Disgraced Pastor Johnny Hunt Files Motion to Compel Depositions From SBC Prez, Guidepost
Disgraced pastor Johnny Hunt has filed a new motion in his court case against SBC leaders and Guidepost Solutions, accusing the defendants of “attempting to delay and extend discovery proceedings at every available opportunity” and doing his damnedest to see them deposed. According to his motion:
The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (“Executive Committee”) and Southern Baptist Convention (“SBC”) are refusing to comply with deposition notices, refusing to schedule depositions in an orderly fashion, and generally abusing the discovery process.”
Thirteen years ago, former SBC president Johnny Hunt engaged in what he describes as a “brief, consensual extramarital encounter,” and what the woman involved maintains was non-consensual sexual assault. His church was never told about the incident and it remained a secret for a decade until it outed in the recent Guidepost investigation, reading:
During our investigation, an SBC pastor and his wife came forward to report that SBC President Johnny Hunt (2008-2010) had sexually assaulted the wife on July 25, 2010. We include this sexual assault allegation in the report because our investigators found the pastor and his wife to be credible; their report was corroborated in part by a counseling minister and three other credible witnesses; and our investigators did not find Dr. Hunt’s statements related to the sexual assault allegation to be credible.
These allegations of sexual assault and revelation of (at the minimum) a “brief, consensual extramarital encounter” caused Hunt’s life and ministry to implode. He lost his job as VP at NAMB, was formally suspended from his position as Pastor Emeritus at First Baptist Church of Woodstock congregation, and was subject to great personal embarrassment.
Though he was quickly ‘restored’ by some friends and now is traveling and preaching on the conference circuit, he has repeatedly insisted that his sexual affairs, wife cheating, and overall scumbaggery are no one’s business but his own– that even his congregation had no right to know what he does in his private life, demonstrating how deeply disqualified and demented he is.
For this reason, he filed a lawsuit against many SBC personalities and Guidepost, claiming that they defamed and libeled him, and now he wants them to pay up and participate in the proceedings, compelling them to play.
Hunt claims in his motion: “After a well-documented pattern of delay and discovery misconduct, Guidepost is now refusing to cooperate in scheduling its 30(b)(6) deposition.” He further notes that “This refusal follows numerous prior attempts to impede discovery,” including burying him with thousands of pages of documents a week before the depositions.
Commenting on the case, two observers clarified:
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The coward that wrote this article (and didn’t attach his or her name) doesn’t sound like a Christian. I’ve read a lot about this story – much of it from this very own “demented” website (to use “staff writer’s” own word). In the whole thing, apart from the ugly sin at the start of this, I can’t see where Johnny Hunt failed to follow Jesus’ teachings on repentance and forgiveness. He owned up to his sin, personally sought the forgiveness of the woman and her husband, and had counselors/witnesses be there for all of it.
My whole life, I’ve never been a fan of Johnny Hunt, and I hate feeling like I have to defend him – especially in light of an ugly sin like this – but “staff writer’s” vitriol seems to be completely wrapped around his or her disagreement with Hunt’s decision to not bring it to his church. But strictly according to Scripture, he is not required to do so. You might demand that he do so, but you aren’t God, and you don’t get to make that legislation. Hunt decided that he had taken the matter to its proper place in a Matthew 18 context, and he stopped it at stage two. He probably figured that telling the church would have put a huge stain on the bride of Christ and given many enemies of the Gospel lots of ammunition to further tear down God’s people.
It might have been a different decision than “staff writer” thinks he or she would make, but given the MASSIVE irresponsibility of the way this particular story is written, I very much doubt that “staff writer” would have done anything properly Christian at all. “Staff writer” can prove me wrong by apologizing for his or her own sinful article right here, but we all know that’s not going to happen.
Hunt sinned, didn’t fully repent and disqualified himself from the Ministry. You casually mentioned ‘following the rules’ but pointedly didn’t mention that Hunt himself was in violation of 1 Tim 3. Further, he lied to his Church.
You can defend this guy if you want. He’s still in sin
I agree. Hunt didn’t admit what he did. He has offered every excuse in the book.
You can say things like “He’s disqualified according to 1 Timothy 3,” but that doesn’t make it accurate. Perhaps you’d like to walk us through how he is disqualified?
I ask these kinds of questions because so many Christians assume their thoughts are true without actually holding them up against Scripture. You certainly have enough people who think the same as you to sort of build a ‘consensus’, but consensus isn’t the source of truth; God’s Word is.