Honorary Doctorates

[RAIDER]

Give an honorary doctorate to a horse as a joke and wonder why people say the whole process is a joke?

Lighten up, Francis.  You have to be in the Top 10 most miserable posters on the FFF.  Bill Rice was always talking about his horse.  The Bill Rice Ranch was a popular camp for many IFB.  The Honorary Doctorate was given in jest.  It was just for fun.  It was just for laughs.  Get the picture?

 

[RAIDER]

Well, in all honesty, that explains a lot.  I mean, at the college they give/gave them to employees to justify their promotion to administrator/president for no other reason than they were friends with the pastor.  After all, how can a person be the President of a college without some kind of achievement? The Honorary isn't actually an "achievement", but it LOOKS like it is.  And, remember, it's all about how things look, not how they really are.  I'm just sayin'......

And this goes with my point of not all who received Honorary Doctorates deserved them. 

 

[Bruh]

Give an honorary doctorate to a horse as a joke and wonder why people say the whole process is a joke?

Lighten up, Francis.  You have to be in the Top 10 most miserable posters on the FFF.  Bill Rice was always talking about his horse.  The Bill Rice Ranch was a popular camp for many IFB.  The Honorary Doctorate was given in jest.  It was just for fun.  It was just for laughs.  Get the picture?

Yea, Francis!!

 

[cast.sheep]

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be), Mark Rasmussen was given an Honorary Doctorate but he wanted a "real" doctorate, so he went out and earned it.

Honorary Doctorates are not bad or wrong.  They can be very meaningful. It is when they are overused that they become cheap.  When an institution gets to the point where there are more honorary than earned, you see right away where the priorities are....and it's NOT education.  Which is strange considering colleges are educational institutions. 

But, in the end, who cares???? 

All I know is that it's gorgeous where I am today!  And I'm lovin' it!

 

[Bruh]

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be), Mark Rasmussen was given an Honorary Doctorate but he wanted a "real" doctorate, so he went out and earned it.

Honorary Doctorates are not bad or wrong.  They can be very meaningful. It is when they are overused that they become cheap.  When an institution gets to the point where there are more honorary than earned, you see right away where the priorities are....and it's NOT education.  Which is strange considering colleges are educational institutions. 

But, in the end, who cares???? 

All I know is that it's gorgeous where I am today!  And I'm lovin' it!

Statement of the month!! That says it all, right there. 

And since, this is coming from me, you should be very very pleased.

 

[rsc2a]

Give an honorary doctorate to a horse as a joke and wonder why people say the whole process is a joke?

Lighten up, Francis.  You have to be in the Top 10 most miserable posters on the FFF.  Bill Rice was always talking about his horse.  The Bill Rice Ranch was a popular camp for many IFB.  The Honorary Doctorate was given in jest.  It was just for fun.  It was just for laughs.  Get the picture?

I'm actually quite the happy fellow. Just pointing out why people give the entire honorary doctorate system a jest...because it is!

 

[RAIDER]

Honorary Doctorates are not bad or wrong.  They can be very meaningful. It is when they are overused that they become cheap.  When an institution gets to the point where there are more honorary than earned, you see right away where the priorities are....and it's NOT education.  Which is strange considering colleges are educational institutions. 


Right on, girl!!

 

[Bruh]

Give an honorary doctorate to a horse as a joke and wonder why people say the whole process is a joke?

Lighten up, Francis.  You have to be in the Top 10 most miserable posters on the FFF.  Bill Rice was always talking about his horse.  The Bill Rice Ranch was a popular camp for many IFB.  The Honorary Doctorate was given in jest.  It was just for fun.  It was just for laughs.  Get the picture?

I'm actually quite the happy fellow. Just pointing out why people give the entire honorary doctorate system a jest...because it is!

Only because you don't have one.  8)

 

[RAIDER]

Give an honorary doctorate to a horse as a joke and wonder why people say the whole process is a joke?

Lighten up, Francis.  You have to be in the Top 10 most miserable posters on the FFF.  Bill Rice was always talking about his horse.  The Bill Rice Ranch was a popular camp for many IFB.  The Honorary Doctorate was given in jest.  It was just for fun.  It was just for laughs.  Get the picture?

I'm actually quite the happy fellow. Just pointing out why people give the entire honorary doctorate system a jest...because it is!

Only because you don't have one.  8)

I believe he qualifies for an Honorary Doctorate in Scorning.

 

[rsc2a]

Don't need a made up title to feel good about myself. I'm quite happy with husband, daddy, son and friend.

 

[Bruh]

Give an honorary doctorate to a horse as a joke and wonder why people say the whole process is a joke?

Lighten up, Francis.  You have to be in the Top 10 most miserable posters on the FFF.  Bill Rice was always talking about his horse.  The Bill Rice Ranch was a popular camp for many IFB.  The Honorary Doctorate was given in jest.  It was just for fun.  It was just for laughs.  Get the picture?

I'm actually quite the happy fellow. Just pointing out why people give the entire honorary doctorate system a jest...because it is!

Only because you don't have one.  8)

I believe he qualifies for an Honorary Doctorate in Scorning.

Hey Vince, we want to nominate Francis for a honorary doctorate in scorning. 

Raider, Vince will have to take it from here.   

 

[RAIDER]

Don't need a made up title to feel good about myself. I'm quite happy with husband, daddy, son and friend.

Oh, but you have earned your doctorate.

 

[Fresh Air]

Lighten up, Francis.  You have to be in the Top 10 most miserable posters on the FFF.  Bill Rice was always talking about his horse.  The Bill Rice Ranch was a popular camp for many IFB.  The Honorary Doctorate was given in jest.  It was just for fun.  It was just for laughs.  Get the picture?

They know that. But they don't care. Context only matters when the other guy isn't using it right.

 

[bgwilkinson]

Don't need a made up title to feel good about myself. I'm quite happy with husband, daddy, son and friend.

Oh, but you have earned your doctorate.

Yes the Doc for Bill Rice's horse was supposed to be a joke, but the Doc for Gail Anne Ludwig Latessa Kaleda Riplinger, the twice divorced women preacher, interior decorator and faux religious historian was given as an honor and in recognition of her book New Age Bible Versions where she repeatedly blasphemes the Holy Spirit.

She totally bewitched Bro. Hyles, he never knew what hit him.  He gave me a copy for helping him in Pastors' School. I asked him what it was about, he told me he hadn't read it yet, but others told him it was a great book supporting KJVO.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=New+age+bible+versions


Here is a man that has three earned docs and does not use doc in the titles of his books.

http://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Changed-Nation-Language-Culture/dp/0385722168/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426017258&sr=8-1&keywords=in+the+beginning+alister+mcgrath


You do not read Doctor Alister McGrath, you just read Alister McGrath.  You have to dig to find he earned three Doc degrees from Oxford.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dciroT8gUDI

Here is a highly educated but humble man.

 

[no value]

            You Call Me Doctor

            The title “Brother” once I wore/ But that can satisfy no more.
            Since on my journey up to fame/ They added Reverend to my name.
            Right Reverend, then t'was very right/ Thrilling my soul with pure delight.
            Now they call me Doctor, oh how I love it!/ No other title is above it!!
            Never was I thrilled like this before/ I got it at camp meeting and put it on my
            door.
            They added Doctor to my name/ Now I know I will never be the same!
            So call me Doctor, man alive/ On my ego I must thrive,
            At conventions and camp meetings I will shine/ Praise the Lord, the title’s all
            mine!
            Once I was humble, now I’m so proud/ Walking erect with the Doctor crowd.
            Surely the world hath need of me/ A man of the cloth with a nice degree!
            The Apostle Paul knew no such bliss/ For he never had a title equal to this!
            I tell you my brother, I’m not the same/ Since they added Doctor to my name.
            Anonymous

 

[Binaca Chugger]

She totally bewitched Bro. Hyles, he never knew what hit him.  He gave me a copy for helping him in Pastors' School. I asked him what it was about, he told me he hadn't read it yet, but others told him it was a great book supporting KJVO.

Incredible story and totally believable.  I mean, who actually reads all of those tables?  He never knew what hit him.  What a post!

 

[prophet]

Let's say you have an individual in the business world who spends years in college and earns a doctorate.  This fellow goes to work and ends up working a 40 hour job for average wage in an industry for which he did not study.

You have a second fellow who earns a four year degree.  He has no desire to attend grad school.  He starts a company that becomes one of the top companies in his industry.  His alma mater gives him an Honorary Doctorate.

Would we look at the first guy and say, "Wow!  He earned a doctorate.  He did the necessary studies and finished!!  This guy is great!"  Would we look at the second guy and say, "What a loser!  All he has is an Honorary Doctorate created to make him feel high and mighty.  He did nothing to earn that doctorate".

No!!!  We would do just the opposite.

But we would all buy Dr. #2's product.

 

[Watchman]

/cloaking device off

Three points.  1) It was Dr. John Rice's (not Dr. Bill Rice's) horse named General of the Armies Douglas MacArthur II that received the degree at Pastor's School.  Mac was the nicest horse I ever rode and was very patient with little kids, and it wasn't his fault he got dragged all the way to Hammond to receive the degree.

2) The "doctorate" the horse received was a DHS--Doctor of Horse Sense.  It was not in any way, shape or form an honorary degree as given out by the school to various people over the years.  My father received one in 1974--a Doctorate of Literature--and he didn't feel degraded because they gave a "degree" to a horse.

3) Raider made the point that Dr. Hyles dispensed honorary degrees to lift up pastors.  I believe that is 100% correct as a description.  I also believe it was 100% wrong as a motive.  That statement is very revealing regarding the man-centered philosophy of life and ministry that so thoroughly infected FBC and HAC with such devastating results later on.  While it is appropriate to give honor to whom honor is due, there is an easy line to cross from there into man worship, which any honest observer will have to say was promoted from the pulpit on a regular basis.  People who are taught to worship a high and holy God have a very different attitude toward themselves and their leaders than those who are taught to (at least) walk right up to the line of man worship.  Those who crossed that line (Ray Young, I'm looking at you) were held up as examples to emulate and praised for it.  That's not healthy.  And in the end it didn't work out very well either for those who promoted that view or for those who accepted it.

Watchman

/cloaking device on

 

[Lone Ranger]

All the emphases on honorary doctorates are a far cry from one humble servant of God I was privileged to know. This man was a deacon in his local church and taught an adult Sunday School class. We knew he had an important job with a well known company that filled defense department contracts, and he often traveled for meetings at the Pentagon. One day a few years ago, while he was conducting a business meeting at work, the Lord took him home by way of a heart attack. It was only at his funeral that the church members learned that he had two earned doctorates. It is often the case that those who truly deserve the honor are the ones more apt to deflect that honor, and the ones less deserving will promote themselves whenever they have a chance.

 

[cast.sheep]

This is the kind of stuff that bothers me. Even though the Word of God is very clear on the sin and danger of pride, it is still embraced, promoted, and celebrated in our circles. And these are the men we trust to teach us the Word of God? These are the men we trust to take our young adults and lead them into a life of ministry? A man doesn't show up to teach his college classes, but is one of the more celebrated chapel speakers? What exactly are we teaching people?

Sigh!