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So many of my friends have worked tirelessly to earn their academic level. They have often struggled through long nights of study and occasional separation from their own families due to reading, writing and research. You have made giant sacrifices and should be commended.While I, also have an earned doctorate, I have found that my honorary degree in Salvation is far more important and lasting. It will not expire or lose significance with my death, but will continue through eternity. I did nothing to earn this degree. I could not work, study, or research enough to obtain this degree. It was conferred upon me by God Almighty as a result of the weeping, bleeding, struggling, separation and Supreme Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Honoring a person for their faithful dedication to Christ has nothing to do with titles, letters, degrees. There will be some who stand before our Lord who failed to graduate high school who will no doubt receive more reward than some with earned doctorates. Each will be rewarded for his/her deeds.

This is a reasonable post. Since I have earned some money, I have never earned a degree and I certainly haven't EARNED salvation, I certainly thank the Lord for it. I seem to think the author of the post is saying, the minister who feels the NEED the titles, even if misdirected, should be thought of in the light of his time and efforts for the kingdom, I sorta agree. If the author is in fact true that he has earned his Doctorate and doesn't hold it against someone, I just might really consider his opinion. It is a thought! Some facts but mostly just my [email protected]/

Until the multiple posts here, I honestly didn't know what a degree mill degree was. I thought honorary degrees were given to someone for life achievement who never actually did the work but through their life commitment and work had been honored by a college or university to recognize their contributions and commitment. I had never heard that it was a bad thing.I get the whole integrity thing, but OTCP makes more of this subject than anyone I've ever heard of anywhere. Most of the time I just sit here and think, So what? More of Him...less of me.twitter.com/camiracle77www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=691241499&ref=name

Carolyn, you have in your own words highlighted much of the problem connected with this practice. An I don't mean at in a negative way toward you. Unfortunately, many people ARE NOT informed as to the whole academic process, issues of accreditation, given norms for specific degrees and earning them, etc. When they see a Dr sommers, they just take it for granted that all is above board an real. This is especially true in ecclesiastical circles. One would think that above all groups of people, preachers would be the most honest, but sadly they aint. So, as a result, ya got some preachers callin theirselves Dr. an can't even use correct English, or can't even string 4-5 sentences together in a cogent paragraph.

What about the college/university that awards honorary doctorates? This week is graduation week around the country, and I took note that one of the universities in CA (maybe USC) awarded Will Ferrell, the entertainer, an honorary doctorate. He make some jokes about sending a memo to his wife and kids that he was now to be addressed as Doctor. Here's my thinking, why do well accredited colleges/universities award such honors? It seems to, in some ways, muddy the waters for those who earn their doctoral degrees. Perhaps the greatest offender of this is in the area of Christian ministries and colleges/universities. Some have pointed to the number of such honorary doctorates awarded by ORU, but they do not stand alone in this practice. The degree mills often site the mainline accrediting institutions, as being weighted towards un-Christian values. I don't think this is a valid argument. Most ministers recognize the degrees these mills are selling are of no real value in the academic world, but most church folks don't live in that world and few will do a background check on the accreditation of the institution that awarded the doctorate. Titles are easy to come by nowadays, to the point I do not even discuss being a Ordained Bishop with people in my church or the community. Bishops are a dime a dozen in churches today and it seems that everybody is a Bishop (or Apostle, or Prophet, or Supervising Bishop, etc), to the point that Bishop must have become the entry level title to the ministry.However, the bottom-feeders of the doctorate business are not the whole story. What of the Christian colleges/universities that engage in this practice for their own denominational ministers? Often these schools don't even have a doctorate program, but will award honorary doctorates to their denominational leaders, well known ministers and large donors. OTCP, the poor (institutions) we will always have with us, to borrow a scripture, but what about schools that should know better? What has been the practice at Lee? Dr. Ferrell wants to know.

You bring up some very relevant points, Mat, and pose some absolutely legitimate questions. Let me respond within the body of your post: