Page 116 - THBI Student Handbook - 2020

HONORARY DOCTORATE – LEGITIMATE USAGE

A “RELIGIOUS” HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREE is different from an ACADEMIC DOCTORAL DEGREE.
In the secular world, receiving an Honorary Doctorate is not awarded for academic purposes and must not
be used as such, and a person must not “pass themselves off” as a one with an earned doctorate degree in
any secular field of endeavor or vocation.
In the “Church Realm” things are a bit different. There are two types of “honorary degrees” currently found
in the Church that exists in the U.S.A.
1. The First Type, unfortunately, are so common that many “honorary” doctorates have little meaning
and no value! You’ve heard the saying, “A few bad apples can spoil the whole basket”? In this case,
a LOT of bad apples are spoiling the whole “basket” of Honorary Doctorates in the ministerial realm!
In some instances, if a person makes a significant financial contribution, or if one is made in behalf of a
prospective awardee, the educational institution will most happily bestow an honorary doctorate upon him or her.
“For the cause of honor” has been replace by “for the cause of Mammon”!
The educational institution only requires a “suggested” donation and an application that may include a
short biographical sketch of the prospective awardee, and regardless of the applicants worthiness based
on real life ministry studies, accomplishments, ministerial contributions into people’s lives … the
applicant is awarded their “honorary” doctorate degree and they begin to proudly call themselves “Dr.
So & So”!
The Cause for this seems to be a growing desire among God’s people (or people claiming to be His)
to compete with world standards for legitimacy and have hijacked the original purposes of the Honorary
Degree (for the cause of honor) replacing these with personal ambitions, serving Mammon, loving the
world and other impure motives!

2. The Second Type are historically legitimate and today, sadly, seem to be less common than the First
Type - - thanks to a lot of “bad apples”! These do have meaning to both the awarding institution and
the awardee, and have value because when other people know why the ministry leader was awarded the
honorary doctorate - - it illustrates the minister’s valuable service to others and his/her accomplishments
for the benefit of the Body of Christ and the local communities in which they serve!
In many instances, a ministry leader’s peers or congregation or both, apply to an educational institution
on behalf of the pastor or ministry leader because they want this person to be legitimately recognized
for his/her valuable service, leadership and/or contributions in the lives of those whom he/she serve.
In other instances, the pastor or ministry leader may personally apply to an educational institution
because the title “Dr.” will legitimately aid in accomplishing a higher purpose or help to achieve a
greater objective for his/her ministry service and leadership - - far more than being able to pridefully be
addressed as “Dr. So & So”!

Either type can use the title “Dr.” with their name, however, they cannot use this to legitimately be
recognized for academic purposes in the secular realm - - and the “First Type” should not even use “Dr.”
for religious academic recognition - - all they have is a paper stating they have a title!
The “Second Type” can and should use their title of “Dr.” to be legitimately recognized – even in a
“religious academic” use – due their level of expertise from years of continuing Bible study and practical
experiences and accomplishments in some discipline of Biblical Christian Ministry. Many “honorary”
doctorates actually do have as much or more practical knowledge and many have a better understanding,
than those with earned “academic" doctorates whose degrees are based only in “school learning”!
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