[kel varson]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061103/D8L5IM680.html

Ted Haggard accused of sex with male prostitute.

[A.G.]

Evangelist Steps Down Amid Gay Sex Claim

By CATHERINE TSAI
Associated Press Writer

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- A leading evangelist and outspoken opponent of gay marriage has given up his post as president of the National Association of Evangelicals while a church panel investigates allegations he paid a man for sex.

The Rev. Ted Haggard resigned as head of the 30 million-member association Thursday and also gave up leadership of his New Life Church pending the investigation into allegations he had monthly trysts with a gay prostitute over the past three years.

Haggard, a married father of five, denied the allegations, but the acting pastor of his church later said that Haggard had acknowledged some of the accusations were true.

"I just know that there has been some admission of indiscretion, not admission to all of the material that has been discussed, but there is an admission of some guilt," Ross Parsley told KKTV-TV of Colorado Springs.

Parlsey did not elaborate, but in an e-mail addressed to congregants, he wrote that the church's four-member board of overseers had since met with Haggard.

"It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true. He has willingly and humbly submitted to the authority of the board of overseers, and will remain on administrative leave during the course of the investigation," the e-mail stated. A copy was obtained by KMGH-TV in Denver.

Late Wednesday, Haggard told KUSA-TV: "I've never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife, I'm faithful to my wife."

The allegations surfaced as voters in Colorado and seven other states get ready to decide Tuesday on amendments banning gay marriage. Besides the proposed ban on the Colorado ballot, a separate measure would establish the legality of domestic partnerships providing same-sex couples with many of the rights of married couples.

Members of Haggard's 14,000-member megachurch were stunned.

"It's political, right before the elections," said Brian Boals, a New Life member for 17 years.

Church member E.J. Cox, 25, called the claims "ridiculous."

"People are always saying stuff about Pastor Ted," she said. "You just sort of blow it off. He's just like anyone else in the public eye."

The accusations were made by Mike Jones, 49, of Denver, who said he decided to go public because of the political fight over the amendments.

"I just want people to step back and take a look and say, 'Look, we're all sinners, we all have faults, but if two people want to get married, just let them, and let them have a happy life,'" said Jones, who added that he isn't working for any political group.

Jones, who said he is gay, said he was also upset when he discovered Haggard and the New Life Church had publicly opposed same-sex marriage.

"It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex," he said.

Jones claimed Haggard paid him to have sex nearly every month over three years. He said he advertised himself as an escort on the Internet and was contacted by a man who called himself Art, who snorted methamphetamine before their sexual encounters to heighten his experience.

Jones said he later saw the man on television identified as Haggard and that the two last had sex in August.

He said he has voice mail messages from Haggard, as well as an envelope he said Haggard used to mail him cash. He declined to make the voice mails available to the AP, but KUSA-TV reported what it said were excerpts late Thursday that referred to methamphetamine.

"Hi Mike, this is Art," one call began, according to the station. "Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply."

A second message, left a few hours later, began: "Hi Mike, this is Art, I am here in Denver and sorry that I missed you. But as I said, if you want to go ahead and get the stuff, then that would be great. And I'll get it sometime next week or the week after or whenever."

Haggard, 50, was appointed president of the evangelicals association in March 2003. He has participated in conservative Christian leaders' conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied members of Congress last year on U.S. Supreme Court appointees after Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement.

After Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, Haggard and others began organizing state-by-state opposition. Last year, Haggard and officials from the nearby Christian ministry Focus on the Family announced plans to push Colorado's gay marriage ban for the 2006 ballot.

At the time, Haggard said that he believed marriage is a union between a man and woman rooted in centuries of tradition, and that research shows it's the best family unit for children.

[LUconn]

They definatly should have been more specific as to what was true in their email. Now we just know that some Meth head is saying he had gay sex with a pastor and the paster says "some of the allegations are true" but that he has been faithful to his wife. Obviously I'll give him the benefit of the doubt but a little more info would be nice.

[El Scorcho]

I was wondering if the "shocker" in the title of this post was sarcasm or not. It seems that this is far from a shocker in Evangelical circles these days.

[A.G.]

At least the guy has a future in politics--Gov. of NJ.

[LUconn]

oh wait, I reread and I think that he admits it AFTER having denied it and saying he was faithful.

[A.G.]

Perhaps he is so outspoken against gay MARRAIGE b/c it would cut down on available males for "other" purposes.

[kel varson]

No, I seriously was suprised. This guy leads a huge evangelical/political organization. If this is true, I think it will be a much larger scandal than the Baker, Swaggart scandals of the 80's. We're talking about a guy who's leading the charge against gay marriage and he's accused homosexual relations w/ a male prostitute!

For the record, I can't believe its true. As more info, comes to light, I'm starting to have some doubts though. The Colo. Springs church needs to be clear about "What sort of indiscretions" they are talking about. In case you didn't know they said Haggard admitted to some indiscretions. Whatever the heck that is supposed to mean.

[LUconn]

Just kidding!

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/l ... 25,00.html

[Sly Fox]

denver & the west
Claim against evangelical leader stuns Springs-area residents . . .
One gay-rights proponent sees a chance for a lesson to "lighten up and not condemn people for who they are."

By Erin Emery
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:11/03/2006 08:37:11 AM MST

Colorado Springs - Frank Whitworth has fought for gay rights in Colorado Springs since the early 1990s, and he hopes Colorado Springs takes a lesson from a male prostitute's allegation that he had a long-standing sexual relationship with New Life Church pastor Ted Haggard.

"I hope that instead of vilifying Ted, that the community will take a lesson that we should lighten up and not condemn people for who they are," said Whitworth, who founded Ground Zero when voters in the state passed Amendment 2, which prohibited municipalities from passing laws that protected gays. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the law was unconstitutional.

Across Colorado Springs on Thursday, people were stunned by allegations made against Haggard, one of the community's most prominent leaders.

Whitworth said that while he directed Ground Zero about a decade ago, he received a 10- to 12-page letter that accused Haggard of having a sexual affair with a man. Whitworth said it was not his policy to use unsubstantiated claims, and he believes he threw the letter away.

"The interesting thing is Ted Haggard called me and asked me if I had received such a letter, and we had a conversation. I said, 'Ted, I don't go for character assassination."'

It was the second time in a week that a religious leader in Colorado Springs stepped down from the pulpit. The Rev. Benjamin Reynolds resigned as senior pastor of Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday, a few weeks after telling his congregation he is gay.

Colorado Springs City Councilman Jerry Heimlicher said he was shocked that Haggard had resigned from the National Association of Evangelicals and taken an administrative leave from the church.

"I hope it's not true," he said of the allegations. "But I at least admire him for stepping aside to let the air clear. I have nothing but respect for him; when you consider what he built, I have nothing but the greatest of admiration for him."

Heimlicher said he hopes that New Life Church will remain strong.

Ryan Acker, executive director of the Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Center, said he received 30 telephone calls and e-mails from people who were shocked by the allegations.

"People are just taken aback, and especially that Ted has stepped down has really raised some eyebrows," Acker said.

"Whether or not Ted is gay, as the allegations say, I think today he is facing the same ridicule that gays and lesbians face every day, in part because of the teachings that have come from his church," Acker said.

Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com

[PAmedic]

something comes to mind about people, glass houses, and throwing stones

[kel varson]

This morning, in an interview outside his home with KUSA-TV of Denver, Haggard admitted he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from Jones but never had sex.

"I bought it for myself but never used it. I was tempted, but I never used it," Haggard said.


How does someone get tempted to use meth, if they have never used it before as he said. You don't just get tempted to use drugs if your not addicted. At least that's not what I would expect from 50 year old preacher.

[Sly Fox]

As disappointing as this news is, we have to remember Evangelical preachers can be sinners just like everyone else (Bob Gray & Jack Hyles come immediately to mind from the Independent Fundamentalist movement). The last thing we need to do is cover these sins up. It sounds like the church in Colorado is handling the situation much better than Trinity down in Jacksonville.

There is no question that pastors seem the most vulnerable to attack from Satan in the area of immorality. It happens WAY too often.

[PAmedic]

"I bought it for myself but never used it. I was tempted, but I never used it," Haggard said.

How does someone get tempted to use meth, if they have never used it before as he said. You don't just get tempted to use drugs if your not addicted. At least that's not what I would expect from 50 year old preacher.

good point by KEL here, Meth is not a gateway drug. This is a bad deal here.

hope the man gets help, but if the allegations are true- he needs to never lead again.

[Sly Fox]

It was just on NBC Nightly News. This is another black eye for the Evangelical movement in America.

[kel varson]

People in the media are questioning why this Mike Jones outed Haggard. Saying it was cruel to put him and his family through this. I for one am glad he outed him. Haggard in the end will probably be glad as well. As sad as this is for his family its probably for the best that this news has come to light, assuming he is guilty, and its really starting to look that way.

I agree with you Sly, the church is handling this much better than the situation in Jax. I expect will hear the truth about Haggard in the next couple days. With the revelations we heard today, I would think he will have a lot of pressure to come out with the truth.

[Sly Fox]

The gay activists are in a quandry. They want to rejoice in the disgrace of one of their primary foes. But at the same time he represents what they are trying to propigate. Its an odd scenario. But sad is what it really is. Its hard to believe pastors would forget the adage we all learned as children ... be sure your sins will find you out.

[A.G.]

The gay activists are in a quandry. They want to rejoice in the disgrace of one of their primary foes. But at the same time he represents what they are trying to propigate. Its an odd scenario. But sad is what it really is. Its hard to believe pastors would forget the adage we all learned as children ... be sure your sins will find you out.

I guess this is one case that proves the old adage--Politics makes for strange bed-fellows.

[4everfsu]

And what sin did Jack Hyles do?

[Sly Fox]

It would take too long to explain all of the sins for which Jack was involved. But if you want to get a taste of the sad story, click on the various stories at the following link:

Jack Hyles Saga

Suffice it to say, he was preaching one thing and then living another. Its no accident that Bob Gray was his strongest defender when all of the came to light. Years later we now know why he was so quick to defend Jack's sin.

[kel varson]

New Bombshell. Haggard resigns/is fired, for sexually immoral conduct. See drudge for more details.

[Purple Haize]

THIS JUST IN:
HAGGARD leaving the Baptists to start a new METHodist congregation!

[kel varson]

very good haize.

[kel varson]

Haggard's not Baptist though...I believe his background is more charismatic, but I'm not sure. He went to Oral Roberts U. Certainly not a Baptist school.

[nickrichard]

Anybody heard from Brokeback lately. Montana is not far away from Colorado? How planned do you think this "outing" was with the elections next week? I understand this guy was a pretty big advisor Bush. Another big hit for the Repubs.