Our great state's legislature is looking at ways to encourage state universities to award college credit to students for "life experience." To the extent schools recognize expertise gained in other environments which can be tested and demonstrated, I suppose I have no objection. But in my life experience, this variety of college credit is about something else entirely.
While in seminary, I remember an older student complaining that he had to complete the same course-load as all the other M.Div. students when he believed his longer-than-average life experience would better qualify him for the pastorate than his younger classmates. To a great extent, I agreed and agree with him, which is why I always advise young men interested in the pastorate to get a real job for at least a few years before beginning formal studies for the ministry. However, I believe my classmate erred in thinking greater maturity is the same thing as academic accomplishment. Presbyterians have high academic standards for ministerial candidates because we believe an educated clergy is necessary to rightly handle and preach the Bible. All the life experience in the world won't give you expertise in Greek, Hebrew, or systematic theology.
Granting college credit for "life experience" is, ultimately, an admission that the degree awarded is not a recognition of academic accomplishment, but instead a license to apply for a job. Consider the abysmal ignorance of the clergy in liberal protestant denominations, many of whom attended seminaries which grant credit for life experience. They are confident the Bible is not the Word of God in any truthful or meaningful sense, but lack the ability to even read the Scriptures in the original languages. If the "life experience" virus infects the public universities as well, what has long been de facto will also become de jure: graduates will have pieces of paper, but precious little learning.
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