Name that Honorary Doctor!

I have heard that Lester Roloff declined someone's offer of a doctorate, saying "That'd be like putting whipped cream on an onion."

 

Billy Graham has an honorary doctorate,doesnt he? and he is SBC, not Independent Baptist.

 

I hear that Jack Hyles gave a honorary
doctorate to John R. Rice's horse.

I think Jack Hyles also gave a honorary doctorate to Mrs. Gail Riplinger.

 

Honorary degrees aren't indy baptist only, I think you will find there are many Christian schools that do it and if you check, you will probably find that most do it to honor a long life of ministry, not quite the derogatory item that you make to beder.

No I don't have one.

 

Billy Graham has several honorary doctorates. Here are some differences in his honorary degrees vs. most IFB'ers honorary degrees though:

1. By and large, Graham's honorary degrees are from established, regionally accredited schools- which actually grant legitimate, earned doctoral degrees; in addition to dispensing the occasional honorary one.

2. Graham is currently 86 years old, and his honorary degrees have been awarded based on decades of service & achievement. In the IFB world, honorary doctorates are frequently awarded to men barely into their 30's- oftentimes for highly dubious service & achievements.

3. Graham personally eschews being addressed as "Dr. Graham"- although he often is, to his chagrin. On the other hand, many (if not most) IFB'ers who are given an honorary doctorate freely & widely use the title- you'll see it on the church's sign, in the bulletin, on flyers, etc. In some churches, it gets to the point that to not use "Doctor" in referring to the man is viewed as some sort of eggregious, flagrant violation of protocol. Case in point: I was present at a Pastor's School at First Baptist Church in Hammond years ago, and some poor attendee made the mistake of calling Jack Hyles "Pastor Hyles". He was immediately & sharply rebuked with several shouts of "That's DOCTOR Hyles!".

 

I found this clip (on numerous websites) by Googling: "Billy Graham" and "Honorary":


12/06/01: "British Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer presented evangelist Billy Graham with an honorary knighthood in recognition of his services to civic and religious life in a ceremony at the British Embassy Dec. 6. The official name of the award, “Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire,” is made to foreign nationals. Holders of the title are not address as “Sir,” but use the letters KBE after their name to signify the award.

Meyer performed the ceremony on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. In remarks during the ceremony, Meyer said, “Dr. Graham has made an incalculable contribution to civic and religious life over 60 years. He has preached the gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history. His ministry has been truly international. Millions of people throughout the world have found his message inspirational. Many lives have been deeply changed. Graham has blazed a trail of Christian commitment marked by tolerance and respect for others.”
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Oh-oh, it looks like Graham "one-upped" the honorary "Doctors" of the IFB world.

 

He is probably the only one that comes to mind, from the sbc flock.

The sad part is that some who DO have doctoral programs in their Bible colleges still give honorary degrees.

As far as honorary doctorate for lifetime achievement, I would accept one.

Also, even though its going against the general consensus of the board, being an unaccredited college does NOT mean the college is sub-par. Most of them are, but its going to vary. I'd rather go to an unaccredited school which truly taught me something rather than an accredited school (New Orleans) where I didnt learn much at all.

I am of the opinion, it takes ONE good solidly educated person to teach, and then the multiplication process is set in order, regardless of whether or not the school is accredited. It's like the "Tom Landry Method" where one man produces numerous outstanding coaches, who in turn, produce other outstanding coaches.

 

I suggested to one small school that they get the standards from one of the accrediting assoc. and go over the list and see if there weren't goals they could aim for to produce a better education for their students - leprosy time I was already an outcast but isolation is another thing

Speaking of leprosy I just heard that the us has ten times more cases in last three years than they have had in the last forty years. It was indicated it is coming in from other countries.

Not that all honorary doctoral people have leprosy

 

My dads honorary degree from Maranatha Baptist Bible College. Dr. Gary Gillmore

I can remember as a kid hoping he would get one with the rest of his buddies. Pretty funny and certainly not worth much.

Although, I disagree with much of my dad's philosophy of ministry these days. I'm pretty sure he will get the most important degree.

The W.D. degree...well done!

 

I never realized they gave out honorary doctorates. Wouldn't that downplay those who actually earned their doctorate?

OTOH, perhaps these people did earn their doctorates...only they spent many countless hours alone studying and researching instead of learning in front of a teacher.

I would never claim I deserve a doctorate, but I do know that I have learned quite a bit on my own that many people learn in the classroom. Considering that much of a college student's time is spent partying or talking to roommates and I spend a lot of that time studying on my own, the only thing missing from the equasion is a teacher and classroom discussion (er...and the books...and the knowledge and experience a teacher holds...).

PLEASE don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying I deserve anything a college student has earned (I am trying to prepare myself in case I do decide to return to college), but I've been in both worlds and I learn much more when I study on my own...especially since I have access to the internet now. (but then again, lately, I've been hanging out here LOL!!)

I dunno. I'm just rambling, I guess.

 

Pipedude...I'll confirm that story about Bro.Roloff...BJU offered Bro.Lester that honorary Dr....I was a resident at the "city of refuge" home in Corpus Christi when that happened and while he was gone on the trip to Greenville(and I don't think he knew they were gonna offer him the degree)the "Rebekah"home girls had a banner put up in the church that read "Welcome Home DR.Roloff".I was in church that night when he came in and saw that banner and made that comment.He kinda sneered when he said it too.He was a very caring humble man who never sought the praise or acclaimation of men.All he cared about was Jesus and making sure the people who where in his homes were saved and taken care of.He truly did give his life for OTHERS.

Greg Sr.

 

I think the problem with IFB schools has to do with the sheer number that are given out. One school I know of gives one to the baccalaureate speaker and the commencement speaker. That's two a year.

If they gave out only one honorary degree every four years it would be different.

The sheer number of the honorary doctorates actually demeans them. They really aren't honors if everyone has one.

Another factor is that IFB people go by them. If they got them and people didn't refer to them as Dr. So and So, that would be different.

 

Maybe these colleges should start giving honorary MDs... Imagine the fun!

 

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that the honorary doctrorate was traditionally understood to be valid only during the event in which is was conferred. After that, Joe went back to being just Joe. The exception was when a recipient needed it for professional reasons, as in the case of a college president.

As I recall, Ann Landers said that she had a large number of honorary doctorates and would never think of referring to herself as Dr. Landers.

I remember seeing a full page ad for a bus ministry conference. The border of the ad was papered with the portraits of the speakers and workshop leaders--successful bus ministers. None of them looked to be over thirty. Every one of them was a doctor. Dr. Buzz Peters, Dr. Skip Brown, names like that.

(My apologies to any Buzzes or Skips who read this.)

(Especially if you were in that ad!)

--
Dr. Pipedude

 

I'd rather sit under a man with an honorary doctorate than a rabid liberal with a real doctorate. All those liberal professors who taught me in seminary are powerless, whereas some folks with fake PhD's preached with the power of the Holy Spirit. Just an opinion.