"Dr." John Hunt's Diploma Mill Doctorate, Take 2

Since EthicsDaily.com's revealing article on "Dr." Johnny Hunt's academic credentials hit the internets yesterday there has been much response. Now, the Washington Post/Newsweek has picked up the story on their "On Faith" website. Here that is:

New SBC Leader's Dubious Credentials

The story has made it's way over to the Daily Kos as well.

An amateur Christian rapper came to Hunt's rescue and put his thoughts in the form of a rap song in the comment thread of my original post - quite funny. Here's a snippet from Crayzee Joe's rap in honor of his pastor:

You can strip away the titles
Just take 'em if you want
Get back to just callin' him
plain old Johnny Hunt

That's some pretty decent advice from one Southern Baptist.

Another blogger has argued that Hunt and other pastors tempted to describe themselves as "Dr." after receiving a diploma mill doctorate should remember the words of Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, who after the Flockhart scandal offered these wise words in an article entitled Integrity in Ministry:

1. Guard your integrity by always being completely honest. Do not pad your resume or reputation with false or inflated accomplishments. The Bible says God hates a proud look and lying tongue (Proverbs 6:17). Be a truth-teller in every area of your life, both in the big things and the little things.

SBC President Johnny Hunt's Diploma Mill Doctorate

Robert Parham, Executive-Director of the Baptist Center for Ethics, says newly elected SBC President Johnny Hunt has a "credibility problem."

Parham writes:

Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., identifies himself with the title "Dr." and lists two accredited educational institutions on his personal Web site from which he did not receive a doctorate. Yet he is often identified publicly as having degrees—degrees that come from two diploma mills.

On his personal Web site, It's A New Day Ministries, the "internet home of the preaching ministry of Dr. Johnny Hunt," his educational credentials are Gardner-Webb College and the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. No reference is made to the terminal or honorary degree which affords him the prestigious title of "Dr. Johnny Hunt."

You really gotta read the entire article here.

When Hunt speaks at evangelism conferences (including the 2008 Pastor's Conference) across the nation, he is introduced as having received a "Doctorate of Divinity from Immanuel Baptist Theological Seminary" and a "Doctorate of Sacred Laws and Letters from Covington Theological Seminary." But Hunt does not mention these schools on his websites. Why??

Both Covington and Immanuel are both diploma mills.

Parham continues:

One of Hunt's own "sons in the ministry" was forced to resign from the prominent First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Fla., in part because of his diploma mill degrees.

Highly recommended to the church by Hunt, Steven Flockhart was forced out "over a controversy involving fabricated education credentials," reported Baptist Press, which noted that the Palm Beach Post had discovered that Flockhart had obtained correspondence degrees from Covington Theological Seminary, "a Georgia school not accredited by any recognized accrediting agency."

I guess FBC Woodstock doesn't care. Even after the Flockhart debacle, Hunt continues to list himself as "Dr. Johnny Hunt" on both FBC Woodstock's website and his own personal website.

Parham concludes:

Two dubious institutions gave the new SBC president a title that he proudly bears. By identifying himself with the "Dr." title, Hunt legitimizes these diploma mills and encourages by example other ministers to take educational shortcuts—shortcuts which deceive churches about the real quality of the academic training of their clergy.

That places the question mark of integrity over the SBC.

Maybe at least a few Southern Baptists out there will take notice of Parham's fine reporting. Instead of attacking the messenger, perhaps those in the SBC and in the Southern Baptist blogosphere (especially the bloggers with real doctorates) will begin to refer to their President as simply Rev. Hunt or Pastor Hunt. With Hunt in the spotlight as President, integrity would demand that Southern Baptists not intentionally deceive the world concerning Hunt's academic credentials. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. And those shortcuts tend to have consequences. See what happened to Flockhart.