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[mountainguy]

The MDiv and the ThM are degrees conferred to folks who demonstrate proficiency in a particular Christian confessional tradition.  These degrees do not qualify them to teach anything other than Christian theology.

This.

The conflation of the academic study of comparative religion with training in a particular doctrinal tradition drives me nuts. I see this in the religion interest group of my own field's national association, which is dominated by folks from evangelical LACs, who say intolerant things and then wonder why no one else takes them seriously.

[systeme_d_]

Larryc, the problem is too knotty for any academic association to untie with a set of guidelines.  While I really wish that the American Academy of Religion would issue guidelines, it won't.

Community colleges in particular, but also colleges with no official department of religion, tend to hire folks with theological degrees or even degrees in philosophy to teach classes in religion.   They do this because they don't know any better.

These MDiv and ThM-holding folks are not trained at all in the discipline, and frankly, they most often work at cross-purposes to the discipline.  It makes me crazy.  When at my last institution, which had three two-year satellite campuses, my department (of religion, of course) constantly had to intervene in hiring practices at the satellite campuses.  Deans would regularly hire local ministers to teach classes in religion -- not just Christianity, but RELIGION.  I spent ten years trying to educate deans about my discipline, and took on extra classes on the satellite campuses just to model disciplinary integrity for those folks.  I sent a cadre of MA-holding grad students trained in my discipline over to those campuses as adjuncts.  But if my former colleagues let up one bit, those CC deans will hire ministers again.  In a heartbeat.

[drmau]

Sorry, but I would never have hired that wingnut in the first place. I would blame his lousy classroom management skills, and fire him.
I've taught World History, which includes Islam, in a number of countries, some Islamic. I have never had an incident. I'm openly Jewish: Culture, not religion, and if asked, (I often am) would proclaim myself agnostic, culturally Jewish, married to a Christian, has many Muslim friends.
He must have said or done something really offensive.

[larryc]

Larryc, the problem is too knotty for any academic association to untie with a set of guidelines.  While I really wish that the American Academy of Religion would issue guidelines, it won't.

Community colleges in particular, but also colleges with no official department of religion, tend to hire folks with theological degrees or even degrees in philosophy to teach classes in religion.   They do this because they don't know any better.

These MDiv and ThM-holding folks are not trained at all in the discipline, and frankly, they most often work at cross-purposes to the discipline.  It makes me crazy.  When at my last institution, which had three two-year satellite campuses, my department (of religion, of course) constantly had to intervene in hiring practices at the satellite campuses.  Deans would regularly hire local ministers to teach classes in religion -- not just Christianity, but RELIGION.  I spent ten years trying to educate deans about my discipline, and took on extra classes on the satellite campuses just to model disciplinary integrity for those folks.  I sent a cadre of MA-holding grad students trained in my discipline over to those campuses as adjuncts.  But if my former colleagues let up one bit, those CC deans will hire ministers again.  In a heartbeat.

Yikes.