I previously reported that Jay Adkins resigned from the Louisiana College Board of Trustees. I learned today that my information was incorrect. He left the last meeting in protest but did not resign. Larry Hubbard did resign.

Today, Jay Adkins released a letter that he gave to Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins calling for his resignation. Jay articulates three concerns with the leadership of David Hankins.

1. Bias against Reformed Soteriology. Basically here, Adkins is pointing out that the broader SBC has chosen to make it not an issue but David Hankins continues to push the issue even arguing that the Baptist Faith and Message should be changed to disallow Calvinist perspectives.
2. Interior Undue Influence on the Board- Adkins accuses Hankins of having too much influence in board decisions.
3. Exterior Undue Influence in Convention Life- Essentially, Hankins wields a heavy hand across the convention and is not afraid to wield the power he has accumulated.

Readers should definitely read Adkin’s letter! It is an important part of the issues going on in Louisiana and at Louisiana College. Here are a few of my favorite quotes.

For almost 45 minutes you went on about your concerns over Calvinism and even came to the point of suggesting that the Baptist Faith and Message might need to be changed to “tighten up” the soteriological portion 

the interplay between you, Tommy French and Joe Aguillard (since the revelation of the recording and story in the Town Talk) is inappropriate. The fact that you would call the Board Chairman and demand the President’s removal is unbelievable, especially after defending him for over a year. Further, that you believe it is within your purview to do so is deeply disturbing… further still, that you actually do have the ability to cause others to change votes or be persuaded to a different perspective simply “upon your call” is even more shocking. 

Finally, the fact that you called three of the signers of the Open Letter to, in part, demand a public apology and then issue a press release that at best misstated the letter of one member and at worse presented false information, is interesting. To issue a press release that says that a member “contacted” you and not admit that you contacted the three trustees is irresponsible.

The statement that came from the LBC communications office stated that a member asked for language to be removed prior to the open letter’s release. That is not true. No one asked that anything be removed before publication of that statement. The letter, which was not even my idea, had input from a number of members and was about the problems that we have faced which has inhibited our ability to fulfill our responsibilities. Your undue influence is only one of the many problems we’ve had. Furthermore, according to you “two other signees have also extended regrets regarding the remarks.” Such a statement is despicable manipulation of the truth. I understand that the regrets they extended have absolutely nothing to do with the letter itself but that the individuals regretted not talking with you before they signed the letter. I’ve not heard from a single trustee who’ve asked to remove their name.

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Rondall Reynoso

Rondall is an artist and scholar. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Tennessee. He holds an MFA in Painting and an MS in Art History from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and is completing a Ph.D. in Art History and Aesthetics from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA.

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