NAMB PR VP Mike Ebert emerges as key witness in McRaney v. NAMB
What will NAMB’s PR guy say in a deposition Wednesday? Much could hang on that—including the reputations of NAMB and its president Kevin Ezell. NAMB VP Mike Ebert is scheduled to sit for a deposition Wednesday in Atlanta. A key area lawyers will probe is if Ebert changed NAMB records on the order of Kevin Ezell.
As we reported Friday evening, respected Southern Baptist Bill Barker filed an affidavit with federal court that contained several bombshell allegations against Ezell. Among the allegations were that Ezell used NAMB money to control state conventions and used NAMB resources to carry out personal vendettas against Ezell’s enemies. Also, Barker charged Ezell with ordering Ebert to change video recordings—to erase unflattering rants made by Ezell. No doubt, this allegation will feature in the deposition.
Deleting history appears to be how NAMB operates.
As we reported in early February, a NAMB VP and state convention executive director was involved in some type of “marital indiscretions.” NAMB responded by deleting the VP’s name from a 2022 press release. As we documented, you can compare the current version of the webpage with an archived version.
Erasing the past. How very Orwellian.
So, lawyers in the case may very well wonder if NAMB edits webpages, what else does NAMB have Mike Ebert erasing?
In addition to erasing, NAMB likes to suppress reporting.
Ebert attempted to intimidate a reporter covering sex abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. Joni Hannigan, a Southern Baptist and sex abuse survivor, wrote an analysis about the SBC’s response to sex abuse and mentioned the issue of Clergy-Penitent Privilege. When a pastor, Ezell once claimed that to avoid testifying before a Kentucky grand jury.
Lawyers will no doubt be interested in finding out if Ebert’s attempt to intimidate Hannigan came on the orders of Kevin Ezell.
Lawyers representing sex abuse clients might also want to know the answer—since Guidepost Solutions knew about this allegation and declined to include it its report on the SBC’s response to sex abuse. Weird.
What will Mike Ebert say under oath on Wednesday? It must make NAMB nervous. And given the broader implications of NAMB’s conducts, ought to worry everyone in the SBC.