This is a post I did on 20 February, 2007.  I almost didn't repost this as I don't want to contribute to the scandalizing of a person who has already been through so much, but I think this post is more about how the church need to be responsible and what we can learn from this situation:

I held off making any responses to allegations that Ted Haggard is "cured" after three weeks of intensive therapy for his homosexuality because it seems people keep retracting their initial statements in this case and I'd hoped that would be repeated again. Besides, I figured enough people were trying to stone this man for his sins and I realize he's got an innocent family and congregation who are paying the price for his mistakes. I still feel badly for those that were hurt in this situation, including Haggard himself, but my concern now moves toward those that are going to be hurt by the lie that he's "completely heterosexual."

I'm not sure how many people really believe the claims of his cure from homosexuality, but what's particularly sickening about it is the fact that the oversight board is so interested in finding a "quick fix" for the problem that they're willing to make a final statement fast and ignore the fact that Rev. Haggard is a hurting man who needs much more than just three weeks of intense therapy. The message is that it's easier to simply sweep this gay scandal under the rug!

Now I realize we're just dealing with only a handful of fools here, but what will the secular world think when six months from now, heaven forbid, Ted Haggard is caught in the act again!? This will be one more undermining proof that the church is made up of homo-hating bigots who don't want to get their hands dirty when it comes to someone dealing with this issue. That may not be an accurate assessment, but it sure looks that way from the outside!

After all, this is the same organization that initially called the allegations lies and quickly cut their losses when the truth started to surface. Instead of having repeated knee-jerk reactions, wouldn't the church leaders be better advised to investigate what's really going on here? Perhaps this issue that's dividing denominations across the board isn't so easily solved and it might be worth the hit to the pride to take this process slowly and give it full attention.

The other side of the problem is that this is the example being set for those that are inside the church. I suppose ignoring and denying gays will work for now, but what about when you find out that the person sitting beside you in the pew (or the person behind the pulpit) is gay - to look at those in charge of this situation, it would seem the appropriate handling would include hiding the person until you could "fix" them and then shipping them off to someplace else.  Where's the love in that?

I hope that wherever Rev. Haggard and his family go they are welcomed by a church of believers who are more interested in loving them than "fixing" them... and I'm glad to say that I already see signs of positive change occurring within the Body of Christ. Praise God!

I thought I’d get online and see what I might be able to find about where Mr. Haggard’s been in the year since the scandal and “therapy.”  In the process, I re-read some of what happened during this time to refresh my memory and my outrage came to the surface again.

I’m reminded once more of the way James Dobson denied any truth to the rumors of foul play and condemned the media for perpetrating a lie, but that was quickly followed by Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson downplaying anything that Ted Haggard had done and Mr. Falwell even going so far as to tell his own lie when he said that no one saw Ted Haggard as a leader.  These men were supposed to be his friends and as Christians they were supposed to be his brothers…  I guess maybe they aren’t any of those things.

I’m still fearful of how this story has affected the body of Christ as a whole when I see a church that I respect deny homosexuals the right to use their spiritual gifts because they’re afraid someone might consider them a leader… especially in light who the current examples of leadership are. I’m worried that people will look at this spotlight case and apply it to mean that every homosexual is a predator looking for drugs and sex and lying while they do… when the fact is that this man is represents a minority in the gay community.  Most of all, I’m afraid that the GLBT population is witnessing one more example of the hatred that they’ve come to associate with Christ…

It’s not easy to get a clear picture of what’s become of Ted Haggard in the last year.  His web site says simply: “Humbled.”  The statement of Ted Haggard’s “complete recovery” was recanted and his family was relocated to Arizona.  It seems he may have gone back to school along with his wife and has made a plea for money to support his efforts to get back into ministry, but the advisory team that counseled him after the scandal later refuted the idea that he’d be in ministry again and they advised him to find secular work to support his family.

"Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." - James 3:1