Arlin Horton

Dr. Arlin Horton, the founder and current president of Pensacola Christian College. God led him to found a Christian school in Pensacola in the dark days following World War II in which Americans had become more sensual and spiritually desensitized then ever by the increasing depravity of the European nations. Dr. Horton, who was from Oregon, went to a Christian college and met and married the woman he thought was the woman of his dreams. She proved to be a wonderful spiritual help meet and she was an effective teacher noted for her beehive hairstyle in her 60s program "Aunt Beka". She taught biblical lessons and developed a Christian teaching style and curiculum to teach children to have a Christian worldview in a world and society that was becoming increasingly secular and pagan just as in the days before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (not to be confused with "kimorrah" which is a jiu-jitsu move). In 1954, they founded Pensacola Christian Academy on Avery Street and today it is a thriving Christian K-12 school that instructs our impressionable children in the way of the Lord and keeps them in the way that they should go (Hallelujah!). Today PCA is the salmon colored building at the intersection of Palafox St. and Brent Lane. As God continued to move in the lives of the Hortons, He led them to found Pensacola Christian College in 1974. As the college website says under the "history" section: "Pensacola Christian College was an idea that came from God." Arlin Horton became the college's first president and is still the college's first president today, because... he is still alive. Dr. Horton has been greatly blessed of God with such financial riches that he cannot bear them alone. At one time he was the fifth richest man in Florida, but his current status is unknown. He shares these riches with his beautiful and loving wife, Beka, and his friend Dr. Joel Mullenix, vice president of PCC. Dr. Horton has lived a long and full life and continues to live today (with God's blessing) after struggling with and successfully overcoming the thorn in his flesh sent by Satan to destroy this man of God. This thorn is his flesh was esophagus cancer, and Horton feels indebted to all the saints of God who prayed and made intercession on his behalf during his illness that he might have life and have it more abundantly. God has exceedingly and abudantly blessed the ministries that he used the Hortons to found, which is no suprise to those who believe that God will bless the works that he has made. Other than PCA and PCC, some outstanding ministries of the Hortons include A Beka Book, Rejoice Radio, and Campus Church. A Beka Book is an incredibly successful Christian school curiculum program used by Christian school and homeschoolers all over the world. It has brought in exceeding great and unsearchable riches to the "Horton empire" which was on track to parallel that of the riches of King Solomon, until the IRS decided that their ministry was making too much money to continue to be untaxed as a nonprofit religious organization. The Hortons, especially Beka Horton, have taken a strong Biblical stance on tax evasion. They will report anyone whom they know to be evading taxes and were against the nomination of Tim Geithner for Treasury Secretary. The ministry of Rejoice Radio touches the lives of hundreds of souls across the United States and the universe through streaming internet. Students at Pensacola Christian College listen to Rejoice Radio and have it as their top five presets for their car radios. Another ministry, Campus Church, which is an independent church planted in a college community, touches the lives of the students of PCC, the church membership, the Pensacola area, and the world. Currently the pastor of the church is Dr. Joel Mullenix who took over the responsibilities of church leadership after the resignation of Pastor Neil Jackson, who in turn took over for Jim Schettler. As he continues to grow in the Lord and in age, Arlin Horton actively persists in his ministries with his mind toward heaven and his eyes on the prize. Arlin Horton is truly a man after God's own heart. Note: Arlin Horton retired from his presidency recently and passed on the rod of iron and the mandate of heaven to Troy Shoemaker, who has since slackened some old rules and changed some others.