Comments

Wow. I'm speechless. I don't worry too much about old Ted, but what about his wife and boys? Imagine having your dad disgraced this way, move the family away from all their friends to some homeless shelter/rehab facility in Phoenix, and you call that a life?

My "spiritual handlers" tell me he's a schmuck.

I sent two e-mails: one to the Colorado TV station he sent his "request" to and one to the church he will be "housed" at during his schooling. Free apartment, private school for the kids, both parents in school---yeah, I feel like funding this.
This is an unbelievable request---obviously this man has some money in the bank. He should be using HIS assets to fund his and his wifes schooling. And, the private school his kids are still attending.
They're attending school simutaneously!! Why doesn't she work during his schooling and why doesn't he work part time during his schooling?
He obviously feels entitled. Get a job.

Haggard is the poster child for post-WWII evangelicalism - a child of its own creation. We evangelicals have been "healing the wound lightly" for decades and we're actually surprised when our well-heeled CEO-shepherds with their personality cults in train fall from the pedestal that our offerings and sick desire for approval have gotten us. Amazed? Nope. A blind man could've seen this one coming.

Well said, Matt. I think you nailed it.

For what it's worth, before making too many judgments on this one should wait until it is confirmed that he is actually the one who sent the email. These can be easily forged and it may be that the "sex offender from Hawaii" with the "defunct charity" (or someone else) is looking to make some quick cash.

Jeremy

[Response from David Neff]
Jeremy,

I just got an e-mail from Tak Landrock at Channel 13 assuring me the letter is genuine. He spoke to Ted Haggard about it Saturday night.

David

Ouch.

Call me a cynic, but why does the ministry seem to attract those who want a handout? It is nauseating. Please - don't enable this man by donating money. He needs to find gainful employment, like all of the rest of us. It is another black eye to Christ and His church. This man has no shame.

Our pastor just was on this subject this past Sunday. Who were the people out to get rid of Jesus? The Priests!! This has been going on the whole time of life. Satan uses them, and instead of us being in touch with Jesus through the Bible and reading it we are depending on the preachers to do it for us. We should be going to Church to Worship Jesus and not the pastors. It is sad but Satan comes in all forms. Some preachers do not even know that they are Satans choice at the time. Some have not been schooled properly to preach the Bible.

It's interesting to me that he is associating so quickly with another man (the registered sex offender who fondled two young men) who also apparently has same-sex feelings. IMHO, Haggard would be so much better off spiritually if he just lived his life privately, not asking for money or support...and the body of Christ, I believe, would be better off to. What a sick man, using Christians like he has.

Sheryl, you have made an incisive point. As James warned, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall all incur a stricter judgment."

Betty

Andrea makes a good point. There's a reason the Scriptures demand that a man who desires to shepherd/oversee God's people not be "greedy for money." How would one know this? Ask them? Who would answer, "Yes, you're right. I'm a lover of money." I think the answer might reside in our conception of the pastor. Perhaps working at something where they actually have to earn an honest living (outside the church/parachurch) would help us judge a little. He who is faithful in small things, right?

Sheryl, it turns out that , Paul Huberty - the sex offender who is the chief officer for Families With A Mission - was twice convicted of sexual offenses against women. The first was raping his a 17 year old foster daughter and fondling himself in front of two women when he was in the military. The second offense was in 2004 in Hawaii. Particulars of the second offense are unclear, but Huberty is forbidden by the terms of his probation from setting foot on the grounds of the christian academy where the offense occurred, he is not allowed to be a foster parent or guardian of a minor, he cannot possess pornography and he is required to submit to periodic lie-detector tests.

Haggard and his wife should both get jobs-- real ones. What will they do with psychology degrees? Get better at deception? To enter practice in that field one usually needs more than one degree and some sort of certification.
I am losing my house after a divorce; should I send a plea for money?

What has he done with all his money in such a short time? Maybe he really is hooked on meth. If I had $136,000 it would las me for at least 5 years, because I would not spend it on massages and meth.

Ruth, good point. They should both get jobs. The University of Phoenix was designed for working adults in the first place.

So many prominent Christians get into such big trouble, from paedophile priests, rampant hypocrites like Haggard, or blatantly corrupt tele-evangelists. It is not a coincidence. These people are all enabled by well meaning people who have abdicated their responsibility to face the world for what it is. When will people wake up and realise that when you make life simple by replacing the search for truth with faith, you also disable your own ability to make sound judgements.

Steve,

You're right on target. The University of Phoenix designed their programs specifically to be either adult continuing education or fast-track degree completion programs, both of which were tailored for working, non-traditional college students.

There is no real reason why the Haggards cannot simultaneously work and participate in a course of study offered by the University of Phoenix. I seriously doubt that much -- or any -- of their study will require their physical presence in Phoenix, AZ.

Wow! I am so un-impressed with every single comment on this page. Without judging all of YOU, which YOU all are so good at, what a bunch of hateful, vidicative, vengeful, users of the name "Christian" YOU ALL ARE..

I am hurt by the lack of compassion in the Body of Christ for Ted. I call him "Ted" personally, because I know him personally, and he was our family's pastor from 1987 - 1997. I speak from some level of experience - not with his sin - but with his loving pastoral gift. He did possibly more than any man in the U.S. to foster unity in the Body of Christ. He constantly reached out to others in the faith. He is gifted, and talented, and flawed like we all are, right? New Life Church was built by the Lord THROUGH Ted Haggard. He should not be thown out like an old rug when it becomes worn and frayed. For God's sake, brothers and sisters.... I sense in my spirit now that I'm preaching to deaf ears. But Ted deserves better than he got. He earned more (including money) than he got. end of sermonette.

Steve

WHATEVER!

We are advised in the Bible not to judge, but we also need to use the common sense that God gave us, and that we acquire after being on this mortal coil for some time. The reason why so many of these Christian leaders get away with so much is that we are trained not to judge, and therefore, they get a "pass." It is a dilemmma, but we need to use the brain God gave us when it comes to these type of matters. We need to try to prevent this arrogant behavior from happening in the future by showing these people that they will not be unnecessarily rewarded for their bad behavior.

Enough with the celebrity cult mentality in the body of Christ. We turns off more people than it helps (other than the personalities).

Those who live in glass house. I in no way condone what he has done in the past or now. But just like everyone I have free will and choice's he has nothing coming from me. And as for all the judging of his behavior not my worry. God's got that.

Mike, I am happy that you were blessed by God through the ministry of Ted Haggard 10 years ago. But I am afraid that you are the one wearing blinders on this one. Yesterday's walk with the Lord will not cut it today. Each day is new and fresh that requires new faith, and new grace and new mercy every morning.
Ted walked on the dark side of life for a long time, deceiving those who trusted him and looked up to him as a role model. And in the end he has discredited and undermined all that he worked so hard to do for the Kingdom. And now he is just compounding those errors by not seeking wise counsel before he plows ahead with foolish plans. The book of Proverbs warns us against hanging out with impulsive fools who disregard counsel.
Be thankful for your past growth. But don't fall into Ted's errors: live day by day in humble obedience and grace.

It’s lack of compassion for the body of Christ to not sensitively and lovingly address the negative behaviors of those in Christian leadership. What is the body of Christ suppose to do, turn a blind eye and let leaders living in sin to continue to live a life of deception?
Ted’s past behavior of participating in some inappropriate behavior with a male prostitute followed by his public denial of it rightfully disqualified him from Christian leadership.
I presume that as part of the resignation process Ted, at some point, agreed to submit to the authority of a group of overseers.
According to this article, it now seems like Ted is sidestepping the overseers because he publicly requested donations without consulting with them first.
In my opinion, those who desire to be any kind of Christian leader need to first show that they are willing to submit to authority long before they are given that privilege. And for those leaders who have broken trust, by not being faithful in their public and personal lives, a substantial period of time is logically necessary to demonstrate to themselves and others that they again can be trustworthy.
In response to another comment - If anyone accomplishes great things (building churches, unifying the body of Christ), it is the Lord who is the only One who should rightfully get all the credit because everything comes from Him – our gifts, talents, strength, health, opportunities.

Terry, I'm all for understanding, forgiveness and supporting people, whatever their crime, but I am not for ignoring reality and facilitating further corruption and abuse.

Haggard built a cult of personality so strong that people like you still defend him, despite it being revealed for all to see that he is a hypocrite of epic proportions and played you all for fools, taking your money, time and goodwill.

It is completely obvious now that everything he did was to further his own power and agenda. I don't want to see Haggard suffer, but the man is sick, and if we don't recognise that then we are condemning ourselves to suffer. Taking hard drugs and paying for sex with a young man isn't even the main problem. He promoted hate against homosexuals and those who refused to subscribe to his world view, yet it turns out now that he doesn't even subscribe to that world view. He was (is) a cult leader with a huge degree of influence over well-meaning but gullible people who prefer to live in la-la land rather than face reality. This is what faith leads to. Faith, by definition, is the suppression of reason. Suppressing reason makes you an easy target to be conned. There are some lovely aspects to Christianity, but the suppression of reason and the 'us and them' sanctimoniousness that it usually leads to are not good for anyone.

Saying you are right because God is on your side doesn't make it so, not matter how many times you repeat it. Just like saying 'without judging...' doesn't make what follows without judgement.

> Without judging all of YOU, which YOU all are so good at,
> what a bunch of hateful, vidicative, vengeful, users of the
> name "Christian" YOU ALL ARE..

ROFL!

Dear Friends,

Ted Haggard has failed his congregation gravely and above all he has failed God. To solicit for money after he has received so much from God the way he did is to add salt to open wounds. His behaviour does not reflect a men who should have repented sincerely from his heart. The best thing to do now is to do right. To do right for his family is to rebuild his integrity and trust as a husband and as a father. To rebuild his role as a Christian to his previous congregation and Christian community he ought to scale down his lifestyle and live within his means and hopely show some genuine fruits of repentance. Before God he must be true and honest with himself for Ted Hagard will one day give an account to Him for all that he has one . . . so must all of us! Matthew 7:1-4, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?"

One of the professional hazards of being a pastor is having to support their family after a crisis in the church. It does seem reasonable to help a pastor transition to secular employment since he will probably never pastor again. We have a system that has pastors relying on the church to support their families and a transition for the sake of the family is permissible and even loving to his family.

It's Labour Day and I have too much (blog reading) time on my hands.

It seems to me the paradox of "not judging yet discerning" is not an easy one to sort out.

As far as (evanglical) media personalities are concerned "If you live by the media, don't be surprise if you die by the media."

Who is Landrock at channel 13 to be the laison between CT and Ted Haggard? Aren't they the NBC affilliate that broke the story? And isn't NBC's Brokaw the one who, one year previous to the scandal, did a special on Ted Haggard? My daughter said she wouldn't have known who Ted was if Brokaw hadn't spent so much time with him on the story. The timing of the news on it was staged politically. I think Brokaw knew all about it when he did his story way back when. Wake up people. The left hate christians. Can't we all just get along? How about talking to Ted yourself, Neff?

Sorry. I guess I look at Haggard as a King David. Nathan did have to send him a message from God to correct him. I still adore King David as a brother, I don't disown him, but his child (dream, ministry)did have to die to him. And then there was Solomon who asked for wisdom instead of riches and built the temple. I believe Haggard has a Solomon to birth yet. May his end be better than the old Sol. Sorry for my harsh comments,Nathan.

You Christians never cease to amaze me at what disgusting hypocrites and simpletons you are. Reverend Ted is not an atypical example of a Christian; rather he is an all too common example of an evangelical Christian. Evangelicals vary by degree not kind. Every one of them I have met is a Reverend Ted in some way. You all are a mess in one way or another whether it be drugs, alcohol, sexual obsessions and degeneracy, mental defectiveness or just plain old nuts and not very bright. What you all have in common is the belief in this mythical being named Jesus that allows you to keep your demons at bay just enough to function in society. The thing is a leopard can't change its spots and you are and always still the same defective personality you have always been. What you all have in common is a capacity for grotesque hypocrisy, a phony enraptured silly grin on your faces, and no real capacity for friendship or genuine honest or depth of emotion. You all go around talking about love of your fellow man, but the truth of the matter is you don't want to touch your fellow man, except maybe with a 10 foot stick. You talk a good game about morals and ethics and love, but you are no more capable of brotherhood than a cockroach. Your every utterance is nothing more than self-serving self aggrandizement. When given the opportunity to do the right thing in your daily lives inevitably you will not, and more often than not will plant a knife in your fellow man's back. You don't have to worry though; you don't need approbation or forgiveness from your fellow man, just from Jesus, and that's all that counts.

Kevin

And yes, I've made a judgment about you people based on my experiences with you. Unlike you however, I'm not twisted and self-deluded with mental contortions thrust upon you by your ancient cult. Making judgments is normal and impossible not to do. I don't have to preface my judgments with some nonsense about being non-judgmental because it is Jesus' privilege to make judgments.

Ted Haggard needs to get a job. He doesn't need any money; he has enuf. He is a shameless hypocrite and God wants us to see that. Be harmless as dove but wise as serpents. Jesus called hypocrites out, we must as well. I follow Jesus, not man.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since we last met.
Good luck!

Unbelievable! Once again, a minister comes across as wanting to spend "someone else's money."

In response to Terry (of Aug 30) . . . I do not doubt for a minute that God used Ted Haggard to minister to you, your family, your congregation, or, more broadly, to the Body of Christ or to the world. But I do not agree at all with your apparent understanding of the biblical admonition not to judge. We are, after all, called to be wise and to carefully discern. None of us is to think of himself or herself as morally superior to Ted Haggard, nor more deserving of God's love. Tha would be to be wrongfully judgmental. Avoiding that judgmental posture does NOT mean one cannot be critical of Ted Haggard's choices past or present. While you may perceive this kind of judgment in the posts above yours, I think you are not carefully sorting critical comments from judgmental ones.

Didn't Jesus say, it was He, Christ Himself, who would build His church?(Matthew 16:18) Then if the credit for the church goes to Ted Haggard, it should not surprise us that Ted Haggard's church had a problem.

Beyond that and as to his true identification with Jesus, if he was a true believer and faithful messenger, as so many thousands must have believed (and therefore they may be the guilty ones of having turned him into another "famous" man--I did not know of him--I say if he was a true believer and faithful messenger of the cross, then let us all remember that Satan makes a dart board out of believers. It is just too bad that the first fiery dart of temptation did not sting enough for him to see the problem and escape from being snared. As for me, I do know that "to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." Powerful and somewhat very awesome--scary--words in Luke 12.

Hey CT, while KRDO may have posted the letter on its website, I question the propriety of your publication doing so. I expect a higher standard I guess. The letter is simply too personal with respect to the children's lives, how to contact them, the fact that they go to a Christian school, play football, etc.. I think the better choice would have been to blog and quote freely from the letter while leaving out the link with the information about the children. Would you consider removing the link out of respect for the children's privacy?

There's been plenty of water under the bridge since we met last.
Cheerio!

I am a full time nursing student and working part time with nothing in the bank. How do you all think I feel when I read news like this?

Has anyone taken the time to consider that maybe, just maybe spiritual warfare had something to do with Pastor Ted Haggard being 'taken out' ? The Bible is very clear, we are in a war.

Sadly, I don't think Evangelicals really believe that.

Do you think it was coincidence that this was all revealed right before Righteous Legislation was about to be voted on? Ephesians 6 tells us to 'stand against the strategies and tricks of the devil.' Does anyone realize the REALITY of the war that is ACTUALLY going on here?

I'm not saying Ted Haggard, or anyone who sins in such a despicable way should get a free pass and be able to shrug their shoulders and say, "The devil made me do it." but you all need to wake up and understand that there were REAL demons influencing him to act out. There is such a thing as a spirit of homosexuality. There is such a thing as a spirit of Lust.

There are levels of principalities and powers.

Think about it; the higher the target (in this case a Pastor of a mega church at a National level) the higher the assignment from the enemy.

This was a wake up call, no doubt about it. But instead of roasting Ted Haggard on a skewer maybe it's time we get into the presence of God, get on our knees and stay there until these bondages have been broken off of our leaders (through prayer) before it's too late and this happens again.

Who could've imagined that we'd meet here?
Be seeing you.

Ted deserves all our help. I can't believe that the body of Christ would not stay united together under the temptation of satan. Glory to Him.

http://www.betonjesus.com/ted-haggard.html

Well Naturally the answer to this request should be a big fat no. Duh.