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In the United States, honorary doctorates are awards. Typical academic and public life protocols dictate that recipients refrain from being called “Dr.” if their only doctorate(s) are honorary versus earned. One “exception” is if the recipient is awarded the honorary doctorate at the university he/she is serving at or leading. He/she might be called “Dr.” by that university when on campus, etc. Even then, it’s generally frowned upon and is in no way equivalent to an earned degree.
Note that honorary doctorates have different letter designations. In other words, there is no “honorary” PhD, ThD, DMin, etc. Some universities – University of Virginia, Cornell, and M.I.T. among them – don’t give honorary doctorates at all.
Most secular celebrities who receive such awards don’t start calling themselves “Dr.” (e.g., Dr. Oprah Winfrey). In evangelical circles, by contrast, going by “Dr.” upon receiving one or more honorary doctorates is an epidemic. Consider some examples:
David Jeremiah
John MacArthur
Joe Stowell III
Erwin Lutzer
Ravi Zacharias
Chuck Swindoll
Jerry Falwell, Sr.
Alistair Begg
Pat Robertson
Lois Evans
Billy Graham (never used it himself, reportedly, but others did)
John MacArthur
Joe Stowell III
Erwin Lutzer
Ravi Zacharias
Chuck Swindoll
Jerry Falwell, Sr.
Alistair Begg
Pat Robertson
Lois Evans
Billy Graham (never used it himself, reportedly, but others did)
There are many great teachers and expositors of God’s Word, past and present – including Jesus Christ himself – who didn’t have earned doctorates. And goodness knows earned doctorates don’t protect against false teachers and wolves eventually showing us who they are (e.g., James MacDonald). But using a title that misleads others about the nature your achievements is wrong.
As for Bryan Loritts, PAYING a university with specious credentials for an honorary doctorate puts him in the category of “fraud”. Loritts has had a lot to say lately about treatment of disgraced pastors. Sounds like a video confession and apology of his own is in order.
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