OPINION: Hemphill responds to Standard's story

April 28, 2003

OPINION:
Hemphill responds to Standard's story on his departure
___In response to a story published in last week's Standard, Ken Hemphill, outgoing president at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, wrote the following response, which is published here in whole, unedited.

___I have been privileged to serve as president of Southwestern Seminary for nine years. During that time, I have remained silent when the Baptist Standard printed rumors and half-truths as facts. My love for Southwestern compels me to respond to Mark Wingfield's article in the April 21 edition of the Standard.
___I am appalled and dismayed that the Standard would print speculation that borders on libel. No group of SBC leaders has ever met with me about a deal to remain at or leave Southwestern. Mark refers to a North Carolina meeting where I was "reportedly" instructed to resign or be fired. No such meeting ever occurred! The only meeting in North Carolina was held at my request over the Christmas holidays two years ago at Calvary Baptist Church with my three mentors, Mark Corts, Jimmy Draper, and Charles Fuller. I asked them to pray with me concerning my desire to move back to pastoral ministry.
___If the Standard had any interest in knowing the truth about this meeting, a simple phone call to me would have been sufficient. Anyone with knowledge of Baptist polity would know that no outside group has any authority to hold such a meeting or make such a suggestion apart from the trustees of an institution. The trustees of Southwestern were saddened by my recent announcement, but supportive of my desire to be obedient to God's will.
___I should also clarify that there was no meeting of the trustees asking me to remove Dr. David Crutchley as dean. The decision to reassign him was mine based on my understanding of his gifts and passion. I believed then and believe now that it was a decision that was in his best interest and that of the seminary.
___Finally the article mentioned "someone" close to us reporting that Paula and I have been hurt by this ordeal. We have been grieved by the printed speculation and rumors, and the appearance that others know more than we do about our lives. We are saddened to leave our Southwestern family, but we sense God's call. True joy comes from obedience. As I stated before, circumstances inform our decisions, but only the word of God and the will of God determine our decisions.
___Texas Baptist churches deserve and should demand a paper more concerned with truth than rumor, unspecified reports, and anonymous allegations. To restore trust in Southern Baptist life we must speak the truth in love. Slander and gossip damage the precious name of our Lord, the cause of His Kingdom, and hurt the body of Christ. Southwestern is a wonderful seminary, and I thank the many Texas Baptist churches that believe in the Kingdom ministry of this fine institution and support us. May God continue to use Southwestern for His glory and His Kingdom.

___Editor's note: The Baptist Standard stands by its story as reported in the April 21 issue. Every assertion in the article that was not directly attributed to a specific source was confirmed by a minimum of three knowledgeable sources.
___Unfortunately, seminary faculty, staff, students and even retirees currently live under such a fear of reprisal from seminary trustees and administration that few are willing to be quoted on the record by name. In such situations, the Standard's policy is to require confirmation by multiple sources.
___The Standard's article did not say seminary trustees gave Hemphill an ultimatum to fire David Crutchley as dean; it said other outside parties applied pressure to force Crutchley's dismissal.
___Hemphill correctly asserts that in Baptist polity, "no outside group has any authority" to force its will on another Baptist body. That statement, however, belies the well-documented pattern of action within the Southern Baptist Convention over the past 23 years.

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