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.
We do all sin. All of us. It is like an archer looking for a bullseye, and missing the mark. We pick up another arrow, and we aim ourselves the right way again.
Shallow, sightsighted thinking. The kind of thinking that got us gay marrage and abortion on demand.
IF, IF, this is true it will impact th election here in CO.
He OWES those of us he has hurt (IF IF it's true) and he needs to pay ANY PRICE to minimize the impact on this election.
ANY PRICE
Why is it so hard to believe that preachers and politicians are any different from the general population? Some of them like gay sex!
the timing of this has absolutely nothing to do win the election being next week /sarc.
Are you saying a second Fred Garvin has emerged?
It has everything to do with the election. I watched a Denver newscast online. This prostitute came to the Denver Post two months ago. They researched his claims, believed him, and then came out with this 5 days before the vote on same sex marriages. Politics has everything to do with it.
That being said, IF and I repeat IF, a minister of a congregation of 14,000 is paying a gay hooker for sex, it is news.
it's nobody's business but the congregation and his family. That the MSM and RATS are trying to influence the election with this is despicable, but not surprisng. They'll stop at nothing.
Exactly.
Gotta disagree with you. It's like when Jesse Jackson, or Al Sharpton, or Jerry Falwell, or Pat Robertson, or Dr. Dobson say something, they are political ministers. So is Haggard. He has a weekly conference call with the White House. It's as fair game for these folks as for any other politician. They should at least be held to the same standards as politicians. They are ministers for pete's sake.
Gotta disagree. If he truly repented now, truly repented if guilty of this sin, those sins would be washed away.
Of course, he may indeed be innocent. Time will tell.
So, God grades sin on the "curve"?
He doesn't have time. He resigned from his church, the NAE, and they canceled the press conference to support him. He's guilty in the eyes of the public. If he's innocent, he has made all the wrong moves to show that.
Well, you can't be disagreeing since you are not addressing what the post actually said. God will forgive even deep depravity if a person truly turns away from it...but if he is guilty, he no longer fits the qualifications to be a pastor as taught in scripture. He has disqualified himself. And he would have biblically released his wife from her marriage vows. And he would still suffer earthly consequences and shame. A true repenter will suffer all of these consequences with grace -- knowing they are just consequences that serve as a deterrent to others.
And a repenter would not lie about it. So if he is guilty of this great depravitiy, he is also guilty of lying about it right now. That's not a repentent soul who lies to cover up his sin.
Let's just hope it isn't true.
That's a great point...you just don't step out of a committed, godly marriage and into a homosexual relationship without taking many small steps of rebellion which lead (eventually) to something like this. Adultery starts with lust. (And some people think flirting is always harmless...)
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