I was looking on the sight of Creflo Dollar, a minister of huge church in Ga. He has a pretty good size TV ministry. He also now calls Himself Dr. Creflo Dollar. Ok now that you have gotten over the fact that he could be called DR. Dollar, does anyone know where he might have received this degree from. His bio only list a Bachelors degree. Robert
Robert, Mr. Creflo has charisma. After doing an extensive search, I could not come up with where he may have obtained his Dr. title, but what a character. View the following piece of press on this guy. http://www.mts.net/~dkost/dollar.htm J.R (ic)
His online biography refers to him as "Dr." but mentions only "a Bachelor of Education degree with a concentration in History from West Georgia College in Carrollton, Georgia" for education. I can't find any reference to where he might have earned that degree or been given an honorary degree. I ran across a press release that listed him as a speaker at a conference at Oral Roberts University, and there's a full-page ad for ORU on the back page of the September issue of his "Changing Your World" magazine (pdf file). A possibility?
Oddly enough, I went hunting for this information a few months ago. Although I wasn't able to definitively answer the question, I did find something. According to this Oral Roberts University news page, Creflo Dollar, Jr. served as the keynote speaker of ORU's 1998 commencement ceremony and received an honorary doctorate (presumably a Doctor of Divinity). To quote: "ORU held its 31st annual commencement on May 2 [1998]. About 650 students–an eight percent increase over 1997–walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Creflo Dollar, Jr., founder and pastor of World Changers Christian Center (Ga.), was the keynote speaker. He and Dr. Carl Hamilton, Bible teacher Joyce Meyer, partner and former ORU regent Nona Askew, and Indiana pastor Dr. Paul Paino received honorary doctorates." Jason D. Baker http://www.bakersguide.com
I think we ought to apply Dr Dollar's message to DL! Not only does God want everyone to have a mansion and a Rolls, God also wants everyone to have a PhD..or maybe a ThD.
'Makes me wanna holler' One of the things that frustrates me ... no, angers me, is how the likes of Creflo Dollar and other high profile "word of faith" people criticize scholarship, theologians and higher education. Yet, when they receive an honorary piece of paper, they wear the title with all the pride they can muster. Somehow, hypocritical comes to mind. One has to wonder that if education is so bad, according to their teaching, why do these same people go through the trouble to build their own schools and colleges? Roscoe
Re: 'Makes me wanna holler' ---------------------------------------- Caution Roscoe: the honorary doc was from the school your soon to be Dean(ACCS) got his doc from!
A Yahoo search made interesting reading. Unfortunately, among other things, he is another example of someone without theological education who is a *pastor*. The problem is that often without some basics (such as a Systematic Theology Course) he makes unbiblical theological statements (eg with the Trinity). Another example of this is well respected TD Jakes. This is how you get folks like K. Copeland making Mormonesque statements with regard to God. Theological education does not necessarily need to be formal, although that is the ideal. I think Hank Hanegraaff has done a good job from the point of view of being self taught. Unfortunately, guys like Copeland and Dollar with their unbiblical nonsense end up holding Christianity to ridicule. On a side note, there was an Indian writer (called the Indian CS Lewis) on the 700 Club who made an interesting case for needing to reintellectualize Christianity (in the classic mode). He said we will not get anywhere in India if we can't go beyond the 4 Spiritual Laws or in the US for that matter. Christianity comes across as though it had no intelellectual basis. He went on to point out that even in the US kids grow up and leave behind the overly simplistic presentation of the Christian faith and look for something they mistakenly perceive as deeper. This speaks to something OS Guiness says about Christians not being intellectually flabby. North
Welcome to the already dumbed down of so much of American Christians-anity. It's sad, very sad. The church of America is all about family, psychology, name-and-claim it, or feel-accepted when coming to church. And very, VERY few know the Word of God, much less that the Word of God doesn't "teach" about these things. They are mentioned, as is a whole host of other things, but aren't the topic of Biblical teaching. So, you ask someone what's the context and real purpose behind a verse that person's quoted, and you get "Well, it means to me . . . " Hmm! Not only do they not know the Word of God, but logic and common sense goe right out the door. Oh, I'm not getting down on these people, I'm frustrated because we're not only a post-Christian nation, so called, but we're large group of very ignorante Christians who've bought into waaaaaaay too many lies of Satan. And worse, people don't seem to care when it's brought to there attention. They just want to be accepted, or solve their teenager's problems, or listen to the next word-of-faith message. It's going to cost us, big time. Starkman
Amen, Starkman! I work in a jail where most of the volunteers come in with books by Joyce Meyers, Creflo, Ken Copeland and yes, T.D. Jakes. Because these people are all over TV, the inmates get a steady diet of their teaching. Consequently, I spend much of my time trying to "clean house," by pointing the errors of these popular, heretical teachings. Just last week, a couple of inmates wanted to know more about the "Apostolic" movement, generational curses and the five-fold ministry. More than a few inmates are confessing they won't do time for their crime. Why? They can have what they say. Their faith is a force, according to Copeland and their words have power. So they are speaking their freedom into existence. I thought, man, where is Hank Hanegraff when you need him. Roscoe P.S. I have since started a Bible study on "Basic Bible Doctrines" and "How to Interpret Scripture."
Hey Roscoe, "P.S. I have since started a Bible study on "Basic Bible Doctrines" and "How to Interpret Scripture." BINGO! And it should be prsented in a manner as God presented His Word to us: in a context of relationship: between God and us, we with each other, and we with our ownselves (coming to terms with who and what we are.) I mean, doctrine doesn't HAVE to be boring. Interpreting Scripture doesn't HAVE to be "scholarly" in the sense that people are looking at you and saying, "Huh?" It should be dynamic, vivactious, full of God's heart in wanting to straighten us out and make us complete in Christ. Man, if we get that part communicated from, say, the book of Romans, the rest takes its course. Sure, some people will need extra help in this or that area--who of us doesn't--but that issue isn't made out to be the theme of Scripture. I applaud you, Roscoe. YOU be the Hennigraf to them. Praise God! Starkman
Sometimes my own Gnesio-Lutheran parochialism makes me wanna holler. Then I look at some of the other stuff that's out there and calm down.
I hear that "Dollar" is not Creflo's birth name. Does anyone know what his birth name and when he changed it? Roscoe
Thanks Gert, Creflo seems to be more controversial than Fred Price, although both are word of faith. Whereas Price was mentored by Ken Hagin, it was Ken Copeland, I'm told, who took Creflo under his wings and gave him a national platform. Roscoe
Gert: According to this story [Creflo Dollar] was Michael Smith. John: And he who was Bubba Free John and is now, I think, Adi Da, started out as Franklin Jones. Smith and Jones. Whatta team. PS: I'm sorry, but "Creflo" sounds to me like one of those name contractions that celebrities have bestowed on them. J-Lo for Jennifer Lopez, A-Rod for Alex Rodriguez. But that is based on the probably erroneous assumption that we say "CREE-flow," not "CREFF-low."
