Texas agency orders 'Christian' U that awarded Chris Brown honorary PhD to stop offering degrees
Brown deletes viral social media posts celebrating degree
Graduation
As with most HCU honorary degree recipients — including celebrities like Brown — Wooten attended a ceremony in which Robinson and other HCU representatives handed out degrees that resemble those from nationally accredited institutions.
Brown participated in an HCU honorary degree ceremony, as seen in a video shared on social media in May showing Robinson personally presenting Brown with honorary regalia for his “Doctor of Philosophy in Visual and Performing Arts” degree in a ceremony at the Royal Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Video from one HCU ceremony shared in April 2025 captured a band playing a rousing rendition of Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration” as recipients stood on their feet clapping, dancing and singing along.
In images shared on social media, degrees feature the HCU logo and the signatures of both Robinson and Edmund Keli‘i Paki-Silva Jr., HCU chancellor and “sovereign king of the Kingdom of Hawai’i,” which purports to be an “independent, self-regulated and self-governing country which exists within and claims the area of the Hawaiian Archipelago.”
According to footage shared on HCU-linked social media, HCU graduation ceremonies are similar to traditional graduation processions, often including speeches from members of HCU “faculty,” including Robinson himself. At an HCU ceremony posted on YouTube in September 2023, Robinson urged those in attendance to “make people call you ‘doctor.’”
“What you are receiving today is a gift. You are being passed through a type of passage that allows you to step into this aura, into this genre,” he told the crowd. “Many of you, when you leave here, your careers will not be the same. They should catapult. We have seen it happen, because you are now operating in another place.
“Make people call you doctor,” Robinson insisted.
At the same ceremony, Robinson shared an anecdote about his preference for being addressed as “doctor” both verbally and in official documentation such as banking cards and cashier’s checks.
“I went into the bank and they told me, ‘Dr. Robinson, whatever the name is on your account, that has to be on your card.' Some of you know banking. I said that’s fine,” he told the audience. “I set it up as doctor. Call me Robinson. So I expect to have ‘Dr.’ period on my debit cards and on my credit cards.
Robinson even claimed to reject being called by his given name if it does not have the “Dr.” prefix attached to it.
“One day I went in and they cut me a cashier’s check,” Robinson said. “When they cut the check, they wrote ‘Carl Robinson.’ I pulled back in and said, ‘That’s the wrong person’ ... I made them redo that cashier’s check because I will not let anybody take away my dignity. And you should not either.”
The HCU website echoes Robinson’s personal views on honorary degrees: on its Education page, the HCU website declares “honorary degrees are real degrees.”
Robinson made similar claims in a July 2023 post on Instagram in which he wrote that recipients of an HCU honorary degree “affords them the title ‘Doctor’” and that “they can legally and ethically use that title on their business correspondence and title and resume.”
Both Robinson’s advice and HCU’s claims run contrary to guidance from the Texas Medical Association (TMA), the nation's largest state medical society, which boasts over 60,000 members. According to the TMA, Texas state statute limits the use of the title “doctor” to persons licensed to practice medicine in the state or persons licensed by official state medical boards such as the Texas Board of Dental Examiners, the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners, or the Texas Optometry Board.
The TMA further states that any use of “doctor” as a title “must be clarified by the appropriate initials or defining words after the title ‘doctor’ to identify the college or honorary degree that gives rise to the title.”
CP made numerous calls to HCU that went unanswered and visited the location listed on HCU's website in May and June. Located in a nondescript high-rise off I-635 in Dallas, CP discovered that HCU was no longer listed as a tenant in the building's directory.
A person familiar with HCU's most recent building lease in Dallas told CP that Robinson had defaulted on the lease agreement. The source also said Robinson had selected the building because it has an auditorium, which was ideal for holding graduation ceremonies.
According to the HCU website, “it's [sic] operations are in the state of Missouri” even though it lists a mailing address at Preston Highlands Village, a neighborhood shopping center in Dallas.
Accreditation questions
In addition to being HCU's chancellor, Paki-Silva is also named as founder of The Kingdom of Hawai’a Royal Accreditation Commission (KOHRAC). HCU claims it holds a “distinguished ‘Royal Accreditation’” from KOHRAC on the HCU website.
HCU is listed as one of seven internationally accredited institutions on the KOHRAC website, including two indigenous institutions — the “Native American Law & Justice Center” and “Thomas J. Widlar College of Lore-Law, both located in “Indian Country, United States” — that did not appear on any major search engines or social networks, according to a CP review.
Furthermore, despite the claims of Paki-Silva as the “sovereign king of the kingdom of Hawai’i,” currently no international body recognizes the “Kingdom of Hawaiʻi” as a sovereign state, raising further questions about Paki-Silva’s claim to royalty as well as the legitimacy of the accreditation of HCU.
HCU’s website claims the university is “empowered to administer academic programs, confer degrees, issue diplomas and certificates, and conduct educational commerce within the State of Texas and internationally.”
However, the HCU website also states that the university is not academic in nature, but rather intended to recognize achievements and influence beyond the classroom.
A CP review was unable to locate any explicitly stated requirement for degree holders to attend classes, complete a dissertation, or hold a related academic degree, nor does HCU operate under any “state licensing or oversight,” according to its own website.
Notably, HCU does not appear as an accredited member institution on the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) website, despite multiple references on the HCU website to terms like “Christian” and “religious.”
While Texas allows religious and sovereign charter institutions to operate in Texas with state certification “provided they do not misrepresent state licensure or accreditation,” the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) website says if a “religious institution also offers non-religious discipline degrees, it must apply for a Certificate of Authority or a Certificate of Authorization.”
CP reached out to THECB for clarification on what constitutes a religious institution and whether HCU — which claims to serve the indigenous community — qualifies under that criteria.
THECB Associate Commissioner Daniel Perez told CP they were aware of HCU and on June 8 sent a cease-and-desist letter to Robinson, which states THECB “determined that Harvest Christian University continues operating in Texas in violation with the laws and regulations of the state of Texas.”
The letter, which was later shared with CP, noted that HCU “has not been granted a Certificate of Authority to operate in Texas; therefore, the granting or offering to grant degrees is prohibited” and ordered HCU to “immediately cease advertising, offering, and enrolling students in degrees or programs of study until it has applied for and been granted a Certificate of Authority.”
Perez also warned “the use of a protected term such as ‘university’ without a certificate of authority is a violation of section 61.313 of the Texas Education Code” and “subjects a person to criminal liability.”
“Harvest Christian University’s advertising and postings via its website indicate that your institution alleges to offer non-religious degrees and trade programs in the state of Texas, including honorary doctorate degrees,” wrote Perez. “The institution’s advertising and postings indicate that offered programs include subjects beyond religious instruction.”
In addition to ordering Robinson to “cease and desist from using any protected terms,” the letter also required Robinson to provide a signature acknowledging that he “will voluntarily, permanently, and immediately cease advertising, offering, and enrolling students in degrees or programs in Texas and using protected terms” by June 18.
Failing to do so, Perez wrote, could lead to the agency referring the matter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “for further action.”
A THECB spokesperson confirmed with CP that Robinson “has not responded” to the agency's Notice of Violation letter.
Tax-exempt?
In addition to its accreditation claims, HCU claims to be a tax-exempt organization under IRS rules typically reserved for nonprofits and religious organizations.
However, the IRS has no public record of HCU either requesting or receiving any such exemption.
There is also no record of the federal tax ID number provided on the HCU website. The tax ID is listed on the HCU “Giving” page alongside various ways to donate to HCU, including a Chase Bank address located in Plano.
HCU’s “Giving” page also identifies HCU as “an institution recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code” and one which “enjoys full federal tax-exempt status.”
Other sections of the HCU website claim tax-exemption under different IRS rules, including exemption as a “public charity under Section 509(a)(1), pursuant to the provisions of Sections 508(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)” and as a “church-related entity” under Section 508(c)(1)(A).
According to IRS guidelines, Section 508(c)(1)(A) grants churches and certain religious organizations automatic federal tax-exempt status without requiring IRS approval or annual reporting. However, churches and other entities that invoke a 508(c)(1)(A) must operate exclusively for religious purposes.
While churches and other religious bodies automatically qualify for federal tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) without a formal IRS filing, they must meet specific criteria to qualify as a “church” or equivalent religious body.
Section 508(c)(1)(A) grants churches and certain religious organizations automatic federal tax-exempt status without requiring IRS approval or annual reporting. Religious schools typically must apply for federal tax exemption unless their annual gross receipts are $5,000 or less.
There are no IRS filings available for public review on the HCU website.
A CP review of the IRS’ public-facing tax-exempt organization search tool did not return any results for the Employer Identification Number (EIN) listed on the HCU website or the organization name “Harvest Christian University.” The only two results were unrelated organizations that included the phrase “Harvest Christian University” but had EINs that did not match the one provided on the HCU website.
Beyond providing public guidelines for tax-exempt organizations, the IRS declined a CP request to provide any additional information, citing strict privacy laws.
Federal and state law typically make it illegal for an individual or organization to falsely advertise tax-exempt status, as doing so would likely violate fraud, consumer protection, and/or tax misrepresentation statutes.
Following an initial CP report on HCU granting an honorary degree to Brown, Robinson reached out to CP for what he called “racist, hateful speech” in its report on HCU’s dubious accreditation claims.
Robinson did not cite any specific examples to support his claims.
CP reached out to Robinson for comment on the THECB letter and will update this post with his response if one is received.
The Lone Star State has stepped up enforcement of its oversight of public, post-secondary educational institutions in recent months.
In May, an Islamic academic institution said to be "unauthorized" by the state of Texas deleted its website following a threat of legal action by Gov. Greg Abbott's office.
Formally known as the Texas American Muslim University at Dallas, “TexAM University,” which operates as a nonprofit registered under the name Texas American Institute for Technology at Dallas, is not officially recognized as a university by THECB.
In a May 6 letter, THECB's associate commissioner warned the organization that “in order to operate or grant degrees in Texas, a private postsecondary educational institution is required to hold a Certificate of Authority issued by the THECB” pursuant to the Texas Education Code.
“TexAM has never been granted a Certificate of Authority to operate in Texas; therefore, TexAM is prohibited by law from granting or offering to grant degrees,” Perez wrote.
In his letter, Perez also noted that “granting or offering to grant degrees” without permission from THECB or the use of a protected term such as “university” without a certificate of authority” is a violation of state code and “subjects a person to criminal liability.”
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
