I don’t like his theology, don’t like his politics, don’t like how he mixes the two. But Ted Haggard is a human being, and though the gospel he preaches if full of holes, and I can’t make any definitive statement about his own love for the Lord, I can definitively say that the Lord loves him.
There are two kinds of Christians that I’m aware of. Those who have failed morally in some significant way, and those who will. Just for the record, I am in the first category. I know where this guy is right now because I’ve been there myself. My circumstances were quite a bit different, but the shame and pain and, I’ll wager, loneliness were the same.
I think the Christian community needs to be very careful with this whole thing. His church has already cut him loose. I don’t know how they think they can exert any sort of spiritual authority over him when they’ve fired him. I know I wouldn’t allow it. Of course, we can’t have moral failures in our pulpits… only, we do. Every pulpit in this country is filled with a moral failure, and every pew as well.
Though, it’s true, Mr. Haggard would be accorded no authority to continue leading the church had he been permitted to continue as Pastor. But I wonder, did he need to be dismissed? And now, post firing, he’s got to stand in front of the congregation and read a letter? And his wife too! [note: it isn't clear from the wording in New Life Church's press release (pdf) whether the letters will be read by him and his wife or by others, however, I know people for whom the "reading a letter to the congregation" thing was a live in-person deal]. I mentioned yesterday that his family would have to walk through hell with him; this is just the beginning).
This is a chance for Mr. Haggard’s church, and also for the wider Church, once again to explore what it means to love mercy. (Micah 6:8) But I have grave doubts about the likelihood of that actually happening.
What Mr. Haggard needs right now is not judgment (I’m sure both he and the evangelical wingnuts he’s been hanging with will handle that), but grace.
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 5, 2006 at 4:47 am
Rachel
What I was glad to see was some of the teens from the Church he is at being interviewed. The interviewer said “Has this rocked your faith?”. The guy replied, “My faith is not shaken. My faith is in God.”(excuse the paraphrase).
November 5, 2006 at 10:48 pm
Nicole
Ah, for all the things I’m angry about, I’m not angry at Ted Haggard. My heart really hurts for the man. I doubt he’ll be encountering much grace in the form of Christian love, however. The press release on the church’s website says that he will be seeking counsel from “Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack Hayford, and Pastor Tommy Barnett.” That sounds like a punishment to me. Why not just find him a really grace filled psychologist or two who are unknown, a couple of monastics, and some people who already know and love him and his family? SEems like that’s what they’ll need right now to sort through all that hurt and be supported in real loving ways.
November 6, 2006 at 6:49 am
jvjannotti
I noticed that list a little later in the day yesterday. As I said, by dismissing him the church should have held no authority to mandate who he sought counsel from, but I guess Haggard himself allowed them that authority. I’ve never heard of Tommy Barnett but I sure wouldn’t want the other two poking around my life.
Your “why not?” question is a good one; the kind that churches, especially large ones with media exposure and well known pastors, should ask themselves in this kind of situation. There’s a certain amount of accountability under which New Life church’s leadership should be held too, and seeking other nodding evangelical heads isn’t gonna get it done.
**sigh**
November 9, 2006 at 4:45 am
zalm
Dobson has now decided that he just doesn’t have the time to counsel Haggard.
I’d best leave it at that, before I risk spoiling what I think is a wonderful post.