Ep. 453: Johnny Hunt and the SBC and Paula White’s Passover Controversy

On today’s program, a judge dismisses all but one of Johnny Hunt’s claims in his defamation case against the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC has already spent more than $3 million in legal fees on the Hunt case. We’ll have details. Plus, Paula White is promising donors who give $1,000 to her ministry during Passover week seven “supernatural blessings” from God. MinistryWatch reporter Kim Roberts spoke with a scholar who specializes in the book of Exodus to dig into the Scripture Paula White uses to back her claims. And, a new report shows that 1 in 12 Christians could be impacted by President Trump’s mass deportation pledge…and a group of evangelical and Catholic leaders hope this and other findings will alert Christians to the plight facing their fellow brothers and sisters. But first, a judge says a Texas pastor must pay out $124 million to two sisters who say he sexually abused them as children. The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today’s program include Jessica Eturralde, Bob Smietana, Adele M. Banks, Fiona Andre, Kim Roberts, Tony Mator, Jack Jenkins, Skylar Laird, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to South Carolina Daily Gazette for contributing material for this week’s podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.   MANUSCRIPT:    FIRST SEGMENT Warren: Hello everybody. I’m Warren Smith, coming to you this week from Charlotte, North Carolina. Natasha: And I’m Natasha Cowden, coming to you from Denver, Colorado, and we’d like to welcome you to the MinistryWatch podcast. Warren: On today’s program, a judge dismisses all but one of Johnny Hunt’s claims in his defamation case against the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC has already spent more than $3 million in legal fees on the Hunt case. We’ll have details. Plus, Paula White is promising donors who give $1,000 to her ministry during Passover week seven “supernatural blessings” from God. MinistryWatch reporter Kim Roberts spoke with a scholar who specializes in the book of Exodus to dig into the Scripture Paula White uses to back her claims. And, a new report shows that 1 in 12 Christians could be impacted by President Trump’s mass deportation pledge…and a group of evangelical and Catholic leaders hope this and other findings will alert Christians to the plight facing their fellow brothers and sisters. Natasha: But first, a judge says a Texas pastor must pay out $124 million to two sisters who say he sexually abused them as children. Warren: A jury says a Fort Worth pastor is liable for $124 million in damages in a sexual assault civil case—following a settlement that included giving the church property to his victims. In 2017, police arrested and indicted Jose Francisco Bernal for allegedly sexually assaulting two girls in his church's youth department at Tabernaculo de Vida-Iglesia (Tabernacle of Life) Pentecostal Church. The women, sisters who are now adults, claim Bernal repeatedly sexually assaulted them since they were 7 years old. Natasha: The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the trial's progress until September 2022. Prosecutors dismissed the charges after a mistrial. The jury deliberated over 10 hours and could not reach a verdict. Warren: But two years after Bernal's arrest on June 4, 2019, one of the women filed a separate lawsuit against Bernal through the Tarrant County District Court. The survivors also named two churches in their lawsuit: Bernal’s Tabernaculo de Vida-Iglesia in Fort Worth and Tabernaculo de Vida in Dallas. Both churches are part of United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI), and the Fort Worth location is the daughter church of the Dallas church. Natasha: What’s happened to the churches? Warren: In 2023, the churches settled by agreeing to pay $100,000 and transferring ownership of the Forth Worth church property to the women. The sisters will also benefit from any eventual sale of the property. The $100,000 comes from an insurance policy held by the church. Though the jury awarded the women $124 million in damages, it is unclear how much of that they can actually collect from Bernal. Natasha: Next, a Judge Rules Against Former SBC President Johnny Hunt Warren: A federal judge ruled against former Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt on Monday (March 31), rejecting his claims of defamation against Guidepost Solutions and nearly all the former megachurch pastor’s claims against the Southern Baptist Convention and its Executive Committee. Judge William Campbell of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee issued an order granting summary judgment in the case. Natasha: Hunt had sued Guidepost, an investigative firm, and SBC leaders for defamation and other damages after Guidepost published allegations of sexual assault against Hunt in a May 2022 report on an investigation into how SBC leaders had dealt with sexual abuse. Warren: In their court filings, Hunt’s lawyers claimed Guidepost had ruined his reputation and claimed the pastor’s sins were no one else’s business. Hunt, the former pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Georgia, and a former vice president of the SBC’s North American Mission Board, claimed Guidepost and the SBC had cost him millions, and he sought more than $75 million in damages. Natasha: So what was decided? Warren: All counts of defamation, emotional distress and the public disclosure of embarrassing private facts were dismissed against the SBC and the Executive Committee. However, one claim alleging that a tweet about Hunt from Texas Baptist pastor Bart Barber, who was SBC president from 2022 to 2024, was defamatory has not been dismissed. Hunt served from 2008 to 2010 as SBC president and remained a popular speaker before the Guidepost report. Court-ordered mediation on the case failed last fall. A trial had been scheduled this summer.  The Executive Committee has spent more than $3.1 million in legal fees related to the Hunt lawsuit and a second lawsuit related to the Guidepost report. Natasha: Next up, T.D. Jakes discloses cause of November health crisis. Warren: Bishop T.D. Jakes has disclosed that the medical incident that occurred as he spoke before his Dallas megachurch in November was a “massive heart attack.” Jakes, 67, who also is an author and business executive, suffered what his church initially called “a slight health incident” at The Potter’s House during the Nov. 24 worship service. On that occasion, about a dozen people rushed to his side after he lowered his microphone and was shaking in his seat. These are not typical heart attack symptoms, Jakes said. But his doctor said he would have been dead on arrival had he reached the hospital five minutes later. “The right side of my heart had completely stopped getting blood at all,” Jakes explained in an interview. Jakes also reiterated his appreciation for the prayers of people in and beyond his congregation. Natasha: Warren, Let’s look at one more story before our break Warren: A Kansas City youth pastor has been sentenced to over 29 years in prison for stabbing his family and setting his home on fire. On Wednesday, March 26, a judge sentenced Matthew Lee Richards, 43, to 188 months for one count of attempted first-degree murder and 165 months for a second count. The sentences will run consecutively, totaling 353 months—or just over 29 years in prison. Both charges are classified as level 1 felonies, the most severe under Kansas law. Natasha: Richards pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted first-degree murder in February. Warren: The sentencing comes 18 months after Richards stabbed his wife and five children and set his home on fire as a result of what he told detectives was financial strain. Richards told police the family was going to be evicted the day of the crime, and he had not been forthcoming with his wife about their dire financial condition. Richards had been serving as the children's pastor of Crossroads Christian Church in Shawnee, Kansas. In an online statement, Crossroads Christian Church characterized Richards' offenses as “a tragedy beyond what any of us could have imagined.” Natasha: Warren, let’s take a quick break. When we return, Paula White’s Passover promises—she claims donors who give $1,000 to her ministry during Passover week will receive 7 “supernatural blessings” from God. But does her promise line up with Scripture? I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and we’ll have that story and much more, after this short break.   BREAK   SECOND SEGMENT Natasha: Welcome back.  I’m Natasha Cowden, along with my co-host Warren Smith, and you’re listening to the MinistryWatch podcast. Next, the story we promised before the break. Warren: Paula White, televangelist and spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump, has suggested to donors who give at least $1,000 to her ministry between April 12 and 20 that God will release seven supernatural blessings upon them. “[W]hen you honor God on Passover…you can receive these seven supernatural blessings, for you and your house, according to Exodus 23,” White said in a video. Natasha: The blessings she claims donors can release from God with their gift include? Warren: An angel assigned to them; God being an enemy to their enemies; Prosperity; Sickness removed from them; Long life; Increase and inheritance; and A special year of blessing. She ties these blessings to a passage from Exodus 23 where God commands the Israelites to celebrate the Passover (verse 15). Natasha: Talbot School of Theology Associate Professor Dr. Carmen Joy Imes told MinistryWatch that the keeping of the Passover is not specifically tied