Posted on 12/11/2013 3:48:01 PM PST by robowombat
Florida Megachurch Pastor Commits Suicide
By Heather Sells CBN News Reporter Wednesday, December 11, 2013
News reports indicate that Florida megachurch founder Isaac Hunter has taken his life.
Altamonte Springs police discovered Hunter's body Tuesday morning in his home, The Orlando Sentinel reported.
Hunter, 36, founded Orlando's Summit Church. The non-denominational church eventually grew to five locations. He resigned from his role as lead pastor last year, after admitting to an affair.
Hunter is the son of Joel Hunter, another megachurch pastor in Florida and spiritual advisor to the president.
His death marks the second time this year that a prominent pastor's son has committed suicide. In April, Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren's son took his life.
CBN News spoke with Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, in May about mental health awareness in the church.
Page recently wrote a book Melissa about his experience with his daughter's suicide and the need for the church to help those who battle with mental health issues.
"There are legitimate, serious issues that people struggle with, and the church needs to be the place where we say, 'We understand,' Page said.
More than 36,000 people commit suicide each year in the United States
I pray for you.... you sound like your life is awful.
Dear Mr. Joel Hunter......YOU ARE BEING USED by OBAMA....WAKE UP!!! You have been LED INTO TEMPTATION!!
The Purpose Driven Live by Rick Warren meets Osteen's Your Best Life Now.
I know there are exceptions, but I doubt there are many. Human nature - our sin nature - is a very powerful force, and few megachurches retain the checks and balances required to keep their megastars' powerful egos in check. Wrecked megachurches often reveal a surprising lack of evil intent, just a realization that "it just happened." So it is with sin, and mega-anything allows that sin to be writ large.
Give me a smaller church where the pastors can be pastors and know the families and their children, and members truly fellowship together through life's ups and downs - not just while listening to the superstar's preaching.
Mocking?
Nah.
Look at it this way: the guy screwed around and got caught, so he lost his wife and kids, the woman he probably thought he was in love with, and his career. All the people who used to respect him must be horrified and disgusted. I’m sure his parents are heartbroken and profoundly disappointed. He can’t preach anymore, and if he’s like most middle-aged guys who just lost a career, he may not have any immediate way to support his kids—a further cause for shame. He knows he is wholly responsible for destroying the happiness of every innocent person around him. If he started taking antidepressants, that may have been the last straw.
I’ve seen more than one adulterous husband driven nearly to suicide by the knowledge that he has blown everything up.
Sad that a pastor would kill himself, especially at this time of year. Never having heard of, let alone heard him preach, I have no idea of his beliefs. A quick look at the church’s website doesn’t reveal very specific values or beliefs.
Suicide is a result of depression which can be an organic condition. Such a condition can be natural or can be caused or made worse through spiritual attack by the Accuser and his minions. Only God knows, but we do know that satan is a sore loser who hates Believers and tries to destroy them and their happiness. We also know that the deeper we get in our faith, the tougher the oponent from below.
Prayers up for his family as they get through this very difficult time.
Sad. RIP.
If it makes you feel better, Joel Hunter is a former Methodist who now pastors a nondenominational church; not a Baptist. ;P
joel is my daughters pastor. terrible.
you are right. my daughter said her pastor was an adviso to obama.
. i immediately did not trust him n tried to warn her.
WHAT is a non-denominational church and what do they preach?? Never mind, I think I know......not much. What is Joel Osteen??
This is amazing to me. We get to make fun of Osteen (and he deserves it) but somebody posts his crap here, and the one and only allowable thing anybody is allowed to say to it is “Yes! Definitely!” We can debate unions, capitalism, Reagan, sex, guns, the 9th and 10th amendments, the 2nd amendment, but some clown posts osteen’s words, and that is 100% completely and absolutely and totally off limits. Bizarre. Osteen = Jesus. Who knew?
Isaac Hunter, 36 and father of three, had resigned from his own megachurch after he admitted that he had engaged in an affair with a staff member. His wife of 13 years had filed a domestic-violence petition against Hunter, describing him as unstable, erratic and suicidal, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Responding to a call from his brother who received a text message speaking of suicide, police found Isaac Hunter dead from a gunshot wound, said Officer Rob Pelton, Altamonte Springs Police Department spokesman. Police are investigating the death as a suicide, and the medical examiner will have a final cause of death in the next 10 days.
Agreed. Joel Osteen is nothing more than Dr. Phil in a pulpit, preaching a secular, feel good philosophy that glorifies man while reducing God to a generous errand boy who wants us to be rich and always happy. It is the kind of false gospel that Paul warned about in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."
America is falling away.
In the rules of the RF we can only say amen in devotional forums.
Can only enter caucus threads if we are a member of that particular denomination.
Ecumenical? Open to all but have to behave.
Everything else if a free for all.
you really want to get them:
Your Best Purpose-Driven Life Now: Name It and Claim It, Money Cometh
Joel Hunter is a putz and a charlatan. And that statement should in no way be taken as to denigrate Isaac Hunter.
Yes, but he was an unbeliever.
Satan also provides false pastors, Rick Warren for example.
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