Larry Olson's title of "Dr." is something he insists on in his classroom. He will not answer a student unless he is called "Dr. Olson." Martin Luther College goes along with this fraud.
The DMin--which he obtained after a brief stay at Fuller Seminary--is an STM degree in the old language of yesteryear. Seminaries wanted more tuition money so they retitled the degree a Doctor of Ministry to entice parish pastors to come back for studies.
WELS is famous for lining up their Church Growth stars with DMin designations - Olson, Paul Calvin Kelm, Richard Krause, Matt Doebler, Steve Witte, John Parlow, and a few others. The only Church and Changer with a real doctorate is John Lawrenz. That does not make him a Lutheran or a scholar. He published his debate with the Holy Spirit when he left the Ukraine for the mini-seminary in Asia. The Holy Spirit said, "John, I want you in Asia," and John argued back in a dialogue so funny it was soon erased from Internet history.
I thought of these pretenders when I saw someone's bio at another school. He listed his DMin from one tiny tinny school, then listed additional courses as "post-doctoral studies." In academics, a post-doc is a genuine research effort after a real PhD has been earned.
Following the WELS smoke and mirrors approach, Larry Olson did his post-doc work in Jamaica.
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| "You went to Fuller Seminary and now you want to study us? We are so flattered!" |
