Adam Greenway Drops Defamation Lawsuit Against SWBTS, Drama and Parting Shots Ensue

Former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Adam Greenway has dropped his lawsuit against his former employer, according to a brief joint statement released by both parties, noting that “no monetary consideration was paid as part of this resolution.”

“We are grateful to have this resolution between Southwestern Seminary and its ninth president, Dr. Adam W. Greenway. No monetary consideration was paid as part of this resolution. The trustees and Dr. Greenway are looking forward to putting this matter behind us and moving on to focus our energies and efforts on following God’s plans for the next chapters of our respective lives and ministries. We pray that God will richly bless the Greenway family as well as Southwestern Seminary in the years ahead.”

In addition to the joint statement, SWBTS also issued their own statement, taking a parting jab by pointing out that Greenway’s capitulation “vindicates the seminary” and “demonstrates the allegations made in the lawsuit were without merit.”

This little jab prompted Greenway to say just a little more.

@SBC Ligitation points out the irony of the situation, given the nature of the original complaint

In 2022, Greenway was canned for being terrible at his job. Marked by a desire to reshape the seminary’s ethos in his own self-centered image, at least 45 faculty left under Greenway’s watch, either retiring, resigning, or simply being fired, such as the canning of the much-loved top professors David Allen and Robert Lopez.

Crucially, a Summary of Findings released by the Southwestern Seminary Board of Trustees Task Force into the behavior of Greenway and the institutional failings at SWBTS was devastating, with their report noting:

The task force concluded that Adam Greenway engaged in a pattern of spending that the task force believes did not reflect proper stewardship of seminary resources. This pattern of spending occurred without deference to financial controls and seminary financial policies.

Between 2019 and 2022, over $1.5 million was spent on renovations, furnishings, and related expenses to the President’s home. These expenditures were made at a time when the seminary was making significant budget cuts, including the reduction of faculty personnel and positions. Examples of expenses for the President’s home include $59,865.79 for Christmas decorations, more than $25,000 for artwork, and $11,123.49 for an espresso machine and accessories. Despite extensive renovations completed early in his tenure, further optional work was done on the President’s home in late 2021 when more than $180,000 was spent on HVAC work… $4,850.51 for the framing of personal diplomas.

Greenway then sued for defamation. While initially he threatened to sue the school he once ruled for $5,000,000, arguing that accusations of financial mismanagement caused him to be humiliated and also significantly harmed any future job prospects, his actual suite was much more modest, demanding not millions, but At LEAST $75,000 following the school’s initial refusal to pay up.