St. John's University (Springfield, Louisiana)


St. John's University of Practical Theology was a school licensed by the State of Louisiana, formerly located in Springfield, Louisiana, It was founded by E. Arthur Winkler, a minister of the United Methodist and Disciples of Christ denominations and clinical psychologist who died in 1998. He also founded an inter-faith church, the Congregational Church of Practical Theology. In 2005, the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina forced the university to close.
St. John's reopened in Temecula, California, operating as a distance education institution. According to its website, it is accredited as a theological school by the Association of Independent Christian Colleges & Seminaries of Bridgeton, Missouri. Program offerings include clinical hypnosis, about which Dr. Winkler was an authority.

History

St. John's University was incorporated in the state of Florida from 1987 until 1991. registered to June Bletzer, compiler of the Encyclopedic Psychic Dictionary. In 2007, a Florida journalist reported that St. John's had claimed to have 11 branch campuses as of 1988, including branches in St. Petersburg, Florida; Misty Mountain, North Carolina; and Ibadan, Nigeria. In 2007, a school spokesperson told Florida journalists that the school had "private accreditation". A university catalog from 1998-1999 stated that the school was accredited by Accrediting Commission International, a Christian school accreditor.

Publications

Several books by Dr. E. Arthur Winkler are listed with St. John's University Publications as their publisher. Titles include Hypnosis and God, The Power of Suggestion with Hypnosis, and Hypnotherapy.

Alumni

Alumni include psychologist, author, talk-show host and product salesman Eldon Taylor, an exponent of subliminal learning. He received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from St. John's.