COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (ABP) — After initial denials and changing stories, Ted Haggard has admitted to unspecified acts of “sexual immorality” and been fired as pastor of a prominent Colorado megachurch.
He also was removed as the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which Haggard led for three years and through which he became a powerful force in conservative politics.
Members of his congregation, New Life Church in Colorado Springs, heard a letter of confession from their former pastor Nov. 5. It was read aloud during the church's two morning worship services. Haggard, 50, was not present.
“The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem,” the letter said. “I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.”
A “board of overseers” comprised of four pastors from outside churches fired Haggard Nov. 4, just two days after a Denver man claimed Haggard had paid him for sex and methamphetamines.
Mike Jones, 49, who is openly gay and describes himself as a former male escort turned personal trainer, first went public with the allegations to Colorado media outlets Nov. 2. He claimed Haggard, using a different name and claiming to be from Kansas City, paid him for the drugs and sexual encounters on a monthly basis for three years. He said their last encounter was in August.
According to news reports, Jones began speaking with reporters at a Colorado Springs television station around the same time, after discovering Haggard's true identity.
The story has created national headlines because of Haggard's prominence and the importance of gay-rights issues in the Nov. 7 midterm elections.
As head of the NAE, Haggard has been one of the nation's most influential evangelicals, meeting regularly with President Bush and other conservative leaders. Last year, an article in Harper's magazine called New Life under Haggard “America's most powerful megachurch.” Time named him among “the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.”
Haggard and his church have been outspoken supporters of a proposed amendment to the Colorado Constitution that would ban gay marriage. It is on the state's Nov. 7 election ballot. Voters in seven other states will consider similar ballot items the same day.
New Life Church has about 14,000 members and is the largest congregation in Colorado, according to news reports. The National Association of Evangelicals has approximately 60 affiliated denominations and thousands of affiliated congregations representing approximately 30 million church members.
When the story broke Nov. 2, Haggard initially denied to reporters he had had any contact with Jones. He then told a Colorado reporter Nov. 3 that he had received massages from Jones but did not have sex with him. He also admitted that he bought the drugs but claimed he did not use them.
In the letter to the church, Haggard took responsibility for his shifting stories.
“The last four days have been so difficult for me, my family and all of you, and I have further confused the situation with some of the things I've said during interviews with reporters who would catch me coming or going from my home,” he said. “But I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem.”
Haggard did not admit to any specific acts and did not explicitly state that he considers himself homosexual or bisexual. He also did not refer directly to drug use.
“For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach,” he wrote.
“Through the years, I've sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn't want to hurt or disappoint them,” Haggard continued. “The public person I was wasn't a lie; it was just incomplete.”
He also said, “The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry.”
Haggard noted that the board of overseers — appointed to deal with such situations in accordance with the church's governing documents — had required him to begin receiving counseling from three prominent Christian leaders. The counselors include pastors from California and Arizona and James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family.
Dobson had initially defended Haggard against Jones' allegations. On Nov. 2, Dobson released a statement saying it was “unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor like this based on nothing but one man's accusation” and claiming the timing of the publicity surrounding the charges was politically motivated.
According to news reports, Larry Stockstill, a member of the board of overseers who read Haggard's letter, said after the service that he and his colleagues still weren't certain of the extent of Haggard's indiscretions. A statement released Nov. 4 announcing Haggard's dismissal noted the overseers had uncovered sufficient wrongdoing that dismissing him immediately was the only possible course of action. The statement also said the church would continue to investigate Haggard's actions.
Haggard's wife, Gayle, also wrote a letter to the congregation that was read aloud. Addressing the women of the church, with whom she had worked, Gayle Haggard said, “What I want you to know is that I love my husband … with all my heart. I am committed to him until death 'do us part.' We started this journey together and with the grace of God, we will finish it together.”
Gayle Haggard also said her husband still “believes with his heart and soul everything he has ever taught you….”
Jones has said he only recently discovered Haggard's prominent identity and strong public opposition to gay rights. Because of that and the upcoming Colorado ballot initiative, Jones said, he decided to expose the pastor's alleged hypocrisy.
In light of that, Jones said Nov. 6 he thought Haggard's apology letter and description of his condition rang hollow.
“He's still lying to himself,” Jones said, according to the Denver Post. “If he's not truly honest with himself, he'll never be over it.”
He continued, “Ted, you need to be honest with yourself. If you're a gay man, you're a gay man.”
-30-