Joel Hunter
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Joel Carl Hunter (born April 18, 1948, in
Shelby, Ohio Shelby is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located northwest of the city of Mansfield, Ohio, Mansfield, it is part of the Mansfield metropolitan area. The population was 9,282 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. His ...
) is a pastor and author. He is the author of ''A New Kind of Conservative'' (Regal 2008), ''Church Distributed'' (Distributed Press 2008) and ''Inner State 80: Your Journey on the High Way'' (Higher Life 2009). Hunter accepted the presidency of the Christian Coalition in 2006, but resigned before taking the office.Fitzgerald, Francis (30 June 2008), "The New Evangelicals," The New Yorker He delivered the closing benediction on the final day of the
2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform an ...
.


Early life and education

Hunter was born April 18, 1948, in
Shelby, Ohio Shelby is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located northwest of the city of Mansfield, Ohio, Mansfield, it is part of the Mansfield metropolitan area. The population was 9,282 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. His ...
. His parents were Wilbur Hunter, a decorated
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...
, and Jean Hunter, a homemaker. When his father died in 1952, he spent much of his time with his maternal grandparents, Lena and Carl Bashore. He graduated from Shelby High School in 1966. He then attended
Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...
. While there, he became involved in the civil rights movement. In April 1968, after the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:05& ...
, he had a crisis of faith and felt called into ministry. He graduated from Ohio University with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree in education. He then attended
Christian Theological Seminary Christian Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary related to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It provides five degree-level education courses, three dual-degree programs, a Doctor of Minist ...
in
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, in 1970, and received his
Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...
in 1973. After starting towards his
Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (DMin) is a doctorate in religious ministry. It often includes an original research component, and may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in ministry. It is categorized as an advanced doctoral de ...
degree, he took his first church appointment as a youth minister at Bradley
United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...
in
Greenfield, Indiana Greenfield is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Indiana, United States. It lies in Center and Brandywine townships and is part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The population was 23,488 at the 2020 census. Greenfield was a ...
. There he met his wife, Becky. He stayed at Bradley for one year, and then became a minister at Southport United Methodist and remained there until obtaining his Doctor of Ministry degree in 1974. His thesis, in the field of culture and personality, was about equipping people for ministry.


Career

After graduation, he became pastor at Mount Auburn United Methodist Church in Greenwood. In 1985, Hunter moved to Northland Community Church in
Longwood, Florida Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,087 at the 2020 census. History With the advent of World War II, grow ...
. He stepped down in October, 2017. Hunter delivered the closing benediction on the final day of the
2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform an ...
,Van Biema, David (6 November 2008), "Who Is Joel Hunter, and Why Is Obama Praying with Him?," Time prayed with Senator Obama on the day of the 2008 presidential election and offered a blessing for President-elect Obama at the Pre-Inaugural Worship Service at St. John's Church on January 22, 2009.Branigin, William (20 January 2009), "Obama Sworn in as 44th President of U.S.," The Washington Post On February 5, 2009, he was appointed to the
White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavele ...
.The White House: Office of the Press Secretary (5 February 2009). "Obama Announces White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships." Press release. Retrieved 25 October 2009. In April 2011, he was named a member of the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations. Hunter served in the inaugural year on the Advisory Council for the
White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavele ...
(2009–2010), which advised President Barack Obama on substantive policy issues including interfaith relations, strengthening the role of fathers in society, and reducing the number of abortions. On October 2, 2020, Hunter officially endorsed
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
for President of the United States. On December 13, 2022, he traveled to the White House to witness the signing of the
Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress in 2022 and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal ...
. In 2023, he accepted the position of Pastor of Community Benefit at Action Church in
Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,795 according to the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was foun ...
.


Evangelical Climate Initiative

Hunter was asked in February 2006 to sign the Evangelical Climate Initiative, a document recognizing
global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...
based on the findings of the
Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
-winning
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to "provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies". The World Met ...
(IPCC). Fellow signatories included
Rick Warren Richard Duane Warren (born January 28, 1954) is an American evangelical Christian pastor and author. He is the founder of Saddleback Church, an evangelical Baptists, Baptist megachurch in Lake Forest, California. Since 2022, he serves as execut ...
, the presidents of 39 Christian colleges, and the president of the
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
. In 2006, he was asked to host a TV advertisement by the group . In 2006 and 2008, Hunter was invited to
symposium In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...
s on creation care at
Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...
. He has since been named by
Grist Magazine ''Grist'' (originally ''Grist Magazine''; also referred to as Grist.org) is an American non-profit online magazine founded in 1999 that publishes environmental news and commentary. ''Grists tagline is "Climate. Justice. Solutions." ''Grist'' ...
as one of the Top 15 Religious Leaders in Creation Care, along with
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
and the
Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
.


Personal life

Married to Becky Gaylene Beeson in 1972, the Hunters raised three sons, have seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.


References


External links

http://joelhunter.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Joel 1948 births Living people People from Shelby, Ohio People from Longwood, Florida American United Methodist clergy Ohio University alumni Activists from Ohio