Should a doctorate be the sole requirement for preaching and teaching the Bible?
No, a doctorate should not be the sole criterion for preaching and teaching the Word. Peter and John were perceived as unlearned and ignorant men, yet God used them. Amos and David came off the ranch, and God used them too. Education is not wrong, but requiring a doctorate alone puts one out in left field.
Les explains that when the Jewish leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived them as unlearned and ignorant men. Les identifies with that, saying he does not apologize for lacking a long list of degrees. He notes that God used these men, and also Amos and David, who came off the ranch. Les insists he is not against education and admires those who have it, but when a doctorate becomes the sole criteria for being qualified to preach and teach the Word, that is out in left field. He maintains Christianity lost its power when congregations would not even consider a man for the pulpit unless he had a doctorate, because God never used those kinds of men in the past.