Ted Haggard - Some of the Accusations are True

I realize that the Ted Haggard story is the hottest thing in the news right now.  The story is so new and fresh that I hope some restraint in reporting and commenting until more is known.  I first heard about this last night when Glenn Lucke e-mailed me about it.  Apparently a gay male escort has accused Haggard of having sex with him over an extended period of time and he also used methamphetamines.  This is big news as Haggard is the pastor of one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America, is friends with James Dobson and many in the religious right, and is president of the large and politically powerful National Association of Evangelicals. This is an especially explosive story since it breaks on the eve of the 2006 elections and because of Haggard's opposition to same-sex marriage.

While watching the Louisville - WVa football game I did a little surfing around for info and as of last night Haggard was denying the allegations and James Dobson had come to his defense and had gone on the attack against the accuser and others who were believing the accuser.

This morning things have changed - Haggard admits that at least some, but not all, of the acccusations are true. We don't know which ones yet, maybe the drug charges are true and the sex charges are not, maybe some of the sex charges, but not all, are true.  We'll have to wait and see.

On the one hand, the accuser is an admitted drug user, admits he has political motivations in revealing this right now and he failed a lie detector test this morning.  On the other hand, the administrator of the lie detector test is not convinced the guy is lying, and a voice analyst found several exact matches between Ted Haggard's voice and voice males left on the accuser's phone.

In any case, this reveals issues that go beyond just the present issue and I want to digress into some of these now.

Phil Johnson has already weighed in on this speaking of the damage it will cause to the religious right, and not only to them, but to all evangelical ministries.  But Phil thinks this goes much deeper:

The back-story here includes just about everything wrong with 21st-century "evangelicalism." This was the top leader of the largest organization representing America's old-guard evangelical core. The movement (not everyone associated with it, of course, but the drift of the movement as a whole) long ago sold out eternal values for more pragmatic and temporal concerns: political power, contemporary fashions, public opinion, and a lopsided moral agenda.

While I didn't read this story with quite the degree of apocalypticism that Phil has, I certainly can see some huge fallout from it.  Here's my two cents:

1. Does it really  surprise anyone that Christians aren't able to live up to the moral standards they profess to believe.  King David couldn't, the apostle Peter couldn't, the apostle Paul couldn't (Romans 7 anyone?).  So why should we be surprised when someone like Ted Haggard has such a fall?

2. In light of the above, this illustrates the folly of Christians who campaign on a platform of moral authority. Morality is a very "law based" thing, and as Romans 8:3ff illustrate, law (and moral standards?) is uniquely ill-equipped to combat sin. 

3. In light of both of the above the thing that distinguishes Christians from others is not our moral superiority or moral authority, it is our identity as recipients of grace.

4. Christians are never perfect, but nor are we merely "just forgiven" as the old bumper sticker says.  We are forgiven, but the grace that forgives also enables us to say no to sin, and our lives, including our moral lives, are necessarily improving.  Yet, we are always simul justus et peccator as the old theologians used to say, simultaneously justified and sinful.  While we are always to be growing in grace, we are always to be reminded of the presence of and battle with indwelling sin.

5. In my own humble opinion, this may partially explain some of these "falls" we see.  Moral crusaders tend to see sin as something external to the individual, so their lives get wrapped up in building external restraints against sin.  I wonder if they lose sight of the fact that the greatest battle with sin in our day is the battle with the sin in their own hearts?

6. This does not negate civic responsibility.  I am not sure, but this may be a place where I diverge a bit with Phil Johnson, but I do think there is a proper place for Christian civic responsibility and Christian involvement in politics. But such involvement is based on love of neighbor and a desire to promote the common civic good, not Christian triumphalism or any misguided notion that law, apart from grace, can really restrain sin in the larger society.

7.  Back to #5 - I sometimes wonder if the moral crusaders make proper use of the means of grace.  I don't want to overstate my case here because, as I mentioned before with the apostle Paul, use of the means of grace does not guarantee you will never sin. I am quite sure Paul made use of the means of grace yet he still had the Romans 7 struggle with sin.  But when I think about people like Ted Haggard, and the Mike Trout's and Gil Moegerle's and John Paulk's of the world, I see people who probably spend lots of time travelling, speaking and engaging in worthwhile ministries.  But I wonder how often they were away from a home church on Sundays before their falls.  I wonder if they were in a small group or Sunday School class where they were fed the Word of God and could develop deep relationships with fellow believers who could love them and pray for them and hold them accountable.  I wonder if, in prep for their speaking engagements and other ministry opportunities, they gave greater attention to the pressing issues of the day than to the Word of God.  Maybe they did, but I do wonder.

8. And bringing this all back around, the upshot of everything  I have said is simply this - Christian engagement with the world (whether political, social, evangelisitc or otherwise) is not based on a position of moral authority.  It is based on grace. Our "common ground" or "bridge" to a non-Christian world is our shared humanity, our shared sin nature, not our moral excellence.  Again, I hope we are growing in moral excellence, but we are just too sinful to ever make that our platform or basis for engagement.

I also hope that we Christians will now be diligent not to act as if we have some kind of moral superiority over Ted Haggard.  If these accusations are proven to be true it will indeed be tragic, and there will indeed be legitimate fallout, and Christians will indeed need to take the lead in disciplining him, and restoring him as a brother as far as possible.

But lets also be careful that we not assume some moral superiority to, or moral authority over, Ted Haggard.  Those of us who do not base our ministries on moral superiority and moral authority may feel morally superior to those who do.  We may feel morally superior because we rely on grace not moral superiority.

The truth is, I am Ted Haggard, we are all Ted Haggard, and Ted Haggard is all of us.  And may God have mercy me, on Ted and on all of us.

Update - just as I was finishing this I got an e-mail from Josh Claybourn who has written an excellent post on not confusing Christianity with the misdeeds of Christians.

Comments

[AJ]

This well written article re the Ted Haggard scandal is copied and pasted from the UK "Ekklesia" website.

There is also a rather worrying article on the UK "Ship of Fools" website about their Mystery Worshipper's visit to TH's Church in Colorado Springs.

All vey bizarre for non-US American evangelicals to comprehend let alone anyone else!!

Haggard revelation exposes evangelical confusion about sexuality -08/11/06

By Simon Barrow

[News and Comment]

For some church leaders it proved a moment of pain and sorrow, for other observers an occasion of barely disguised schadenfreude at the embarrassment of the moral right – the Rev Ted Haggard, leader of the 30 million-strong US National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has admitted to having gay sex.

The scandal, in a part of the church which regards homosexuality as uncomplicatedly sinful, has absorbed acres of news print, and has featured widely on television and across the web.

Mr Haggard was promptly fired from his position as head of New Life Church in the USA after he revised his initial story. Since the NAE had put all their HQ eggs in his property basket, this has been additionally calamitous for them.

The married evangelical leader, who has supported his tradition’s vehement anti-gay stance, first tried to claim that he had simply received a few pats from a ‘masseur’ in a Denver hotel room, and that although he bought methamphetamine he “never used it”.

The defence collapsed a few days later, as Haggard talked in self-recriminatory fashion. He termed himself a “liar and a deceiver” and spoke of “a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark and I've been warring against it my entire adult life.”

But psychologists and others have suggested that the true shadow here may actually be a profound confusion and fear about sexuality within the community that shaped the hapless Mr Haggard.

Responses to the drama have been both swift and predictable. Critics have enjoyed a laugh – more at the expense of his backers than the man himself. Meanwhile a large section of the evangelical community has closed ranks around its ideology.

Typical of this approach was an editorial comment on the Christian Today website, which claimed that the affair was an “exposure of how deeply the sin of homosexuality has taken root in the American society” and that it should occasion the faithful to “look within [their] own walls and battle against the culture of sin that looms before the Church.”

Others will see such an attitude as simply an extension of the culture of repression which led to Mr Haggard’s downfall in the first place – and has condemned countless thousands of others to lives of misery, deceit and denial.

They will suggest that, instead of pulling down the shutters, it might be time for more people in the US evangelical world to raise the curtain on the moral, political and theological complexities surrounding their deep-seated revulsion towards same-sex relations.

There is evidence that this is happening in Britain, with the work of networks such as Accepting Evangelicals and the Courage Trust – who nevertheless find themselves ostracised or ignored in the ongoing life of the wider (read narrower) evangelical community.

Looking in from the outside, it is hard to understand why sexuality has become the defining issue for ‘fidelity to the truth’ in some sections of the church. Perhaps it is because it exposes us to the most joyful and grievous part of our identity.

For many Christians, it seems, amassing wealth at the expense of others or sanctioning war are no bars to recognition within the church – but forming a loving and committed relationship with someone of the same gender is.

The decisive issue, so it is claimed, is the Bible. But one wonders whether it is not more to do with an ideology about the Bible, privileging its claimants over other interpreters, than the text itself – which, like God, can be gloriously difficult to pin down.

On the one hand, the abuse of the poor and the accumulation of unjust wealth are persistently condemned throughout Scripture, and Jesus’ stand against violence in the Gospels is overwhelming. But in these matters, quite a number of those who claim the Bible as their highest authority observe it more in the breach.

However when it comes to a handful of texts which outlaw certain same-sex acts – in the setting of ancient purity codes, abuse, tribal survival and cultic prostitution, rather than modern partner-relations – those same people are prepared to condemn utterly, and to tolerate no alternative argument.

What seems to have been marginalised in this distorted biblicism is the evangel, the good news itself. The Christian message is that the Word became flesh, not concrete. Followers of Jesus are people of a person before they are people of a book.

The function of the texts is to point to that person (who said nothing about homosexuality, but much about welcoming the outcast), not to become a leaden substitute.

Matters of contested meaning require wisdom and sensitivity within the vulnerable community called into Christ’s shape, not inflexibility.

It was dogmatic certainty that enabled many of the righteous to justify slavery on thoroughly ‘biblical’ grounds for hundreds of years - until the deeper pattern of the Spirit became irresistible. Now these same texts that condemned people to mass suffering are seen in a quite different light.

It would be a real sign of hope if at least some around Ted Haggard began to show a willingness to ask questions of themselves (not just him), and to wonder whether their leaders might not have to seek sad moments of seedy gratification if there was a deeper theology of faithful human relationships available to them.

As for Mr Haggard himself, well it seems that he was beginning to move before his ‘fall’. He was a hard-line opponent of gay marriage, an advocate of creationism, and a friend of the White House, for sure. But he also opposed some of the more extreme attempts at homophobic legislation in Texas. And he tried to get evangelicals to embrace a more generous environmental agenda.

These were gestures toward a new tenderness in the midst of what turned out to be overwhelming personal disturbance and turmoil.

It is these signs, Christians in the wider church are likely to believe, not the obvious crashing of heroes from pedestals, which point American evangelicals away from their current head-on clash with both reality and a broader biblical vision

[MiMi]

Hey Darrly, Your points are accepted....but why do Christian condemn sinners and ban them from the Church!
If Ted Haggard can be forgiven...I think All sinners should be forgiven and embraced! EVANGELICALS PLS OPEN YOUR DOORS TO GAYS AND LESBIANS.....THIS IS MY PRAYER...WE ARE ALL HUMAN!

[MiMi]

I have no problem with Ted Haggard, I just hope this will teach all of us (evangelicals) a lesson...never point finger at gay person or sinner! I often wonder where evangelicals get the idea about segregating gays, lesbians and sinners. We have to welcome them into our churches and arena. Jesus embraced ALL sinners...so we must! If we don't we will find/read more of new happenings like- Ted Haggard's....His fall came because of pride..sin is sin...Why demean gays in public but join them in Private?
We must open our doors to all sinners....b/c everyone is a sinner-Yes evangelicals must accept every one even gay members!

[Ryan]

Anyone here never sinned against God or any other person? Anyone here never lied or look lusty for a woman or a man? If never please throw a stone at Mr. Tedd Haggard. Romans 3:23 explains everything we are. Don't try to justify or judge others because you will be judge. We are all sinners and Jesus came for all of us. Some have hidden sins, hidden stuff within the heart only God knows that. Pray for Haggard and please pray for yourselves as well. We all need Jesus and his blood to cover all sins.

[Marc Adams]

An Open Letter to Ted Haggard

November 2006

Dear Ted,

There comes a time in every man's life where his true character is allowed to show. I've never met you but from the events over the past years of your life, it would be safe for me to say that this is your time.

Struggling with being gay is nothing new. In fact, for millions of people around the world, through every place and time, people have struggled to understand their homosexuality.

The most common reaction to this fight is to find something to blame for the struggle. As a former fundamentalist Baptist Christian, I struggled for many years as a young gay man. I was taught that my family structure, coupled with my inability to resist Satan was the cause for my giving in to homosexuality.

It was much easier for me to find something to blame my homosexuality on than to look into my heart and find that being gay was as much a reflection of my true self as my sister's heterosexuality was a reflection of her true self.

This is your moment for you to show your true character; to stand and be a real man and learn how to accept yourself and respect yourself as you are.

Reparative/restorative therapy does not work. You can convince yourself, your family and friends that you have changed your behavior over time. In fact, you can manipulate your brain enough to actually believe that your faith in God will help you with overcoming what you view as a sin.

Your own personal history has already shown that regardless of your faith, regardless of your desire to be a heterosexual and regardless of your attempts to build a heterosexual life, you are not a heterosexual.

Discovering that is not a reason for sorrow, remorse or shame. Rather, it is a time to reflect, count your blessings and find a way to move into a place of self acceptance.

You may want to try reparative/restorative therapy since it has already begun for you. But keep in mind as you go through the process, that while your family, church, accountability partners and others may not see your reality, every single person who has ever struggled to find a place of self acceptance knows exactly what you are going through. We know what it is you will be thinking about when you are alone. We know how easy it is to think about ending your life rather than moving into a place of self acceptance.

Believe it or not, your struggle, and the recent events regarding your removal from religious leadership can be the catalyst that allows you to be a real man and stand for what you know in your heart has always been true and real for you.

Instead of continuing the charades and duality in your life (yes, many of us have lived that way as well), you can begin your life anew. A life lived honestly and with confidence is the best life to live.

Forgiveness for your past of deception and your deadly anti-gay words is fairly easy to come by. But you have to take that first step, which is honesty.

You are not alone.

Over the past ten years, HeartStrong has helped many hundreds of people who have attended religious schools like yourself. And, we are here to help you now.

Your friend on the journey,

Marc Adams
marc@meetmarcadams.com

[Marc Adams]

An Open Letter to Ted Haggard

November 2006

Dear Ted,

There comes a time in every man's life where his true character is allowed to show. I've never met you but from the events over the past years of your life, it would be safe for me to say that this is your time.

Struggling with being gay is nothing new. In fact, for millions of people around the world, through every place and time, people have struggled to understand their homosexuality.

The most common reaction to this fight is to find something to blame for the struggle. As a former fundamentalist Baptist Christian, I struggled for many years as a young gay man. I was taught that my family structure, coupled with my inability to resist Satan was the cause for my giving in to homosexuality.

It was much easier for me to find something to blame my homosexuality on than to look into my heart and find that being gay was as much a reflection of my true self as my sister's heterosexuality was a reflection of her true self.

This is your moment for you to show your true character; to stand and be a real man and learn how to accept yourself and respect yourself as you are.

Reparative/restorative therapy does not work. You can convince yourself, your family and friends that you have changed your behavior over time. In fact, you can manipulate your brain enough to actually believe that your faith in God will help you with overcoming what you view as a sin.

Your own personal history has already shown that regardless of your faith, regardless of your desire to be a heterosexual and regardless of your attempts to build a heterosexual life, you are not a heterosexual.

Discovering that is not a reason for sorrow, remorse or shame. Rather, it is a time to reflect, count your blessings and find a way to move into a place of self acceptance.

You may want to try reparative/restorative therapy since it has already begun for you. But keep in mind as you go through the process, that while your family, church, accountability partners and others may not see your reality, every single person who has ever struggled to find a place of self acceptance knows exactly what you are going through. We know what it is you will be thinking about when you are alone. We know how easy it is to think about ending your life rather than moving into a place of self acceptance.

Believe it or not, your struggle, and the recent events regarding your removal from religious leadership can be the catalyst that allows you to be a real man and stand for what you know in your heart has always been true and real for you.

Instead of continuing the charades and duality in your life (yes, many of us have lived that way as well), you can begin your life anew. A life lived honestly and with confidence is the best life to live.

Forgiveness for your past of deception and your deadly anti-gay words is fairly easy to come by. But you have to take that first step, which is honesty.

You are not alone.

Over the past ten years, HeartStrong has helped many hundreds of people who have attended religious schools like yourself. And, we are here to help you now.

Your friend on the journey,

Marc Adams
marc@meetmarcadams.com

[Lex]

David, no, we are NOT all Ted Haggard. To suggest otherwise is simplistic and dangerous nonsense.

To use the power of government to deny others those rights we would arrogate for ourselves is sin, perhaps the most grievous possible violation of Christ's second great commandment. To do so in the name of God is blasphemy, the unforgivable sin.

Ted Haggard never understood those two simple facts.

[dopdebeck]

Wow David -- I wrote about this before I saw your piece, but you said it much better than me. Spot on.

[C]

I'm saddened that his family has to go through this. What I don't understand is people saying "oh its his personal life leave him alone." Well isn't the legislation he supports an invasion into the personal lives of other gay people? Why the double standard? The Bible says "judge not, lest ye be judged." We have seen that come to fuition.

[Dotti Berry]

I feel sad for Ted Haggard, and all those who have been impacted. It emphasizes the deeper problem in our society of culturally denying parts of ourself that are not bad or shameful, but that have been taught to be so. Rather than being empowered with living authentically, we submerge our true selves (to please others and be who/what they want us to be). Then, we find ourselves speaking one way and behaving another, flying a red flag of one who "protests too loudly" in order to navigate away from truth. Before passing judgment, however, we might look deeper to determine how our own past denials (about anything) might have contributed to the environment in our society where people such as Jim West (former mayor of Spokane who has since died), Jim McGreevey (fromer NJ governor who resigned), Mark Foley (who resigned from Congress), and Ted Haggard, were impacted by the climate we have all been a part of building each time we move further away from living as our authentic selves. How we do help those who have been impacted (on all sides), and help them to begin to heal and live authentic lives such as Jim McGreevey is now doing? True, he, like the others was "forced out," but should that be held against them? Unfortunately, the cost of internal homonegativity, still perpetuated in many ways in society, takes an inner toil against the spirit.

We might consider seeking a compassionate and forgiving stance (while still holding a person to accountability), rather than a judging stance, asking ourselves: "Have I ever had my words and actions not match?" And, "What was beneath the submersion of my authentic self?" The stuffing of our authentic self and not "speaking our truth" often leads to withdrawal of emotions, leading to numbing of self. This, in turn, often leads to inappropriate choices under the circumstances. The cover-up and deception then has its own cost and consequences.

May we each endeavor to lift up, not tear down, one another. The intention of our year long journey, Gay Into Straight America, (begun on September 11, 2005) was to engage hearts and minds, create authentic connections, and dissolve differences that separate us as we reached out to bridge the divide regarding people's understanding of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons. We began each newsletter like this...You can't hate someone whose story you know. Dare to know someone different. Two Women & a Poodle (Dott Berry, Robynne Sapp, and Rylee Joy)...www.GayIntoStraightAmerica.com

[pia]

I'm not Christian so I feel that I have no right to an opinion--can't judge on allegations and I won't. It does bother me that I feel as if only Christians have that right as we're all American, but religion has become so divisive

As a Jew I never felt less than (religious-wise) until I began to blog

Many bloggers never mention their religion I can't do that

Haggard's guilt or innocence shouldn't be about religion, but many things in this country are

[slaveofone]

I don't have a problem with meth, I don't have a problem with someone struggling with homosexuality. In some instances, I don't have a problem with a person's homosexuality at all. What I DO have a problem with is when a Christian is confronted and lies or attempts deceit about it. You into pornography--say so. You into drugs--admit it. You committed adultery--own up. Take a stand for what you already are standing in/on/or behind. But don't you DARE try to tell me anything about faith and then deny what your lifestile and actions are. You can @#$% guys and you can @#$% around with drugs, but don't you @#$% with me!

[will Pavone]

Im deeply sadden for this mans family and church family. The presence of indwelling sin in the life of a Christian is very real and needs to be addressed more from the pulpit. John Piper said "the evidence that you are a true Christian is not that you become perfect but that you hate your imperfections (sin) and are making war on them. (by the power of the Holy Spirit) John Owen said "be killing sin or it will be killing you." This generation of Christians need to read books like Owen's "the mortification of sin".

The main fight in the battel with sin is a fight to see and treasure and value the supremacy of Christ in all things. without this pursuit, any attempt to defeat sin is absolutely futile.

Oh that we would be shocked and dismayed at the pervasivness of our sin and how it belittles the glory of God.

one last thing: I went on-line and listened to Haggards sermon from last week and in his opening prayer he prayed this: "Father, I pray that lies would be exposed, I pray that deceptions would be exposed." I think the Lord answered his prayer with haste.

[trutheau]

whatever. we may all sin, but we don't go around telling others that they are going to HELL, because of their personal choices.
it is absolutely pathetic to defend ted haggard.
u suck.

[Hollywood Markus]

As for ...."The truth is, I am Ted Haggard, we are all Ted Haggard, and Ted Haggard is all of us. And may God have mercy me, on Ted and on all of us." What on earth are you talking about?? I sure as HELL aint Ted Haggard. I don't snort lines of METH of BOY WHORE cock while leading a huge flock of sheepish christians in a mega church who's policies seek to BAN GAY MARRIGE!! He is a hypocritical scumbag. Look at his wife and kids, nice one CLOSET CASE! Every ounce of suffering this twisted FAGGOT gets is deserved as he has warped the brains of so many young with his assinine "theology". You xtians crack me up...on the attack on others who don't believe, but when one of your own is shown to be a CRACK WHORE, it's all forgiveness time. Pathetic. Hypocrites.

[homeskoolyD]

pastor ted led the movement that was gettin some traction
then son hit the streets for some man-on man action
trouser snakes on the brain like some Samuel l jackson
movie found his cutie then he kept comin back son

said mike jones was so sweet he must be made by dolly madison
now he smokes so much meth the tooth fairy's at the Radisson

Yeah boyee!
fresh as last week's headlines!

[NoCavMan]

Um, Cavman - incase you didn't notice - Hovind is a "creationist" not a "notaxfraudinist" - no hypocrisy here. He doesn't hold himself up to be a superior moralist and try to stomp on the love of other people. Haggard, the point only needs further discussion for dimwits such as yourself, is loudly and publicly campaigning against the love and families of gay Coloradans while he practices (albeit in a twisted and out-of-ordinary way) the very thing he's famous for condemning. Clearly a bigger story.

[WJ]

You link to an article in your post with the words "the accuser is an admitted drug user, admits he has political motivations in revealing this right now", yet nowhere in this article is your assertion of his political motivations backed up, hmmmm? I wonder why this is? And I wonder why you chose to frame the link this way? Must be an innocent mistake on your part.
I did see that th moral compass James Dobson accuses the man of having political motivations, but that can't be what you meant with the above mentioned link now, can it?

[Hans]

My home fellowship is studying Romans. The words of Romans 2 sure do hit home at a time like this. In particular vs. 24:
"For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.' "

[Mickey Finn]

"Oh ye hypocrites" Jesus taught that the law of love trumped everything. Is this the creed that Haggard preached? It's just more hypocrisy to cite the Great Law when Haggard and the rest of his ilk have demonstrated a complete disregard for that law.

[Christinewjc]

My take on this issue:

Church Scandals Cause Immense Harm

[Ralph Marconi]

For a satirical news analysis of Haggard in light of Clinton, check out:
http://demergent.blogspot.com/2006/11/pastor-ted-haggard-i-didnt-relax.html

[bradley Shaw]

"Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?" Heb 10:28 This is not just an issue to contemplate about modern evangelicalism. This is serious sin and destructive to the church in its purpose to give glory to God. We have to have God's perspective on this. For a person to be representing the testimony the gospel of Jesus Christ and His death in payment for sin and His glorious resurrection and decide to walk in sin because his is curious about it, God says that's just like you have wiped your feet on the death of His Son. You have insulted the Spirit of grace. It is like you have spit in His face. All that awaits you is the full fury of the vengeance of the living God. Wake up!

[Dave Taylor]

You said, "But let's also be careful that we not assume some moral superiority to, or moral authority over, Ted Haggard."

It struck me that the quote from Phil Johnson is a perfect example of this (and yes, I did follow the link and read all of his post).

It's beyond me how somehow can use the occasion of the moral failure of a prominent leader as a springboard to vent about the things he did. When Noah disgraced himself, two of his three sons dealt with his condition discreetly (Gen. 10:20-23). They didn't see his sin as the perfect opportunity to get their own message out.

Stop and take a deep breath. Exactly how does Ted Haggard embody all the sins of 21st century evangelicalism? What clear chain of causation is there between Christian political involvement and Haggard's sin? This is blog discussion at its absolute worst; it's tactless, opportunistic, tone-deaf and sounds more like Pat Robertson on a bad day.

[rat-terrier]

What a crack-up...this stuff is just too funny. Everybody's writing as if there is some established moral context here. Yeah, a moral structure built upon the centuries-old folk tales of primitive peoples. Never mind that much of it directly contradicts the respect for individuals which forms the actual basis of modern western civilization, and that much of it contradicts fundamental scientific principles which form the basis of modern western affluence and understanding. This is a legitimate moral discussion, and not merely commentary on some noted inconsistency in the rules established by children for playing cowboys-and-indians.

[wfseube]

Boy, David, what did you do to get all the moonbats and whackos into your blog today??

A few of the posters have alluded to this, and I'll put in my two cents: It all boils down to one word: hypocrisy. That is what is at issue here. Not us baaad old conservative Christians. Not homosexuality. Not drugs. It's about people who say one thing and do another. We're all guilty of it - it's part of being a fallen human sinner. Unfortunately, some public figures don't seem to realize a) they need to be PARTICULARLY aware of their hypocrisy, and b) they WILL eventually get caught, and when they do, it's the end of their ministry and damaging to that of many others.

----
bill

[bradley Shaw]

So, if a Christian is supposed to be saved from sin, and practices sin because he is just so curious about sin, that to experince sin is more important than to please and give glory to God, is he really truely a Christian? How can someone who is in Christ, a new creation in Christ, and saved from sin, but continue to walk in sin - mocking the name of Christ and the very idea of holiness? I am not Ted Haggard and true Christians do not practice sin. Because of His grace and mercy, we are new creatures in Christ and reflect His purity and holiness because He lives through us for His glory. I really am saved from sin, and though I accidently fail him and others sometimes, I experience victory from sin because of the power of His Holy Spirit. I can't walk in sin, but I live to please my savior and Lord because I have His love for Him, in me. 1 john 3:6

[cavman]

I suspect that our particular areas of concern, or outrage, reveal more about our hearts than some of us may be comfortable admitting.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We can call his actions wrong. But so are many of ours. If we say we do not sin (in thought, word, or deed) we lie and the truth is not in us (1 John 1). This is why confessing our sins to one another (James 5) is so important. When we keep people out of our lives, live in secret, we lose a reality check and the Evil One is able to continue ensnaring us. The specifics may be different, but the result is the same.

[c'mon now]

Ted Haggard has 1460 news articles about him.

http://news.google.com/nwshp?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&ncl=http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/nation/15924898.htm

Meanwhile notorious creationist Kent Hovind's conviction yesterday for tax fraud goes virtually unnoticed. Only 31 stories.

http://news.google.com/nwshp?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&q=hovind

More about Hovind:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Hovind

[Eli Rabett]

You know the Lord will forgive almost any sin against him, but only will forgive sins against others that have been acknowledged and apologized for, and sometimes the apology must be abject. It is never enough to say I have sinned, forgive me o Lord when you have sinned against others.

In this case when someone has beaten on others unmercifully (and I use that word with meaning) only for us to discover that he himself has behaved in the manner he abjured, one should not be quick to forgive. One should also reconsider the "perceived sins" of those who were villified

[Eli Rabett]

You know the Lord will forgive almost any sin against him, but only will forgive sins against others that have been acknowledged and apologized for, and sometimes the apology must be abject. It is never enough to say I have sinned, forgive me o Lord when you have sinned against others.

In this case when someone has beaten on others unmercifully (and I use that word with meaning) only for us to discover that he himself has behaved in the manner he abjured, one should not be quick to forgive. One should also reconsider the "perceived sins" of those who were villified

[Darryl]

Apologies, Josh. Perhaps I misread you.

You wrote, "My point is simply that the hypocrisy of others is not a legitimate ground to reject the truth that the hypocrite is advocating. Determine your belief in Christianity on its own merits, and not on the misdeeds of your fellow man."

I took that to say "Don't judge Christianity by the Christians." Perhaps that's not what you're saying?

[David Cho]

I completely disagree with Josh Claybourn's post on on "not confusing Christianity with the misdeeds of Christians."

His posting is right on when it comes to how we as a body of Christ should handle our fellow sinners misdeeds. Indeed we know that we ought to follow Jesus only, and what our fellow Christians do and do not do does not diminish the truth of we believe.

What Ted Haggard did or didn't do has no bearing on what on my faith, period.

But there is nothing we can do to dictate non-Christian etiquette in processing Christian misdeeds and hypocricy. Of course they do nothing to dimish the truth. You know that, and I know that. But I don't understand where we get off telling them (journalists, pundits, voters, etc) how to take this without insulting us, as Josh put it.

One of our own handed the enemy the sword. We can't dictate how they should and shouldn't wield it and somehow dictate the rules of engagement

[Russ]

I think I'm as ready for the fall of the politically-oriented religious right as I am for the electoral defeat of the Republican party. This is a tragedy, but so is much of modern evangelicalism. Philip Ryken notes at Reformation21.org that on visiting Haggard's church several years ago, the most notable aspect was the absence of the gospel, replaced by moralistic exhortations. If true (and I have no reason to doubt Ryken's assessment), Haggard should have been removed from the pulpit long ago.

[Mark McConnell]

Very sad; I hope that the worst of the allegations are not true.

Regardless, this is what is meant by "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?"

[Mark]

Pretty thoughtful, for an apologist, though how you managed to write this without using some form of the word hypocrite is beyond me. That is probably what galls most folk out there, Christian and not, lib and con, straight and gay, D and R. So you might consider addressing religious hypocrisy as a separate subject. I hesitate to suggest conclusions prior to inquiry, but my theory is that the fall of all the Ted Haggards is highly corrosive to everything its tawdry, sanctimonioius tentacles touch.

[GL]

Ben,
If you can help it, why be so vengeful?

I'm with you that hypocrisy merits its comeuppance, and every human I know gets nailed with violating their ideals at least from time to time.

If the accusations against Haggard are true I have no problem with him reaping consequences. I also have no problem with people extending mercy to him amidst those consequences.

The vehemence of your comment makes me curious... Have you ever, even once, failed to live up to your ideals?

Lastly, you mention "legislate". Are you aware of laws on the books of the United States or of your state that are not the legislation of some person's or group's values? My guess is that you are not actually against legislating values; I suspect you simply don't like it when certain people or groups legislate values you don't hold.

Consistency matters. It matters if the accusations against Haggard are true because he was being inconsistent with his professed beliefs. It also matters if you claim to be against legislating values but actually support laws that are the legislation of values. Either you're really, truly against all legislating of values (in which case you'd be against virtually all current laws) or else you are against the legislation of some values. If the latter, then you should express yourself accordingly, and not just criticize those who legislate values.

[jane]

I don't know what Ted Haggard has done or not done, but I do believe that no spiritual leader should have the power and adulation that he has had. The false teachings of the Apostolic Reformation and social agenda it entails puts one at odds with our Sovereign Lord. This is a formula for trouble.

[Enlightenment]

He bought the meth, but didn't use it. Waahahahahahahahaha. That's about as believable as...well, about as believable as the "official" 9/11 fairy tale.

[Puff]

I think #7 covers most of it, my family has had contact in passing with Ted since his storefront church days, and, everytime, my mom's comment was "he's sold out". I don't take quite the same view (as a note, he did baptize me). He seemed to have the "carrying jesus" issue that afflicts many evangelicals. I have ADD and a prescription for d-amphetamine and know the advantages: a 40 hour "day", lack of jetlag, tons of energy for crunch time. I suspect he started in on meth as a way to be more productive, not realizing how it screws with your sexuality and thought processes, and kinda slid on down from there with a manwhore supplier making it even easier.

PS Ben, Haggard was one of the more moderate of the genre, I suspect this will help the far right more than it hurts (i.e. look what happens when you're not totally orthodox)

[ben]

I cannot contain the glee I feel right now to see such a piece of shit such as Haggard who continued to harp about morals, virtues and so forth be nothing by an utter fraud. A beautiful day it is today. It is so refreshing to see the ones that want to legislate and control everyone's behavior be nothing more than a pathetic fraud.

[Joshua Claybourn]

Darryl, you write, "Christianity is not only a belief system; it is a way of life embodied in the church. We (including myself) are not doing a good job of living as disciples." I'm curious - and unsure - how that is disagreeing with my post. Please elaborate.

[GL]

Amen. May He have mercy on all of us. Two basic confessions of Christians through the last 2000 years have been "Jesus is Lord" and "Have mercy on me, a sinner."

[Darryl]

"The truth is, I am Ted Haggard, we are all Ted Haggard, and Ted Haggard is all of us. And may God have mercy me, on Ted and on all of us." Amen to that.

I don't know, however, if I agree with Josh Claybourn completely. Christianity is not only a belief system; it is a way of life embodied in the church. We (including myself) are not doing a good job of living as disciples.

I'm thinking a lot about 1 Peter 2:11-12 this week: "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." Lord have mercy on us all.