Questionable doctorates--some out-and-out faked--turn out to be something of a standard fare among anti-Mormons. Neither Dee Jay Nelson nor Walter Martin had genuine doctorates. There is also reason to believe that John Ankerberg and John Weldon have fudged on their degrees. There is, it seems, something about the degree game that anti-Mormons seem to find almost irresistible.

A while back a friend brought to my attention James White's very interesting document discussing his own doctorate. White mentions not only that the institution granting his degree is unaccredited, but also that it is named Columbia Evangelical Seminary. Living near the Columbia river myself, I wondered if the seminary might be nearby. Indeed it was. I immediately sent away for the catalog and arranged to take a trip to the seminary.

So what kinds of courses would catch the eye of the average, everyday Latter-day Saint? The Columbia Evangelical Seminary Catalog lists some interesting courses including AP-301 Cults which "examines and critiques various non-Christian cults in light of God's Word, to include [surprise!] Mormonism . . ." or AP-302 Mormonism which is "an in depth [sic.] examination of the Mormon cult . . ." and the textbook is—surprise again—The Maze of Mormonism, by none other than "Dr." Walter Martin. If you are thinking that two courses out of a couple of hundred is no big deal you can also take AP-508/708 Cults—same textbook, of course—and study "the Apologetics of ["Dr." Walter] Martin" (AP-606/806) or TH-216/416 Cults using "Dr." Walter Martin's The Kingdom of the Cults. So of course with quality textbooks in hand the quality of your education is assured.

Now "Dr." White would like you to believe that CES is merely "too young to be 'accredited.'" But the simple truth of the matter is that CES probably could not be accredited by a regular, recognized accrediting institution. (To its credit, CES is very open and up-front about its lack of accreditation.) One reason among many is that CES allows students to write their own syllabi. All of the class work is done off-campus (there is no campus—click here for a quick photographic tour of Columbia Evangelical Seminary) and the curriculum seems to be designed without the benefit of regular curriculum committees and reviews. Hence there are no fixed course competencies such as one would find in a traditional school.

During my trip to Columbia Evangelical Seminary (July 20, 1998) and a half-hour interview with the Seminary's president, I discovered the following things:

• CES has had about 155 total students pass through the institution.

• It currently services about 65 active students.

• Everyone on the CES board also teaches for CES.

• There is no library, no student services and no bookstore. CES does not have any of the services normally associated with a college or university.

• James White's Master Thesis was signed by Rick Walston, CES president. There does not appear to have been a committee review. Most universities require that a thesis or dissertation be defended before a committee of three or four people.

• James White's Master's "contract" was with Rick Walston. Inquiring minds will no doubt want to know if he worked with anyone else during his coursework.

• James White's Master's "contract" also indicates that he would do 45 hours of coursework and lists some of the books that he would read. It did not indicate what the courses were.

• James White's Doctor's "contract" was also with Rick Walston. Did he work with anyone else during his coursework? Who, besides Rick Walston, read or critiqued his dissertation? With whom did he defend his work? I suspect that James White did not experience any of the things that students at normal universities do in order to earn their advanced degrees.

• Finally, a question about James White's dissertation. I did not see a copy of his dissertation at Columbia Evangelical Seminary, even though it is soon to be published. Did White write his dissertation before his coursework was completed? What about his thesis? There is some reason to think that White used projects for his thesis or dissertation that he had already started or perhaps even completed before finishing his coursework. "Dr." White ought to be able to clear this up rather easily. Notice in this essay White speaks of his The King James Only Controversy as if it had already been published before he went to CES; and in this essay the book does not seem to be related to his thesis. I would love to be wrong about this.

What Does it Take to Get a Real Degree?
Read the correspondence with "Dr." White
Of James White and the Salt River
Back to Worst of the Anti-Mormon Web