Posted on 11/02/2006 2:45:28 PM PST by dogbyte12
The leader of one of Colorado's most popular mega-churches, Ted Haggard, is temporarily stepping down from his leadership role, after allegations from a male prostitute that Haggard solicited gay sex.
Haggard, the founder and senior leader of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and president of the multimillion- member National Association of Evangelicals, denied the accusations raised by the prostitute on Wednesday.
Today, a press conference by church leaders to support Haggard was cancelled shortly before it was scheduled to take place.
In stepping down, it was emphasized that Haggard did not admit any wrongdoing, but that he felt his effectiveness would be hampered by the cloud of inquiry.
Male escort Mike Jones of Denver told 9News he'd had a three-year sexual business relationship with Haggard.
Jones went public about their alleged relationship Wednesday morning on talk radio.
"People may look at me and think what I've done is immoral, but I think I had to do the moral thing in my mind and that is expose someone who is preaching one thing and doing the opposite behind everybody's back," Jones told 9News.
The station spoke to Haggard outside his home in Colorado Springs, and he fervently denied the allegations. Haggard is married and has five children.
"I've never had a gay relationship with anybody. ... I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife. I don't know if this is election-year politics or if this has to do with the marriage amendment or what it is," Haggard said.
The Denver Post could not reach Haggard for comment.
Haggard has been one of the major proponents for a state constitutional ban on gay marriage.
Mmm. Sound guilty. Hope he seeks God out in all this, he needs to worry about his soul.
LOL! I think he clearly judges some sin as worse than other sin. The punishment for all sin is the same -- death. But because the wages are the same does not mean the deeds are equal.
I doubt this is one of them.
T'were me, I'd be thundering my innocence from the pulpit, on the radio, in interviews, and so forth. Then I'd sue for defamation of character. IOW, tell 'em put up, or shut up. Best to get it all out in the open and resolve it as quickly as possible.
First off, to be clear, nothing is proven, and the Rev. Haggard should be allowed time and space to defend himself. But with that disclaimer ... it's the hypocrisy, stupid.
I know most FReepers are more hostile to homosexuals than I am, and I'm not picking that fight. As far as I'm concerned, consenting adults can do what they want in private, as long as they don't do it in the street and frighten the horses.
But the real issues are these: 1) it takes a an unparalleled lack of character to spend your days decrying homosexuals and your nights trolling for guys; and B) anyone leading that kind of double-life is a blackmail target served up on a silver platter with a sprig of parsley. Why bribe someone you can blackmail? The latter is harder to detect, more certain and far cheaper.
I hate to say it, but I have a lot more respect for Barney Frank as a man than I do for Mark Foley. Frank was, for want of a better word, frank about his sexuality. Foley did his best to hide it. One is arguably immoral but honest; the other, self-righteously moral in public while being immoral in private, which is fundamentally dishonest.
Count on it: closeted gay Republicans will be outed, one by one. Those gloves are off.
When Tom Foley took over as Speaker, a Republican group put out a release titled "Tom Foley: Out of the Liberal Closet." The release listed how often Foley had agreed with Frank on key votes. Frank, who was already in the open and had little to lose, offered to dish on which Republicans were gay, and that campaign stopped hard on its heels.
The point is, allegations of freaky sex don't hit the Democrats very hard, because they don't campaign against freaky sex. As long as the Republicans oppose freaky sex, they're going to take a much tougher hit when one of their own is caught in the act. They sow what they reap.
Scratch that. Reverse it.
I heard the show this a.m. and the guy stated that the relationsship continued after he quit the prostitution business. Sounded legit as far as the charges. The timing was to affect the election and get publicity. (He also mentioned some previous Denver Broncos were customers!)
As ministers, they are held to a higher standard.
As I always told my kids, rest assured that your sins will eventually be exposed....regardless of political affliation.
Prayers to this man, innocent or guilty.
Only *after* he got outed, in very similar circumstances, to wit, his paid gay "partner" spilled the beans.
Was there any indication when the relationship started and ended? I'm trying to figure out why Haggard wouldn't think this would come out.
I am a New Life member. A couple of things:
1. Pastor Ted's temporarily stepping down is the procedure for any Pastor accussed of a serious moral breach. It does not imply guilt.
2. An outside body will investigate the truthfulness of these allegations.
3. Very curious timing again, very late October surprise.
4. Satan is alive and well and wants to win. He will smear, lie, attack and destroy what he can. Why would he not attack an effective man of God.
5. The truth will come out.
But when the Christian churches play down the SIN of homosexuality no one seems too upset when homosexuals join the church and want to get married. The sin of homosexuality is fast spreading in our nation because Christians for the most part are accepting it as just another life style. Well, God doesn't accept it and we all should remember that. It is sin and pastors show preach that it is sin.
I think it was over a period of 3 years, both paid for and otherwise. Might see if there is a transcript at:
http://www.khow.com/pages/shows-boyles.html
But when the Christian churches play down the SIN of homosexuality no one seems too upset when homosexuals join the church and want to get married. The sin of homosexuality is fast spreading in our nation because Christians for the most part are accepting it as just another life style. Well, God doesn't accept it and we all should remember that. It is sin and pastors should preach that it is sin.
You have to remember that the Broncos are more sacred than darn near anything else in the Denver area! :)
Well Ted is making all the wrong political moves. New Life has less than 5 days to get this cleared up. Ted should either fight or fess up. There should not be a need for "outside body" to investigate.
Sure does have a purty mouth ....
NOT ME! I don't write letters, I use e-mail ... I mean ... I don't have a gay prostitute, so I wouldn't write any letters ... I mean ... I don't write e-mails to a gay prostitute ... I mean ... I don't write e-mails to a prostitute ... Wait, wait, I mean I don't have a prostitute ... I mean ... Oh forget it ...
You have a good point.
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