Pastor Jim Jackson

Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church

With persistent temperatures above one hundred for too many days now, we all have given some thought to degrees. Perhaps some of us who have denied global warming are having some second thoughts.

Granted, changing one’s mind about something is not easily accomplished. Admitting it can be even more difficult.

But today I’m thinking about another kind of degree, those worn mostly by ministers of the Gospel. While such degrees are important, it seems that they might not be as important as we are inclined to think.

Welders may actually earn more that certain professionals with bachelors or even advanced degrees. So much for what many of us were taught while growing up: “Build a more secure future. Earn a college degree.”

We have thought that having a degree attached to our name is a true mark of sophistication, like having an upper hand on the rest of society. But is it so? I often wonder.

Who is the most important— the architect or the carpenter? Seems to me that an educated person is one who is competent in his field of endeavor—one matching his endowed gifts.

Of late, I have noticed that we preachers seem to be enamored with titles that include some kind of degree, preferably one that includes the word “doctor.”

When earned by an recognized and respectable institution, that is certainly commendable.

Yet some are so easily obtained from what might be called “diploma mills,” it actually casts a shadow upon all. Put it all together and it can make for a long title. Something like The Reverend Doctor Goodbody, Jr. The title “Reverend” is not one I prefer either, since that’s an honorary title to be used by others for men/women of the cloth. But to call yourself Reverend seems to be like calling one’s self humble.

Jesus had something to say about the rush for “prestigious” titles coveted by Pharisees of his day: “Everything they do is done for men to see…they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi’.”

I have a friend who is a real doctor (gives shots) who once remarked about doctors’ degrees: “It feels good for a little while, but your mother is the one who seems to benefit the most from calling her son “doctor.”

I say degrees worn too proudly are like a pigs tail. Folks eat most everything in and on a pig, but who eats the tail? No, it’s mainly there for decoration. It’s not long enough to chase flies or scratch a back.

So the long and short of it is… Just call me “Jim.”