Letter: Editorial: Accountability requires more than four pastors

RE: Editorial: Accountability requires more than four pastors

Thank you for the article discussing “moral inappropriateness” and restoration. The activities and plans remind me a bit of the movie The Apostle, which apparently parallels some of the life experiences of Jimmy Swaggart or is, at least, extremely reminiscent.

I have added interest in that I am a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with more than 25 years of full-time ministry, but also with a distant cousin—a Baptist pastor—who died back in the 1970s in Huntsville as a repeat offender for pedophilia, reportedly including assault of my former father-in-law’s sister.

I never met this cousin from my dad’s generation, but he served as pastor for churches in Texas and Arkansas, being hired multiple times, even after serving time. This was back in the first half of the 20th century, but the postal service was certainly available to inquire and have confirmed the circumstances in question. With today’s technology, there can be no excuse for lack of information.

I don’t think the world needs to know details of every morally inappropriate action, but search committees and networks of churches need to know as they consider staff.

Perhaps for Johnny Hunt, his best next step forward is to serve humbly in a “lower” position while being monitored. I am highly disappointed there were no women in his accountability group, nor was the woman with whom he was morally inappropriate mentioned or addressed. There’s still too much of a closed “boys’ club” among Baptist leadership, I fear.

Thank you, again, for the article and for your ongoing vigilance to report issues of interest.

Jim Ekrut
Benbrook, Texas