One thing that gave me the final push to pursue the PhD where I am is seeing where the PhD in theology leads, even from prestigious schools. I cannot justify going into exorbitant amount of debt (which I already have from undergrad and seminary) to earn a degree even from a prestigious school with so-called “funding” (and most UK schools don’t even 
have that) that will not finally result in landing a career that 1) fits naturally with the focus of the degree (like being a full time prof), and 2) doesn’t provide a job that will pay enough to pay back the loans/debt incurred to earn the prestigious (or even in some cases, non-prestigious) degree. I know way too many people who on paper are as prestigious as a young CV can look, educationally, and they continue to string adjunct faculty positions together barely scraping by financially. Beyond that, I’ve seen people earn the degree from prestigious institutes, who are unable to secure a prime faculty position somewhere, and thus are still not considered full members of the guild; thus, not having a place at the table they were ensured they would. Looking at all of that, not to mention the logistics of the lifestyle for the family etc., for me, making the decision to pursue my PhD at a poor, small, non-prestigious school that primarily serves the global south, became an easy decision. It is fully “funded,” so to speak; I am working with guys who have the welfare of the Church catholic in mind; I am working with guys who live in and among the least of these (the elect of God, biblically speaking); and it is a place that offers me the freedom to study by distance, among other things that work well for me. It will result in a bona fide ecclesiastical PhD degree in theology, that is fully recognized by the Department of Education in Puerto Rico. One of my co-supervisors, Dr Martin Davis, has a fully accredited PhD degree on the theology of Thomas F. Torrance, and currently serves as a PhD supervisor for others, as well, within the Dutch system. My other co-supervisors, Drs Enrique Ramos and Fred Macharia, have PhDs from schools in the global south, and are fully recognized as credible in their regional contexts. But for me, the primary standard for credibility, in regard to the degree, is that it is validated by the ecclesiastical institution the school, and its consortium, is associated with. This, de jure, is no different than any other divinity school like Aberdeen, St. Andrews, or many other internationally denominated divinity schools, who gain their “accreditation” to grant ecclesiastical degrees, up to the PhD, by the Church of Scotland, and other ecclesiastical bodies, wherever those might be in the world, relative to said institutions. The bottom line, in principle, minus the centuries of tradition and track record (since my school and its denomination are relatively new), and lack of major funding, the validity of the degree I *earn* is on the same ground as these other degrees are earned upon. In the end I will have a legitimate PhD in theology, but one that will go unrecognized among the “accredited” because of its unknown quantity as an institution. And yet this degree works perfectly for me. It also functions, I think, as an affront to some who I “know” in the academy. It seems sketchy to them for the reasons I’ve already noted, and yet it isn’t. I am doing the same work, by distance, that someone who is doing theirs, by distance, for example, say at Aberdeen (because they have a distance program for PhDs), as anyone else doing a purely RESEARCH degree. The difference is that in the end my work will have to bear the burden of presenting merit that theirs won’t, per se. In other words, when they graduate the fact that they graduated from said institution itself will bear witness to an understood merit because of the known standards (which sometimes is questionable, even with schools of some ostensible renown, based on some of the published PhDs I’ve read) of said institution. For me, I’ll still have to “prove” the merit of my PhD, even after examination etc. The institution that stands behind me doesn’t, clearly, have the long-attested track record these other institutions have, and thus I bear a greater burden in the end (if I choose to bear that burden). Ultimately, I feel like I’ve made the right decision before God. There are known schools I could have done by distance, at minimal cost, but in fact I wouldn’t be studying with people, per se, who have the same heart for the Church, nor the same interests in TFT’s theology as I do. And so, I see this opportunity as a gift from the Lord, even if others don’t. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to imposing expectations on myself and my work. And so, because of that, and all I have mentioned previously, I am expecting more of myself and work, than maybe if I was attending an already well attested institution of higher learning.