Foreign degrees in theology/religion

Howard · Jan 18, 2002

Originally posted by levicoff:
I believe that this complicates the requirements of most schools, and would formulate a much simpler list . . .

Best degrees for secular university teaching: M.A., followed by Ph.D. Anything else is icing on the cake.

Best degrees for seminary teaching: M.Div., optionally followed by any advanced degree - second masters such as a Th.M. or S.T.D., or either an academic (Ph.D./Th.D.) or professional (D.Min.) doctorate. (The S.T.D., an academic degree, is found primarily in main line as opposed to evangelical seminaries.)

Seriously, secular universities generally require secular degrees. Yes, they may be in religion, but the degrees should be academic rather than professional. In most cases, a Ph.D. will be required, but the Th.D. is also recognized as an academic degree (usually, though not always, granted by a divinity school attached to a university, as opposed to a freestanding seminary).

Seminaries, on the other hand, are in the business of preparing pastors, although non-pastoral degrees have become somewhat of a cash cow for them. Therefore, most seminaries will require an M.Div., period. Those that grant doctorates will want someone with a doctorate, but it can be a D.Min. just as easily as a Ph.D.

General principle: It depends, in part, on what you want to teach. If you want to teach academic subjects such as biblical languages, hermeneutics, etc., go for the academic doctorate. If you want to teach professional subjects such as practical theology or homiletics, go for the D.Min. (And, to throw in another curve, if you want to teach missions, go for a D.Miss. Seriously.)

But for a seminary, the basic teaching credential is the good ol' M.Div., which can optionally be followed by anything. Remember, seminaries may offer the M.A., M.A.R., or Th.M., but for teaching in a seminary, the M.Div. is the cornerstone.

Finally, remember that seminaries tend to hire their own. If you earn a doctorate from Liberty University (a Fundie Baptist school), do not expect to be hired by the Iliff School of Theology (a liberal Methodist school). If you want to teach at Liberty, don't earn an M.Div. from the Yale Divinity School. With one exception: evangelical faculties tend to earn their doctorates from liberal schools. (The theory is that you should get your M.Div. from a school with which you are doctrinally compatable, but by the time you go for a Ph.D. you already know how to stand firm in your faith, etc. In that sense, there is much more liberal bias toward conservative credentials than vice versa.)

(You may ask, from where do I get this perspective? From teaching at a regionally and ATS-accredited seminary as well as a regionally and AABC-accredited Bible college for six years. And from being told by the seminary that I would never be invited onto full-time faculty because I did not have an M.Div., which was fine since I didn't want to be full time. So how did I do it? Simple: my M.A. is in theology and law, and my and Ph.D. is in religion and law, and there's a real shortage of people who can do what I do - teach church-state issues and legal issues/risk management for pastors and counselors. Interestingly, all of my degrees are from secular schools, my graduate credentials are from very liberal programs, yet I have taught primarily at Fundie schools. Besides, I'm Jewish, and any Christian school would hire me so they can say, "Yaaasssss! We got us a Jew!")

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Just realized that I read your book "Christian Counseling and the Law." Very informative. Will you be doing any follow-ups, or have I missed them?

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Howard Rodgers

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Foreign degrees in theology/religion

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