour minimum soulwinning requirement.

  21. I attend that church and fully acknowledge the man-worship that the college has. You would actually be surprised how many students at that college are okay with pants on women and movie theatre attending. I would know, I’m friends with alot of them. In fact, I told a couple guys about this site.

      1. Yes. Because the church is so large (~3000), not everyone is a super fundy; only the staff who works at the college are the super fundies. My friends and I attend the movies, listen to secular music (I love Glee), and go to a secular college.

        1. Are you prohibited from volunteering in any church ministry unless you agree to abide by their list of demands, I mean, workers’ standards? My fundy church in SoCal had that rule.

        2. There is a 4-week long worker’s program, but I teach a Sunday School class for Jr High boys in the bus ministry and I didn’t go thru it. I’m sure it’s an unwritten rule though. However, to work in the nursery and be a deacon (and maybe be a bus captain), there is a list of demands, as you called it.

        3. Wow. So you are able to teach a Sunday School class without adhering to their list of standards? That wouldn’t happen down south.

        4. Maybe he was allowed to teach because it was “just the bus kids.” 🙁 (Hoping I’m wrong on that; just making a guess from how I’ve seen churches view kids who come on the bus.)

  22. It was interesting that they don’t identify any academic credentials for the faculty on their website…

  23. Having never heard of this academic institution, I won’t pass judgement on their motives; however, they should be commended on a few things.

    1. Spectacular cinematography. If they didn’t do this video in house, they spent a fortune. If they did do it in house, I hope they have a film department because the production value is A+. My background is broadcasting and this is a network quality production.
    2. They encourage off campus employment. This is discouraged in Greenville, and likely Pensacola and Hammond as well.
    3. They don’t have just one, but FOUR white pianos
    4. They utilize handheld microphones; so they obviously can’t be TOO ecclesiastically separated.
    5. None of the students represented in the film look like they shop at secondhand stores or make their own clothes.

    1. Welcome to west coast fundylands. Very big on appearance and polish, even bigger on pastoral authority, control, and money – and very short on good doctrine and true love for the bretheren.

    2. They probably encourage off campus employment for one reason, they’re too small to employ the students themselves. My fundy college reminds me of this one so much it’s scary. We worked off campus, but only because they wanted our money, and they’re very small, so they couldn’t afford to pay the students in house. Also, the on campus “work scholarship” they did employ was paid less than minimum wage and all money was applied directly to their school bill, never EVER paid out in real-world dollars.

    3. RE: 2

      I don’t think they or their church are big enough to have employment opportunities for more than a sliver of the students, and would have to encourage off campus employment.

      I see Linmi beat me to that point though.

    1. Celebrity worship is alive and well in IFB circles. I wish more leaders would have the attitude of John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease!”

      1. Yes PW, Yes!!!!

        Who is Jack Trieber to steal God’s glory? Did he die for the sins of these kids?

        The Bible clearly teaches that God is passionate about getting His rightly deserved praise and adoration. I would not want to face Him having stolen what was rightfully His from some well intentioned but dangerously misguided college students.

  25. Friday challenge is to write about what sets off flashbacks? Videos like this.

    So is it just me or is the college not accredited at all? I can’t find it anywhere on their site. If that is the case, then it is a complete and absolute waist.

    But really I almost lost it, I’m not sure if I want to laugh or cry, around minute 5 when the guy starts talking about getting a job. They show the who’s who of tech companies in California, just the signs, and then interview some guy from Grainger, not Google or Yahoo or eBay, and show a kid wearing a UK T working in the factory. It doesn’t seem more misleading then that. “Hey kids look at these great tech companies near us that you can only wish would consider you for employment if you come to our school.”

    1. I went to a school quite like this.

      No, it is not accredited. I can’t for the life of me figure out why kids go to these places: you’re spending thousands of dollars for a piece of paper. Great.

      1. “I can’t for the life of me figure out why kids go to these places: you’re spending thousands of dollars for a piece of paper. Great.”

        Some of us got tricked into it… BJU outright lied to me as a prospective student telling me that their accreditation was good throughout the USA. (And that’s not the only thing they lied about either) Of course, when I tried to transfer, this was decidedly not true. I was fortunate enough to find a school that WOULD accept my transfer, or else I would have had to start all over. 😕

        1. People go to these colleges because they want the ministry to be their paid vocation. In the Fundamentalist camp, to be a pastor, you need to graduate from these types of schools (and get married). That’s why they pay thousands of dollars a year. This college has connections to dozens and dozens of churches who are looking for teachers and pastors, and the students, if they finish, can get a few interviews and enter the ministry right away after graduation. That’s why. I’m not saying that’s the way to go; that’s just the way it is.

        2. Avgjoe,
          That is a trap. The Fundy pool is not as large as you might think. And if you stop being fundy at any time of your life, other fundies will disown you. Then that certificate is not worth the paper it is written on. Best to get a real degree that other churches/schools/employers will also accept.

        3. usedtobefundy,

          Sounds like West Coast Baptist College. If you aren’t KJV-only, that’s what happens. If you leave the Fundy movement, that’s what happens.

        5. usedtobefundy,

          The college ‘might’ (not sure) have something in their Senior Bible Seminar class to see where the men stand in their doctrine and convictions. However, I can’t think of any incident where a graduate had his diploma revoked for leaving Fundamentalism.

        6. @MarkS, that is what I was kind of leaning towards. The idea of showing all those top tech companies in your “get a job” segment is to make people feel like those jobs are available to them upon graduation. As if Google can’t wait to get west coast baptist kids to code for them. Bob Jones University has been especially bad about this. First they didn’t need accreditation and you should be worried if a school was accredited, now they have an accreditation and everything has been taken care of right?

        7. I know several people that have left the “realm of fundamentalism” that graduated or attended GSBC who haven’t been “blacklisted”. Those that were usually blacklisted themselves first. For those it usually means they have passed the disagreement stage and have gone bitter towards Bro. Trieber and GSBC.

      2. Because you’re a naive fundy child who’s told by your parents and pastor accreditation doesn’t really make a difference, and that even Harvard isn’t accredited (as if these schools could be compared to Harvard), and you’ll just get an oh so wonderful education at this school, and it will keep you from the evil world. 👿

        1. But they lie about that…Harvard has been accredited since the 1920’s. I was told that lie too.

        2. Harvard, Yale, and pretty much every other college you’ve ever heard of outside of its own ads or a police blotter, are accredited. So that is, indeed, a lie.

        5. I was told that too. Now I’m using my GI bill to start over. From the very beginning. The ‘college’ education didn’t even infuse me with enough knowledge to CLEP out of the math and english courses without a large amount of self-studying.

        6. @Linmi

          Yea I think that is what makes the whole accreditation/schooling choice so dubious in FU. What 17/18 year old growing up in such an authoritarian society would then doubt that same authority when they say even Harvard isn’t accredited. Or, “No one looks at accreditation” or any various other things they could say to either mislead your, outright lie, or pretend there is no issue. Why should you doubt him? He is the man of god shouldn’t he be telling the truth?

        7. The site Mark links to has this quote from a 1990s BJU pamphlet: “Regional accreditation, once obtained, becomes the controlling factor of a school. . . chapel will go. . .”

          This is an outrageous lie. The vast majority of private accredited schools have chapel (either optional or mandatory) for students and faculty. The rules of accreditation say nothing about chapel (they neither require nor forbid it). State institutions also frequently have chaplains and religious services for students, although in that case they are funded by outside religious groups, not by the university.

        8. “Avgjoe,
          That is a trap. The Fundy pool is not as large as you might think. And if you stop being fundy at any time of your life, other fundies will disown you. Then that certificate is not worth the paper it is written on. Best to get a real degree that other churches/schools/employers will also accept.”

          yep, that’s what happened to me. I don’t play their politics and my phone never rings from my ol’ alma mater.

          Seminaries have a hard time accepting their bachelors degrees as proper prerequisite. You have to take a bunch of non-credit Greek to catch up.

  26. *snore* wha what?? That was way too long. They lost me at hello. What venue would they show a promotional video that long? Ok going back to sleep now. The guitar strummingin the background is very lulling.

  27. I’ve been to that church a few times, but have never visited their college.

    On a good side, I’m pleased that Pastor Trieber waited to start a college until he had a solid attendance; so many churches start “colleges” and the church faithful bear the brunt of supporting it, and/or are coerced into taking a few courses.

    1. Excuse me! I was there when GSBC started and teacher’s wages and hours were cut at the NVBC Christian school as a means to help support the college. Many of those poor teachers, and I mean poor, had to find a second job in order to continue teaching there. It was a shame, and the church membership couldn’t carry the financial load either. There was on-going fundraisers, even up to this current date.

  28. Do they ever mention Jesus in this video? I’m about 10 minutes in, don’t think I’ve heard him mentioned yet.

  29. Did anyone else notice that they had the song from The Rocketeer playing in the background toward the end of the video? Don’t they know that the song is from a movie and not Majesty Hymnal.

    I grew up about 45 minutes from their. Visited the location a few times when my high school played their high school in sports and I was far from impressed and it was never in my thoughts for what college to consider.

    1. Like any college promo video, there a plenty of “hot” girls (if you like khaki skirts). What they don’t tell you, is in fact, those are the only hot girls there. They used them all in the video.

    1. I had only watched about 2 mins of the video before, but your comment made me go back and skip through it again. That was both bizarre and awesome.

  33. So that whole bit where the kid talks about everyone shouting and cheering and slapping Bibles when Trieber comes out of the chapel room….. what? For someone who supposedly “only points people to Jesus,” there’s a whole lot of pointing to him in the promotional video. Yuck.

  36. Those poor sweet babies. If they think *that* is “real”…

    BJU was quite good at grabbing black/asian/hispanic students for their promotional stuff too, Linmi. I had friends who would roll their eyes every time they got requested to be part of a promotional shoot, it happened so often.

    1. I worked in a computer lab and at one point they were doing a promotional photo shoot. An African American friend of mine was the one in the pictures. I was just trying to make conversation, but I asked, “how did you get chosen.” Her answer was in a whisper, “Because I have chocolate hands.” That was when it hit me.

  37. Just showed this to hubby. He says the initial montage is nearly identical to a BJU promotional video. Interesting…

    Did you hear all the digs at other IFB-type colleges in the Chancellor’s message at the end? “We’re Baptist, not Baptistic”; they waited to start a college until they had “legitimacy” with a “local new testament church”; they’re KJV, separated, etc.

    Must be nice to be able to get pool of college students to do a lot of the work at your 2000 member church, eh?

    1. Actually the students are not allowed to work in the church, they have their own separate ministries; separate bus routes, Sunday school classes, and youth works.

  38. My one question:
    Is Darrell going to get entered into their GSBC T-Shirt/Kindle giveaway contest for sharing on his website?

  41. This video makes me speechless. I didn’t grow up Baptist or Fundy, but this video boggles my mind. I don’t know if I could handle wearing a skirt or dress 24/7 to campus activities.

  42. A degree from GSBC is a gateway to a rewarding career at Wal-Mart, Chick-Fil-A or The Cracker Barrel.

      1. That’s right! So many GSBC graduates I know are very successful businessmen and women.

  43. These comments make me sad. I mean, making fun of a broad denomination or affiliation like the Fundies is all well and good.It can actually be quite humorous. But saying incredibly harsh things about specific fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you realize you are turning against your own? No wonder the world wants nothing to do with Christ. I don’t blame them.

    1. These comments make me smile. Fundies say much worse than this about other Christians.
      The prevailing attitude is to doubt someone’s salvation because they are not a fundamental Baptist. Because according to them, if you were really a Christian you should want to be just like them. I held this attitude for many years.

      Golden State Fundies are some of the most judgmental people I have ever met. Trieber wrote a book on why having screens in an auditorium is wrong… They think West Coast/Lancaster are liberals (probably because Paul Chappell was a staff member there before moving away and building a bigger church than Trieber).

      1. No, it’s a personal conviction of Pastors. He is actually still friends with Paul Chappell. You need facts behind your phony lies. And he didnt write a whole book on it. he stated it. You are attacking Gods man. That just sad. We are supposed to lift up Gods chosen, not tear them down. All these comments are tearing Dr. Trieber down.

        1. Oh ya and Dr. Trieber always says that the goal is to bring them in, and send them out for the furthering of the gospel. Lets see he brought Paul Chappell in and sent him out. Hmmmm…. Please think about what younsay before you say it.

        3. Phony lies=lies because it says LIES after the phony. A lie never equals the truth! A lie is always a fallacy.

        4. I’m sorry autocorrect on my iPad is changing the connotation of why I originally typed. I put phone, and lies but it autocorrect it to being a adjective. And did it again in my reply so there it phony, and lies

        6. Yes I know….. And you didn’t see that originally I put phony, and lies. But autocorrect changed it. Umm so open your eyes and read it all next time.

  44. “Best educators *IN THE WORLD*”
    Really?
    Thank you, 19 year old fundy kid who has never been to another country outside of Epcot, and that was back when Dad was back slidden…. 🙄

  46. “We started in Nineteen hundred and ninety six.” I began hurling at 1am(et), March 6th, 20 hundred and eleven, as I watched this.

    1. Also, just FYI, the music the last half of the video is from “The Rocketeer.” I find it vaguely amusing they chose a mainstream movie soundtrack for their nauseating and dramatic movements in the church. The MOG “hammers home” the Gospel? Really!!!???

  47. I attend thi s church and college and what you are all saying Is wrong. I was born into this church, and Pastor is the most humble man I know. He is all about the glory going all to God. You all don’t know anything about him. You might say that I’m saying this because it’s all I’ve ever known, but I’m right. I’ve been to so many churches and visited so many colleges, and none of them compare to North Valley, next to my parents home pastor he (Pastor Trieber) is the best pastor in the world. he would never even think about stealing God’s glory!

    1. “He is all about the glory going to God”

      I guess you wouldn’t know that by the pep rally…I mean chapel service in the video.

    2. He’s got a funny way of showing that he “is all about the glory going to God”. At least on camera. Maybe you can find a youtube video that isn’t like this one which is about all glory to Trieber, counter to his own claim that he’s gotten you to buy into.

      1. You would have to hear himm speak. He is an amazing preacher ,and you need to come here to see it. He preaches all to God’s glory. He is very humble. The chapel services you see.. Wel im sure if you were the Pastor of a church for a long time people would love you veery much they woul applaud for you. But one thing this video fails to show ,is that after the applause is over he gets up and says thanks kids I don’t really deserve that. And he preaches from his heart. I think it’s sad that you are Ty king the man of God. 😐

        1. Sorry for all the typos , and at the end when it said Ty king it was auto correct on iPad. what I meant was I think it’s sad at you are attacking God’s man.

        2. I’m gonna pass on the invitation to come hear him speak. I hear more than I wanted to ever hear from him in the video. I know fundies. Even the nice guys are dangerous and make me wanna beat my head against a wall.

        3. Yes, these commentators seem harsh in their assessement of Dr. Trieber, without having been a member at NVBC. However, I had been there since my youth, till middle-age, and I can honestly say that Dr. Trieber has done his best as a fundie pastor. Unfortunately, that encompasses too much legalism and pastor worship. Although he often, humbly, admits he doesn’t deserve the adulation, he never discourages it. He has built a kingdom-of-a-church around himself, his family (most of the pastoral staff are his family members)and a constant need for money to support it. NVBC is a machine, not a model of a Book of Acts church. Very much in line with Dr. Jack Hyles’ ministry tactics. It is borderline cult-like, and you my dear sister-in-Christ, probably have no idea what I’ve been writing about here, because it’s all you’ve ever known.

  48. This video definitely promotes Jack Trieber.

    This is where John Wilkerson (current head of HAC and FBC Hammond) came from. He was a Hyle disciple like Trieber was.

    Alvin Martinez is seen in the video. He’s the Professor of Music at Golden State and students wishing to major in music study under him.

    What can I say about the goils (girl) at Golden State…

    Well if I was in Cali, I’d leave the Bay Area, Bro Martinez, and Dr. Trieber and take my talents to Tinseltown where West Coast Baptist is. The girls at West Coast are the Toast of the Coast and West Coast is more laid back and lets you have fun in the dorms!!

    But if you attend Golden State, you’ll get to study under Trieber and listen to the modern day Pat Boone, Alvin Martinez.

    1. Couple comments about the thread concerning GSBC as a college. Their goal is righteous – Produce people to work in ministry as Pastors and teachers. The “ministry” is likeminded IFB that are in the NVBC/GSBC camp. It is essentially a feeder for church staffs. Churches in the NVBC camp send their high school grads to GSBC for training. The good ones return to work on staff and schools. That said, accreditation is a non-issue. If you know this going in, good. A degree from GSBC or fundy school is not necessarily going to be good for much else in the way of academic preparation other than to show that you can accomplish 4 or more years of term papers and classes. Also, it is not likely another IFB camp will take you in (not impossible, but) as each camp has a feeder and a leader. Chappell = WCBC, Trieber = GSBC, Fugate = Commonwealth, Capaci = Champion, Hyles/Schaap/Wilkerson = HAC, etc… So if you do not plan to work in an IFB church or be the wife of one who works at an IFB church, it’s probably not for you.

      I would like to point out that Bro Alvin never graduated with a degree – the first class of 4 got “certificates” because they graduated in 98 after the college had only been in existence for 2 years. My favorite chapel messages every year were the amazingly detailed study of “how to wash you car.” Bro Trieber himself taught this every year until Bro Martinez took on the full time position of car washer. I love him and he can really sing, but as a student he was lucky to pass a class. As a teacher?

      ps – GSBC grad and former full time staff/faculty

      1. Yeah, it’s all well and good if you stay in the insular bubble for the rest of your life.

        Some people see the truth about fundamentalism and leave it. Some women go to places like HAC, get a degree in “Marriage and Motherhood” and wind up divorced and have no real-life job skills with which to support themselves and their darling children. They don’t have an actual degree that means anything in the real world, but darn it, they can win souls and spank babies.

        Education degrees from those places mean nothing in the real world, either. To be certified you need a job from a real college.

        At any rate, when you’re 18 and idealist, naive, and “on fire for God” you have no idea what the future will bring. You don’t even know what the present consists of. You should get a degree or some kind of legitimate vocational training from accredited institutions so you can make a living in the real world. Besides, the real world pays better for fewer hours and that translates to better tithes and “love offerings”.

        1. Edit: “… you need a degree from a real college to get a real teaching job”.

          Go away, George.

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