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JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 7, 2022 — John Jeter Hurt, 51����'s president from 1932-1945, helped save the university during two of the nation’s largest crises, Justin Wainscott told students Feb. 4 during Union’s annual Founders’ Day chapel service that marked the school’s 199th anniversary.

Wainscott, assistant professor of Christian ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said as Hurt began his Union presidency in the midst of the Great Depression, the Union Board of Trustees was preparing to declare the university bankrupt. Many were shocked at Hurt’s decision to leave the pastorate of a thriving church, First Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn., to become president of a school in such bad financial shape.

“They were on the verge of shutting the doors, but Hurt’s optimism, leadership and sacrificial service really helped keep the school moving forward,” Wainscott said. “It’s not an exaggeration to say we owe our thanks to John Jeter Hurt for the very survival of 51����.”

James Baggett, author of “So Great a Cloud of Witnesses,” said Hurt would become a “Moses figure,” leading Union out of the wilderness during the nation’s struggle for survival.

However, such provision did not come without sacrifice, Wainscott said. The faculty voted to accept 20 percent pay cuts, and some Union professors took “IOUs” instead of a paycheck until Union was back on stable financial footing.

Remarkably, when Hurt retired in 1945, 51���� had paid off a quarter million-dollar debt and was officially declared debt-free.

“Just as God faithfully provided for his people in the wilderness, so God was faithful to provide for Union during these wilderness years under Hurt,” Wainscott said. “Those of us who have come after him really do owe him a debt of gratitude for his service to this institution.”

Hurt also valued quality Christian scholarship and dedicated his presidency to hiring excellent, competent faculty. Under Hurt’s leadership, Union was granted the Southern Association of Colleges accreditation, ensuring students received the best quality education. Wainscott said in many ways, Hurt’s emphasis of having top-notch faculty led to the academic excellence Union possesses today.

Wainscott concluded by offering three brief lessons from Hurt’s testimony.

First, Wainscott challenged the audience that “piety is not a substitute for learning.” Hurt believed Union’s diplomas represented certificates of intellectual integrity. Wainscott said Hurt wanted students to love God with all their heart and soul, but he also believed Union students should love God with all their minds — meaning students should work hard and be challenged in their education.

Second, Wainscott said “orthodoxy is not a license for arrogance.” Christian education should be marked with sound doctrine, Wainscott said, but scholarship should also be marked by humility and charity. Hurt criticized the theologians of his day, saying their theology was so rigid, the tenderness and the sweetness of the gospel was squeezed out. Therefore, Wainscott challenged students not to let the pursuit of higher education and orthodoxy result in arrogance and division.

Wainscott concluded by saying “uncertainty is not an excuse for unbelief.” Hurt knew the Lord was calling him to the daunting task of leading Union during the Great Depression and World War II, but even in the face of much uncertainty, Hurt still believed in the God who led Israel out of the wilderness.

“They were literally just trying to keep the lights turned on, and here we are today — less than 100 years later — as one of the finest Christian institutions of higher learning in all the country,” Wainscott said. “I bet [Hurt] couldn’t have even imagined we would be where we are, and yet, he just faithfully persevered.”

To watch the 2022 Founders’ Day chapel address, visit .