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The Miracle Cure |
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Yesterday the The Denver Post reported that the outed Reverend Ted Haggard now says he is “completely heterosexual.”
The Rev. Ted Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is “completely heterosexual” and told an oversight board that his sexual contact with men was limited to his accuser.
The layers of hypocrisy here are just astounding.
I don’t think three weeks of anything, be it counselling, therapy, electroshock, prayer, or whatever would cure what ails Ted.
First, Mr. Haggard is clearly lying to himself. Even if (and it’s a big if) Haggard’s homosexual contact was limited to one man, and even if this contact with one man was not an indication of homosexuality, the Reverend still clearly has issues he needs to deal with. I don’t think three weeks of anything, be it counselling, therapy, electroshock, prayer, or whatever would cure what ails Ted.
Next, Mr Haggard appears interested in getting back into the ministry at some point:
“Nobody is saying he can’t go back into ministry,” [Rev. Tim] Ralph said. “Somewhere down the road, that could very well happen, and that would be wonderful.”
Mr. Haggard already deceived his congregation by campaigning against gay marriage and preaching against the homosexual way of life. Without a full accounting of the situation, and without an admission of his hypocrisies, and most importantly, without an admission of what he really is and what he really feels, Ted Haggard will never be an effective minister, or even a believable person. The travesty here wasn’t the reverend’s homosexuality or drug use, it was his lack of honesty to his congregation.
Lastly, the Christian establishment does not seem to be practicing what it preaches either.
“This is a good place for Ted,” [ Rev. Mike] Ware said. “It’s hard to heal in Colorado Springs right now. It’s like an open wound. He needs to get somewhere he can get the wound healed.”
Haggard says he has done penance. He has admitted his faults. He has taken an intense three week course to confront his demons. He has prayed. And he has come through all of it and says he is cured and humbled. And his church won’t take him back.
If I understand it correctly, Christianity is in large part about forgiveness. If you are truly sorry, God will forgive you. And that forgiveness is supposed to happen here on Earth too. Forgive and forget, turn the other cheek. After the ordeal that Haggard has been through (no sarcasm now, I do feel sorry for the man), his own church that he founded and turned into a 14,000-member mega-church won’t even take him back! It’s astounding! Where’s the forgiveness? Where is the redemption? They just want Ted Haggard to fade away, stop making news, stop ruffling feathers, and stop pointing out the self-righteous and deceitful ways a lot of modern Christians have found to practice their faith.
Sure it’s bad press, but show us what you’re made of and take in your sinners.
I think this article is a little out of touch with the situation, Colorado Springs, New Life church and the people involved.
First, about whether or not Haggard is “homosexual” - I think the term is often improperly applied in a boolean manner, while that is not necessarily the reality it can lead to an argument about name-calling. The truth is that Haggard admits to homosexual action with the accuser and no one else. There should be no motivation on our part for disbelief - it would be a rather fruitless discussion. Having taken part in a homosexual act does not mean that he is not attracted to women, or even that he is exceptionally attracted to men - he may not be able to understand or explain the actions which took place. Often, in my own life, I have done things I didn’t really want to for reasons I can’t really explain… I have sinned in ways that in retrospect, make absolutely no sense. Questioning Haggard’s assertion that he is indeed “heterosexual” is a rather fruitless discussion as well, fraught with dependencies on word definition and issues that very few people could arguably have any basis for discussing.
Second, I agree with your statement that “lack of honesty” was the greatest “travesty.” In fact, I think Haggard might agree as well. And, most of his church members would probably agree. AND, I think the oversight board would agree. It was lies that allowed it to happen, to continue, etc… and there might have been a trail of small lies leading up to the homosexual encounters and drug use. While stating that Haggard “will never be an effective minister, or even a believable person.” is your prerogative, it is also unnecessarily harsh, unforgiving, and shows a lack of care for the man/family/church/community involved, which I consider requisite for a serious discussion of issues like this.
Third, as for the church not “taking him back.” The situation is much more complex than you make it out to be. Why couldn’t every person effected by Katrina just forgive and forget? Why can’t everyone in the world forgive and forget? Why isn’t there world peace? Yes, perfect people, in a perfect church, in a perfect world - would be able to forgive and forget and help there Pastor back on his feet - I would love to see this - and it is, as you state, a biblical “Christ-like” response. However, the reality is that this is a church filled with sinners and politics all in the midst of a complex community. I am friends with Tim Ralph, and I can verify that at least he (and I believe the others on the oversight board) are very forgiving and loving. The urging for Haggard to enter secular work is probably meant as much for Haggard’s spiritual/mental/psychological health as it is for “protecting” any specific ministry that he would be involved in. If he does want to the enter the ministry later on, that is fine - and as Tim said “Nobody is saying he can’t go back into ministry,†[...] “Somewhere down the road, that could very well happen, and that would be wonderful.” The suggestion that the Haggard couple move out of the Springs seems primarily targeted at aiding the Haggards recovery as a married couple, and Ted Haggard’s own recovery from the whole “travesty.” I don’t think this suggestion was made solely to “oust” Haggard.
Anyhow, thanks for posting about the article - I had not actually seen it, since I never read the newspaper (and I never liked the Denver Post anyways - their pages are way too big)
peace out
Bieren-
I happen to agree with you on your first point. The issue here really isn’t about Haggard’s sexual orientation, though I still stand by my position in saying that three weeks of whatever counselling he went though is most likely not enough to dispel his personal demons. These encounters (even if they were limited to one man) spanned years, so whatever the cause this three week miracle cure should be viewed as suspect.
As for the church, or course we are all human and too often politics and other human faults play a role in religious decisions. However, I think you are too quick to write this off as politics and I think you are too quick to “hide” behind the dishonesty of this situation. I have a feeling that if Haggard had been honest about his homosexual relationships and drug use when they first started, he would have been asked to leave in a similar fashion. Somehow I can’t see an accepting community forming around him no matter how these things unfolded, seeing as how the church insists on a homophobic worldview. Maybe I am trying to pick and choose the Bible’s messages for my own purposes, but to me the overriding message is love and forgiveness, not hate and prejudice.
Either way, I would have liked to see the leaders of New Life rise above their politics and inner demons to accept Haggard back. I think we can both agree that a more compassionate response would have had a chance of changing a lot of hearts and minds in this country and would have done a lot to further progressive religious ideas. To me, the real travesty might be this opportunity wasted.
– J-Ro
I think I wasn’t clear about my view on the “cure” - the implication meant by Haggard’s statement “completely heterosexual” is not only vague - but if it actually means anything - it means first that he is “completely” sexually attracted to females (whatever that means), and second that he is not sexually attracted to males (maybe not more than average or something?)… I don’t think he means to imply he has been cured - as much as to say that he realized he never was all that attracted to males in the first place - to the point - I think the statement says less about “curing homosexuality” than it is a statement to satisfy the media’s desire for hot content…. whatever
It does not imply that he is done struggling with the sins of his past… still resisting temptation - etc, etc,… I say this confidently because I have a general understanding of Ted’s theology and I don’t think he would ever claim to be free of such temptations.
Your last two comments on the Church get at something I really care about - that sadly and very often - Christians just don’t act very Christian (Christ-like)… There has been a lot of forgiveness, love, and reconciliation going on between many Christian friends and Haggard - however, for many reasons - some good - and some having to do with anger and prejudice. It is probably best that Haggard begin anew somewhere else.
I would liked to have seen each person in that church go to Haggard and forgive and accept - and the community work through it together. And I’m sad to say - I am quite sure that wont happen. I don’t think it could have - and that is a fault of the Church - point taken
peace
I think part of what’s at stake with Haggard is the very idea of “cure” itself. To accept that one can be “cured” of homosexuality is to accept the premise that homosexuality is a disease, a choice, a behavioral problem - in other words, something other than an inherent orientation, characteristic, or nature. People for whom the inclusion of homosexuals in our communities is a high priority are uncomfortable with the idea of “cure” because it brings with it a whole worldview. Christians for whom homosexuality is a serious sin are often anxious to demonstrate that cures are possible because cures would offer partial proof that their worldview is correct.
To J, if I read him right, and to me, it seems that people like Haggard are, by nature, homosexuals. Because of their religious beliefs and their positions within their communities, however, their homosexuality manifests itself in clandestine behavior and/or denial. My reaction to this kind of behavior on the part of people like Haggard is primarily sadness: sadness for the man himself and how complex it must be for him to figure out who he is, sadness for his family and for his friends and followers, and sadness at the opportunity lost, namely, a chance for open discussion within the conservative church about homosexuality. Could Haggard be a strong and inspiring spiritual leader and a homosexual? I believe the answer is yes, and I wish the Church would think about it.
Again, I think the main issue here is not necessarily hypocrisy, but identity. The very question of deciding what homosexuality is often determines the position one takes politically/socially/theologically on the issue. As for Haggard, I believe that the “cure,” the idea that he may return to the ministry later, and the suggestion that he needs to leave his home bother many people because to them it seems that he - and his church - are still refusing to confront the fundamental problems inherent in Haggard’s behavior.