Why Won't Johnny Hunt Contact Morris Chapman? #clarklogan

The Florida Baptist Witness again reports that SBC President Johnny Hunt continues to have concerns about the Clark Logan firing at the Executive Committee.  Here's a question: Why can't Johnny Hunt pick up the phone and call Morris Chapman and get his side of the story without asking questions in the press? If Hunt wanted to resolve this the right way, he could find out all he needed to know, I am sure.

This looks like politics to me.

Chapman opposed the GCR. Hunt is a supporter of the GCR. Almost everyone upset about Logan's firing is a GCR supporter. The dust up over his firing has died down the past week or so. Hunt just stirred it up again. Now, he's threatening to bring this before ExComm's trustee meeting to ask for an investigation. Make a few phone calls and you'll find out exactly what happened.

This looks just like a political maneuver to clear the playing field of opposition to the GCR. With this hanging around Chapman's neck, he won't be able to effectively speak against the GCR (or do anything else for that matter). Admittedly, I don't know Hunt's motives and I can't judge his heart. But, it LOOKS like politics from here and I thought that the GCR wasn't going to be business as usual. I support the GCR, but if this continues, it will be just one more thing that Southern Baptists have tried.

If Dr. Chapman did anything wrong, then can we please handle this the right way? Can Hunt please give him a call and try and clear this up? Aren't we Christians? Do we have to go to the press? If Hunt can't get to the bottom of it that way, then go to the board privately and exert influence to get some answers. None of that has been done, apparently. I have supported the GCR and its proponents should be above political machinations if they want to unite the SBC. Don't play politics with the Great Commission, guys. If this isn't politics and hearts are pure, then please do the right thing and handle this man-to-man. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Comments

[Todd]

Alan,
I could not agree more. I made a few phones calls. Had some returned. It is not that difficult. There is little doubt this is politics. And, it certainly is not the way we preach about resolving issues - in the press?

Surely we can do better.

[Bob Cleveland]

You'd better believe there was politics aplenty on both sides of this thing at the convention. Al Mohler's answer to the softball question .. the first asked at the B21 Luncheon .. was as political as they come.

It has all the earmarks, to me, of the Holy Spirit having left the premises, and boys carrying on like boys are prone to do.

[Greg Alford]

Allan,

I agree that this (the firing of Logan) is all about politics… and unless you have some insider information that has not been published I was under the impression that this little dust up at the EC has nothing to do with the GCR? At least Chapman has not said such… yet. If the firing of Logan was in response to his support of the GCR then I think Chapman needs to honest with the SBC and come out and say so.

Why is it that Hunt is playing politics and Chapman is not? And why is it that Hunt is the only one being called upon to pick up the phone?

(I can’t believe I’m defending Hunt, and questioning Chapman’s actions… what a difference a year makes)

Grace Always,

[Alan Cross]

Greg,

It is political when Hunt, the president of the SBC tweets about it and takes it to the press instead of picking up the phone. Mohler, Moore, and others tweeting about it is also unbelievable. Pick up the phone.

Insider information is not hard to get in the SBC. Hunt knows what happened. He alluded to it. I find it impossible to think that I would know more than Hunt does. He alluded to what happened by talking about personality conflicts.

Like I said, if Chapman did anything wrong, handle it the right way. If Chapman engaged in politics, confront him and handle it the right way. Two wrongs don't make a right and the "everyone's doing it" argument is what got us into this mess in the first place.

Anyway, I'm not trying to defend Chapman. I just want the leaders of the GCR to stop this mess. It is obvious what is going on here, or it at least appears to be, and appearances do matter in these types of things.

As always, thanks for the interaction, Greg. Good questions.

[SvMuschany]

With all due respect Bro Alan..

How do you know that Pastor Hunt has not tried calling parties involved and finding the answer out that way? For all we know, Hunt may have tried to call Chapman dozens of times, and Chapman stonewalls every single time the issue of Logan comes up. For all we know others have tried to privately ask Chapman about the details and have also been stonewalled. To assume right off the bat, that Hunt after going public with his concerns, has not tried to do this in private, is honestly too much to assume. I agree...IF Hunt has not tried to do this privately, then that is a problem. But just as you are saying Hunt should not jump the gun, dont do the same as well. Remember, the Biblical Third Step in confronting a brother in error IS to go public before the "church" or in this case the SBC as a whole (since the ExCom is responsible to the whole SBC).

[Alan Cross]

That is a good question. I am not assuming it, however. In the previous interview with the Florida Baptist Witness, Hunt said that he had not spoken with Chapman. Still, he took his concerns to the press. He said that he had spoken with Logan, hearing one side of the story. In this interview, Hunt did not say that he had spoken with Chapman, therefore it seems that the prior situation is still the case. Yes, I am assuming here a bit, but it is an assumption based on evidence.

Plus, if Chapman had refused to talk to Hunt in any way, is it appropriatwe for the president of the SBC to take issues to the press before going through proper channels?
If Hunt has done all that he is supposed to do and has been rebuffed, then yes, the concerns that I raise here are null and void. But, the burden of proof is not on me. It is on Johnny Hunt. He is the one who tweeted on this several time AND went to the press without talking to Chapman. He admitted that. Based on his past behavior in this matter, it appears reasonable to believe that he still has not talked to Chapman, although he seems to have a pretty good idea what happened based on the comments he's made.

I wish Johnny Hunt and the GCR well. I really do. I just don't want to see politics on either side and I wish that we would handle things the right way. That is all that I am asking.

[aaron]

Just because he hadn't spoken to Hunt doesn't mean he hadn't tried.

[Kristy]

Why don't you pray for Pastor Johnny, instead of judging him. Leave what happened between him, the other person and God.

For the sake of the great commission, let's have some Christain unity and love. From a member of FBCW