Comments

It seems to me qualified Christianity Today writers are in a unique position to explain to the rest of us the mentality, culture and beliefs of Assemblies of God in this incident and how addicts and their families (such as the Haggards) are actually and effectively treated.

Paying the Haggard's to go away looks like a form of enabling, and the clash of denominational beliefs and real world behavior and need doesn't make sense to most of us. Five days, and not a peep out of the men in leadership who stepped forward to say we'll see this family receives help.

Can CT put out an article on this?

So it's a legal entity. Does it not concern your ethics that it is run by a twice convicted underage sexual preditor? What about the tax evasion issues? IRS 501-3 (C) regulations prohibit direct donations to an individual.

It still seems pretty disgusting and immoral.

David--Thank you very much for exposing this and not just letting it slide by. This whole deal makes me really angry. As someone else said: 'GET A JOB!! Live like the rest of us."

One possible, and very good, explanation for the silence of the overseers: New Life Church is voting today (Monday, 8/27) on Brady Boyd, the man tagged by the search committee to replace Haggard as Senior Pastor. Perhaps they simply don't want Haggard to be the headline and topic of discussion right when the church is trying to put him behind them.

That said, there is absolutely no good explanation for Haggard's obscene and ludicrous fund appeal. There is no question that the overseers will address this issue at the right time. As I understand it, part of Haggard's agreement with the overseers, and a condition of his severance, was to have no public ministry whatsoever for quite a long time. He is breaking a vow, yet again.

Is this a surprise? The same arrogance and pride that enabled Haggard to be a blatant hypocrite, liar, deceiver and adulterer for three years is simply surfacing again in a new way. Like a dog to its vomit, as is said. The sad thing is, there will be "friends" who will send him money, and they will just be enabling the same sins, and an addiction to evangelical dependency. He is sacrificing anything "good" left in his soul to gain a little bit more of a "world" that he no longer belongs in (evangelical ministry). It's time for him to sell the Colorado Springs home, and pay his own way.

Please note that counter to the posted comment, New Life Church is an independent congregation in no way affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Nor is Ted Haggard, beyond his former National Association of Evangelicals leadership position. The Assemblies of God is a member denomination of the NAE.

Okay Deann thanks, my mistake, I made a wrong assumption.

I'm hearing you say Assemblies of God is it's own group of Pentecostals. New Life Church isn't affiliated with your denomination, neither is Ted Haggard and his overseers.

I apologize for my error.

Am I wrong in wondering why anyone should expect that "friends" pay for their college education?

Seems to me that Haggard should get a job, put his nose to the books and keep his mouth and emails shut!

I agree with "get a job". It would seem that once you're big headed you forget that when you do something wrong, you have to pay for it.

I have been taken back by his audacity to ask for other people to pay for him to go to school when millions of other people try to scrap by and get an education that are honest and trust worthy.

The money that would be given to him would be stealing from people who need it more than he does. Theif.

Get a job Ted!

It seems it might be helpful for David Neff to read David Aikman's article on CT's Daily Newsleter today, "The Attack Dogs of Christendom." It might help him and all the negative naysayers to review the meaning of grace. I read the Haggard letter and didn't see anything there worth criticizing. Neff needs to get a life; a Christian life.

I agree with most of the comments people have left on this and related threads, although I am a bit disturbed by the opinion of one commenter that either both Haggards should get part-time jobs while going to school, or Haggard's wife should get a job to support the family while Ted goes to school first. Obviously, this is their personal decision, but I don't see why Rev. Haggard would have to be the first to get his degree. How 'bout HE get a job while SHE gets her degree? She probably deserves a chance for some education and advancement after all she's been through, and it would probably foster productive humility for him to work to support her, since he's been the one in the limelight for so long.

Ted, it's real simple. You get a job. If that is not enough, your wife gets a job. Then, you live within your income level. It's called real life.

I am a realtor in Colorado Springs and the artical in the Gazette said that Haggard said that his house in Colorado Springs was for sale and that it was a down turned market and made it sound like the house was for sale and could not sale.....that is NOT true. I checked today the "history" of the house on the Pikes Peak MLS and it has NEVER been listed on the market for sale since Haggard has owned it and if it was for sale for $700k in this market it WOULD sell! It is in a VERY good area and homes like his that come on the market DO sell QUICKLY!! I personally sold our home in that same neighborhood in what he is calling a "down market" for $850k.(A home not as nice as his!) If he needs to sell it for the money may he be challenged to "List" it and see if it will sell. It has NEVER been on the market! We think it would be a good idea for him to move out of this area.

"We think it would be a good idea for him to move out of this area."


To piggy back on those comments... it would be nice if all the wolf in sheep's clothing ministries would move out of Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs was such a charming town before it became ground zero for the "do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do" evangelical movement. Now, all the hatred, hypocrisy, and scandal is driving investment in this area away. Companies don't want to bring their business to this town (expect for government jobs to support all the military installations in the area). Ted, Dobson, et al., have branded people who don't think like them "arrogant intelectuals" and "not true Christians". How dare they!!! Unfortunately, their "flock" continues to be fleeced and parrot the very rubbish coming out of all of their mouths.

Rocky Mountain News reporter Tille Fong has a follow-up article to all this dated 2007-08-29, indicating that Haggard got ahead of himself and his overseer team. He is blocked from any role or connection with the Dream Center Phoenix ministry. You can read the article at http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5685442,00.html

First of all, the man built from the ground up a thriving megachurch,why can't the members of his congregation vote weather or not to sustain him financially, even if he is to have no leadership role in the future? It's my understanding that his church was an independent and he instituted bylaws that held him accountable. He should be given credit for that alone. Most major independent churches have no governing measures to hold their leaders accountable in case of moral failings and use their churches as their own piggybank and whorehouse!! This is a oppurtunity to show some grace, and help the man get on his feet, not to act like pharisees and humiliate him- thats why preachers like harold camping can establish himself, even if what he's spreading is heresy!

"This is a oppurtunity to show some grace, and help the man get on his feet, not to act like pharisees and humiliate him."

I think Haggard has done more than enough to disgrace himself, all on his own. Don't try to turn around what happened, or ignore it! Haggard has shown himself to be the ultimate "pharisee," the ultimate hypocrite. Think what sort of person gets up to preach Sunday after Sunday, knowing their own house is not in order, that they are committing adultery, etc. etc.

And help him "get back on his feet" should certainly not include being anywhere near a pulpit, at this point. Getting back on his own feet, on his own, would seem like the most important thing at this point. Forgiveness is one thing. But along with that comes accountability, and repentance. Funny how everyone wants forgivenes, without the repentance and accountability part...

The weirdest thing about all of this is that there are pastors who were at one time associated with Ted that still refuse to believe that Ted did anything wrong. They aren't willing to forgive others, but poooooor Ted! :( They are still handing out his books and tapes!