New Orleans Baptist pastor commits suicide after his name appeared on Ashley Madison list

As a Baptist pastor, John F. Gibson Jr. preached that anyone with faith in Jesus Christ could redeem himself and find forgiveness. His widow says her husband would have attained that forgiveness, from his family and anyone else who mattered.

Instead, Gibson, 56, a professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, took his own life Aug. 24, less than a week after discovering his name on a published list of account holders at Ashley Madison, a website that purports to facilitate adulterous relationships.

“I do believe that John thought if people saw his weaknesses and his flaws, they wouldn’t love him,” said his wife, 54-year-old Christi Rogers Gibson. “He didn’t seem to make that connection — that he could fail and receive the same grace that he gave others.”

The seminary would not comment directly on what Gibson’s employment status was shortly before his death, but its president said Baptist leaders are required to live according to biblical values and would be expected to step down as a result of any serious infraction.

Read more: http://theadvocate.com/news/neworleans/neworleansnews/13402443-123/new-orleans-baptist-pastor-ended