Ted Haggard – reaction on god-blogs

Most of my readers are going to look at the story below and ask “Who is Ted Haggard?” which is a fair question.

He matters to 14 thousand people that attend his church in Colorado Springs and he matters to the millions in the US he led under the National Association of Evangelicals.

And his actions and words matter to gay people because he has come out so strongly in favour of laws that would deny them rights. (Colorado Amendment 14 for example) He also received some recent media attention for an appearance in an award winning documentary Jesus Camp and his subsequent back peddling. Haggard, while stepping down, initially denied some of the charges.

Mr. Haggard, 50, resigned from the national association and stepped aside as head pastor of the 14,000 member New Life Church on Thursday, one day after a former male prostitute in Denver said in television and radio interviews that he had had a three-year sexual relationship with Mr. Haggard. Mr. Haggard, who is married and has five children, had initially denied the accusation, saying in a television interview: “I am steady with my wife. I’m faithful to my wife.”

He also said he had never met the man making the accusation.

Haggard told KUSA news he had never used drugs, smoked or drank.

CNN is reporting this:

Rev. Ted Haggard, who resigned as one of the nation’s top evangelical leaders, admitted Friday he had contacted male prostitute Mike Jones “for a massage” and bought drugs from him.

Haggard said he never had sex with Jones and never used the methamphetamine drug he bought.

He told reporters earlier this week that he did not know Jones, who claims to have had a three-year sex-for-money relationship with him.

This story broke fast, and his church New Life in Colorado Springs has not updated their website. As you can see from the post below, an email went out to the congregation, and an assistant minister went on local TV last night to state some of the accusations were true.
So far, Mike Jones, the 49 year old from Denver who went public has been clear, and organizations Haggard headed need to be doing likewise. Jones took a lie detector test as he stated he would do, examiners say he partially failed probably due to exhaustion from the media attention and  they would re-administer it when things quieted down.

It is doubtful when the church is clear in their own statement peoples opinions will be changed, but the waters swirling around a public figure will be clearer.  As you can see from the post below, an email went out to the congregation last night, and an assistant minister went on local TV to state some of the accusations were true.

That has fueled speculation.
Media has been swarming around the Haggard home like bees. 
The church needs to be up front about Haggard’s confession and their decisions because he is a national political figure.
The National Association of Evangelicals needs to state what they are going to do in their leadership shuffle.

The Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs at the evangelical association, said the group’s 15-member executive board would meet today to decide whether to accept the resignation.

The evangelical association states on its Web site that homosexual sex is condemned by Scripture, and Mr. Haggard has advocated passage of an amendment to the United States Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

Some of the evangelical blogs in the US discussing this story are:

Mark Byron
In the Agora
Jolly Blogger
The Thinklings
Imitatio Christi
LaShawn Barber
Pryomaniacs

Bartholomew’s Notes on Religion looks at the possible reasons for the meth and Jones role as a personal trainer and massage artist.

Update: Ted Haggard has been fired from New Life Church in Colorado Springs for sexual misconduct. This email (via Non-Prophet) was sent to church members today.

Dear New Lifers and friends of New Life Church,

This is the press release from the Board of Overseers that will be released to the media this afternoon. We want you to know first what the actions of the overseers are going to be.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Ted and his family and let’s all continue to stand strong together for the kingdom of God. We will get through this together. Remember, New Life Church has never been a man, or a building or anything else–we are a family.

Pastor Ross

The church has a press release up on it’s decision, and Haggard has been taken off the church website with the exception of his books. The National Association of Evangelicals put up a press release yesterday accepting Haggard’s resignation as President.
And possession of methamphetamine  is a Class 4 felony in the state, although there may need to be physical evidence and a statute of limitations may apply:

Schedule II Drugs
(e.g., cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, opium, morphine)

Possession, Class 4 Felony
Prison term 2 to 6 years and/or fine of $2,000 to $500,000

Jones supposedly sold him drugs, dealing has an even stiffer penalty.