This is why I try not to get my hopes up when it comes to leadership within the Louisiana Baptist Convention doing what is right. Despite all the evidence about the dishonesty and ethical failings of President Joe Aguillard the Board of Trustees seems set to retain him as president.
According to the Town Talk, rather than Aguillard being removed from office the Board voted 18-14 to expand the boards confidentiality agreement to prohibit Board of Trustees from discussing college even with their spouses. Other reports indicate that the board then passed a resolution to prosecute any board member that violated the gag order. As a result at least two Board members, Jay Adkins and Larry Hubbard, have resigned. Apparently, Aguillard told the board that he had received a letter from SACS Senior Vice President Mike Johnson claiming that LC would be put on probation if they did not pass such a resolution. However, when pressed Aguillard refused to produce the letter.
Sorry for being rude but, how stupid are these trustee members!?! Aguillard is a documented liar and they just expanded his control without even seeing proof of his claim.
There were times in Israel’s history when the kings surrounded themselves with false prophets telling them what they wanted to hear while they ignored those who were truly speaking with God’s wisdom. God will not be mocked. He often does not judge with our timing but he does judge and in Israel’s case it resulted eventually in their total destruction
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I keep thinking that surely someone will finally say, “Look, the emperor has no clothes”.
Rondall: Apparently Joe held out for money and it seems now he has secured a “golden parachute”. He’ll be around for years to come with high pay and few responsibilities. Tommy French, Chairman of the LC Board said we needed to keep Joe around for fund raising purposes. I heard that with my own ears and had to work hard not to laugh out loud. Many, many alums have told me, my wife and many of her women friends they know donors who could give millions but will not give a single dime. They’ll never give a dime to LC as long is Joe is on campus. The majority of the board (not the courageous ones we’re also aware of) have sold out LC. It’ll be years before all the hard feelings are forgotten and LC is back to where it could be. If Joe lives for years he can collect millions that will be forever diverted from LC’s effective use. And I really didn’t know until two days ago that LC spent $5.5 million on the law school building including refurbishing costs. Some of this board is more useless than teats on a boar hog. It gets worse and never better. I apologize for venting. Jim Packer
Can’t believe the decision made by the Board of Trustees yesterday! They should have shown Dr. Aguillard the door immediately…after all he has done to harm the college, I can find no reason for keeping him even for one day! A clean cut should have been made so the college can begin the rebuilding process. Seems many of the board members need to be gone also….why are they so attached to a President who is so inept….maybe he threatened blackmail. Just one of the charges against Dr. Aquillard would have been enough to force him out…should have been done last year. Now, the College has to suffer for many years to come.
About 150 years ago a British Baron identified the problem with the LBC, LC, and the BoT when John Dalberg-Acton said, “Power tends to currupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Enough said.
I used to joke that the thing that separated Baptist and Catholics was 1500 years and political power. After, living in Louisiana I realized that it doesn’t take that long!
I say that tongue in cheek and not as a pejorative against Catholicism. I actually do a lot of work at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology. I have great respect for that tradition even if I don’t agree on everything. But, I do think when power politics and religion mix it gets especially ugly regardless of if the group is Catholic or Baptist.