The Christian Post reports that a former volunteer at New Life Church in Colorado Springs has come forward with allegations that he and former pastor Ted Haggard had been involved in a homosexual relationship prior to the news breaking of his activities with a male prostitute two years ago. New Life Church released a statement to this effect after news reached them that this person had contacted a local news agency. He said that he came forward only because Haggard had begun seeking the limelight again, by preaching at a local church and participating in an HBO special in which he painted himself as a victim of the church’s unforgiveness.
Are you as tired of this stuff as I am?
I want to offer two thoughts on the whole Ted Haggard debacle. First, New Life Church and its leadership handled the original situation beautifully. It should be a case study in Bible college and seminary courses. When the news broke, the leadership acted immediately, maintained the biblical standard yet protected the Haggards’ privacy and dignity, and demonstrated remarkable generosity to Haggard and his family. They provided a means for Haggard to get help, paid him and his wife a year’s salary, arranged counseling and a restoration process, and paid to move his family to a new home. In doing so, they cared for their former leader while simultaneously enabling the church to move forward.
Hats off to the New Life leadership team! Thanks, guys, for setting a great example for us.
It is precisely because of this excellent leadership that I find Haggard’s recent comments so confusing and frustrating. What is he hoping to gain from the HBO special? Have we learned nothing from the Swaggart/Baker/Gorman/Tilton/Lea/Bentley/White/Bynum/et al situations?
This leads me to my second thought. I hope and pray that I never experience a fall into sin like the ministers mentioned here have experienced. The thought is horrifying. I can’t bear the thought of doing that to my family, the church I pastor, or, most importantly, my Lord and His Kingdom. But if I were to ever fall in this manner, I sincerely hope that I would have the grace and wisdom to step aside quietly and respectfully allow the church to move forward.
I am not essential to God’s Kingdom. It will move forward with or without me behind the pulpit. My role in God’s Kingdom and His Church is a privilege that I enjoy, and it is a sacred trust which I have been gracefully given. The Lord’s Kingdom is more important than any of us who individually speak on its behalf.
May we remember that the next time we want to tell our side of the story.
