"Accreditation is a process colleges and universities submit to voluntarily.
Regional agencies accredit entire schools, and professional agencies
accredit either specialized schools or departments within schools.
There are no national accrediting standards.
Because accreditation is not mandatory, lack of accreditation does not
necessarily mean a school or program is bad. Some schools choose not to
apply for accreditation."
~ Excerpted from NONTRADITIONAL EDUCATION: ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO EARN YOUR CREDENTIALS
by U.S. Department of Labor - Published 1996 (view the original document
here)
Some points to remember:
- There is secular education and there is religious education.
- Secular schools seek secular education, and sacred schools receive sacred accreditation—each by their own peers.
- Religious institutions need no secular accreditation because they offer no secular degrees.
- Secular accreditation associations in turn are recognized by governmental agencies. They trace their authority back to the capitol of a country, like Washington, D.C.
- Religious accrediting associations are recognized by the Church of Jesus Christ, which has no supreme central office on earth. Our authority is derived directly from Heaven through the Word of God.
- Civil and religious interests are different and have separate realms of jurisdiction.
- The State is not superior to the Church. The Church need not wait for approval from the secular world.
- Civil agencies should not be dictating standards of Christian education, any more than a police officer should be directing the worship of God.
- Theological Seminaries should not be accredited by accrediting associations that are "recognized" by an agency of the federal government, because it is contrary to the Biblical principle of "Separation of Church and State," indicated by Christ when He said, "…Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s…" (Mark 12:17).
- What business does a Christian educator have going to the world of unbelievers for recognition and acknowledgement when 2 Corinthians 6:14 clearly tells us, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?"
- A
Christian educational institution securing accreditation from an
association which is attached to a governmental agency is a Scripturally
condemned and unholy union as James 4:4 says, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?"
Trinity Evangelical Christian University
chooses NOT to seek secular accreditation or recognition of any kind
from any of the privately operated "Big 6" regional accrediting
agencies. Our degrees, professional certifications and ordinations have been
fully accepted worldwide, by many mainline denominations and
countless other Christian outreach and service organizations. Is the Trinity Evangelical Christian University
accredited? When asking
if the Seminary is accredited it is important to note we are talking
only about the degree-granting function of our Seminary. Ordinations
are done by The United New Testament Church, International
and there is never a
question whether an ordination is "accredited" or "unaccredited"
because there is no such thing as accrediting a church. Churches have
complete freedom to give minister and rabbi credentials as they see
fit. The question of accrediting only applies to degrees.
Our Seminary does grant religious degrees and does so legally without
accreditation because we are exempt from accreditation. (we don't grant academic degrees, only religious degrees).
Furthermore, as many other religious degree-granting institutions have
chosen to do, we wish to maintain our independence from state
interference and regulation. Many seminaries choose not to take part in
the accreditation system even though we would qualify easily. (And
qualify to pay their $10,000 accrediting fees!) As a religious
organization that exclusively grants religious degrees, we do not wish
to be subject to any state regulatory or "approval" system. Furthermore
the fees for applying for and then annually maintaining accreditation
are exorbitant,
which would require us to triple, even quadruple, our tuition. There
exists a system, a sort of vicious cycle, wherein dedicated devout
people with middle class incomes cannot get credentials. Only the
wealthy or those able to enslave themselves to twenty years of student
loans can afford to pay the accredited institutions' fees. Our alumni
include lawyers and doctors who have told us we are a refreshing
exception to that glass ceiling. Due to the separation of Church and
State, churches and seminaries are entitled to remain independent -- in
all things being set apart. Therefore we remain unaccredited, technically termed non-accredited, or exempt from accreditation, by choice.
