Disgraced pastor speaks at Charlotte church
CHARLOTTE – Disgraced evangelist Ted Haggard spoke to a Charlotte congregation Sunday morning.
Haggard was the pastor of the 12,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs and the Head of the National Association of Evangelicals until a gay sex scandal in November 2006 led to his downfall.
He spoke Sunday morning to the Elevation Church as part of a series entitled “Healer.” Haggard apologized to the audience and shared details about the conflict and confusion he struggles.
“I am so sorry that I caused pain in your family,” Haggard said. “I am so ashamed that I misrepresented the body of Christ.”
In November 2006, a male prostitute claimed Haggard paid him for sex for three years and that Haggard used crystal meth. Haggard denies the drug allegations.
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/disgraced-pas…
TWO Calls on Authorities to Investigate Ted Haggard’s Former Church, Says Hush Money Scandal Emerges From New Life’s Closet
NEW YORK, NY – Truth Wins Out (TWO) today called on Colorado officials to investigate New Life Church, after the Associated Press revealed that New Life paid money to keep a male volunteer from publicly disclosing a romantic affair with the church’s former minister Ted Haggard.
According to the AP, New Life’s current Senior Pastor, Brady Boyd, said that the church reached a legal settlement to pay the man for counseling and college tuition, with one condition being that none of the parties involved discuss the relationship publicly.
“Until conservative churches stop shaming gay people and learn to accept them, we will see more tawdry scandals,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “These calamities are a direct result of the closet.”
Rev. Boyd denied that New Life paid hush money and said, “Our desire was to help him. Here was a young man who wanted to get on with his life. We considered it more compassionate assistance — certainly not hush money.”
TWO called on Colorado officials to look into the matter.
“Authorities should investigate to ensure that this volunteer was not manipulated or coerced into silence,” said Besen. “The leadership of New Life has little credibility and should not simply be taken at their word. At a minimum, Boyd should resign for using his position of power to pressure a vulnerable member of his congregation into silence.”
In 2006, Denver escort Mike Jones disclosed that he and Haggard had a three-year relationship where money was exchanged for sex. Shortly after, Haggard stepped down from New Life. Next week, HBO will air a documentary on the rise and fall of Haggard. The disgraced minister will be promoting the show in media appearances throughout the week.
There is speculation that the HBO special spurred the volunteer to contact a Colorado Springs television station to discuss the situation.
Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that defends the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community against anti-gay lies. TWO also counters the so-called “ex-gay” industry and educates America about the lives of GLBT people.
Web: www.TruthWinsOut.org
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Ted Haggard says his sexual identity is … “complex”
Former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard says his sexual identity is complex and can’t be put into “stereotypical boxes.” But he says his relationship with his wife is stronger than ever.
A new HBO documentary follows Haggard after a gay sex scandal forced him to resign as president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals. He was also fired from the 14,000-member New Life Church
Haggard says he still believes it’s “God’s perfect plan” for marriage to be between a man and woman, but he says “sexuality is confusing and complex.”
See Pastor in gay scandal says his sexual identity is complex WLOS
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Look On The Bright Side, You Aren’t Mrs. Ted Haggard
These are truly terrible times. You may have been laid-off. You may have been on the receiving end of a lay-off rumor. You may have been arrested for cooking meth in the home you share with the future son-in-law of the future of the Republican Party.
Cheer up, little clown. At least you aren’t Gayle Haggard.
Remember this lady? Her husband, former Evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, admitted to having sex and meth with a male prostitute. Ted was removed from his position at the influential New Life Church, then kicked out of a de-gaying program and is now trying to sell insurance in Arizona. The couple, who have five children, are still married. Explains Gayle:
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I know to restore the honor to our children is to help restore honor to their father. |
Yes, it’s easy to snicker. Ted is participating in a documentary in which he says he never claimed to be straight. Gayle’s snotty statement above implies that gay people are without honor. We normally love to luxuriate in the hypocrisy of Christian homophobes like Gayle, but today, our feelings about her are a strange mix of schadenfreund and empathy.
Schadenfrempathy, if you will.
See Look On The Bright Side, You Aren’t Mrs. Ted Haggard
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/look-on-brigh…
