For those who don't know, "Dr. Withy" purchased his degree. However, many clergymen are now vigoriously pursuing RA doctoral degrees. It is quite a bandwagon. In the old days, clergymen used common religious titles, to include: Reverend, Father, Pastor, Evangelist, Prophet, ect… Amongst the religious, those titles were enough and they spoke for themselves! However, I’ve noticed that many TV preachers are now proudly using the term Dr. preceded before their name, thus giving them greater prestige, authority and academic credability. For a clergyman, which has more scholarly prestige in the religious community: Evangelist John Doe? Prophet John Doe? Reverend John Doe? Dr. John Doe? Father John Doe? Pastor John Doe? Evangelist John Doe? The credentials speak for themselves. Academia is a god in our western world and the religious community has jumped on this bandwagon. Who has more credability in your eyes: A RA religious doctor or a prophet? I think that we’re going to see the term Dr. used more and more in the religious community.
I do not care what they or anyone else calls them. I look at how they handle themselves and the messages they give.
Certainly, I see alot of truth in your comments. However, the issue isn't so simple. The fact is that academic credentials lend credibility in the eyes of our society. Good or bad, that is truth. So many clergy pursue their education, even to acquire the Dr. title. They don't do so for any selfish reasons (at least not primarily ), but rather so that those who admire credentials will listen. Having said that, yes, I agree that there is alot of abuse of this going on. I deplore the fake Drs that you see in televangelism. Many of the jokers I see called "Dr" make me sick. So you raise a good point, but lets make sure not to paint with too wide a brush (and I don't think you did, I just wrote this to clarify my thoughts a bit on the subject). I also agree with Merc's analysis. clint
Re: Re: Religious Degrees & Academia You are correct. For clergy who are career oriented earning a doctorate (accredited D.Min. or Ph.D.) is important for career progression. If the clergyman wants to become pastor of the more affluent or larger churches and extend his ministry it is a necessity for better or worse. I remember one very very affluent neighborhood I was visiting in a large city. Every church was large and every clergyman was "Dr." (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist). I don't think they would hire a clergyman without a doctorate. North
