[Vision2020] my phony degree

[ben merkle]

Visionaries,
We grow weary. Really we do. If academic chest thumping and credential
strutting annoys you, then good for you, delete this email and go on with
your very fulfilled life. For those who remain and feel like reading on,
let's begin wading through it.
Dr. Gier and Rose think that if I was really a scholar I would buy American.
Because that's where real scholars live. People who study in Britain are
taking the easy road and are only glorified homeschoolers. That must be why
the Brits always do so well at spelling bees. Sheesh. All my British friends
are really crushed to hear that their degrees aren't taken seriously by the
readers of vision2020.
Tom Hansen is still trying to keep up with the rest of the class and thinks
that we are talking about a mail order degree. If you would like one of
those degrees, by all means Tom, apply to one of the schools in question,
Cambridge, St. Andrews, University of Wales, etc. . . But I should warn you
now, if you get accepted, I won't believe it unless you get your acceptance
letter notarized.
Wayne Fox continues to yell "Cult!" at the top of his lungs. I can
understand, single syllables are so much easier.(Hey look! I gave you your
own paragraph!)
Joan cuts to the point. Degrees are great as far as they go in subjecting us
to the review of our peers. That's why I'm doing it. My thesis is on a very
narrow section of sacramental theology. A topic that will come up probably
one week in my lecturing out of every year of school. But I like the idea of
the exercise. Also, I think I have something to contribute to the discussion
on sacraments. But degrees don't make the scholar. They help to verify. They
are a good exercise. But they aren't the last word. Dr. Gier's PhD does
little to help me from reading, without falling into hysterical fits of
laughter, that last submission of his to the paper.
So ETCW is a real thing. They really do work with the University of Wales at
Lampeter to grant PhDs. The University of Wales at Lampeter is actually a
pretty strong school. The Theology and Religious Studies Department just
received a grade 5 on their Research and Assessment (from the Gov'ment,
yipes don't tell any of my friends), putting them next to Oxford, Cambridge,
Stirling and a couple of others. It's not a mail order degree.
But if anyone thinks that this has anything to do with whether British PhDs
are better than the homegrown ones, then he is a fool. Just like the fact
that our previous debate over the Public Defender's billable hours had
nothing to do with billable hours. Rose is the third person this year to
take umbrage with my bio on the NSA webpage. The witch hunt moves on. And
the entertainment get better.
Dig it. No really. Dig it.
Ben