Ring Nebula: James Webb and NASA
“By a lie, a man… annihilates his dignity as a man.” Immanuel Kant
“A little lie is like a little pregnancy. It doesn’t take long before everyone knows.” C. S. Lewis
TWW has often criticized those “important” pastors addressed as “Doctors” as though they have earned a doctorate. An actual doctorate takes time and effort. It appears many people in the evangelical world feel left out. After all, it takes too much time to earn a doctorate, and there are souls to be saved. Look at this website which wrote: “Are all Doctors’ Really Doctors?”
Around 250 years ago some universities began granting a “degree” called an “honorary doctorate” to persons it wanted to honor or recognize (usually a dignitary, benefactor, or notable alumni). However, neither the university or the honoree were gullible enough to believe the honor actually conferred a full doctorate. The purpose of the honor was simply to recognize a person for whatever reason, not to grant an instant education. Many times the honor was bestowed on someone who already had an earned doctorate.
…What could possess a normally rational man who is born again, called to preach Jesus Christ, and otherwise scripturally sound to parade around with a phony doctorate, pretending to be “educated”? What power could cause him to boast of an attainment he has not attained and allow others to boast for him?
…Another deceptive, tactic used by some “schools” and preachers is the schools grant degrees that are usually considered earned with minimal or almost no academic requirements. One missionary we know who holds an earned doctorate said he has encountered several preachers who have received “doctorates” from one of these “diploma mills.” One told him, “the ONLY requirement was one book with a minimum of 100 pages and $600.”
Here are a few offenders of the “Call me doctor” religious class.
- “Dr” David Jeremiah: On ResultSource, Honorary Degrees, and Satan’s Financial Strategy for Armageddon
- MR. Ravi Zacharias
- After Touting Fake Doctorate, Bryan Loritts Earns Real One ( ed. This one is funny. He even posed in doctoral robes before getting his doctorate. He is now known as JD Greear’s right-hand man.)
Dee was fooled into trusting the SBC knew how to check a resume.
In April 2023, the Baptist Press posted Jared Wellman to be nominated to lead SBC Executive Committee.
The SBC Executive Committee (EC) has a candidate to consider for the entity’s leader. Jared Wellman will be nominated to serve as EC president/CEO in a special called meeting in Dallas on May 1 at noon.
Wellman, 39, is the pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. He served as a member of the EC from 2015-2023, serving as chairman from June 2022. He stepped down from the EC in a confidential letter to EC officers on April 17, according to newly named chairman David Sons. The full body was made aware in a confidential communication on April 19, Sons told Baptist Press.
This turned into a mess.
First, Jared Wellman served on the Executive Search Committee, which nominated him for the position. That is a no-no. In May 2023, Baptist News Global posted SBC Executive Committee rejects nominee for president.
The fact that he was an insider candidate — having served ex officio on the search committee that eventually “found” him — was among three reasons cited by critics before the full Executive Committee met in executive session for two and half hours near DFW International Airport.
Second, and here is where Dee got punked, Willie McLaurin was qualified, serving as temporary president, and, most importantly, is African American.
Again, from the above Baptist News Global, Wellmn was rejected because
Critics also were upset that Interim President Willie McLaurin was interviewed twice but not selected for the role. He would have become the first Black head of any SBC entity. McLaurin has received widespread accolades for righting the ship after former Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd resigned abruptly in October 2022.
Vines and other critics of the process also asked why interim President Willie McLaurin, who is Black, had been passed over by the search committee. McLaurin has served as interim since the resignation of former President and CEO Ronnie Floyd in October 2021. No SBC entity has ever had a top leader of color.
Dee pondered and pondered this apparent rejection of McLaurin.Why on earth would the Executive Search Committee overlook a well-qualified African American? Surely racism couldn’t be a part of that decision. Yet everything I read about McLaurin’s work appeared exemplary.
McLaurin was considered a candidate for the position even before Wellman withdrew.
Finally, McLaurin was under consideration for the position. Dee thought they had realized their mistake and would make it right. However, he had been under consideration since February 2023, so surely they checked his references.
According to February 2023 The Baptist Paper: SBC Exec Comm presidential search team working ‘to find right candidate.’
In the year since Willie McLaurin was named interim president and CEO of Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, he has spent a lot of energy building relationships.
…McLaurin, the first African American to serve in an entity head position in the SBC (even as interim), added, “I pray in some way God has used my influence and relational competency to move us forward as a convention.”
…McLaurin also remains “a viable candidate” for the position, Adron Robinson, chair of the EC presidential search committee, told The Baptist Paper.
Full Stop. Before we discuss what happened next, try to figure out why McLaurin wasn’t a shoo-in for the position.
Before I wrote what came next, I decided something was up with the search committee. We know that these appointments for SBC leadership positions are pretty lucrative. I believe they are so profitable that the SBC REFUSES to disclose the salaries of these SBC men of power. If the reader feels sorry for Jared Wellman, let me set your mind at ease. He serves on all sorts of committees in the SBC and will be plenty busy.
Mclaurin resigns over a falsified resume.
The search committee proceeded to “vet” McLaurin, and I was encouraged for about a week until the following. Christianity Today posted Southern Baptist EC President Resigns Over Falsified Résumé. This guy had no academic background.
“In a recent résumé that I submitted, it included schools that I did not attend or complete the course of study,” McLaurin reportedly said in resigning.
According to Baptist Press, an official SBC publication, McLaurin claimed that he had degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School, and Hood Theological Seminary on his résumé. When presidential search committee members attempted to confirm those degrees, they learned he did not hold those degrees.
According to AP in Tenn. pastor, first African American, named to key SBC post:
McLaurin previously worked at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board for 15 years and has held various pastoral roles for several churches. He also has served in state and national convention roles, including on the SBC Resolutions Committee, on the Tennessee Baptist Convention executive board, as president of the Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network and with the African American Fellowship of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.
I guess the SBC wants us to believe that in all these roles, not one person thought to check if McLauren was who he said he was. Anyone who would like to check on the backgrounds of Dee and her husband would find it quick and easy, and I hope some of you have done this. I can truthfully say that I have checked the backgrounds of many people we write about. Todd Wilhelm is an expert at this,
Yes, all those SBC entities could have been stupid and lazy and never checked McLaurin’s background.
My theory: Some knew about McLaurin’s lies.
However, I propose a different scenario. Given the SBC’s historical penchant for padding resumes, the Executive Committee could have known about McLaurin’s ridiculous lies. That’s why he was not considered for the position from the get-go. It causes me to wonder how many others in the SBC “leadership” have padded their resumes. I remember discovering Ravi Zacharias’s lies in 2015. I still believe that some members of his team knew about the lies but continued to support him because he was “too important.” The SBC leaders were forced into making it seem like they were considering it. Ultimately, I wonder how many are faking it, just like Brian Loritts (now working for JD Greear) and Willie McLaurin did. Hundreds? More?
I don’t deserve this. I’ll let somebody else be first.
Since Exodus 20.16 says, “Don’t testify falsely, IOW lie, about your neighbor,” is it OK to testify falsely or lie about yourself?
Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?
Ava Aaronson,
Ava, while you’re here, I finished your book Legal Grounds. Not sure if you saw my comment a few weeks ago. Very powerful story (or stories, a novel within a novel), and not for the faint of heart. Very pertinent to what’s discussed here at The Wartburg Watch.
Years ago I did the oral defense for my doctorate and was awarded my (earned) degree. Less than two weeks later, the church I attended at the time publicly announced that since a certain pastor had lied repeatedly and openly to the congregation about his credentials, he was to be exposed for his lie.
The pastor had tears rolling down his face and his shoulders shook. He then haltingly asked if members of the congregation would speak to this individual. After considerable soul-searching, I went up. I told him I understood how hard it is to complete a dissertation. Nevertheless, by his lie, he cheapened it for others as well as myself by his actions. He could have said on his application, “ABD,” All But Dissertation. Ultimately, The church gave him a hefty severance and paid for his move to another state. I’ve wondered where he is today.
Ted,
🙂
Probably ensconced in some high-paying SBC staff position! But seriously, I hope that he learned his lesson and quit lying about his education.
Ava Aaronson,
“Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning.”
Jeremiah 9:5
Deceivers following the Great Deceiver. They are kindred spirits, having nothing to do with Jesus.
Ted,
Appreciate your feedback.
Yes, this is what we address often here at TWW. It’s out there; what will we do about it.
After reading Sarah Stankorb’s new book, which was featured by “Elle”, this popped up, about another kindred spirit:
https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a35014248/catholic-sex-abuse-bishop-accountability-anne-barrett-doyle/
“Ultimately, I wonder how many are faking it”
In more ways than one: the pastor who shares an anecdote about himself and his experience in his Sunday sermon, only to later be revealed that it’s just a canned story from a website of sermons.
In other cases, false ideas are preached and practiced with biblical references, but twisted:
-the subjugation of women
-slavery is social welfare, IOW, beneficial
-empathy is sin
-tithe
-sign a church covenant
-send an adulterous pastor on a spa retreat
-pastoring is the one spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit that rules all the other 17 gifts from the Holy Spirit to the church
-buy books, pay for conferences, spend money on Xian videos, because you have to pay for the Gospel – even though teaching, evangelism, etc., are all GIFTS from the Holy Spirit to the Church
-church leaders operate above the law and outside of the DOJ
-women cannot teach or preach to men in the church; they cannot lead or administrate
-buy your pastor his own fleet of airplanes (and yachts)
It’s so easy to unearth bad news nowadays that I don’t understand why people lie on applications. It’s not very smart.
For some, they think everyone does it so they have to lie to keep ahead.
It can start early like parents who do their kid’s college application including the essay and puffing up the achievements and justify it on the grounds that all the parents are doing it (a friend of mine has a colleague who gave her that justification just the other week).
Golden Parachute.
Planting a Mega?
Returned to MINISTRY(TM)?
Assume ALWAYS FAKE UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.
It’s the only way to be safe.
When these DOCTORs lie, they’re speaking their native language.
Couple of off topic prayer requests: the first and most important is that the Ozarks are having heat indexes of 110 to 122 all week. Many do not have or cannot afford to run the AC. Please pray for our area! The second is more minor. Since cataract surgery one eye has suffered from dry eye spells alternating with too much tear production. I was told that is part of dry eye. So far lots of otc meds bring relief, but after a few days my eye starts reacting to the medication in not so good ways. What to do? Well, it is August. Most stuff bloomed a month early this year. Usually in July or August that same eye starts running all the time. OTC allergy med helps, claritin helps or stops the problem, and if not I use a strong otc sleeping pill made with non benadryl antihistamine for one night. Yesterday I stopped the dry eye meds and took a claritin. So far today no dry eye or runny eye symptoms. I am praying it was an eye allergy attack and that I am over this year’s attack. If not….otc sleeping pill is primed and ready, lol. Pray that eye settles down, please. I have my new specs exam next week and don’t need a runny eye for that!
Well, there’s the red herring angle:
“It seems there was other “sad” news earlier this month and the Willie McLaurin “scandal” is getting lots of press to deflect attention from Southern Baptist perverts.”
Former president of Baptist state convention under investigation for alleged abuse
https://twitter.com/jhillky2/status/1692559817708109924
I think pastors without degrees have an advantage in Christian circles that they would not have in the secular world and are smart enough to know it. By the mere fact they are pastors, people assume they are honest.
People might check references, but might even feel kind of guilty for checking credentials, particularly for someone coming from another job.
The same dynamic is at work in abuse in a church. A pastor who is abusive has the advantage of the fact that people will automatically assign “honesty” to him when there is an accusation or even more than one. The victim or whistleblower therefore must be the one who is not honest.
Because of this, a pastor has an advantage over someone in the secular workplace.
There, no one is automatically assumed to be honest, making it much more likely that resumes are verified (though even there, not always.) And in situations where there is an abuse accusation, others will more likely to at least consider that the accused may be the one lying.
(Otherwise, the same power dynamics are at work. The organization will tend to protect the person with more power and who is therefore more valuable to the organization. And in secular organizations as in churches, a predator who has groomed (deceived) not only the victim but others in the organization may still have people who can’t believe the accusation.)
What is not the same is the automatic assumption that a pastor would not lie.
Why do they still persist in that pile of horse-poo-poo?
No-one has ever offered Me a doctorate; I suppose I’ll just have to award Myself one!
Best regards,
Dr. God
I’ll say one thing for God – He has great hair.
Eyewitness,
“ There is another thing much more common, not less absurd, and infinitely more dangerous to mankind in general: a demand upon the public, that, by an extraordinary effort of charity, they should always suppose the reality of religion in the heart, when there is not the least symptom of it in the life. Nay, some are hardly satisfied even with this, but insist that men should believe well of others, not only without, but against evidence.” (John Witherspoon, ‘A Practical Treatise on Regeneration’
sad that any person wishing to ‘serve’ in the Church would ‘mis-represent’ themselves, but for some, who have not had the usual cultural helps along the way, the perception of ‘going forward’ must have seemed altered from reality, sometimes by a sense of unfairness ‘in the culture’ or maybe by an attitude of entitlement to that which was not PERCEIVED as a ‘possible’ legitimate way forward.
and how would a person get the idea that they had been denied ‘a chance’ to honestly achieve goals that others were given who were of a certain ‘race’? What marks has human prejudice and marginalization left on some who may have been already wounded by a sense of having been denied a chance at the table????
What we sow, we shall reap. The bonds of ‘slavery’ may no longer be chains, but they still exist in the perceptions of many . . . the victims of prejudice as well as the perpetrators of prejudice. It is what it is. In the end, the whole society suffers. No ‘winners’. The wounds are too deep to heal without the intervention of those in the Church who stop judging and recognize the pain of victims that shows up in ways pitiful, unrealistic, when we see the emotionally flayed person’s wounds openly exposed.
nice picture, Nick 🙂
Muff Potter,
The question.
Thanks, Christiane! It was taken at the summit of Cairnsmore of Carsphairn (a hill in southern Scotland) a few years back. God was there in Spirit (obviously).
ION: SpaceBest of luck to the team behind the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, the Vikram lander of which will hopefully make a soft landing at the little-explored lunar south pole today. Touchdown is scheduled for just after noon UTC.
I have been plagued with eye problems and found that eye drops often cause very unpredictable reactions, often caused by the preservatives used rather than the drugs you actually want. I have found pharmacists to be most helpful here and sometimes a change of brand might be enough to find one that suits you, without having to get a different one prescribed.
So let’s check I’ve got this right (based on memory from reading about it here and elsewhere).
The SBC has been haemorrhaging members for years.
Its published numbers are suspected to be still too high because of failure to maintain databases etc (if I remember this right).
It’s had a succession of resignations of senior leadership.
It appointed a senior leader, allegedly when others must have known he’d massaged his CV.
It’s failing to deal with prolific abuse and the fall out of its own actions in covering this up.
Meanwhile it’s preoccupied with stopping women being pastors.
There’s a certain lack of judgement here, surely. In fact I’d say avoid avoid avoid.
Ya think? The SBC doesn’t know who and what they are. The Baptist Faith and Message doesn’t cover this stuff.
John Berry–thanks! Yes, tried both with preservatives and preservative free OTC. All help briefly. The good news is it has been now over 36 hours of no drops or ointments of any kind plus no oral antihistamine used and so far so good. May have been some sort of allergic reaction, but we shall see as time go by.
It is the Southern Baptist way. They aren’t know as “The good ole boy network” for nothing
(Bold done by me.)
I prayed for you as soon as I read your comment early this morning. 🙂
(Now I’m off to read the rest of the comments…. 🙂 )
Great!
ION: SpaceThis just in: Chandrayaan-3 has successfully landed on the lunar south pole.
I give it 24 hours before some nutcases launch the official The_Indian_Moon_Landings_Were_Faked conspiracy theory! Meanwhile, I look forward to some fascinating science. As, I’m sure, do many fellow-Wartburgers.
Yay!!! 🙂
The lack of integrity in all of these individuals, boards, etc, is just breathtaking..
My pastor just got his doctorate – a REAL one -around a year ago. Not only does he have his, three out of his five kids have doctoral degrees also (one in literature, one in counseling, and one in religion – the last one is his daughter, who is an excellent preacher in her own right). All of those were earned. And we still call our pastor by his first name.
On the other hand, the abusive movement I left started their own “college”, which, while it does give out master’s and doctoral degrees, the degrees aren’t really worth that much because the school is not accredited. And I was not surprised to learn that the head of this college received the first “doctoral” degree. He is now referred to as “Dr.” so and so in their publications.
Wait, you’re giving it that long? 😀
The whole quote is excellent! Thanks!
I’ve seen this last part function as the flip side of the “sin-leveling” coin. A person who is determined to “think the best” of an abuser will, by default, end up thinking much less than the best of the victim.
A portion of a quote by Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel is similar: “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.”
It is easy to see who is the perpetrator and who is the victim in many cases . . . the perpetrator has the ‘power’ to harm and the will to harm and decides to go forward with persecuting ‘the other’ who is the one they see as ‘worthy of’ punishment and contempt.
But there are times when we cannot know the origin of the mean-spiritedness of the perpetrators of abuse on innocents . . . and sometimes the revelation of what was done to create that mean-spiritedness is like a look into the pit of hell . . .
This is not the same thing as ‘sin-leveling’, no;
nor is it connected to any groups ability to ‘excuse’ the perpetrators of abuse.
Rather, it has to do with the reality of how it was that a human person was turned into a persecutor of ‘the others’, into a ‘finger-pointer’, and a ‘thrower of stones’ who has utter contempt for ‘the other’
And that is an ugly reality indeed. For example, Hitler youth were sometimes taught to ‘turn in’ members of their own families who said anything that might have been construed as ‘anti’ the fuehrer . . . even their own parents;
and in the formation of the Nazi youth being raised to take part in the ‘final solution’ of the killings of ‘undesirables’, even women and children and infants,
there was a technique so brutal . . . the boys were given a puppy to raise and after a while, they would be instructed to show their loyalty to the fuehrer and the ‘Fatherland’ by torturing and killing the puppy they had grown to love.
Talk about the killing of the human spirit. Even today, in our own country, some children are taken to hate rallies, to absorb that which we know will poison their childhood innocence
and we wonder how it can be that inhumanity towards the innocent victims in our society arises and flourishes?
God have mercy. Abuse starts when the young are ‘brought up’ to have contempt and hatred for ‘the others’. . . to that point wherein, the young person who trusts his/her instructor, will reach that place where ‘they know not what they do’ . . .
so many modern examples these days . . . so many. Where does the hate BEGIN????
That is something we don’t want to face. So we ‘look away’ and say nothing, and go along to get along, in a society that permits inhumanity to flourish as long as it is directed at ‘those other sinners’
May God have mercy on ALL the children in our land.
To be sure, I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion how much I detest the doctorate (fake, inflated, and/or the oversaturation of terminal degrees) situation in ministry, specifically American Protestant ministry. I am reminded of my first seminary student church position experience: the senior pastor had earned an MDiv (I think) and was given an honorary doctorate for services rendered to the alumni office at ECU. Since this was a rural church in Roxboro, NC, whose membership largely consisted of several interrelated families, no one knew of his honorary doctorate, right? No of course not; he referred to himself as “doctor” and had Rev. Dr. printed in the bulletin. This was in the late 90s and to the best of my knowledge he never aspired to any position other than pastor.
REVEREND Larry awards REVEREND Moe an Honorary Doctorate.
REVEREND Moe awards REVEREND Curly an Honorary Doctorate.
REVEREND Curly awards REVEREND Larry an Honorary Doctorate.
NYUK! NYUK! NYUK!
I’m old enough to remember when seminarians went to class for several years while starting their work at a church. Ordained pastors with master’s degrees took years to earn their doctorates. Whole congregations knew about their progress.
Heck, seminarians still attend classes at the several academically rigorous seminaries near me. These places have campuses. Mere mortals can register to take a class or two and, coincidentally, watch the degree-track seminarians learning Greek, Hebrew, apologetics, and all the rest. More accessible ways to note the presence of students: these campuses have cafeterias where hard-working students eat lunch.
Honorary degrees should be clearly listed as such in the person’s bio. Everybody should know whether the college and/or seminary was accredited, and by whom. Paper from diploma mills should be shredded.
Upon some reflection, perhaps (to a pastor or non professor), a doctorate (real or imagined) is actually a totem of spiritual depth or wisdom. How much easier is it to earn a degree, more so be awarded an illusory one (the NFT of education), than to spend hours and years studying scripture, in prayer, and genuinely shepherding the flock under one’s care?
Several of the most faithful, loving, and helpful pastors I know are also people of deep lifelong scholarship. Education does not remove an ability to serve. A thorough knowledge of Hebrew can obviously lead to a far better understanding of the Bible. Those six years earning a doctorate, while also working full time, can help to support a ministry of 40+ years.
It doesn’t have to be either/or. There’s also no requirement for someone who has a doctorate to behave arrogantly.
I do get the frustration with the arrogance and privilege. Shame on such folk.
To be sure, I agree with your statement. However, having experienced it first hand, a doctorate is all-too-often used to fast track young pastors/preachers into ministries that are either lucrative, platforming, or both. Besides at least within the SBC, the rigors of a doctorate likely don’t rise to the level of a Bachelor of Divinity from a century ago.
A lifetime of scholarship is what some pastors should aspire to, knowing that others have gifts that are better used elsewhere. A degree is not required for that to take place.
Burwell Stark,
Thank you. As always, I am not a Baptist (and neither are the local seminaries). I hate to see education distorted and misused.
That is to your credit. My wife and I no longer consider ourselves baptist, either, which is pertinent given that I graduated from SEBTS and served several years as a bi-vocational pastor in a baptist church.
Our 25 y/o daughter, who, along with her husband, is a faithful church attendee, says that within her friend group, baptist is looked down upon, largely due to the antics of the SBC.
When the subject of DOCTORates showed up on this blog before, an actual PhD weighed in with how if someone brags about their Doctorate and insists on everyone calling him Doctor, IT’S A FAKE DOCTORATE. Real PhD’s – even the Phudniks – don’t emphasize their degrees or titles.
And you don’t even need an Honorary. The morning drive-time guy I’m listening to has a Doctorate and Ordainment he got for $200 cash at a diploma mill just to see how easy it was. Joke religion, too.
Contrast this with an account (from the same comment thread) about how one ManaGAWD even insisted on his family (siblings, wife, kids) addressing him as DOCTOR instead of by his name.
That way lies Holy Nincompoop Syndrome, where the more stupid and ignorant you are, the more Godly and Spiritual you must be. (In Christianese, “Walking in the Spirit, NOT the Flesh.”)
“Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard…”
Stooges references are always welcome relief 🙂
Apropos to this topic and discussion, check out the staff of this “seminary”. A29 all around, plus Brian Loritts
https://grimkeseminary.org/
@dee, @todd
Burwell Stark,
THE PRESIDENT REFERS TO HIMSELF AS DR AND THEN LISTS IT AS AN HONORARY DOCTORATE OF DIVINITY.
I honestly just can’t even anymore.
Wait until he demands his family always address him as “Doctor” 24/7.
From a REAL PhD the last time the subject came up:
The more they insist on being called “Doctor” 24/7, the more FAKE the degree.
Andbody remember Gene Scott?
The wacked TV preacher with his own cab;e channel and all the funny hats?
Well, he kept stressing his degree was a REAL one from Stanford, not a fake one like all the others.