Page 117 - THBI Student Handbook - 2020

Receiving a THBI HONORARY DOCTORATE, because of our evaluation process, you may with full
confidence present yourself as a “ministerial doctor”.

 A similar example is a person who has received a GED or HiSet diploma can legitimately state that
they have a High School Diploma … even though they do not have a high school education. Of
course, the difference in this example is that such a diploma does qualify one to enroll in college, or
to help in his/her vocational opportunities.

Keeping in mind that a THBI Honorary Degree is for ECCLESIASTICAL PURPOSES. Now a Bible school,
college or university may include this as a qualification for a position of teaching, college instructor or
professor … but you may not present yourself as having an academic Doctorate Degree that qualifies you
for these positions nor any non-ministerial vocation! If asked about your “title”, you should always explain
your “Honorary Degree”: The process of evaluation, examinations and the dissertation required of you.

Bottom line, if you receive a legitimate, ministerial, honorary doctoral degree, then by all means you should
be at liberty to use the title - - a couple of well-known examples: Dr. Franklin Graham; Dr. Jerry Falwell,
and many other ministry leaders held honorary doctoral degrees, and used them legitimately!
Again, the difficulty today with “legitimate usage”, is that so many “degree mills” have come into play that
the secular world is now decrying those whose use of the title is based on having only an honorary degree!
A similar issue now surrounds the title of “Bishop”. Some groups of ministers, some fellowships, some
denominations confer the title “Bishop” on those who are, at best, novice pastors!
Sadly, the reason seems to be the hunger for respect by peer groups and worse, for the world’s respect and
believing that a title will produce that much hungered for respect! Remember this, what you do and how
you do it is the only thing that produces respect among our peers … and the world is always looking for
reasons to DISrespect God’s people … and besides, Jesus did not command us to gain the world’s respect, did He?
Remember that in the USA: The state and the courts (governed by congress) are constitutionally forbidden
from prohibiting how ecclesiastical institutions (the Church and its schools) make determinations and then
freely exercise those standards! However, “secular” societies, cultures, entities and institutions are not thus
restricted and so they use powerful weapons of media and humanistic educational tactics to form “popular
opinion” aimed at delegitimizing Christian nomenclature and to hijack “what is permissible” usage for
legitimate servants and leaders in Biblical Christian Life and Ministry.
Unfortunately, deceptive people with impure motives within Christendom have increasingly given
Secularists ammunition to attack the True Church and Her members in what we can do and how we can
present ourselves … and now in the case of “Honorary” degrees! Additionally, sincere Saints have become
concerned about deceptive usages of “honorary” doctorates and are being manipulated by the Secularists to
prevent even honest servants and leaders in ministry from legitimately using “Dr.” with an honorary degree.
The determining factor of using the title “Dr.” with your name, is the purpose: If the purpose is legitimate,
the use is legitimate. If the purpose is self-centered, self-pleasing or to achieve ambitions, the use is not legitimate.

THE THBI HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREES

The THBI honorary doctoral degree is made available because we recognize that many in life have not had the
opportunity to attend a Bible College, but whom the Lord has indeed educated through continual personal Bible
study, application of Biblical truth and principles in life and ministry and have much knowledge that can never be
attained from “book study”!
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