MDiv Conclusions Online Affordable

Agreed.

Yes, I was only listing from when it was based in Missouri. As far as I know, the old site was hacked and became unusable. Since then a new site has popped up that shows Canada as the base. Strange. Still...... it was free and useful, so that's why I completed the BA.

 

Oddly enough I am attending NationsU

 

I told you so. :yup:

 

I know some people out there are very strong against unaccredited religious degrees. As a holder of few unaccredited religious degrees I can tell you some facts:

-If you want to become a minister, many non traditional denominations only need bible college training. Most unaccredited religious schools would do the trick as long as they are not purchased but earned degrees.

-Even an accredited religious degree is not very useful in the real world. Most traditional religious denominations (e.g. catholic) would require their own training and secular jobs won't really care about this. You might argue that you can teach with a graduate religious accredited degree but good luck getting a teaching job in religion faculties that are under funded and saturated with people with PhDs from good non online virtual schools available to work for little.

-Experience in ministry is really what matters, you need to start volunteering and slowly get your foot in the door as a minister. This is not the type of career that you get by flashing accredited degrees but by serving people. Once you start getting your name out there, you will be getting lots of invitations to talk and serve in other churches. Getting non paid work as a minister is not difficult as long as you can show credible experience so the idea that you need an accredited degree to get them is non sense.

-Exempted religious degrees are legal and can be used legally. You can offer a seminar let's say in gnostic Christianity with a PhD from an exempted religious school and mention that you have a PhD in this area if you have one lets say from bible university. People in this forum will start trowing stones at you if you mention that your PhD is from a non accredited school but in the real world nobody cares, most of these religious seminars are either free or charge very little money so people attending wont expect a PhD holder from Harvard giving the lecture, most people doing this won't even have a degree so the unaccredited PhD is actually well received as long as it is not from a degree mill or purchased.

Exempted degrees exist mainly to fill the gap for those that want to become ministers but they don't want to spend a fortune. Most ministerial positions at non denominational churches either pay very little or are a volunteer basis so it makes no sense to go and spend 40K for a degree just to serve the public.

I also hold a doctorate from a traditional school and hold several graduate degrees from traditional universities, for me the religious degrees are not a way of making a living but just a way to achieve spiritual development and help others.

In few words, if you want a religious exempted PhD just to impress people for secular jobs or to improve your profile in linked in, then you are wasting your time. If you are interested in a religious exempted PhD so you can help your community and serve as a spiritual lecturer or minister, I think is a perfect valid option.

 

Thanks for the advice. I have been reading Gnosticism for many years already, the program at this school looked good and got my attention.


In Canada, religious seminars have to be registered with the provincial government. Most are not allowed to grant degrees but some do due to partnership with degree granting institutions.

Ministers of religion are recognized by provincial governments so one needs to be affiliated with a recognized church as a minister in order to be able to officiate weddings and perform other religious rituals.

Bible University ministerial credentials are not recognized in Canada and for this reason might have been forced to shut down.

 

I don't disagree with most of your points, but I would say that if you're (the general you, not you specifically) looking to serve people in a ministerial capacity of a non-traditional Christian church, you don't need a Ph.D. from any school, accredited or not, any more than you need a Ph.D. in American Literature to teach high school English.

I don't see the need for any Ph.D. for a local minister; my church (which I attend far too infrequently) has had 5 ministers in my lifetime, all of them had B.D. or M.Div. degrees from either Andover-Newton or Gordon-Conwell, although the current interim minister has a D.Min. from Phillips Theological Seminary (ATS-accredited).

I just don't see the need for a Ph.D. from an unaccredited religious school, unless you want to teach at an unaccredited school (incredibly small job market), or simply to fool/impress people (far more likely, IMO).

A D.Min.? Sure, but a Ph.D., no.

 

Sorry, I forgot about the technicality of the degree designations. Please replace PhD with DDiv or Dmin. By the way, my non accredited degrees are DDs.
Yes, in order to avoid confusion and misrepresentation, DDiv or DMin should be degrees designations for religious schools.

 

Leave the Dmin out of this...I am in a DMin program that will take six years and 60K to complete. Do even try to mix unaccredited with DMin. LOL.

 

People are full of crap and can say what they want, but the only reason someone places those letters behind their name is to make people think they hold a legit degree. You do not need any degree to serve anyone. Liars need to claim a Ph.D./D.Min to call themselves Doctor.

 

Amen -- said the heathen Johann. I'm glad that Canada doesn't allow the printing and sale of degrees, religious or otherwise, from institutions that don't qualify to award them. And I think it's doubly sad, whenever I see a Canadian parade these spurious qualifications, imported from a country which does allow them - mistakenly, as I see it. I used to hear quite often from U.S. posters that religious-exempt degrees are allowed in accordance with the ancient mantra "separation of Church and State." I think that's ridiculous. It's almost like allowing religious organizations to issue drivers' licences, etc. Such organizations can certainly teach faith-related subjects as they see fit - and award all the certificates and diplomas they like. But secular authority defines standards for degree-granting. To allow otherwise is a proven recipe for degree-fraud.

You don't need any degree to serve anyone? Well, that depends. In many capacities, you need proper qualifications to serve them. Untrained counsellors etc. can do damage even irreparable damage, sometimes. However, If you do need a degree, you need a proper one. Not one of these "junk" degrees.

J.

 

And 'Z28 -- we've had our differences in the past, but that's OK. I wish you every success on your D. Min. Congrats on your choice.

BTW - it may lessen confusion to say that I'm all for religious schools awarding degrees - as long as they are qualified (accreditation or equivalent) to do so. That's the law, here in Canada, and we have some very fine degree-granting religious schools. I think about 22 US states have religious-exempt degree laws and I think they're making a mistake - but why should they listen to me? I don't live there.*

J.

*Maybe it's because I want to keep those "degrees" out of Canada. I've asked Justin to build the wall - but he says Donald won't pay for it. :smile: