Evangelical Leader Quits Because Of Male Escort's Allegations

[Lil Red]

[url="http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/02/haggard.allegations/"]Story here[/url]

(CNN) -- The president of the National Association of Evangelicals resigned Thursday after denying an accusation by a male prostitute that the pastor paid him for sex over three years.

The Rev. Ted Haggard said he is also temporarily stepping aside from the pulpit of his church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pending an internal investigation by the church.

The National Association of Evangelicals is an umbrella group for more than 45,000 churches and some 30 million members across the country.

"I did not have a homosexual relationship with a man in Denver," Haggard told Denver, Colorado, station KUSA. "I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."

Haggard is married and has five children according to the National Association of Evangelicals Web site.

Colorado is one of eight states where voters will consider bans on same-sex marriage in Tuesday's elections, and Haggard has been a supporter of the measure.

In 2005 Time magazine put Haggard on its list of the 25 most influential evangelical leaders, noting his participation in a weekly conference call with White House staffers and other religious leaders.

Haggard, 50, put himself on administrative leave as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church. Haggard said in a written statement that he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations made on Denver talk radio this morning."

"I am voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity," he said. "I hope to be able to discuss this matter in more detail at a later date. In the interim, I will seek both spiritual advice and guidance."

Under the church's governing structure, a board of overseers made up of four senior pastors of other congregations will lead the inquiry, with the power to discipline or remove Haggard or restore him to the pulpit, the statement said.

The allegations were made Tuesday and Wednesday on Denver radio station KHOW by a man named Mike Jones, who claimed to be a male prostitute and said he had a three-year sexual relationship with Haggard.

Jones told The Associated Press he went public with his accusations because he was "angry" about Haggard's stance in the state's political fight over same-sex marriage.

In the statement issued late Thursday afternoon by the church announcing his leave, Haggard did not repeat his earlier denials.

New Life's associate senior pastor, the Rev. Ross Parsley, will serve as acting senior pastor of the church. Parsley requested "the community's compassion and prayers for the person who came forward with accusations, for the Haggard family and for the New Life Church community."

"New Life Church long ago adopted an overseer model of governance for situations just like this," Parsley said in the statement. "People need to be patient and allow this process to unfold as it was designed to do."

Amid the furor over the allegations, Haggard received support from another prominent religious conservative leader, James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family. It also is based in Colorado Springs.

"It is unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor like this based on nothing but one man's accusation," Dobson said in a written statement issued before Haggard's leave was announced.

"Ted Haggard is a friend of mine, and it appears someone is trying to damage his reputation as a way of influencing the outcome of Tuesday's election -- especially the vote on Colorado's marriage-protection amendment, which Ted strongly supports," Dobson said.

Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, told CNN that "the accusations do not comport with the person that I know."

"Since 1942, the NAE has never had a moral, ethical or financial scandal of any sort. Thus, this is very painful," Cizik said. "I believe that our record of speaking and acting in conformity with biblical values will be upheld."

[Mateo el Feo]

I agree with the author of the article that this news item seems to be another attempt to manipulate the voters in the upcoming election.

[kamiller42]

This story has two disturbing points:

1. Ted quits. If innocent, don't quit. It makes him look guilty.

2. The accuser refuses to provide evidence. Will not turn over the tapes and other evidence. Hmm...

[KizlarAgha]

He didn't quit. He stepped aside from his leadership position so that his church could run an unobstructed internal investigation into the matter. One of the other versions of this story I saw was clearer.

[kamiller42]

[quote name='KizlarAgha' post='1109667' date='Nov 3 2006, 01:41 AM']
He didn't quit. He stepped aside from his leadership position so that his church could run an unobstructed internal investigation into the matter. One of the other versions of this story I saw was clearer.
[/quote]
I realize I'm making a leap putting faith in the media, but here's the report I read.
[quote]COLORADO SPRINGS — The Rev. Ted Haggard stepped aside as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church and [b]resigned today[/b] as president of the National Association of Evangelicals amid allegations by a former gay male escort that the two had a three-year sexual relationship.
[url="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5112770,00.html"]Source[/url]
[/quote]

[KizlarAgha]

Both the one posted above and the other story I read said it was temporary.

[jswranch]

Hey I'm in Colorado Springs. It was right for him to step aside. We ask the same for our folks.

[cathoholic_anonymous]

It's impossible to trust the media on 'sensational' matters like this - especially as the majority of news outlets have political ends to serve. It's the word of the pastor against that of the prostitute. He might be guilty. He might be innocent. At the moment I strongly incline to the view that he's innocent - this whole article is based on a rumour spread by one man who has a ready motivation for rumour-mongering.

Pray for the situation.

[Winchester]

Whether or not he did it has nothing to do with his preaching. Jesus Himself told the people to do as the Pharisees taught, but not to act as they acted. This will no doubt be leapt upon by those who think the bad behavior of a church figure proves Christianity (or the denomination) is wrong. I can't imagine being so daft, but I've seen plenty of evidence that such people exist.

[CatholicCid]

[b]Pastor: Haggard admits to 'some' allegations[/b]

[u]Evangelical leader earlier denied man's claim that he paid for sex, drugs[/u]

[quote]COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Rev. Ted Haggard, who stepped down as head of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals on Thursday after allegations that include having gay sex, has confessed to some of the allegations, a fellow pastor said in an e-mail to church members.

"It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true,” Ross Parsley, the acting senior pastor at New Life Church stated. Haggard on Thursday also stepped aside as leader of the 14,000-member New Life Church, based in Colorado Springs.
[/quote]

[url="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15536263/"]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15536263/[/url]

[Anomaly]

[quote name='Winchester' post='1109711' date='Nov 3 2006, 09:40 AM']
Whether or not he did it has nothing to do with his preaching. Jesus Himself told the people to do as the Pharisees taught, but not to act as they acted. This will no doubt be leapt upon by those who think the bad behavior of a church figure proves Christianity (or the denomination) is wrong. I can't imagine being so daft, but I've seen plenty of evidence that such people exist.
[/quote]
I'll raise my hand as one of those people who are [i]almost[/i] that daft. I won't say that the theology of the denomination is wrong, I would say the example of not following the tenets of the theology/philosophy are dead wrong.
I don't think a firefighter who is a closet arsonist should have his job. Just because he has the training and ability and actually goes and risks his life to put out fire, that doesn't give the excuse that he compensates for the fact he is also actively setting fires. Nor should he be allowed to stay if he's just one of 50 in the station, or 1 of 500 in the entire force.
Now if the station, or the force know about it and do nothing, what then? I don't condemn the idea of fire fighters or the science and technology behind it, I condemn the practice and application of the organization.

[mulls]

I feel like I'm expected to say something about this.

Until yesterday I never heard of this guy, or the NAE.

I feel bad for him and his family. I recently read the best article I've ever read about lust, written anonymously by some sort of evangelical leader about his personal battles. It's long, but it's worth it. [url="http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/classics/war1.html"]http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/classics/war1.html[/url]

Having a seat of authority doesn't make anyone less susceptible to these kind of things. Though it certainly does not make the actions anything close to acceptable.

Edited November 3, 2006 by mulls

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='mulls' post='1109887' date='Nov 3 2006, 01:14 PM']Until yesterday I never heard of this guy, or the NAE.
[/quote]
Hmmm... really? That sort of surprises me, actually...

[kamiller42]

As someone has posted already, it looks like he has admitted to some of the accusations being true.

I doubt it damages Christianity. Of course we're sinners. We're wounded, and the Church is our hospital. I know the Catholic Church doesn't hide that fact. We constantly need to pray and participate in the sacraments, especially Eucharist and Reconciliation, to renew ourselves.

I think the greater impact of this story is in damaging the arguments against celibacy in the priesthood. Our Church has been told, "If only you would let your priests marry, there would no sex scandals." The fact is [url="http://www.topix.net/content/cbs/3986403387084885818817165574212471541314"]sex scandals happen with non-celibates[/url] just as with celibates. And in the case of Ted and priests who abused children, there needs to be a great adherence to their vows, not an elimination of them.

[catholicinsd]

Look likes there's a new Jim Bakker.