Ted Haggard Ousted!

No sooner had I submitted my previous article on Ted Haggard, accused by male escort Mike Jones of sexual impropriety and hypocrisy, than the next bombshell exploded in the story last night.

The New Life Church ousted Ted Haggard last night, having moved rapidly to address this issue. In a statement from the Overseer Board, investigating the charges against Haggard, they said:

"Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct."

The full text of the statement may be viewed here:

http://www.9news.com/pdfs/pressrelease110606.pdf

All the while, Haggard continued to deny charges made against him by Mike Jones. It would seem likely that the church Overseer Board had additional information that has not yet been made public. The strongly worded statement and their decisive action to remove Haggard would suggest there are facts before them that have not been revealed to this point.

Mike Jones, the man who made the charges claiming Haggard sought him out for monthly sexual affairs, stated his sorrow for those who were harmed by these revelations:

"I'm very sad. I did not know where this would go. But, I feel sorry for him. I feel bad for his family.”

Mr. Jones has openly stated, from the start, that he was a male escort who provided sex to others for money. He first made news on Wednesday when he made his charges public on KHOW radio in Denver on the Peter Boyles morning show. Jones claimed that Ted Haggard would meet with him for sex on a monthly basis, and also wanted to appropriate methamphetamine through contacts Jones could arrange.

Peter Boyles, for his part, made every effort to address the story with sensitivity and integrity as he interviewed Jones on his morning show. Boyles broke the story, and the reaction of listeners was swift and furious. Most blasted Boyles for covering this story and for allowing Jones a forum to state his case. Both men were attacked bitterly as their integrity, credibility and motivations were questioned in a flood of emails and calls to the station. To his credit, Boyles remained as objective as humanly possible in light of the assault on his character and professionalism.

KUSA television then got involved, and began to cover this story in earnest. Jones had contacted them some 4 months previous to his appearance on the Peter Boyles morning show. They had not made the story public, and it is likely that KUSA reporter Paula Woodward was working behind the scenes, investigating claims made by Jones.

Many callers to KHOW told Peter Boyles they felt this news was timed to influence the upcoming elections. Colorado has two items on the ballot regarding marriage and gay rights. Amendment 43 would modify the Colorado Constitution to stipulate marriage is between one man and one woman. Referendum I, a measure that would protect rights of those in a committed relationship for same sex couples, is also on the ballot. Those who claim this story broke at a time intended to influence local elections do not seem deterred by the facts. Mr. Jones first brought his story to 9 News KUSA 4 months earlier.

The bottom line, if there is one in this story, is that the church Overseer Board investigated the situation and reached their determination to remove Ted Haggard as Pastor of New Life Church. In addition, Haggard will no longer be president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Pastor Ted Haggard is personally responsible for great harm done to so many others. He must accept his responsibility for his own actions. While thousands of callers blasted Peter Boyles, KHOW, KUSA 9 News, Paula Woodward and others reporting on the story, the messengers are not the problem. Haggard was. He broke the trust of thousands of church folks who looked to him for spiritual leadership. He broke the trust of his evangelical peers who minister to their communities. He broke the trust of the public who regarded him with admiration and praise. He broke the trust of those who sought him out for counseling, particularly on issues of sexual identity. He violated the trust of his family and friends. He violated his marriage vows. He openly campaigned against gay rights, seeking to plunge them into the closet forever, while seeking gay sex secretly. All of this is allegation, but seems to be supported by the available evidence.

Haggard continued to deny charges to the very end, at least publicly. But his story changed almost hourly. From claims he never met Jones, to admission that he contacted him for methamphetamine, to admission he received massages from Jones, Haggard was never consistent. Jones, however, remained remarkably consistent in his claims throughout the entire ordeal.

We may never know what was revealed to the church or the Overseer Board. Whatever it was, sufficient evidence existed to convince them to defrock Haggard as Pastor and remove him from the pulpit. Churches do not oust their pastors with caprice. To their credit, the Overseer Board investigated and reached their decision based on evidence at hand. What they knew about Haggard’s involvement must have been compelling. Their action speaks volumes.

As writer of this article, I would like to say that I am fairly neutral in respect to the specifics I have discussed. I am not gay, nor am I antigay, so I don’t have an agenda in that regard. I am not Christian, nor opposed to Christianity, so have no agenda there either. I am an American, however, and a citizen of the state of Colorado. As such, I believe there is too much involvement between church and government, and the recent proposals to modify our Constitution to discriminate against a class of our fellow citizens is anathema.

Among my people, we revere the words: “Keep pure your highest ideals, strive ever toward them, let naught stop you nor turn you aside.”

And those American ideals that I support are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. Equality, freedom, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, these are my ideals as an American.

My only sentiment regarding Ted Haggard was in his support of a Constitutional Amendment to render gays to second-class citizen status. To my mind, that simply isn’t right. But I also believe in karma. “As you do unto others, so shall it be done unto you.” The truth of that statement has played out in the public arena, for all to see. Haggard strove to marginalize one class of people and has now been ultimately marginalized.

So far as I am concerned, Ted Haggard’s only sin was that of hypocrisy, and for that, he now must contend with shame. And believe people of every spiritual stripe should pray for him.

Who among us has not erred?