Earning a doctorate in Philosophy or Theology is different than being a Doctor of the Church.

Hans Kung, who was stripped of his license to teach Catholic Theology has a Doctorate from a Catholic University. Dr. Luther was granted a doctorate in Theology, and was licensed to teach Catholic theology. When the rupture came his license was revoked, but he had earned the doctorate.

SS. Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Albert the Great, Teresa of Avila, Therese of Lisieux and others were given the title of Doctor of the Church after their deaths, not because they had all (some had) earned an academic doctorate, but because their writings have had a very profound influence on the teaching and spiritual life of the Church.

Dr. Luther, is definatly not categorized in the same classification as the above mentioned Doctors of the Church, but that is not reason to not recognize that he did achive academic exellence while an Augustinian Friar. Lutherans would say that he did much to restore the Church to it’s original purity. While as Catholics we would disagree, that is not reason to deny his academic achivements.