Former megachurch pastor and Southern Baptist president Rev. Johnny Hunt is suing the Southern Baptist Convention for defamation.
According to Religion News Service, in a complaint filed in the federal court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Hunt’s attorneys said Hunt had a “brief, inappropriate, extramarital encounter with a married woman” in 2010, which he claims was a consensual, private matter.
The incident was made public in a 2022 report from investigators at Guidepost Solutions, the consulting firm hired to investigate how SBC leaders handled abuse within the organization.
Hunt says the SBC and Guidepost engaged in defamation and libel in publishing about him in the report.
A spokesperson for the SBC Executive Committee said denominational leaders are reviewing Hunt’s complaint, but they cannot comment on ongoing litigation.
Hunt initially denied the allegations in the Guidepost report but later said the incident was consensual.
“Some of the precise details are disputed, but at most, the encounter lasted only a few minutes, and it involved only kissing and some awkward fondling,” according to the complaint.
Hunt claimed he sought counseling and forgiveness following the encounter but never told church leaders at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia.
Hunt was the pastor at First Baptist Church of Woodstock at the time. He was also serving as the SBC’s North American Mission Board vice president.
Hunt’s attorney said in the complaint that the report caused emotional harm to Hunt.
“The decision to smear Pastor Johnny’s reputation with these accusations has led him to suffer substantial economic and other damages,” according to the complaint. “He has lost (his) job and income; he has lost current and future book deals; and he has lost the opportunity to generate income through speaking engagements.
“By focusing on the allegation against Pastor Johnny — an allegation by an adult woman that involved noncriminal conduct — and by then taking aggressive action against Pastor Johnny, the Defendants sought to create the appearance that the SBC has learned from its previous mistakes and is now working to protect victims of sex crimes,” the complaint said.
Hunt returned to the pulpit in January, speaking at a Florida megachurch where he called the allegation “false.” He most recently spoke at a church in Georgia.
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Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
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