I didn't assume that "a degree in religion" meant a PhD in religion. I thought the more likely parallel was that the school would have considered him if he had

I didn't assume that "a degree in religion" meant a PhD in religion. I thought the more likely parallel was that the school would have considered him if he had a ThD (Doctor of Theology) or a DMin (Doctor of Ministry), or possibly even a DD (Doctor of Divinity, usually honorary in the US but academic in the UK). I wonder though --- why do you think it's reasonable that a college would require a PhD from all instructors? Why not simply consider the degree to be a plus, but not a requirement? Do you restrict this to "all" instructors in fields where a PhD is common? Would you eliminate artists or authors from teaching creative courses with (or without) an MFA?