I have to admit that I was stunned when I first read the accusations against Ted Haggard the last few days and have been online regularly to follow the story. If you aren't aware of it, Haggard was the pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs who was accused this week of hiring a male prostitute among other things outlined here. I don't know that we'll ever know the full extent of the truth of the accusations brought against him or whether a full, honest admission will be forthcoming, but my heart breaks for him, his family and New Life Church.
More than anything, this has had me reflecting on how desperate our need of God actually is. I may not suffer the same afflictions as Ted Haggard, but I am just as capable of pursuing sin to the point of self destruction. "There but by the grace of God go I" is the first thing that pops into my head when I hear about the failings of other Christians. These are moments when I pray more desperately for the filling of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of self control and the wisdom to avoid the snares of the enemy.
My prayer is that Haggard will be restored to his family and in his relationship with God. I also pray that this situation will cause more of us to seek genuine accountability where our sinful desires can die early deaths as we share our struggles in loving community. Being honest about our sin is one of our best tools to overcoming it.
3 comments:
In respnse to repack rider:
I understand where it is easy to come to the conclusion that Haggard falls into the Matthew 6:5 ilk, but God is the only one who can make that call for sure. We can't claim to know Haggard's heart and therefore should be cautious about condemning him. Certainly, what he has admitted to thus far is worth condemning, but he is a child of God who Jesus deemed worth dying for and is therefore not beyond the reach of His mercy.
Pastor Tim Helm once shared with me a thought on James 3:1 which reads, "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." He wondered if part of the stricter judgment would come because we would be judged by those around us as well as by God. I don't want to stand in judgment of Ted Haggard. He will receive enough of that already.
As for this being the only thing that anyone remembers about Reverend Haggard, it's entirely possible. But we serve a God whose capacity for love, grace, mercy and restoration surpasses our understanding and expectation. It's entirely possible that someone once said, "This will be the only thing anyone remembers about King David" after the whole Bathsheba/Uriah incident. Yet, he's still known as the man after God's own heart and his confession in Psalm 51 is a part of that legacy.
Again, I urge that we pray for Ted, his family and his church and allow God to do what He will through all of this.
An Updated Report of Church this Morning
I like the way that you're analyzing the situation, and the conclusion seems pretty forgiving and compassionate... something that I fear too many so called "Followers of Christ" will not be... As for myself, I'm not too affected by this--not havin' known much about the guy before this incident--and I really don't know what can be done about it at this stage, other than to pick up the shattered pieces and move on... I'm reminded of the chapter in A Generous Orthodoxy entitled "Why I am Biblical" where McLaren lays out the Bible as narrative, and illustrates the fact that God is always at work to move us forward, and sometimes those who seem to be leading the movement are actually setting us back... We need to constantly evaluate what direction our lives are taking, and we can only do that through keeping our noses planted in the Bible...
Sorry, that anonymous one above was me... the page didn't log my info...
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