Page view:
Laura,My name is Ken Hatfield-Baker and I have just completed the requirements for a STD with the Trinity School of Theology and Apologetics. I was, as your husband, skeptical about a degree from a non-accredited* institution. The cost was not a factor in that concern but acceptance of the degree within my spiritual contemporaries was important. Mostly, I was interested in a degree for my own personal reasons. My concerns were gratefully negated by acceptance by many of my associates, priests and even a friend with a PhD from the University of Missouri after reading my draft thesis. I have not attempted to use the degree for employment, however the commander of our chaplains here at Scott AFB has asked me to work for him as a pastoral associate. Part of the reason for that recognition was the degree program with Trinity.
I have been extremely satisfied with the program and guidance from Dr. Philip. I found the materials, textbooks and CDs, although basic in nature, to be extremely helpful in my ecumenical volunteer work. From the studies I have a much greater understanding of all the great religions of the world. Trinity School of Theology is Calvinistic and dispensational, yet I was allowed to express my personal theology in the assignments as advertised on their web, of course with adequate justification of my thought. Likewise my thesis, recently approved, was a topic I was allowed to select and probably not one normally found in orthodox religion. That thesis is the majority of the work in the program taking me over 15 months of extensive research, reading, praying and discernment. My thesis ended up with 27 chapters consisting of 307 single spaced pages (Table of Contents Attached). If you are interested in more of the thesis I have given exclusive rights to Dr. Philip and the school to distribute copies. You get out of this program what you put into it. It is certainly able to stimulate thought and the degrees are only as good as the students who earn them. I am very proud of my accomplishment in the program, it is a lot of work. You are asked to help develop the expanded curriculum by developing three courses for the web. This, in part, is the reason for the reduced cost of the education...volunteers contribute a lot of their time producing course materials along with the use of web-based materials and permissions secured for reproduction. You would be doing much the same at an resident doctoral candidate at US Universities.
Due to the distance India is from us, don't get alarmed if it takes a while to process your application and for you to receive the coursework. Should you decide that our program is right for you, I hope you find it as rewarding as I have and best of luck.
When Dr. Philip says that it is illegal, let alone unethical, to offer a degree without sufficient work to justify the degree, he walks the talk. You will not just get a piece of paper that states you have a degree, you will get the satisfaction of having increased your logos (Knowledge) and also your spirituality through extensive studies required for the degree. If you have any additional questions I am happy to respond.
Sincerely,
Dr. Ken Hatfield-Baker, STD
USA
Bo Back To 'Comments By Students' Page
