248: Bob Jones University Chairman of the Board Resigns
Preacher Boys Podcast
Eric Skwarczynski
4.6 • 701 Ratings
🗓️ 7 April 2023
⏱️ 3 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In episode #246, we discussed the resignation of Dr. Steve Pettit, president of Bob Jones University in South Carolina.
Pettit took office in 2014, a year after a GRACE report that revealed how the college's leadership had mishandled numerous cases of abuse that occurred both on and off campus.
Survivors claimed that in cases that took place at the school, proper authorities were not notified, and in many cases, victims in counseling at BJU were blamed for bringing the abuse on themselves.
Many people hoped that Pettit's appointment would bring about much-needed change. However, on March 31, 2023, almost nine years after taking office, Pettit resigned from BJU.
Just a few days before his resignation, he wrote a five-page letter that revealed several concerning issues about Dr. John Lewis, Chairman BJU's board of trustees.
Pettit accused Lewis of holding off-site secret meetings without informing key university leadership, adopting a posture of secrecy and hostility toward the board and the administration. He also claimed that Lewis interfered with the reporting of a sexual harassment case to the school's designated Title IX coordinator, among other things. Pettit threatened to resign if Lewis remained in office.
In a surprising turn of events, on April 6, Dr. John Lewis tendered his resignation as well.
Dr. Steve Pettit (whose official final day at BJU is May 5th) issued a statement regarding Lewis’ resignation, saying,
“Late this afternoon, I was notified that Bob Jones University Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. John Lewis has resigned from the Board of Trustees effective immediately. He has served BJU for 32 years as a board member and seven years as chairman. His desire was to honor the mission and vision of BJU and he worked tirelessly to that end. During his tenure, the University secured regional accreditation through SACSCOC and regained our tax exemption. I wish Dr. Lewis God’s best.”
The reason for Lewis’ resignation has not immediately been given – it’s also unclear whether Lewis’ resignation will affect Pettit’s decision to resign.
Regardless, it's clear that change is coming to Bob Jones University.
________________
Support the Preacher Boys Podcast:
https://www.patreon.com/preacherboys
Purchase a Preacher Boys shirt, mask, sticker, or other merch to rep the show! https://www.teepublic.com/user/preacher-boys-podcast
________________
Find more stories regarding the IFB movement by visiting:
– https://www.facebook.com/preacherboysdoc/
– https://twitter.com/preacherboysdoc-
– https://www.instagram.com/preacherboysdoc/
To connect with a community that shares the Preacher Boys Podcast's mission to expose abuse in the IFB, join the OFFICIAL Preacher Boys Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403898676438188
This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/PreacherBoys and get on your way to being your best self.
Our Sponsors:
* Use promo code preacherboys at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/preacherboys
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/preacher-boys-podcast/donations
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Trigger warning. This podcast contains descriptions of various abusive situations. Listener discretion is advised. |
| 0:09.2 | You are listening to the Preacher Boys podcast, a podcast shedding light on decades of mental, physical, and sexual abuse within the independent fundamental Baptist movement. |
| 0:20.3 | The testimonies shared on this podcast are told from the personal experience and perspective of the survivors. |
| 0:26.7 | Not all legal outcomes are known or final. |
| 0:29.7 | Any suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in the court of law. |
| 0:34.3 | Now, here is your host, Eric Squarsinski. Welcome back to the show. On a previous episode, |
| 0:41.4 | number 246 of the Preacher Boys podcast, I discussed the resignation of Dr. Steve Pettett, |
| 0:47.1 | president of Bob Jones University in South Carolina. Petit took office in 2014. A year after a |
| 0:52.7 | grace report revealed how the college's leadership |
| 0:55.0 | had mishandled numerous cases of abuse that occurred both on and off campus. |
| 1:00.3 | Survivors claimed that in cases that took place at the school, proper authorities were not |
| 1:04.7 | notified, and in many cases, victims in counseling at BJU were blamed for bringing the |
| 1:09.3 | abuse on themselves. Many people hoped that |
| 1:11.8 | Petit's appointment would bring about much-needed change. However, on March 31st, 2003, almost nine |
| 1:18.5 | years after taking office, Petit resigned from BJU. Just a few days before his resignation, he wrote a |
| 1:24.4 | five-page letter to the board that revealed several concerning issues |
| 1:27.7 | about Dr. John Lewis, chairman of B.J.U.'s board of trustees. Petit accused Lewis of holding |
| 1:33.9 | off-site secret meetings without informing key university leadership, adopting a posture of secrecy and |
| 1:39.8 | hostility toward the board and the administration. And he also claimed, most disturbingly, that Lewis |
| 1:45.5 | interfered with the reporting of a sexual harassment case to the school's designated Title IX |
| 1:49.9 | coordinator, among other things. Pettett threatened to resign if Lewis remained in office, |
| 1:55.3 | and of course, about a week later, he did. In a surprising turn of events, on April 6, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Eric Skwarczynski, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Eric Skwarczynski and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.