Tries to serve two masters, but fails. - Anonymous employee Seattle Pacific University Employee Review

If you are looking for a Biblical-based environment, SPU is not it. SPU falls on the VERY liberal end of the faith spectrum, regardless of what they tout in their literature, mission statements, lifestyle expectations, etc. I worked here for many years and also attended school as an undergrad. I can tell you with all certainty that anyone on campus who expresses belief in the inerrancy of the Bible is labelled a "Fundamentalist"--considered to be narrow-minded and to be handled with kid-gloves. If, however, your faith has a generous blend of Worldliness diluting it, you will feel right at home at SPU. In my observation, very few students, staff, or faculty leave SPU with a deeply rooted faith (at least not in the Jesus of my Bible). I have seen countless students come to SPU as freshmen fired up for the Lord, then leave as seniors either as atheists or embracing a very Worldly stance typical of modern culture (particularly on the West Coast). In fact, it's the norm, from what I've seen. I've witnessed the campus rife with students who drink, do drugs, have premarital relations, experiment with gender roles, etc. In this respect, it is no different than any other college campus, other than the fact that it's deeply hidden and kept secret, ostensibly in accordance with "Lifestyle Expectations" (which are, in practice, not worth the paper they're printed on). Don't believe for a second that staff or students are going to be shielded from ravening Worldly wolves at SPU or that there will be any real consequences for breaking the "rules." We all learned quickly how to get around that form we signed, because very few people abide by it--including faculty and staff. I had terrible influences around me both as a student and as a staff member; it is only by the grace of God--and by leaving SPU--that I've been delivered from those things. Likewise, staff and faculty undergo a bit of a vetting process by which they have "mission match" interviews and sign agreements to abide by lifestyle expectations, which include no drinking, smoking, premarital relations, etc. All of it is a total joke--as long as you know the "right" words to say ("Yeah, I've been to Bible studies; I'm between churches right now, but... Yeah, my faith is important to me.") you're in. I worked in a few different departments at SPU (including as a student worker), and in all, we would have staff meetings regularly at local bars--on work time--where most people including the superiors would drink alcohol. Everyone would buy the alcohol with their own money, while the meal itself would go on the P-cards. This happens all over at SPU, everyone knows it, everyone knows just to remember not to put alcohol on your tab. A lot of office parties, get-togethers, same thing. Nothing like watching your supervisors get loaded at the fall BBQ after saying a blessing over the food. One of the supervisors in my unit is a self-proclaimed atheist. This person doesn't even try to hide it (at least they're honest). They use profanity constantly, drink regularly, and claim to be a habitual marijuana user as well (now legal in our state, but violates SPU's lifestyle expectations). When employees would ask to use the office to hold a Bible study in the mornings before the business day started, consistently this person denied all requests. This is an extreme case in its overtness, but is representative nonetheless of SPU's liberalism and lack of commitment to how they present themselves as an organization devoted to Christ. The main problem I have observed over my many years at SPU has to do with Accreditation. The campus and different programs in the school have accrediting bodies they have to answer to in order to justify being accredited--getting accredited is of paramount importance to every department, because it solidifies their reputation within Academia. The issue is that accrediting bodies need to ascertain that there is a culture of professionalism, intellectualism, and academic standards--as THEY define them, and obviously in Worldly terms. Otherwise, accreditation won't be granted or renewed. Over the years, this has resulted in massive compromise on SPU's part...ultimately, compromise in Biblical adherence in the name of academic prestige--and it's flowed down from administration, to faculty, to staff, to students. Over time, and by attrition, we now have this strikingly Post-Modern, Liberal culture, compromising the God of the Bible for the god of Academia and "engaging the broader Culture." If this sounds good to you, then SPU is your place.