Legitimate, Unaccredited DL M.Div. Programs

I would guess the Progressive Universal Life Church degree is about 100 notches below Trinity. Trinity does require course work, dissertation, etc., and though unaccredited, does have a structured program.

The PULC degrees are:
D.D. = $75.00
Ph.D.=$175.00

One would have to be from another planet to believe these are legitimate credentials.

Russell

 

Your decision was a very wise one! And I second your recommendation!

Russell

 

The comparison was meant in fun, albeit at Trinity's expense.
How much knowledge do you have of Trinity's program?

 

Hey, thanks! Luther Rice actually enjoys a pretty good reputation as far as I can tell, and I wouldn't have much trouble with the Southern Baptist background (my grandfather and uncle on one side were Southern Baptist ministers). Sort of like studying Zen Buddhist thought; I don't agree with it, but it doesn't offend me.

I was indeed, and still am -- though I haven't said anything about it here in ages. You have an excellent memory!

One of the things that would play to my advantage if I were to go this route is that the University of the South does offer some sort of low-residency format for its M.Div., where one travels to Sewanee (which is not very far from where I am, actually) on a semi-regular basis (alternate weekends, I think) and does the remainder of the work in-ministry. But something like Luther Rice or ABCS would certainly not upset me, if it could be worked out. Worth meditating upon, for sure. Thanks for the leads!


Peace,

------------------
Tom Head
www.tomhead.net

 

I knew an individual who enrolled in Trinity's Ph.D. program for about a year, then dropped out, however, I was able to examine some of the material. One course alone required, IIRC, a 45 page paper, and there was also a dissertation required. So it was not a CASH=DEGREE scenario at all.

I even considered the program myself, however, after more indepth research (which developed after reading posts on AED) into the accreditation issue I opted not to pursue the program. It sounds good, but the accreditation is not recognized in the US as either RA, GAAP, ATS, AABC or TRACS.

Russell

 

I had heard good things about Trinity, until I came to A.E.D. Unfortunately, it appears that too many people that make hiring decisions look at unaccredited schools think that they are all CASH=DEGREE.

 

Tom, this isn't a suggestion, but it IS interesting. While there are many organizations that offer some sort of Biblical training for free, I haven't seen any that have coursework evaluation, faculty, complete degree programs, and free study materials. Despite the URL, the organization is in India, the Calvin School Of Apologetics And Theology. (They express disdain for degree mills and honorary theological doctorates as unchristian.) It isn't clear whether the accept students outside of India. The URL: http://members.truepath.com/apologetics2000/index.html

 

Here is an interesting school, which unapologetically declares a lack of accreditation, but says: "Cranmer Seminary is the Bible College and Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of America (EOC); we are ecclesiastically sanctioned by the Orthodox Anglican Communion (OAC) and the Anglican Rite Synod in the Americas (ARSA). Postulants for Holy Orders in EOC, ARSA, and member churches of the OAC receive their theological training and education at Cranmer Seminary."

They have a mostly DL M.Div, if I read the website correctly; only Postulates for Holy Orders must attend some seminars. The tuition is a very thrifty $29./credit. ($1800 for a Ph.D. program.) See: http://cranmerseminary.orthodoxanglican.net/

I am woefully uneducated about the Anglican, Catholic and Episcopalian churches and their splinter organizations. But something that strikes me odd about the links to the higher church organizations (EOC, OAC and ARSA) is the singular reference to this seminary at the end of most of their sparse web pages.

Bill Highsmith