Loading...
  1. BrianH

    BrianH Member

    My brother in law recently got into some trouble in a different forum for calling a Bishop on saying he earned his degree at Oxford. He was told not to challenge the credentials of clergy. The Bishop also teaches at an ACI accredited school which he also defended as being good accreditation for people who do not want the government involved.

    Anyone have any additional information on this group?

    Saint Alcuin House Seminary
    St. Alcuin House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    Oxford Educational
     
  2. jackrussell

    jackrussell Member

    Why shouldn't anyone challenge the credentials of clergy? No laws man made or God made that forbids that.
     
  3. flipkid

    flipkid New Member

    You can challenge the credentials of clergy. How you do it may be a greater concern but you can challenge them.
     
  4. jackrussell

    jackrussell Member

    As long as the verification of credentials is not done in a malicious way I do not see the issue. Those clergy having extremely prestigious qualifications should be proud to show them off.
     
  5. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    A few years ago, I was on my way to class and saw this on a fellow student's shirt: "Always question authority." Almost a case for "read shirts, not books!" :)

    I say there's some latitute in this case -- if the guy "called B.S." on the Bishop - and the degree WASN'T legit -- then it doesn't matter (to me) HOW it was done -- it's OK. (But you have to be darn sure of your ground!) :)

    As far as this "Oxford System" goes, it is NOT the real Oxford - not even close. Even goes so far as to list all the REAL Oxford's Colleges on the website's "background" page and state:

    "In Their Entirety, These Schools Are Not a Part Of, Or Associated With, The Oxford Educational Network"

    So much for that....

    One of the members of the Oxford "Network" is a real "woofer." - IUFS, the International University for Fundamental Studies. I believe this place is somehow associated with the also-unaccredited "International University" in Missouri. There have to be pages and pages of old threads on that place!

    For IUFS, read WIDU and "Grand Ph.Ds" and the like. The school even lost its license to operate for a while.

    Plenty of bad press on Jayasekara, the grand panjandrum of the place. Apparently he started out when very young (and very unqualified) by giving "rocket science" lessons in his native South Asian village. There were some accusations a couple of years ago that he was somehow implicated (negligence?) in the death of a Buddhist Holy Man who died while staying at IUFS. Here it is:We want a commission to probe Most Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thero [Archive] - ElaKiri Community

    (1) Not associated with "real" Oxford Colleges - and they admit so.
    (2) At least one member of low repute - IUFS

    Enough for me!


    I know NOTHING about St. Alcuin's -except that they're in some obviously bad company on that "Oxford" (NOT!) list.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 14, 2010
  6. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Deleted - dupe posting. Johann
     
  7. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    "You can't challenge clerics..." ...... BUNK!

    --As far as I know, one of the few places where this still works is IRAN.

    Johann
     
  8. Franklin14

    Franklin14 New Member

    I'm an Oxford University theology graduate, and anyone who says he has earned his degree at or from Oxford, without having an Oxford University degree, is deliberately practicing deception and preying on people who don't know better. Nothing against St. Alcuin House, but it is NOT an affiliate college or Permanent Private Hall of Oxford University, and its degrees are not granted by OU. Ditto something called "Oxford Graduate School" that some clergy like to list among their credential-granting entities. If you are dealing with somebody who makes such claims, be warned that he or she is attempting deliberately to mislead others regarding his or her actual accomplishments and qualifications. The word "Oxford" often is invoked to give style or tone; Ford Motor Company has a shade of white called "Oxford White" (there's no such thing) and many clothiers use the term "Oxford gray" (usually for the wrong shade of gray), and that's bad enough, but any clergyman who does the same thing with his credentials is no better than a common liar. Sorry, but we need to be able to trust the clergy. Not even graduates of Oxford Brooks University--a former polytechnic located in Oxford--say they have Oxford degrees.
     
  9. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

  10. JWC

    JWC New Member

  11. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    One wonders how it is that a school apparently located in Stuart, Florida claims its degree-granting authority from the state of Minnesota.
     
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Indeed one does wonder. So here's what they say, on that point, FWIW:

    There are two Saint Alcuin House seminaries (in Minnesota and Florida) inside the Saint Alcuin Theological Federation...

    Each institution is responsible for the training, development and pastoral care of its own students. However the majority of academic teaching is delivered on a Federation basis, making the teaching expertise of each institution available to all Saint Alcuin-based Federation students, and ensuring a mutual sharing and challenging of ideas.


    ... So two schools in different states make a "federation" and they both operate under Missouri law? :question: You go to one school, you're deemed to be going to both, I guess...

    "The St. Alcuin House Seminary is recognized by the Office of Higher Education of the State of Minnesota, and the seminary operates currently under Minnesota Statutes 136A.61 to 136A.71 and its licensure is pursuant to Minnesota Statutes Chapter 141. From the Minnesota Office of Higher Education "... etc.

    Whole thing is here. St. Alcuin House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 22, 2014

Share This Page