An investigation by Christianity Today into allegations of infidelity against theologian Vince Bantu reveals that Bantu had an inappropriate relationship with a student while he was a visiting professor at Covenant Theological Seminary. Covenant Seminary confronted Bantu after the student filed a Title IX complaint with the school, and Bantu confessed to the relationship and resigned his position at the seminary.
In a statement to byFaith, Covenant Seminary said Bantu was “immediately suspended from teaching classes while the Seminary conducted a thorough Title IX investigation into the matter, during which Dr. Bantu confessed his sin and repented of what he had done. In light of his repentance, we allowed Dr. Bantu to resign his position, ending his relationship with the Seminary. We also shared this information with Dr. Bantu’s church at the time, who had begun a process of church discipline.”
The inappropriate relationship also led to Bantu parting ways with the St. Louis church he was co-pastoring. He subsequently founded another church in St. Louis and asked two other Black St. Louis pastors, including PCA pastor Thurman Williams, to join him in an accountability group.
Bantu’s relationship with Covenant Seminary ended in 2018, and in 2019 he applied for a position at Fuller Theological Seminary. Covenant Seminary said in a statement that Fuller “contacted us to ask about the nature of his departure from Covenant. In the interest of full disclosure, we shared with Fuller Seminary all the details of what had happened in 2018. Our goal was to be as open as possible for the sake of all involved.”
Bantu was hired as a professor at Fuller’s Houston campus.
Beginning in 2019 Williams, Bantu, and Darren Young, a Young Life area director, met regularly when Bantu was home in St. Louis. According to Christianity Today, the ministry leaders would “talk about life and ministry and sin. They would try to set up guardrails to help each other avoid temptation. Until Bantu started to argue that one way for him to avoid sexual temptation was to marry multiple women … “
“I was just dumbfounded,” Williams told Christianity Today. Williams is on the byFaith oversight committee and now directs the homiletics program at Covenant Theological Seminary.
According to members of the accountability group, Bantu told them he was having an extramarital relationship with another student, this time one at Meachum School of Haymanot, a seminary Bantu founded to bring theological education to Black communities. They say Bantu told them he was considering polygamy and later told them he had married the student.
Bantu denies arguing in favor of polygamy. The student told Christianity Today that she denies being married to Bantu.
When Bantu refused to confess or repent, his accountability partners brought in a third pastor to witness their dispute with Bantu, according to their understanding of Matthew 18.
According to CT, the accountability group met for the last time in April 2024. Young, Williams, and Michael Byrd, the pastor who joined the group as a witness, told Bantu that he needed to confess, repent, resign from ministry, and end his secret marriage to the Meachum student.
Bantu also denies that he has a second marriage and is practicing polygamy.