I wonder Why so many Indian-Christian preachers sport their honorary Doctorates with such fanfare? Any and every Christian preacher holds a doctorate. Atleast, that’s what their title suggests. I really find this funny. Worse, they don’t even let their audience know that theirs is no earned PhD – not even in fine print?
So most christian preachers are Doctorates – without an University. We now have doctorates without Universities and academia without doctorates. This is the tragedy of evangelicalism in India.
However, this is a question of integrity. We who speak so much of integrity defy the standards we preach to others. I sincerely feel that sporting a honorary doctorate is no help at all – to anyone except the one sporting it. It is tragic that Christian preachers find their confidence in the titles before their names. Worse, half the audience cannot tell the difference between an earned Doctorate, (re)awarded doctorate and bought doctorates.
Can doctorates be bought? Sadly yes! and worse, they sport their doctoral titles. We must truly give rise to real intellectuals within the evangelical fold. The best thing to happen to Indian evangelicalism would this: a genuine intellectual leading from the front. I hope it happens soon….
We have had preachers leading us. We have had personalities leading us. But… its been a long time since Indian Evangelicals have been led by an Intellectual. We must give rise to sound evangelical scholarship and build our intellectual forte. Thats the way forward… We must learn from our pentecostal brothers who in the last two decades have undergirded their shade of faith with intellectual fortitude.
Please…. let’s give up our pretense of intellectualism by sporting a honorary degree. Let’s safeguard our integrity by telling our audience that it is a honorary degree (given to felicitate many years of ministry). We would have gained a listening ear… with our integrity and the power of the message that we live and believe.
