C. I. Scofield: The Doctor Who Wasn't

C. I. SCOFIELD

Anyone looking for information about the life and ministry of C. I. Scofield will in a short time be made aware of the controversy relating to how exactly he came to be called "Doctor". The unanswered question is this: Where did Scofield get his Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) degree? Critics rightly point out that there is no record of it having been granted to him by any institution of higher learning. Arguing from a position of ignorance (Prov. 18:2, 18:13, NLT), some critics go so far as to say that Scofield bestowed the title on himself (!) in order to gain more notoriety and prestige. 

But nothing could be further from the truth. That was not Scofield's style. For example, I remember reading an old biography of C. I. Scofield that told the story of when Scofield was a new pastor in the south. The church he pastored in Dallas was called "a Yankee church" owing to the fact that it was Congregational, and Scofield was viewed with suspicion as a northerner. It would have bolstered Scofield's status to tell about how he had fought for the Confederacy under General Robert E. Lee, and how he had been awarded the Southern Cross of Honor for bravery in the Civil War. Yet Scofield was silent about it; he left it to someone else to point it out. In light of this incident, it would have been uncharacteristic of Scofield to then self-aggrandize by bestowing on himself the title of Doctor! 

Since I found no information online (no facts at least, just guesses) about where and how Scofield received the title of "Doctor," I set out to do my own research in order to find the truth. And this is what I found: in contrast to what the critics say, Scofield did NOT bestow this title on himself; someone else did. Referring to the incident, Scofield remarked with a bit of humor by saying, "I've been indoctrinated." The details of the event and the facts surrounding it are provided by William L. Pettingill, from an article in The Sunday School Times titled "When Scofield Gave Counsel". The article is dated September 17, 1921, less than two months after Scofield's passing. Pettingill begins the article by sharing this incident, which hopefully will "put to rest" the ignorant claims of the critics. Pettingill writes: "When I first met C. I. Scofield, he was already famous as a Bible preacher and teacher, and he was called Pastor Scofield. Later, after someone had succeeded in pinning a 'D.D.' [Doctor of Divinity] on him, I heard him say to an audience to which he had been introduced as 'Doctor' Scofield, 'Yes, at last, I have been indoctrinated.' It seemed strange for a time to hear him called Doctor, but we all knew he richly deserved it when we reflected that it meant Teacher."[1]

So in one sense, C. I. Scofield wasn't a Doctor (he was not officially recognized as such by Who's Who, nor by any academic institution per se). Yet in another sense, he was! Scofield's peers, and the Christian community among whom and to whom he ministered, gave him the title that he so "richly deserved," the title of Doctor. 

Reference:

[1] William L. Pettingill, "When Scofield Gave Counsel" (The Sunday School Times, September 17, 1921). https://archive.org/details/sim_sunday-school-times_1921-09-17_63_38