NOTE – ADDED 3/11/2009.
Before commenting about this post, I’d like to point out that you need to respectfully read it word for word, carefully. I’ve noticed that people skim this post, and make assumptions and then comment on those assumptions.
In this post, I, in no way, state that you need a doctorate to lead people to Christ. Although I mention that the pastor of my old church home has an academically-earned doctorate, I, in no way, state or imply that you need a doctorate to lead a church. I, in no way, state that people with doctorate degrees are “better than/holier than/smarter than” non-doctorate degree holders.
All I’m saying is that when you use the Dr. title, people are automatically going to assume that you studied at an accredited university to obtain your degree. If you haven’t obtained your doctorate in this fashion, then you need to let people know this when you use the title because you don’t want to mislead people.
After carefully reading this post, in its’ entirety, feel free to comment, and if you want to know more about me or my novels, visit my website and look at other entries on this blog!
I’m Cecelia Dowdy, a Christian fiction author. Read my books! Tell your friends and church buddies! Now, back to discussing the DD degree…
Raspberry Kisses – a Christian novel!
Okay, now onto the Doctor of Divinity post:
I’m going to go off the beaten path and not talk about books, recipes, or writing today. I’d said earlier that I’d be posting about Divinity school. Something strange happened a few years back. A person who I knew slightly had a self-published book released. When I saw the cover, it stated this person’s name as: Dr. (Person’s name) D.D.
Number one, I was shocked, because this person had only been out of high school for a few years and wasn’t old enough to have a doctorate degree, and number two, this person had mentioned to me that they’d quit undergrad temporarily after only one semester. This person was currently working at a clerical job and wasn’t leading a church or anything.
I didn’t understand. How could this person call him/herself Dr., but then not have ever graduated from college, not even as an undergrad?
My sister’s roommate is a graduate of Oral Roberts University, so she knew a little about educational levels within the religious community. So I asked her how someone could have a Doctor of Divinity degree without ever graduating from college. She explained that a Doctor of Divinity degree is not always an earned degree, it’s honorary. People sometimes pay a few dollars to an institution and they can automatically use the title, even though they don’t have a degree. She said it’s a sore spot within the religious community with some people because there are others out there, who have rightfully earned their doctorate, and they don’t like the fact that others can use the title just because they want to, and have never earned a degree. I still didn’t get it. I said, “Do you mean to say that it’s a common practice?”
She said it’s fairly common. I guess it upset me so much because I don’t think a lot of people are aware this is the case! For example, when I showed the book mentioned in the first paragraph to a friend of mine, he looked at the cover and said, “Oh, he has his PhD? That’s impressive!” I laughed, and he said, “Why are you laughing?” That’s when I told him that the author had never earned a doctorate, masters or bachelors. He said, “Well, why does he have this on the cover of his book if he hasn’t earned the degree?” That’s when I explained that a Doctor of Divinity degree is not always earned the traditional way.
When I asked my best friend’s husband about it, he pointed out that not all doctorate degrees are earned. He said, for example, that Oprah and Bill Cosby had honorary degrees. He went on to say that if somebody says they have their doctorate, you need to ask them where they went to school and check out their credentials. That’s all true…however, I was always under the impression that when an honorary degree is bestowed upon someone, that person has done something truly phenomenal, and it’s only given by an accredited university and it’s done on rare occasions. However, my impressions might be totally inaccurate. Now, I have heard that some Doctor of Divinity degrees are given to those who have done some phenomenal works within the church. However, I don’t have any specific examples about the works that would be involved within a church to earn a degree in this fashion. If anybody has any comments about how this is done, I’d be interested in hearing what they had to say.
I asked some other people about the Dr. of Divinity issue, and they said they assumed if somebody called themselves Dr. or Reverend Dr. in the religious field, they thought that person had their doctorate degree. Like, they earned it at a university or religious school and studied approximately eight years, give or take! One woman asked me, “When someone calls himself Reverend Dr., I always thought they had their degree! Do you mean they don’t have their degree?”
I patiently pointed out that some do and some don’t. I know at my old church home, the pastor was known as Reverend Dr., and on the church’s website, it stated where he went to school to get is undergrad, masters and doctorate. Here’s a link from the webpage of my old home church. The reverend’s credentials are listed on the seventh paragraph from the bottom.
http://www.reidtemple.org/pastor.asp
I just don’t think it’s right for somebody to use the title who hasn’t rightfully earned the degree. I feel to use the title, one should have been in school for several years, right? I’m not saying it’s wrong for un-doctored (if that’s really a word!) ones to have leadership roles within the church, or to give sermons and such, but I just don’t feel it’s right for them to use that title! I feel it’s not fair to those who study for their degree and earn it the ‘traditional’ way.
I did an internet search and found a few places where one can get their doctor of divinity degree fairly easily. Check out these links!
This one can get you a doctor of divinity degree for only $40!
http://ficotw.org/drdivinityprogram.html
http://victorynetwork.org/DD.html
This link offers the Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree for only $10.00!
http://home.wi.rr.com/pcdr/credentials.html
This one is for $20.00, however, you have to be ordained to apply!
https://host228.ipowerweb.com/~ulchqcom/osCommerce/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=32
They charge $50.00 for their Doctor of Divinity Degree!
http://www.amfellow.org/id5.htm
Those are just a few links. There are others. Just Google Doctor of Divinity honorary and see what comes up.
Also, check out this Wikipedia reference, too. (I know, Wikipedia is not the most reliable source, but I still look there occasionally for information.) If you look at the bottom of the entry it states: In the United States the D.D. is usually awarded as an honorary degree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Divinity
Does anybody have any thoughts about this? Am I over-reacting? Has my head been in the sand and this whole Doctor of Divinity issue is just plain common knowledge? Inquiring minds want to know! Also, if you disagree with this post, feel free to comment since I’d like to hear from all about this subject!
Also, if you have an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree, and you use the title Dr. regularly, I’d like to know if you let people know from the start that your degree is honorary and not earned the traditional way? If you were to speak or give a sermon, or are a guest someplace, do you let the audience know, somehow, that your degree is honorary? Or do you assume they already know this? I’m thinking they probably don’t know, unless they know you personally. What if you are on a panel with those that have earned their degree, and you’re introduced to the audience as Reverend Dr. XYZ. I’d think most in the audience would assume you’d earned your degree like the rest of the participants in the panel.
If you’d like to read more blog posts about religious and Biblical matters, then read my Sunday Brunch articles. LEAVE A COMMENT on my Sunday Brunch blog posts!
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Hi Cecelia,
I am one of those persons with an Honorable Degree as a Divinities Doctor. I did pay a certain amount to a corporation, as opposed to a church organization, to obtain that degree. That organization also will ordain you as a minister or one of several other titles as you wish. As it turns out corporations *may* issue documents of title in conjunction with completetion of their own education requirements, or with no requirement at all. Most of these documents are to establish the ability to officiate at weddings, such as in my state of California, or to operate non-profits that could be called churches. I am a Reform Jew with considerable lay education in the worlds religions, but I do not consider myself such an expert that I would ordain myself as Rabbi. The Divinities Doctor degree for me only establishes that I have for the bulk of my 51 years been a student of religion and will, G-d willing, for another 51 years. However while I am registered as an officiator in my state and I have performed legal weddings as such, I will not perform Baptism’s, Funerals or other more solemn where a true communion with G-d would be required. With that said, I can also assuredly say that I have known many in the field of religion who are Rightfully and Divinely Ordained that should not ever have been allowed to preach to a congregation. It is not so much as what is on a piece of paper as what is in your heart, and if you have a heart that is not filled with G-d’s Spirit then all of the paper in the world is useless on your wall.
Shalom,
David Cohen
Cecelia, I agree with you 100%. Don’t mind the haters, they probably have something to hide.
I guess the bottom line is, caveat emptor, which I’m sure all our online doctors of divinity will have no problems understanding since Latin and Greek are an essential part of any real in-depth study of the Bible.
Thanks for commenting, Deborah. I appreciate your thoughts and I appreciate the fact that you agree with me. It’s still surprising that I get daily hits to this old blog post – it’s been about 3 years since I posted this! 🙂
Those who Canonized the Christian Bible had no degrees, they excluded books and rewrote portions of the books that were eventually Canonized. It’s hypocritical for anyone who believes in Christian Doctrine to be critical of a hypothetical D.D. whether honorary or not. Christianity rose because those who were in power outlawed all other religions under penalty of death, and to say this country was formed on Christian Values is also false. Nowhere in our Constitution is Christ mentioned, the only references are to G-d, meaning the G-d of creation, the G-d of Abraham, not a prophet. Two thirds of those who wrote the documents forming this country were Unitarians, not strictly Christians. Get over the fact someone paid for a degree without the study, those who are serious about having that documentation are probably better “Christains” than most of those who attend church services.
Those who Canonized the Christian Bible had no degrees, they excluded books and rewrote portions of the books that were eventually Canonized. It’s hypocritical for anyone who believes in Christian Doctrine to be critical of a hypothetical D.D. weither honorary or not.
Sam Sung – thanks for commenting, but, like a lot of other negative comment-makers on this blog post, I don’t think you read my blog post word for word. You need to go back and read my blog post, nowhere do I state anything about the Early/Biblical Christians having or needing degrees.
My whole point is, the Lord wants us to tell the truth, right? If you have an honorary degree (I spoke with a lot of people and they were unaware that a DD degree was “earned by paying money, but no studying involved”) then be truthful and honest about it. When you use that title, let others know that it is an honorary degree – be truthful, that’s all I’m saying.
If you use that title, and are not truthful about how you received that “honor”, others MAY mistakenly think you studied at university for several years to earn that degree – which is wrong in God’s eyes.
Christianity is not based upon degrees, it’s based upon opening your heart to Jesus.
However, it’s not Christian to mislead people. That’s my whole point. I stated that clearly in my blog post. You need to go back and read it carefully, word for word, without skimming it (I assumed you skimmed without reading carefully.)
I recently looked at some of the requirements for a Doctorate of Divinity at an accredited well known University.4yrs.B.S.,3 more for the Masters and another 2 if your lucky to aquire your Doctorate. That is if you are a left wing liberal and laugh with the Prof. at his political jokes. The school will be more than happy to take a hundred thousand or more of your money in exchange for their egocentric Divine order of who shall be titled a Doctor of Divinity. Most of the coarses are nothing you will ever encounter in the real world. Whose to say of any one individual that the sum total of their lifes religous experience, doesn’t qualify them to the level of Doctor of Divinity. I am 68 years old. I’m not a D.D. but I believe I qualify and would put myself as would many others gladly in a debate on religous issues, dogma, cannon, bible history, old and new, etc., etc., etc., up against most so called University D.D.’s and Phd’s.
Thomas, thanks for commenting. You could use that logic with ANY TYPE OF EARNED DEGREE – NOT JUST D.D. Your comment about laughing with the professor – is this something that somebody told you? I doubt they put that on the website?
People can work in a certain field and never get a bachelors in said field, for example, accounting. But, if they’ve been working in that field for ten years, they can say they have the accounting knowledge the same as those with a bachelor’s.
If you look at the examples that I gave, people are paying a few dollars, writing one paper and calling themselves a doctor and people are misled into thinking that this person studied for eight+ years to get this degree – which is deceptive to me and others I’ve spoken with.
Another commentor pointed out that it’s common knowledge that a D.D. is honorary – I guess myself and my circle of friends and co-workers are outside of the realm of common-knowledge folks and simply had no knowledge of this?
However, as I stated in my article, a DD is usually honorary here in the U.S. – I’m not sure which country you are from.
Usually, for an earned religious degree, we would get a doctor of theology or something similiar? It used to be stated in this Wikipedia article.
, but, it appears that the article is now shortened. I know Wikipedia is not the best source for information, but, I do use it occasionally.
I am a Rev. and have witnessed many of my peers with the title DD behind their name, as I knw most of them I was very much aware that the manifestation of their training and knowwledge certainly did not rise to the level which would have been required to obtain a doctorate degree. It does bother me because I feel there is a deliberate attempt to fleece the sheep by silently announcing unearned praise for educational prowess, I feel that if the people who use these “honorary” title search their hearts check out their motive and if they find that pride is the reason then they should add honoris causa behind the title and then clarity will be obtained and not even the appearance of evil will be evidenced
hisrev@msn.com – Thanks for commenting on this blog post. I agree with you.
Frankly, I think it’s pride that causes most to use this title. It’s my gut telling me this, but, I have not statistics to back up my feelings or my claim.
I have just completed a doctoral dissertation and am awaiting a defense date. It took me a few years to complete on top of the BA and MDiv totaling 10 years of accredited higher education. Once the defense is complete (assuming positive outcome) I will be allowed the privilege of the title “the Rev’d Dr…” if I chose to use it. On the other hand, within my denomination the DD is frequently bestowed upon a person who has achieved a position of significant leadership responsibility resulting from decades or more of service to the Church. I believe they have equally “earned” the title of Dr. I am particularly troubled by those who buy a certificate online and go around demanding to be called Dr. They know it is not true, therefore a lie, and we all know where lies come from.
Anonymous – I appreciate your stopping by Cecelia’s Christian Fiction Blog and leaving a comment. A few things:
#1. Congrats on your academic accomplishments! You’ve worked mighty hard for your degrees and you’ll deserve to be called Dr. at the appropritate time.
#2. Your point about those doing great things to get an honorary Dr. title was also mentioned in my blog post. If somebody does something astounding, then, rightfully so, they’ve earned the Dr. title, although it may have not been in a classroom setting.
#3. Yes, I, too, am troubled by people spending a few dollars, getting a certificate and then calling themselves Dr. – especially within the religious community. We’re Jesus’s representatives, and, rightfully so, should tell the truth. I find when people use that title, people automatically assume said person has earned their degree when, a greater majority of the time, they haven’t within the DD field.
I hope you have a blessed day.
I agree that people should earn their degrees the old fashioned way unless they do something so spectacular that it stops traffic. However, saying that, my husband is almost 60 years old. He did not go to college until late in life for various reasons. But God opened a door for him to go and he got his B.A. in 1999, followed by Master of Theology in 2007. Do the math to figure his age. He wants so badly to get his Doctor of Divinity, however to get it he is going to have to get another Master’s first. While he was going to school, he was teaching, coaching, directing summer camp and after school programs full time while driving 50 miles round trip. He is now working as a Children’ Pastor-yes at his age, and the kids love him, in a church that is very rigid about these things. He has looked at some of the Honorary Doctorates but is not sure if that is the way he should go. If he were 30, 40, or even early 50’s, it would not be so difficult, but money is tight, we owe more on student loans than our house is worth, so what is the right thing for someone like him? He has done a lot of things that I think have earned him the honorary degree. I won’t go into specifics, but at his age, he doesn’t have 8 years to spend on classes. So I ask the community. He baptized 6 children in one service, just to mention one thing. He got a concussion because he pulled a child out of the way of a jungle gym on the playground who wasn’t looking, and hit his own head saving the child. Just one more. Going on Father/son camping trips with kids from single parent homes. That doesn’t begin to cover some of what he has done and continues to do. Maybe he isn’t stopping traffic, or becoming POTUS, but he is making a difference in the lives of children. Who measures what is worthy of an honorary degree? Who makes that call? What makes it important enough to earn one?
Thank you for allowing me to share.
CalabZ
I believe the problem is in the word “Divinity”. The definition (Wikipedia) states that Divinity and divine (sometimes “the Divinity” or “the Divine” ) are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in the world. Therefore it is my belief a D.D. could apply to any religion or mean just about anything. We in the U.S. have unfortunately taken it to mean a Christian based belief, but in actuality it may not. As such, when someone takes it upon themselves to use those credentials (“earned”, which by definition is extremely vague in this case) then it is our (the followers) responsibility to determine what its use actually means.
Now a “Doctorate Of Theology” is an academic degree and can only be earned. If we truly want to feel that an individual is basing his teachings on a solid religious base then the “Theology” is what one should look for. “Divinity” can mean whatever it user feels is applicable.
I have been told that Billy Graham has an honorary doctor’s degree, altough he attended college for awhile. By using it, he got an audience with government leaders, spiritual leaders, etc. Without it, it is believed that he would not be as prominent.
I am a Christian fiction writer, too. My first book has been published and I need to find some way to promote it. The publisher is anxious to publish my second, third, and fourth book. They are all ready except for editing. My current book is “Adventures of Lizzie Jane”. The genre changes throughout the book, so it is difficult to classify. The second book will be easier since it is a love story. It is a sequel to the first. My book is available through Amazon and all internet suppliers. Wish me luck — or may God’s goodness shine down upon me.
Starla, wishing you the best on your book release. I didn’t realize that about Billy Graham. I guess you learn something new everyday!!
Wow. I remember finding this blog post several years ago. It is hard to believe that the last reply was less than a month ago.
Ahh, the coveted “Dr.” title. Different people go through different means of achieving this depending on their motives. I’m not sure how old that girl–the one who had a D.D. on her book–was, but it sounds like she was obviously not old enough to have the Dr. title, whether earned or honorary for doing something that would require time to be recognized.
I am barely 32 years old, but I have earned a BS in Computer Science with two minors (6 years), an MBA (2 years), and a Doctor of Management in Information Systems and Technology (5 & 1/2 years). The doctorate required a full-fledged dissertation with the standard scientific-method, five-chapters like the Ph.D and is considered equal to a Ph.D.
I have to admit that half of my motivation for earning the doctorate was to get the Dr. title, but I have never used the title since I finished the doctorate. I kept my doctoral journey a secret in the Christian college IT department in which I work until I had finished.
The Monday after I had finished, all I did was e-mail the IT manager, informing him that I had finished my doctorate and whispered it to the two people who work next to me. Although I have my title in the employee database changed from “Mr.” to “Dr.,” most people do not know and still call me “Mr.” I have never corrected them or even told them that I have a doctorate.
Even though it is policy in our college environment to address everyone by their title, the people who do know of my doctorate still want to call me “Mr.” probably because I’m the only “doctor” who is not faculty, administration, or recognized in some way other than just one of the programmers. Within the past few days, some of those people started to call me “Dr.,” but I have no idea why. Maybe someone else told them to. I have never one time called myself such and have nothing in my e-mail signature to designate that.
Seeing how I have been taking classes straight from 6-years old to 32 without any break to earn a doctorate, I do have some bias toward honorary doctorates is some perspective. I do have respect for those who truly earned their honorary doctorate by doing something amazing that is not common. However, I get biased when I see guest preachers who are referred to as “Dr.” so-and-so say that they “ain’t never been good at no English grammar” or that they’re an uneducated county bumpkin. When I hear them say such in their sermon, I realize that their doctorate is honorary and they probably did not even go to college (or barely passed English class a long time ago). Prior to that, I assumed that they had earned their doctorate through a university. Regardless of the academic subject of an earned doctorate, one must master the grammar and writing of the required language.
Having read through many different blogs about use of the “Dr.” title I have found that most people say something like “the more one feels that one has earned the title, the less one feels the need to claim it.” I believe that I have worked hard for the title, but I still have yet to ever one time call myself “Dr.” or advertise to people that I have a doctorate. Yet, as Cecelia Dowdy pointed out and as I have observed, may people who have honorary doctorates call themselves “Dr.” and want others to call them such as well.
Do we want to be called “Dr.” because we think we are better than everyone else?
(Luke 14:11) For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Thanks for visiting my blog and for leaving that insightful comment. Yes, I do feel that a MAJORITY of those who have an honorary doctorate, like a DD, want others to call them Dr. because it makes them feel better about themselves. It makes them feel more respectful, especially when they’re “speaking” to a religious crowd. The sad part is, from the research that I’ve done, most of that crowd in the audience will have NO IDEA that the speaker has an honorary doctorate. The audience will have NO IDEA that this “Dr.” may have done nothing more than pay $10-$100, wrote their testimony and them BAM, they’re a doctor. People with a DD don’t always advertise this fact about their title because, they don’t want people to know, IMHO.
As I said, there are some who have done something truly extraordinary and they deserve to be called Dr. For example, let’s say someone is illiterate, can’t read at all. Yet, they find a cure for AIDS, they find a cure for cancer, or some other disease. Let’s say this person makes it so that cancer is a thing of the past (like polio). If said illiterate person did this, then, yes, this person is a Dr. I’d place such person on the same level, if not higher, than those with earned doctorates because of what he/she has achieved for mankind…
Bill Cosby earned his doctorate in education, EdD.
I have read a whole lot of stuff on these post. There are a whole lot of vague comments and preferences behind what is really being said. When it comes to Honorary Doctorate Degree’s we must first of all figure what does standard mean. In a time where there are so many denominations, so many new churches popping up and many pastors that are very knowledgeable in the field. Lets be realistic here.. If a PAstor has a small church and is out winning souls to build his church. Then not to include they have to have a 9 to 5 to make sure home is taking care of. I think to me that is noble enough for an honorary doctorate degree. They are taking on a task to help change people lives but, for many people in the age we live in have standards for pastors that they don’t have for themselves.. I think it is a travesty that people would differentiate a person that teaches two and three times a week. Has to minister at different revivals, be there for people at every beacon and call… Have to pray for you even when you don’t do your part.. I am just saying that your point is legit as it relates to traditional schools and accredidation. However, it may not be accurate as it relates to how are laws in America runs and operates… There is seperation between church and state. Churches can have their own schools without the approval of the government. Therefore, the government created a department that they will financially support based upon certain merits and the need for education.. Tell me what does algebra have to do with ministering unless I am a mathmetician. Science to an extent has nothing to do with preaching. So therefore why…
Agreed. But, where does one draw the line and what does the “Dr.” title mean? What do people assume that the “Dr.” title means?
In Cecelia Dowdy’s article, she did include some conversations she had where people assumed that the author of the book had earned a doctorate degree through a University, not knowing that the author had dropped out of college and wasn’t old enough to have earned a doctorate degree. Besides, don’t most people who receive an honorary doctorate have significant years of experience, which would make them at least old enough if not much older than someone who earned a doctorate degree.
Because honorary doctorates don’t have a standard on which to be judged they can be shrouded in politics. If pastor so-and-so received a Doctor of Divinity for his service in his church, why does he deserve to be called “Dr.” and Charles Spurgeon does not? Maybe some of it has to do with the luck one happens to have with happening to know certain people who grant honorary doctorates and meeting the requirements that those people expect to grant it.
No matter how one views honorary doctorates, one has to admit that they are shrouded in politics. They are based on the subjectivity of those who grant the degree. People will argue with each other over who “deserves” the honor and who “does not deserve” the honor.
Who are we to determine who’s work for Jesus “deserves” a title placed on it and who’s work for Jesus does not? Would that not provoke some to jealousy or cause some to burn themselves out hoping to get noticed, but just are not lucky enough to catch the eyes of certain people who grant these honorary degrees?
Now, consider the assumption that the “Dr.” title is for someone who earned it at a university. If one person is referred to as “Dr.” and another one is not, one would just assume that the first one voluntarily chose to go to a university, chose a doctorate to peruse, and committed to the path for it and the other person simply did not do that. It doesn’t mean the first person is smarter or “more deserving of a title” than the other person. It is just the assumption that most people will have when they see “Dr.” in front of a person’s name.
Bill Gates received an honorary knighthood from the Queen of England back in 2005. Does that mean he is allowed to call himself “Sir. Gates” and let people assume that he is a Knight of the British Empire? According to the article “As an American citizen he cannot use the title “Sir” but will be entitled to put the letters KBE after his name.” In this case, the title “Sir” is reserved for those who earned their Knighthood and is distinguished from those with with honorary knighthoods by using a prefix in writing.
An honorary doctorate, like an honorary knighthood, is exactly what it is worded as. An honorary doctorate. It is an honorary representation of an earned doctorate. But, if people assume that the “Dr.” title represents someone who earned a doctorate, one should make sure not to deceive people. Even though I earned a doctorate in IT Management, I do not use the “Dr.” title, and would especially not use it in a hospital where people would assume that I were an MD.
Deceit is not supposed to be Christian. If one calls oneself “Dr.” knowing that the majority of the audience will assume it was earned academically when it was honorary, that is obvious deceit as evidenced by the conversations mentioned in Cecelia Dowdy’s article. Just tell them straight out that the doctorate is honorary and get on with life with a clear conscience, Mention how the honor was bestowed and let the audience evaluate the merits in their own minds. Would not mentioning how one received the honor be wort it?
I think that everything posted made a ton of sense.
However, think on this, suppose you were to write a killer post title?
I am not suggesting your content is not good, however suppose you
added something to maybe grab people’s attention? I mean
Wow. Very interesting conversation has be going on over the past few years. I agree with all points of views and opinions presented. When it comes to Religion their are always may different points of views, it depends on what you believe. Some people in the Church believe that a Reverend Doctor of divinity is an tradition academic degree, when it is Religious profession of the faith. There are many stereotypes when it comes to Religious beliefs. Religious freedom allow us to believe what we want, it would matter to me if what the person paid the government or corporation for a man made title, rather it was $10 or $100,000. I bear witness to the fruit that comes forth for the tree, not the sign on the tree, did doesn’t matter who approved it if it wasn’t God!
I think in all of this we are missing the point. Doctor of Divinity is to teach religion . it should never be involved with a university for church and state should remain apart . Also a person is called to GOD . A university is not GOD .
Rev. Will Hensley, why would one need a degree to teach religion? When Doctor of Divinity is used, MOST people assume the “Doctor” has attended an accredited university – why use the title in the first place? Why allow people to misunderstand the meaning of the title? Wouldn’t God want people to know the truth? Frankly, I think all this confusion could be cleared up if the title didn’t exist. As you saw in my post, in a lot of cases, all one needs to do is pay some money to get the DD title – that’s it…
A Divinity title is for the most part AWARDED to the recipient through the church for outstanding works . That is why I stated it should be the church not a university . I do understand that Dr. And D.D. can cause confusion . Yet that is not the fault of the degree holder or of the church . That is the fault of the perceiver for not questioning to seek understanding .
When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added”
checkbox and now each time a comment is added I
get several emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove
me from that service? Thanks a lot!
Lord! It’s almost dawn and you peopel have kept me up far too long. Look, who’s misleading whom? Originaly the “doctor” titile was meant as teacher from the orignial greek or latin or some shit. It was also equivaletn to masters for a while. Divninity has several denotations, one of which is an academic disciplien covering religious study (and not the same as the discipline of theology). Based on traditional terminology, all it means is a title recognizing you as a teacher of pupuils. Who’s to say many of these folkds aren’t teaching. THe idea that someone has gone to school is a modern one and a social construct. I could, and I guess am, arguing that it isyou and most people who are deceived by M.D.’s and D.O.’s and Ph.D’s. A PHD really. a Doctor of Philosophy….. they have those for everything. that means you can teach philosophy about insect mating habits. Christ people. It’s not deceptive unless they’re lying to themselves for pride, which is a sin. I didn’t earn either of those two Doctorates at the end of my name through a proper univeristy. They are the Divinity type in question and the other is Litterarum Doctor, or Doctor of Literature or Doctor of Letters. Yes, another title you can bestow upon yourself if uyou don’t have the patience to let some stuffy gray hairs say hey, you’ve done a lot with literature or you’ve done a lot in written comm, here’s a degree? DAnny Glover has a D.Litt. Which is also primarily honorary. and if you’re mad about paying 40 bucks for a paper and a title. then why aren’t you man about college. I’ve known people that have blown through thousands, donen little but drink and fornicate and be merry, slide by until graduation and viola… a title, largley meaningless. his was just more expensive and longer. We need to be educated about what “Dr.” actually means. You can’t blame massive ignorance on the actions of a few who’s intentions aren’t always bad. I got mine for, well, fun and spirit. I was toying with a non church generated fake DD or Doctor of metaphysics because of the good dr. Thompson. BUt this was during a “weird” time and I have been feeling a calling lately. Somewhere in there the spirit pushed me towards the DD instead of the DsM. ANd I believe in it. I know it’s honorary, but If I wish to use it I have the right. It’s not deceptive, It’s legal, it’s valid so far as I have a Doctorate, it’s just not the kind of doctor we normally think of. I admitt I don’t use totally proper nomenclature with teh H.C. but I find little point in a degree that’s almost exclusively honorary at this point to defile the initials with qualifiying initials. And writing H.C. after it wouldn’t convince the lay man if he read it on paper any way. the more letters after a title the fancier it must be… right? ANd no, I’m not making a point of informing everyone I converse with when I use my title of it’s origin. It’s like if a woman kept her name after a divorce, introduced herself as such adn then had to immediately explain that her maiden name is “x” and the name she gave is a misnomer. And don’t tell me that legally changing her name gives her the right because honorary doctroates also give you the right… it’s just not customary unless you’re famous and popular. Dr. Franklin’s legit. not by your argument. Dr. Angelou, why not. Got a good ring. ARe we also saying that kentuckians should stop using Colonel in case of confusion with the military or that Fr. is a misnomer because of celibacy and a lack of offspring and Br. or Sister may be deceptive too as they may be only children. Same with “mother” how many (religious of course) titles to I have to pick apart because of semantics. I hear a guy named Father doug and he doesn’t have any kids, he’s lying to me. He’s spiritual leader doug. Also, cardinals (catholic) aren’t birds. And it was midealval times when bachelors masters and doctorates came about because monks where the scholars because monasterires had books, there’s some biblical base for doctor but very little. It was a name from an era that we’ve kept and used as a title of respect and status, which is vain and deceitful no matter how, because a “legit” recipient of an honorary doctorate is still not a doctor, medical or academic, and maybe not even teacher. Also, remove all “worlds greatest dad” mugs. Liers. HOw dare he or his family spend 5 dollars to give him an honorary title that is not proven, tested or earned. Were there dad olypics? I am a Doctor of Divinitiy, and of Letters as I am a writer. I may have had to exchange money to get the thing shipped to me, but churches nab money from folks all the time as “donations” so what if this “donation” convinced them to award me a legally upstanding degree which confers a title of which I can use as I wish because of….. FREEEDOM OF SPEACH AND RELIGION! Dumb-ass.
Rev. Dr. Spencer, DD, D.Litt
P.S. I too got my credentials through the ULC, a legally recognized churh on the same rightful level as the one I hope you attend and it’s larger structure, whith it’s own sovereignty to ordain, train, educate and award as their own beliefs and practices and devotion dictates. You can’t say it’s not god’s will without being a blasphemer or heretic for how can you know what god wants and means. He works in mysterious ways.Also Judge not and such. be more like christ and forgive and love and forget. Howmany gospels involve Christ talking shit for years about some stranger’s mannerism that pissed him off because it offended those who worked for sinful pride, which we don’t know because I never heard anything about gettting the other side of teh story. He without sin…??
Next time someone annoys you, maybe try remembering that it isn’t your concern, you don’t know what’s in their heart and you should take the personal offense and turn the other cheek.
Godspeed!
“Forgive them Father, For they Know Not What They Do”
PPS, I deem you Honorary Deaconess of Egocentrism.
I know everyone has their own opinion on the subject (just read all the comments), but I agree with Cecelia. I know a person personally who never even graduated from high school, who had on their Facebook page that they went to the school of hard knocks. Now they have decided to send their life in a different direction, they have a Doctor of Divinity Degree and are a certified life coach (you check the sight they list and it takes all of three days to get certified). So this is for pride and personal gain. Which person would you chose for a life coach who do you want to pay to help you, a high school drop-out from the school of hard knocks, or a Doctor of Divinity, certified life coach? The person hiring them as a “coach” will assume they have a lot more training and knowledge than they do. That is cheating and wrong.
To: Rev. T.J.Spencer DD, D.Litt …
I hope you are joking with us if you are taking about a ULC degree seriously.
ULC = Universal Life Church? Correct me if that is incorrect.
I’m looking at their Degrees and Courses “store” and notice a lot of weird stuff:
Doctor of Philosophy in Religion – $100.00
Masters Degree in Religion – $69.95
S.O.U.L. Clinic Course – $100.00
Doctor of Biblical Studies – $59.95
Doctor of Religious Humanities – $59.95
Doctor of Religious Science – $49.95
Doctor of Divinity – $29.95
Doctor of Metaphysics – $29.95
Doctor of Motivation – $29.95
Doctor of Universal Life – $29.95
Doctor of the Universe – $29.95
Doctor of Immortality – $29.95
I think the ULC is overcharging for its Ph.D. in religious studies. If one can be a “doctor of the universe” (He-Man is just a master of the universe) or a “doctor of immortality” for $29.95, why would anyone want to spend $100 on a mere “Ph.D. in religious studies” or $69.95 on a mere “Masters degree in religion”?
If you seriously consider merit in a ULC degree, would you consider it legit for me to purchase the $100 Ph.D. and “pass its test” (75% of its questions correct) even though I have no pastoral experience? If not, who are you to judge me if the ULC granted me the Ph.D.?
If the “ULC” you had mentioned stands for something else besides “Universal Life Church,” correct my mistake. If not… oh the humiliation of any future comments others may make about your ULC credentials. However, If you are trolling, then high five buddy. 🙂
I believe that it is between God and yourself how you obtain your doctorate degree, because at the end of the day God knows your circumstance.
You have a bless day and stop trying to discourage people.
I guess I don’t get why people act like we are attacking someone because we think they should be upfront about “how” they received their “doctorate.” I’m guessing that most of the people claiming to have their doctor of divinity degree are Christians, so I guess I don’t understand why a Christian would feel the need to mislead people, and in some cases flat out lie, about their background. When you are telling someone, “you need to pay me so I can tell you how to live your life because I have accomplished all this in my life so I’m an expert,” that is wrong. A Christian should be better than that. And no, I don’t expect Christians to be perfect, because we are all human and make mistakes. But I don’t expect them to be liars and cheats either.
I see that this topic is very hot since it has a five year thread. I do find it quite interesting indeed. I recently obtain an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Certificate. In my early twenties, I attended four years in theology school; unaccredited and they kept changing their graduation criteria so it was hard for students to complete the degrees. Later, I attended school for natural health sciences. I currently provide consultations in nutrition, lifestyle, and fitness. More than often, I find myself praying with and ministering to individuals about spirituality and their relationship with Christ to find complete wholeness (no you do need a degree/certificate to do either). I do not mislead anyone by saying my certificate or degree is “earned” from a university. But when asked I am honest to say, I have an honorary DD for the use of ministry and God’s work. I do not ask for money when individuals come to me specifically for pastoral or spiritual counseling. The ministry in which I obtain this certificate from specifically states, there should be no fee for pastoral counseling. I do use the title Dr. with DD behind my name to not lead people to think I am a medical doctor. I am no longer in my twenties of course; have served many years in the Christian community with my husband and have many life experiences I share. I am proud of my Honorary Doctor of Divinity and use it for the sake of ministry, not to mislead individuals or ask for money. I am hoping to perform my first wedding ceremony soon.
I just thought I’d mention that the title D.D. is not always an honorary degree. I have a B.A. in Biblical Studies and I jumped straight from that (With a 35 year gap) to a D.D. studies program. It took me a couple years of mixed studies. Some of my courses were in classrooms but most were distance learning. The B.A. does not expire with time and it was possible to test out of some of the per-requisite courses. I suppose that my studies at the Hebrew University probably counted too. (13 Master’s level seminars.) I’m backing up and working on a Master’s degree now but please don’t throw out my D.D. I worked hard for it.
Hi, Tom
So glad you stopped by my blog and left a comment. I’m curious about your DD degree – is it a bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate? Did you earn it at the Hebrew University or elsewhere? I wrote this blog post back in 2007 – six years ago – and I realize things could change in the religious education field. Some of the information in this blog post could be out-dated. Since your degree is earned, I think it’s a shame that others are using the DD title, claiming “doctor-ship” when the degree is unearned, for the most part.
It’s a Doctorate in the proper sense. I was once offered a streamlined TH.D from Oxford after I took the Chancellor on a tour. (I am an Israeli tour guide). I turned it down for lack of time for proper studies at that time. I don’t have any complaints. I just thought I’d point out that not all D. Div. degrees are honorary.
I don’t think receiving Honorary Doctorate is bad.And what is the use of receiving it if you cant use it.You can blame the bodies that give it out cheap.I know of a bible school at http://www.honourarydoctorate.com that will screen you exhaustively before granting you Doctor of Divinity i think!Though they also collect a donation…i dont think the whole concept is wrong.
I hope you know that almost all universities(the set of bodies that should be complaining!) grant honorary doctorate to politicians,muscicians etc every year!
Wow! This backroad thread is still going. I checked out http://www.honourarydoctorate.com and saw that it is just another one of those diploma mills. How to differentiate between a real university and a diploma mill:
1. A real university advertises what you can learn. A diploma mill advertises how quickly and easily you can get a degree.
2. A real university advertises the challenges and pride in accomplishing an area of study. A diploma mill advertises the pride in having a degree listed after one’s name.
3. A real university advertises how one may gain or advance in a career through acquired knowledge. A diploma mill advertises how one may gain or advance in a career by listing the degree on a resume.
Seriously folks? How many real universities say something like “Go ahead and start inserting the prestigious “Dr” before your name!” on their home page? A real university isn’t even going to advertise the idea of putting “Dr” before your name.
An honorary doctorate, if done on occasion for notable achievements, is supposed to represent an earned doctorate. Honorary doctorates lose their value if they are more common than the earned doctorates they represent. How to differentiate between a genuine honorary doctorate and a diploma mill honorary doctorate:
1. A genuine honorary doctorate is given solely based on the givers’ desire to honor someone. A diploma mill honorary doctorate is given to one after that person applies for it first.
2. A genuine honorary doctorate is given for free (I mean completely free). A diploma mill honorary doctorate requires or “asks” for some amount of money for the exchange.
3. A genuine honorary doctorate is given by universities that also grant standard earned doctorates. A diploma mill honorary doctorate is given from an organization that may not even offer standard earned degrees.
There is nothing wrong with acquiring an honorary doctorate from one of these mills, but realize that you are risking your testimony (possibly for life) if someone finds out that you are flaunting credentials based solely on a piece of paper that you purchased.
Thecoveteddrtitle,
Thanks much for giving us a thorough comparison between a real university and a diploma mill. Yes, this discussion thread is still going. Today is the six-year anniversary of my Doctor of Divnity blog post.
I first posted this on November 1, 2007. I added a disclaimer two years later because I’d received several angry comments from people who were misreading/misunderstanding/skimming the blog post. They’d mistakenly assumed that I’d said that you needed a doctorate to lead a church and to preach/tell the gospel to others. I never said that in my original blog post – people were just assuming that. Actually if they’d read the original post, word for word, they’d notice that I said the OPPOSITE of that.
After I added my disclaimer, the negative comments stopped, for the most part. This blog post has been getting the most traffic on my blog over the last six years. People visit it daily and I just wish that I could get that kind of traffic on my other religious/Biblical blog posts.
If you enjoyed this blog post, then visit and comment on my other Biblical blog posts: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/category/sunday-brunch
We offer only International Diploma Courses and Religious Honorary Doctorate Certificates.
You will legally be entitled to use the title Dr. in front of your name or D.Div.,Th.D.,DCC.DBS., after your name. All Dr. titles, regardless of where they came from, are considered honorary .
To earn your International Diploma or Ph.D Certificate(Honorary) you have to complete courses and to go to apply page to writte your Resume and make your Donation
ATIS, you said:
>>>All Dr. titles, regardless of where they came from, are considered honorary .
No, they are not. That statement is incorrect. If you’ve attended an accredited university and earned a doctorate, in any field, it’s not considered HONORARY – in that case, it’s an earned degree.
You can’t mix Christian life and the states way of doing things together.
It’s like comparing a voodoo priest to the US president.
Who has more respect in their on environment?
Religious law and gov law are not connected. So your college credit means little to a Christian, and a vice versa.
Also practicing physician and doctor aren’t the same.
I’ll close in saying I have more respect for someone with life experience who has been winning souls for 30 yrs, than a college kid who lives in the books and hasn’t got their hands dirty.
James V,
That is exactly the point of Cecelia Dowdy’s article. You don’t need a doctorate to be a good preacher. There are preachers without doctorates that are better than ones that do.
The point Cecelia was making was simply the idea of putting “Dr.” before one’s name or putting “, Ph.D.” after one’s name if one did not earn a doctorate. That is solely the issue discussed. Stop trying to turn it into an argument against people’s spirituality.
The title “Dr.” is a secular title that has nothing to do with spirituality. All it means is that someone earned a doctorate degree. It doesn’t mean that such a person is better than someone who did not earn a doctorate.
No one is arguing that people are trying to combine church and state. I spent five and a half years earning a regionally-accredited doctorate degree in information technology management that required a rigorous dissertation that actually will get published soon with a UMI and be put in libraries and be freely available in ProQuest to anyone who can find it with an Internet search. That is what a real doctorate is all about. The whole point of writing a dissertation is so that it can be published to add to the body of knowledge. A doctor is a scholar who is considered an authority on a subject because that person’s original work is available for others to read and explore. That is what distinguishes an academic doctorate degree from a master’s, bachelor’s, and associate’s degree.
I will still address friends as “Dr. So-and-so” even though they earned a non-accredited doctorate where their dissertation just sits in the same university’s library to collect dust. Why? Because they had to go through rigorous coursework, write a dissertation, and defend it just like I did. They did not just purchase a piece of paper from an website.
The “Dr.” title is a secular title earned by someone who had gone through an expected amount of time and rigor through an academic process and had to write and defend a dissertation. It has nothing to do with how many souls a person wins, how spiritual/intelligent a person is.
If you want to argue about the separation of church and state, great! I love that. I am a born again christian who does not want secularism rammed down my throat. But, at the same time, I do not want to try to gain respect in the secular world by using their title dishonestly. The “Dr.” title is a secular title. People assume that someone with “Dr.” in front of their name earned a doctorate degree. If a pastor wants people to call him “Dr. So-and-so” when he did not earn a doctorate degree and does not clarify that his degree was honorary or purchased from a diploma mill, then he is deceiving people whether dishonestly or simply out of ignorance.
If one wants to use a secular title than one should earn it using the same rigorous process respected by secular society even if it is not accredited. The issue is about lying. Going to a website, filling out a testimony, and purchasing a diploma is not the same thing as earning a doctorate. Then, afterward, publishing one’s name as “Dr. So-and-so” hoping to bask in the glory of sheeple’s assuming that one had just gone to a university and spent years earning a doctorate degree is lying, plain and simple.
The issue being discussed is about LYING and only about lying!
“The “Dr.” title is a secular title.”
Sorry to dis-agree but historically, the title originated within the non-secular world, the Catholic Church to be more precise. The secular academia adopted it later. The first “Doctors” were clergymen.
I agree that an honorary doctorate should have an abbreviation to let people know it is honorary (or purchased) and not earned in the traditional manner. I do want to comment, a medical doctor is a MD and a PhD has a doctorate in almost any other discipline.
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I have never really managed to settle in any established Church for long. I was baptized as a child into the Church of England, legal though that ceremony may be, I don’t consider it spiritually valid, which is why I was eventually baptized by full immersion at a Baptist Church. I had fallen out with the Quakers because they didn’t appear to do much in terms of worship. Suffice it to say I have drifted from my adopted Church, though I expect they would welcome me back anytime, I don’t feel as comfortable there as I used to since they had a change of Minister and I feel I would differ with many Church members on points of doctrine.
Suffice it to say I am studying for a doctorate, been doing that for 6 long years at a proper British University having paid thousands in fees. I am very unusual because I don’t have a first degree and I don’t have a masters. I started as an undergrad, applied to do a post grad in the first term by convincing them that to all intents and purposes I could have earned a degree (my highest qualification prior to that being equivalent to two years of a standard University degree) I transferred to a PhD program because I proved myself academically, all within the Universities regulations and all above board.
I have in the time that I have been studying for my doctorate been less than impressed by what passes for doctoral studies elsewhere in the legitimate academic system, and not everyone inside it is any more worthy than anyone outside, there being many folk I guess who if you were examined properly by a respected expert on a particular topic they have made there lifes work, they could indeed qualify for a doctorate in it.
I have an earned BA and MA. I have a DREd and an honorary Litt. D., and was working on my Phy in Sociology and Anthropology in a foreign country but had to leave the country because of health reasons. I lacked my Dissertation. Does that qualify me to use the title of PHDabd after my name or not. I’ve seen others do this. It certainly not deceitful since it does use the suffix “abd” (all but dissertation)../
Greetings and salutations, I was informed by my Bishop that. I selected to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity in June, 2014, I first qiestioned how could this be bestowed upon me with no accredited degree. My Bishop went on to explain two (2) facts:
1. I have had my hand to the play for 17 years nonstop traveling around the world preaching the gospel, holding Evangelism and Propbetic worshops. I cover two (2) local ministires, thre (3) in Africa and one (1) in the Philippines.
2. The Holy Spirit instructed him to give me this Honorary Doctorate due to being ordained an Elder in two (2) seperate ministries over a 19 year period and being officially ordained as a Prophet on April 9, 2009.
I think the fact that I have had my hand to the plow without looking for accolades confirms that at the appropriate time the gift will be confirmed by the Holy Spirit and as stated in a previous comment “the fruit of your labor will speak for itself. ” I will use the Honorary Doctor” as a sign that hard work in the kingdom will be acknowledged by God vice working hard for a title just to be seen.JHK
I have a friend that identifies himself as “President of US Steel” on his Facebook page. Either he is doing it to be outrageous or he thinks that he’s earned it. Perhaps he feels that he has worked hard his entire life–maybe even as hard as the real head of US Steel. Unless I ask him, I will never know. But for now I will make a wild assumption and refrain from calling him “President” so-and-so, and chuckle to myself and go on my way.
I get that same feeling in my gut when I see D.D. and people calling themselves Dr., especially if I know it was purchased. I just wish that they had my friend’s sense of humor. Unfortunately it seems that they don’t, and I find their self-aggrandizement pitiful, if not a bit frightening.
It doesn’t matter how many time you break par at the local putt-putt, or how much your kids adore you, or how many $10 bills you have, you aren’t gonna make the PGA tour unless you go through the grueling qualifying process.
Sorry folks, you just don’t get to buy something which society has defined as that which must be earned and how.
Plus, you “ain’t” John the Baptist”, Billy Graham, nor Ben Franklin. Sorry!
Now, go to your room–and take that silly stuff off your wall!!
CORRECTION: Dr. William “Bill” Cosby has an EARNED Doctorate Degree. He holds a Doctor of Education Degree (Ed.D.) from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His doctoral dissertation was based on research done with children an the impact of The Fat Albert Show, a cartoon show he created in the late 1970’s.
Heh. Good job pointing that out, Elvin. I have a copy of Dr. Bill Cosby’s dissertation. I get a little annoyed we people throw his name in with a bunch of other celebrities who have just honorary doctorates. It is probably out of ignorance carried from hearing from others, though.
I recently applied and received (still waiting for it to arrive) my D.D. through the mail. I also have my Bachelor’s of Physical Education degree and have self-published a Christian book. I put no letters beside my name on the cover but will likely put D.D.;B.P.E. on it. I have no plans to use the titles of doctor or reverend on it as I have no intentions of misleading anyone. I look at the D.D. as a”lifetime achievement award” from the Lord for the 25 odd years it took for me to learn, strive and achieve the knowledge, wisdom and skill needed (my B.P.E. played a huge role in this)for me to be able to write the book, His hand leading me all the way.
Cecelia,
Having a Doctorate of Divinity from a Washington State University, I would like to participate in this discussion.
Having attended various christian schools and colleges some in the U.S. and some in Canada, as well as having pastored churches and evangelized all over the world, experience speaks for itself.
First off I would say as some have mentioned in this discussion that Degrees does NOT make a man or woman of God!
My D.Div. was an Honorary one, due to what had been accomplished in my walk with God.
I also taught for three years at a Bible College in Canada, as Minister of Evangelism.
In the beginning I was honoured to use the title D.Div. but as years went by I found it was a hassle going through the questions of where and why I got my degree. Now I rarely use it.
As Kathryn Kuhlman once said, some are educated beyond their intelligence.
I would rather work with someone who has NO education but is full of the anointing and power of God, than with a person with 20 degrees, and has spent his/her life getting that so called education BUT accomplishing nothing for God!
When obtaining documents in magic and make believe, what does it matter if someone actually studied the magic and make believe from someone else or not. One can be a an ordained Jedi master, a Guru of metaphysics, or flying reverend of the church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. No one magic religion is more real than another. You can disagree, yet it makes no difference to the reality of the statement. It’s true that the title is misleading. However, so is claiming to know an ultimate truth about the universe. claims that has yet to be backed by any tangible evidence.
a non profit church ordained minister who has a honorary doctorate is NOT MAKE BELIEF IT’S A LEGAL DOCUMENT LET the envious self glorified blasphemous Theologian who go into debt 300 thousand dollars and spend a decade getting it so some school and the gov’t with their tax grab can get rich. this is what it boils down to dollars
here here. well said
Isn’t it amazing that people feel the need to feed their ego by buying themselves a title on the internet? It is amusing that they justify their purchase by pronouncing that they deserved it. (How can you give yourself an HONORARY award anyway????)
Furthermore, why be merely a pastor, when you can be a Doctor???? Yeah, that’s right, a Doctor!!
I remember when they used to give sheriff’s badges in cereal boxes. Now, it appears that people don’t even have to buy the cereal. Just buy the badge. (“Go ahead, ‘sheriff’…wear it around town…and for Halloween too!” LOL)
Why not build yourself a monument to yourself to go with your ” Dr.” title? Or better yet, a church. Don’t worry about those conventional churches/universities and their uppity academic, research, matriculation, residency, and examination requirements…After all…what do they know that you don’t? It isn’t fair! Plus, you deserve it!
You want respect…or at least a badge?? No problem. Then go online and buy yourself some! Send them enough money and they will send you business cards, robes…the whole magilla! (Watch out for the cheap/tacky looking stuff however!)
For a few dollars more, you can get a certificate showing that you own one square foot of the “Church of What’s Happenin’ Now”, in Goldrush, Alaska. You can be the new honorary Rev. “Dr.” Leroy for one full day each year! Just think of the admiration…and, well… the TAX DEDUCTIONS!
Some people choose to glorify God. Others choose to glorify themselves. God knows who is who.
For what it’s worth, my two cents.
I agree with one of the other posters, who noted that the issue is very much about misinforming (or outright lying, depending on one’s view and actions) those who pick up books/listen to sermons, etc.
The D.D. degree, while once more common, is now typically an honorary degree.
As noted before, there’s a distinction between D.D.’s (and Ph.D., D.A., and Th.D., etc.)
–The traditional method, which let’s be honest, if you call yourself a Doctor most people expect and assume this method, is through research and application of considerable length, dissertation, oral defense, etc. Accredited universities are typically the means for this.
–An honorary degree, granted by school or church, for lifetime work, excellence and dedication in your field, whatever they choose. My understanding from most etiquette and protocol manuals is that the title (spoken or written) is used in formal settings, it’s not usually day-to-day (that’s the realm of the accredited traditional Doctor)
–A diploma mill. Pay XX amount of money, read these books, write a paper, or some variation of that. Not accredited (there are non-Government, faith-based accrediting groups as well, so none of that “God decides what ministry is” stuff. That’s not what I’m talking about.) To me, this feels like stealing the perception of work that the others have.
Oddly, the Master of Divinity degree is considered the equivalent of a M.D. or a J.D., as it’s a four-year, post-Bachelor professional degree. The Th.D. (Doctor of Theology) is typically considered equivalent to a Ph.D., which is a thoroughly academic degree (NOT professional, there’s a distinction). Originally, the D.D. was considered this level, now at least in the US, it’s been delegated honorary duty.
At least in the South, the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) is the typical degree of a minister who has an advanced degree (post M.Div.) from a university/seminary. Happen to be a year from mine now. It’s a mix of the Th.D./Ph.D. research with the M.Div. professional, similar to a Doctor of Medical Science is “between” a M.D. (professional) and a Ph.D. in medicine (academic). However, in the South and especially in smaller religious institutions, the D.Min. is used as an honorary degree.
Coming from a family with three D.M.D.s (dentists), a J.D. (lawyer), and literally everyone else having a Masters, with four being Ordained Ministers (let’s not go to the online ordination mills), the price paid in study, in time, in sacrifice, in dedication, etc. make both the traditionally earned Doctorate and the honorary Doctorate so prized. Needless to say, I personally don’t think much of the diploma mill doctorates. Would I address the honorary Doctor as “Dr.”? Ehh, I have. But he was a university President, an Ordained Minister, and a retired US Air Force Chaplain (Lt.Col.) (to my Ordination and measly seven years of Navy & hospital chaplaincy) Is it technically right? No. Can they write it? Yes. (Emily Post, An Officer’s Guide to Etiquette, etc.)
Now, I know many a good minister who has no degree, and even with my (soon to be) Doctorate I’m more than willing to serve under them! The Holy Spirit uses who He wills. I know many ministers, regardless of degree, who are anointed of God; I know many doctors, traditional & honorary & diploma mill, who are worthless; but I also know that more often than not, those who have the “actual” degree (inclusive of honorary) AND the anointing of God are quite an honor to be taught by and to serve under.
Bottom line: accredited=Doctor, all the way. honorary=please let me know, but I’ll call you Doctor. diploma mill=heck no. Same goes for Ordination. Not because God spoke it, but because of human perception. It’s a strange world we live in, and there are many false teachers mixed in with the real anointed ones, just looking for those who have the “itching ears” Paul tells Timothy about. God may call you, but He also said, “You shall know them by their fruit…” If you mislead, we’ve got a problem. But in the end, God knows who He’s truly Ordained to bring His message.
Maybe that’s more than two cents….
not in religion. look up what the study at the university. it’s religious Lit 101 and it’s crap. look up the 4 source theory q theory and and look at what they teach. Mark was the first Gospel bull. so because some glorified jagoff makes some non proven theory that has t9o be it and to pay 300k for that blasphemy i think not, whats wrong with have a church taught process and certified with that Legal non profit church. what business does a school and a gov’t compliance school at that. so the gov’t and some theologian is going to tell me what God wants from me. nope not happening and if some other glorified Dr wants to belittle someone for their inferiority complex well We can’t help that.good day
This is due to protestants misunderstanding the Holy Orders and the Divinitatis Doctor title. University degrees are a relatively modern thing, obviously, and clergy were not required to have them for most of history. In the Church, any bishop is automatically considered to be a Divinitatis Doctor, or “Doctor (teacher) of Divinity.”
So, you see, an apostolic bishop is entitled to be referred to as a Divinitatis Doctor, and, in today’s system, that means he can use the post-nominal letters “D.D.” It is incorrect for people to equate tradition to modern degrees referred to as “Doctor of Theology” and the like.
The reason the “D.D.” is an issue is that many non-apostolic denominations use the title “bishop” for their pastors, and they have adopted the “Divinitatis Doctor” from Church tradition without any of the other Church traditions. Many places also abuse the fact that there is no oversight of churches to offer “Doctorates of Divinity” to anyone willing to pay, as highlighted in the article. None of these people are apostolic bishops, however, and none are entitled under tradition to be referred to as Divinitatis Doctor.
Additionally, let me highlight that bishops are not referred to as “doctor” despite all of them being entitled to the post-nominal letters “D.D.” This is because an apostolic bishop is entitled to be referred to as “Bishop ” in verbal address, or “the Most Reverend” or “the Right Reverend” (depending on the country) in written address.
This is much a due about nothing. A Doctor of Divinity is always a ‘bestowed ‘ degree. Hence D.D. is the elephant in the room. Anyone with John Doe,D.D. is advertising he was awarded the degree. All other Doctors degrees are also self explanatory. Ph.D; D.Lit.; D.Min.; etc. Legitimate Doctor of Divinity degrees are ‘BESTOWED ‘ on someone who has done something or many somethings to EARN that degree.
I thoroughly agree with you Cecelia. In Australia those universities and other institutions that do confer honorary degrees (mostly doctorates) define how they should be used and written. They are often awarded in the fields that the faculties are in, however some award only doctorates with names unrelated to the faculty names (e.g. Doctorate in Humanities honoris causa, Doctor of the University honoris causa, etc). An honorary doctorate does NOT allow the holder to use the “Doctor” title ever, except when on the campus of the awarding institution or when corresponding with the institution. On a CV the honorary degree is listed under the awards received section and not under the education section. They must be shown (in abbreviated form) usually as HonDTh or else as DTh hc, if the field is in theology. The holder never refers to themself as a doctor on the sole basis of their honorary doctorate – that would be conceited and deceitful. However even here in the land of Oz there are rogue religious operators who lust after fancy titles, who want to be seen as “big potatoes”, who start churches and gather hordes of idolising fans (parishioners). It pays to check what they did their dissertation in if you’re a bit suspicious of their earned doctorate – maybe it is legitimate and maybe it’s a subject that interests you and you can talk about. The Debretts manual is a good authority for protocols on how to show achievements, honours, etc.
I believe there is room for honorary degrees for individuals who have a life of stellar service; however, they all should be required to used Hon in front of it as you indicated. That would solve a lot of problems. As for individuals with DDs, the same principle should apply (e.g. HonDD or H.D.D.).
Hun, some of us do have our degrees and have them framed even though they are honorary. I have studied all my life since I was 16 and I feel that I have earned it through self-discipline and through self-study. It irks me too when someone gets a degree just to have Dr. and D.D. accredited to their names and not because they have studied all their lives on their own. I am 32 years old and I reverently and relentlessly taught myself about so many different religions, and even immersed myself in them until I came to be a Spiritualist.
People who get honorary degrees do it for a number of reasons, but if they are like me, then they feel they have earned the degree and title. My Doctor of Divinity Degree may not be accredited, but it was bestowed to upon me by a verified church with non-profit status and given legal recognition in the United States, even winning a Federal court case that tried to ban ULC’s offering of this degree. Universal Life Church Ministries is verified on both Facebook and Twitter and quite possibly other social media sites.
There is good and bad in all good things. Some are just looking for recognition. Personally, I was awarding myself for my tireless pursuit of studying divinity and felt I earned my distinction.