Former Southern Baptist Convention President and Pastor Johnny Hunt, who was a prominent megachurch pastor in Woodstock, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb, who was exposed in an investigation into sexual abuse within the SBC, has recently returned to the ministry. Hunt, whose sexual assault allegation was confirmed as "reliable" in an investigation commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention at its annual meeting in Nashville in 2021, involved an assault on another pastor's wife. Four of his very close, good friends, also pastors of SBC churches, allegedly conducted a "restoration" process with Hunt, and after a very short time, and a process which did not include either his victim, the church he once pastored, or anyone from the SBC's North American Mission Board, for whom he served as a Senior Vice-President.
To their credit, many SBC leaders, including its current President Bart Barber, a Texas pastor, have criticized the announcement of Hunt's restoration, pointing out that lacks any Biblical support or merit, did not follow any pattern of restoration found in the Bible, or used by churches in such instances. What it looks like is a group of his close, personal friends, some "good-ole-boys," decided to help him get back in the saddle, or on the gravy train that financially benefits the big-name, well-known, well-connected megachurch pastors with high dollar guest speaking appearances, prominent positions in denominational institutions that have big salaries and require little effort or work, and Bible conference headliners.
And in true, good-ole-boy, back slapping, glad-handing tradition, Hunt's abbreviated restoration led right straight into appearances in prominent SBC pulpits with big honorariums and being the headliner at conferences which give out generous fees for speakers and presenters.
But..It's Not About the Money...Right?
Julie Roys: Rags to Riches Johnny Hunt Owns Three Homes
Of course not. Hunt made a mistake, adopted the typical excuse, that he was misrepresented and that he was paying a price for "judgmental attitudes in our culture." He said that he just wanted to get back to what he was called by God to do, because "it has been hard to keep that fire under cap for the past nine months."
Nine months. It does seem a little bit out of the ordinary that someone who was credibly accused of a sexual assault could go through a real, biblically-prescribed, "restoration" process in order to side step the consequences of his actions and go back to preaching the Christian gospel as if nothing ever happened and he's still the same guy he was before, pronounced that way, not by objective observers applying a genuinely Christian process of repentance, but by four close friends who expect favors from him in return.
Barber said, "I would permanently defrock Hunt if I had the authority to do so." In the Southern Baptist Convention, churches are independent and autonomous from denominational control, and can choose whomever they please to ordain, to fill their pulpit, lead their church or headline a high-dollar conference gathering. Barber's view is the correct Biblical perspective on Hunt's actions.
"No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62, NIV
Those are the words of Jesus, and if they are correctly and contextually applied, it means that a pastor can do something which is disqualifying from ministry service. It doesn't mean they can't be forgiven, but in Christian practice, forgiveness does not change the consequences of one's actions. Hunt has lost all credibility as far as his preaching and teaching goes with a confessing Christian community. I don't care if he is on fire to preach, or to use the fat fees he gets to help pay his mortgage bills. Forgiven, yes. Qualified for the ministry, no.
But apparently, his "fire" for preaching is motivated by a much more worldly reason. At least, when he's filling the pulpit of one of his four friends, he can stay in his million dollar beachfront home and not have to worry about some of his honorarium going to pay for a hotel room.
Southern Baptists--Please Explain this Conduct
SBC Executive Committee Member Makes More Sexually Crude Social Media Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment