[Dialogue] JWM Dissertation

[Terry Bergdall]

Stories surrounding Mathews' unaccepted dissertation have long been the
stuff of mythology and his mystic persona that he cherished and propagated.
That's certainly true in regards to the stories about the burning of the
dissertation.
Back in the day I did PLC recruiting in Oklahoma and northern Texas and met
many pastors who had been students of his at Perkins. On at least two
occasions I heard stories about the "burning." Surrounded by some of his
faithful students, the story goes, Joe marched down to the basement of the
Seminary and ceremoniously threw a draft of the dissertation into the
building's furnace. The point, as related to me by students who were there,
was that there's a clear distinction between doing the mission, i.e., "the
necessary deed," and being distracted from it by things that didn't really
matter, i.e., status and recognition that comes with a PhD. He created a
teaching moment through his orchestrated ceremony and it made a lasting
impression on those pastors who told me about it ... as well as on me who
heard the story secondhand. Mathews was first and foremost a masterful
teacher, one who dramatically altered images, and he used his dissertation
to do that job.
Marshall Jones got it write when he wrote:
That's SO like him to say, 'I'm not gonna jump through that hoop again!'
and risk another rejection. He WAS stubborn that way. And very proud of his
research and writing and masterful teaching.
So I would say, 'Good on ya, Joe. Got more important fish to fry!'
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