Well, no doubt you’ve heard by now. The Wall Street Journal took the in-coming first lady Jill to task for wishing to be addressed as ‘Dr.’ If you happen to be a U.S. citizen reading this … or you are a Canadian who thinks that in 2021 you might have an opportunity to visit the 46th President and his wife, I would suggest you find a place on your refrigerator to place a note that reminds you of appropriate protocols when visiting the White House Oval Office. Wouldn’t want to embarrass yourself by babbling or mumbling inaccuracies when addressing the newly minted first lady now, would you?
All of this hullabaloo raises the ‘very real’ and rather sensitive topic of doctorates – who deserve them, who do not; which doctorates are better … stronger … greater … and fly higher (Oops! Got carried away for a moment). Then add to the mix that worldwide phenomenon of giving one of about 13 different honorific doctorates to the rich and famous. On the rich side Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jackson and bonnie Prince Charles of English eminence come to mind. On the famous side, how about Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Bill Cosby and Kevin Spacey? By-the-way, was that famous chicken guy from Kentucky really a “Colonel” in the army? Just asking.
Even Kermit the Frog is ‘Dr Kermit’. I suspect he got one though because he’s ‘Green’ —
a rather popular subject these days.
Now I realize that any talk about doctorates is not in the same league as greenhouse gases, whether gases originating from factory chimney stacks or the hefty slice of burps and farts of livestock in the fields. Still, think positive here. The chimney dust that blankets our air can be reduced rather significantly by everybody walking – and I mean ‘everybody’ — all 7 billion of us. Yes, that includes the 39.8% in North America who are obese. And, the problem of livestock, who are responsible for burping the methane equivalent of 3.1 giga-tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually, can be solved by everyone going vegan. [I wish you luck on that one!] However, now the bad news! When it comes to the issue of doctorates, I suspect there are far too many egos involved to reach any sort of reasoned consensus or academic nirvana – given our inflated and exaggerated sense of self importance.
Doctorates and academic pretentiousness
can go hand in hand.
Now, if by chance you did not read 83 year old Joseph Epstein’s Wall Street Journal’s provocative Op-Ed, I will tell you that his politically-incorrect, irreverent view was that only medical doctors should be addressed with ‘Dr’. He subsequently offered that those in the hard sciences like physics and chemistry are justly deserving of the title as well. Not Jill Biden, however! Among the reasons offered was she merely had an Ed.D. Was Epstein pushing against elitism? Probably. Let’s not forget that Jill herself had said she was “tired of letters addressed to 'Senator and Mrs. Biden'”— which might have been her 1st sin.
Nano-seconds after WST published the opinion piece, Forbes, CNN, the L.A. Times, Chris Wallace of Fox News fame, and Stephen Colbert, the late-night not-so-funny guy, all rushed to the good doctor’s defense, pronouncing Epstein’s article misogynistic, sexist and drivel. Not surprisingly, Epstein’s webpage at Northwestern University, where he was listed as an emeritus lecturer of English was promptly scrubbed. This should surprise no one in an identity politics driven culture, where ‘opinions’ [It was an Op Ed] outside group-think are anathema. A phrase from an old Star Trek episode comes to mind: “We are the Borg. You will be assimilated.”
As a theologian, I decided to search the Bible for any leads on Doctorates to see if the Scriptures might provide insight into what constitutes a valuable or less valuable degree. After all, if pastors can preach on subjects like: “Five Biblical Ways to Lose Weigh and Still Eat” or “How YOU Can Bring Heaven Down,” or “Seven Methods to Get God on Your Side,” — all biblical ideas, then surely the Scriptures would address such a fundamentally important subject like doctorates, whether earned, bought or free. Seems that was not the case however. Search as I might, I mostly came up empty-handed, although I did find some really cool passages . . . and warnings.
Ps. 119:66 “Teach me good judgment and knowledge …”
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”
Proverbs 18:15 “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
Proverbs 23:12 “Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.”
Ecclesiastes 12:12 “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body”
1 Corinthians 8:1 “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
In the end however, the Bible seems only fundamentally clear on one thing: the knowledge of God is the most valuable knowledge a person can possess. Later, when I did an internet search on ‘The Bible and Degrees’ all I got was ‘Degrees of Guilt’. No mention of ‘All-Nighters,’ cramming for mid-terms or which degrees are best. Rats! For a brief moment, I felt like that born-loser Charlie Brown.
This is all serious business here, I must say. After all, how is the general public to solve the unspoken but lingering ‘whisper’ campaigns in hallways, over the water cooler and within academic circles about good … better … and best doctorates? With over 89 different kinds of secular doctorates lurking around every university lectern, dentist chair and occupational therapy room, how are ordinary folks going to identify the lame or mediocre degrees from the ‘creme-de-la crème’? Not all degrees are created equal.
Not every doctoral student graduates Summa cum laude.
I suspect some graduate laudy, laudy, if you get my drift.
This talk about appropriate doctorates is not confined to the secular world either. A study of religion – where the focus could be the Bible, Quran or Tanach, can also be problematic. When theology doctorates are dispensed, is accreditation from a recognized governing body necessary? Does denominational identity matter? Should the degree have language requirements like Hebrew, Greek or . . . German. “Ganz Bestimmt." Is a thesis necessary? How many pages? Will a research paper do? Is just buying a doctorate, complete with all of the necessary documentation [https://www.expressuniversitydegree.com] legit? When pastors get doctorates — should they by default get better pay? There appears to be no end to the variables out there even in the Christian realm.
It gets worse! In a Bible College or Seminary, should we refer to the professor as ‘Dr’ so-in-so … or the less pretentious ‘Brother / Sister . . .’ Hey, your final grade in the course could hang in the balance!! Then think of the poor church person? Who’s looking out for them? Do they call their minister ‘Reverend’ … ‘Doctor’ … ‘Reverend / Doctor’ …The Right Reverend / Doctor’… or keep with the more humble and modest title of ‘Pastor’ or ‘Father’? What are we to do? These are tough questions around a highly charged and sensitive topic.
Some would offer that when it comes to honorific degrees, it’s time to ditch them. A degree that is awarded honoris causa (Latin elevates snobbery) has never conferred the right to actually use the degree. In other words, recipients of an honorary doctorate do not use the prefix ‘Dr.’ So why bother? True, the practice is over 500 years old, starting in Europe, but such degrees only muddy the water of who really qualifies, never mind that it is a relic of classism. Besides, issuing such doctorates is ripe with politics, and that’s not going to change. The general criticism surrounding the giving of honorary doctorates is not without substance.
Did you know that famous author Maya Angelou has over 50 honorary doctorate degrees, not one of them earned? Impressive, eh?
Others, as per Joseph Epstein’s Wall Street Journal’s Op Ed, argue that only medical doctors are deserving of being called ‘Dr.’. Non-medical degrees do not count. So, by default, doctorates in anything else, including Jill Biden’s education degree do not qualify for the title. Sorry first lady Jill! Law schools give out “Doctor of Jurisprudence” but when was the last time you called your lawyer ‘Dr.’? I thought so!
Into this ‘kettle-of-fish’ I offer two thoughts. First, those who have earned a doctorate know that getting there is a story of personal reward and resilience against a backdrop of uncertainty, stress and lingering struggles. You do not earn respect by slapping ‘Dr.’ in front of your name. You do it by excelling at your job, by developing solid priorities, by requiring high expectations – and meeting that standard yourself every time. To those who insist on being called ‘Dr.’ my advice is to take a deep breathe. Do you really want to be seen as preening and insecure?
Second, I reject any view that diminishes anyone’s duly-earned degree, in any field, from any accredited institution. With the proliferation of professional and practical doctorates it seems obvious that the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is antiquated. There is a reason everyone doesn’t merit a doctorate. It’s grueling and earned. So when someone receive a doctorate from an institution with dubious academic credentials, I understand why the scholarly community averts its gaze in embarrassment.
There are lots of ‘Drs.’ out there, including Dr. Phil … Dr. Snoop Dog … Dr. Seuss. And let’s not forget Dr. Justin Trudeau (He has two: University of Edinburgh, Scotland; New York University)? In my more reflective moments I sometimes wonder, if this proliferation of doctorates continues, will there be anyone left to drive our city taxis, serve as school crossing guards or make mouth-watering Jerk Chicken?
No one should be surprised by the Wall Street Journal’s Op-Ed about the merit of Jill Biden’s degree. After all, if other media outlets like MSNBC and its ilk, with their false narratives and feigned horror are happy to target Melania Trump for the clothes she wears, the prayers she publicly offers, her apparent ornamental role and make fun of the immigrant first lady’s accent, then why would we think that the next first lady is immune from criticism? Now if I could just figure out whether pastors with earned doctorates should get a raise! “Only Saying ...”
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