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North Carolina anti-gay rent-a-pastor Patrick Wooden, who is a high-profile supporter of the upcoming ballot initiative in this state, Amendment One, which would add language to our constitution barring gays and lesbians from civil marriage or any legal relationship recognition. Wooden has been on the airwaves of late making statements that have to make it hard for amendment supporters to claim this guy is on their side. Wooden:
- believes that Glee and Tyler Perry’s Madea promote ‘gay perversion’
- went on The Michelangelo Signorile Show and educated listeners about “glory holes“
- accuses gay men of molesting gerbils, baseball bats, and cell phones
- claims, citing no evidence of course, that all gay men will need to wear a diaper or a butt plug just to be able to contain their bowels
- decided to get lesbians on his radar by proclaiming that I needed to find Jesus – and a man to breed with to “rock my world.”
Thanks to intrepid Blender Laurel Ramseyer, she discovered that the fact-challenged “Dr. Patrick L. Wooden, Sr.” also extends his fantasy thinking to his own honorific of “Dr.” By the way, he clearly clings to this title for dear life, using it at the beginning of EVERY paragraph of his puffed up bio (see screencap at right).
Laurel noted:
You know I have a special dislike of these anti-gay jerks who puff up their image with unearned doctorate degrees (I had to bust my butt for mine – I don’t like sharing the title with charlatans), so I decided to check into your new boyfriend’s credentials. If my reading of the material below is correct, his “doctorate” is nothing more than recognition that he’s been a pastor for X number of years. No scholarship needed. Looks like he got a “life-earned” doctorate. In other words, an honorary degree for just showing up to work.
According to Wooden’s bio page: “Dr. Wooden has received national notoriety for his work and efforts. The North Carolina College of Theology recognized the work of Dr. Wooden and afforded him the opportunity to use some of his years of experience as credits in his pursuit of a Doctorate of Theology of which he received in June 2007.”
Check out the college’s page about their doctorates, where they feel the need to say “Very Important: We do not sell degrees”. It would be interesting to know if the orgs that have accredited them are themselves legit. I don’t know how to check that, especially for a religious college which may not use the academic system (telling all in itself, if true):
Doctoral Program FOR LIFE EARNED EXPERIENCE
I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself and the “Life-Earned Experience” Doctoral degrees offered by North Carolina College of Theology. NCCT looks forward to honoring God’s faithful servants with the degrees that so many truly deserve. North Carolina College of Theology is a Bible College. To receive “Life-Earned Experience Degrees,” you must meet the following requirements:
Minimum of ten years of full-time ministry experience (This experience serves as your educational background information if you do not have a formal education).
Completed NCCT Application with payment of Application Fee
Picture of yourself.
Copy of high school diploma/GED
Copy of license and ordination certificate (You must have been ordained for ten years or more).
A copy of any college degrees, diplomas, and/or certificates earned. Please submit all together, in order.
A written THESIS is required. However, based on your current degree level and years of life-earned experience, this can be waived.For more information and a catalog, please call 910.395.5593.
Very Important: We do not sell degrees. Many pastors, missionaries, and church workers have earned their degrees and should have them. NCCT is accredited by Southern Accreditation Association of Christian Schools and Colleges; American Association of Theological Institutions; and American Accrediting Education Association of Christian Schools. I look forward to talking to you about your lifelong full-time service and your Doctoral degree.
Call today and allow us to help you receive your degree for your “Life-Earned” service… you deserve it!
I think this says tells you all you need to know about the credentials and credibility of “Dr.” Wooden.
8 Comments
A bigot with a diploma-mill diploma, what a shock.
Didn’t even bother to put the time into one of uncredited “Christian” bible schools, who issue diplomas from a box of crackerjacks to any cracker who shows up.
I think I’ll start calling myself “Grand Yawahootee”, I like the sound of that.
I can’t find out anything about two of the accreditation bodies mentioned on the schools website. Wikipedia is pretty comprehensive on these things, listing some of the smallest and most obscure universities, schools and education related organizations and even they don’t have listings for them.
However, the American Accrediting Association of Theological Institutions has been described as a diploma mill based in Rocky Mount, NC. It’s not recognized by the US Dept of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Accrediting_Association_of_Theological_Institutions
If you look on this part of the university’s website, they cite NC statute GS 116-15 in an obscure way:
http://www.ncctonline.com/what-we-offer-degree-programs
All the statute does is require that educational institutions offering degrees have licenses to operate in the state of North Carolina and that those offering religious degrees are exempt.
So, anyone in NC can start a Christian online “college”, charging up up to $5,000 for a “degree”, as this one does, and it would be perfectly legal.
If your curious who is touting a degree from this “institution”, type this as a google search:
“degree from” “north carolina college of theology”
There are plenty of wannabe Elmer Gantrys out there who have one. Oh, and lookie, here’s some Republican political candidates with “degrees” from the college:
http://www.votefornorwood.com/about.html
http://www.votefornorwood.com/page_7.html
http://ads.lcni6.com/politics/163/local/243/index.html
http://www.jacksonprogress-argus.com/news/2011/nov/08/city-elections-referendums-set-next-week/
This guy seems to know a lot about glory holes and butt plugs. I’m just saying….
I am always iffy about honorary degrees, but I have seen some deserving people be awarded such. However, this is a little more heinous. It is almost like purchasing an honorary degree, but with no way to determine how ‘honorary’ it actually is.
Also, I don’t get the “gay sex is gross” argument. I know of lots of sex straight people engage in that is gross (at least to me), but I don’t hear Mr. Wooden preaching against them. (Perhaps he would if the world were rid of icky gay people.) It is also so narrow, focussed on particular acts engaged in by a sub-group of the people he is trying to vilify. Of course, he has to pile lies on top of that, but even the starting premise is ridiculous. Perhaps, if he talks enough, people will wise up to how stupid his statements are and he will do his own cause more harm than good.
It will come as no surprise that neither this guy’s “college” nor the “accrediting agencies” are recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education.
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx?6d6f64653d30267264743d322f372f3230313220323a32373a303420414d
There must be something in the North Carolina barbecue that makes the idea of a North Carolina “doctor” seem about as valid as a Kentucky colonel. Dr. Forrestal, prime mover of this amendment, was a REAL doctor but definitely not the type of doctor that he claimed to be.
I spent years getting my PhD at a University that has been around since the 13th Century…Mr “Life-experience” PhD hasn’t had enough in the way of life experiences to complete a three credit course, unless it is a seminar in ignorant bigotry.
Mr Wooten, you are a fraud, a huckster and a hater.
…in other words
Read one book (the Bible) over the course of a decade and, ta-da, you’re a doctor according to this “college”… pending payment of course.
With the Bible specifically warning to “beware false prophets,” you would think that the Christian community itself would be more concerned about its spiritual leaders faking their religious credentials through pray-for-pay diploma mills like this.