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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Focus on the Fundies: Ted Haggard is preaching again

For some reason, disgraced, defrocked religious leaders always seem to be able to attract new or old followers by allowing the suckers to "forgive" them and thus feel virtuous. And in America, there has never been a shortage of either. Disgraced Colorado Springs megachurch leader Ted Haggard, whose outing as a meth-snorting, gay prostitute-paying hypocrite played a role in 2006's Republican election debacle, and in the disillusionment of right-wing Christians with the Republican party, is preaching again, appearing at a rural Illinois church.

Then the 50-year-old president of the National Association of Evangelicals and a symbol of the relationship between the Christian Right and the Republican Party, Haggard was outed by the male prostitute whom he had patronized and bought drugs from over several years in Colorado. His very public fall, coming just days before the 2006 election, was preceded a month earlier by the fall of Mark Foley, and marked the beginning of the end of Republican domination of electoral politics in the U.S. for several years.

Be sure to read to the end of today's story where an elder of Haggard's former church compares him to a "mouse" in his present state.

Update: Courtesy Jeff Sharlett, here's an ABC News story -- with audio excerpts from Haggard's sermon if you play the video.

technorati: Ted Haggard, Christians, televangelists

Labels: Colorado Springs, evangelicals, Focus on the Fundies, Mike Jones, New Life Church, newlifechurch, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Restructuing, layoffs at Haggard's former church

Staff layoffs are ahead for the former church of exposed Big Gay drugs user and hypocrite Ted Haggard, the Colo. Springs Gazette reported today; the layoffs amount to between 30 and 50 people, according to local TV station. Contributions are no doubt down at New Life CHurch, Haggard's former fief.

This gives me an irresistible opportuntiy to quote from Jeff Sharlett's 2005 profile of Haggard and New Life Church.

New Lifers, Pastor Ted writes with evident pride, "like the benefits, risks, and maybe above all, the excitement of a free-market society." They like the stimulation of a new brand. "Have you ever switched your toothpaste brand, just for the fun of it?" Pastor Ted asks. Admit it, he insists. All the way home, you felt a "secret little thrill," as excited questions ran through your mind: "Will it make my teeth whiter? My breath fresher?" This is the sensation Ted wants pastors to bring to the Christian experience.

Now that we know more about Pastor Ted's "secret little thrills," passages like that one are priceless.

technorati: Ted Haggard, New Life Church

Labels: Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, newlifechurch, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Friday, February 09, 2007

It's Bad Behavior Friday™! -- It Depends edition

It's going to be hard -- very hard -- to top the whole psycho astronaut love triangle story. That has got to be in the finals for Bad Behavior story of the year. But we'll try.

A Colorado Springs TV station has revealed that Ted Haggard's former church is paying him to shut up about his indiscretions with a male prostitute and everything else (courtesy Street Prophets). The "agreement" also calls for Haggard to leave town. This explains his announcement earlier in the week that he would be relocating to Iowa or Missouri.

Take my advice, Ted. Pick Missouri. The people there are stupider, and they'll definitely buy your online "psychology" degree.

A teacher in Brooklyn pocketed $6000 for home-schooling a student who was dead.

High schoolers in California are fighting short-tempered teachers by posting videos of their blow-ups on YouTube.

Finally, conservatives attacked presidential candidate John Edwards for hiring irreverent, scatalogical blogger Amanda Marcotte. Edwards said he disagreed with some of Marcotte's more hard-edged posts of the past, but wasn't firing her. An example quoted by the conservatives:

On the crucifixion, Miss Marcotte says this:"The paradox was this.How can anybody look at the figure of Christ on the cross and think that's anything but a condemnation of torture? For the thinking person, it clearly is. But for the fundamentalist, that image creates anxiety about death and makes them cling to their hierarchical values even more."

Hmm, provocative but hardly off the wall. What about this:

Some of her ramblings on Pandagon, like this example on Catholics and the Plan B pill, "Q: What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit? A: You'd have to justify your misogyny with another ancient mythology." are truly disgusting. In another instance, she glibly remarks that religious conservatives should "keep your nose of out of our britches, our beds and our families."

Okay, the bit about God's come is pretty much over the top. But is the quote that immediately follows it equal in some way? Seems like the conservatives don't really have their shit together on this one. Stay tuned.

And finally, guess who's sponsoring the premiere of the musical "Urinetown" in Omaha, Neb.? The Urogology Center of Omaha, which will serve "dessert -- something yellow -- in specimen cups."

technorati: amandamarcotte, JohnEdwards, tedhaggard

Labels: amandamarcotte, Bad Behavior, JohnEdwards, tedhaggard

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Haggard's hooker doubts '100% heterosexual' claim

Mike Jones, the rent boy who exposed Ted Haggard and recently visited Haggard's former church, said he doubts Haggard's claim that he emerged from a counseling program "completely heterosexual." Quoth Jones:

Give me a break. He's been performing oral sex on me for three years. You don't change that in three weeks.... I know him well enough by now, and you know what he's doing when those letters come out? He's playing the sympathy card. He's saying, 'Please feel sorry for me.'

Jones went on to display some of the insight into human psychology that Haggard claims he wants to learn: "Until he's honest with himself, he'll never be happy."

Snap! Jones also said that Haggard's communiques just gave him more material for the book he's writing: "Every time he opens his mouth, I have to add another chapter."

technorati: Ted Haggard, Mike Jones, New Life Church

Labels: exgayministry, exgays, mikejones, newlifechurch, restorationministry, tedhaggard

Saturday, November 11, 2006

'Jesus Camp' to shut down

The summer camp for little right-wing Chrstians seen in the documentary "Jesus Camp" will close, the management said.

Associated with disgraced preacher Ted Haggard -- who appears in the film leering directly into the camera: "I think I know what you did last night!... Give me $1000 and I won't tell your wife!"... If you use any of this, I'll sue you. [video clip] -- the camp will close because of negative reaction to the film and to Haggard's fall. Link courtesy PostAnApology and Technorati.

Ironically, the same documentary that had liberal Christians and non-religious people cringing was viewed positively by some irony-challenged evangelicals. You can read this fascinating interview with the filmmakers on the website of Christianity Today, a conservative (though reasonably responsible and not completely foaming at the mouth) Christian magazine.

I am so sorry to see this week end.

Update no. 1: Seattle's The Stranger has a feature, Ted Haggard's Crystal Cathedral -- A Visit to the Gayest Place on Earth. That echoes Salon's Lauren Sandler who wrote a few days ago that "suddenly so much about his ministry feels, well, gay." And The Stranger's Dan Savage has an op-ed making the rounds entitled The Code of the Callboy, referring to the decisions made by escorts about the very rare times they out their clients.

Ted Haggard, Jesus Camp, documentaries, Christianity Today, evangelicals

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, Mike Jones, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Friday, November 10, 2006

Sheldon: Christian rightist leaders knew of Haggard's sexuality

Uber-toxic old crypto-fascist Lou Sheldon, one of the biggest foamers of the anti-gay religious right, is said to have admitted that he and "a lot" of other evangelical leaders knew of Ted Haggard's homosexual predilictions:

Sheldon disclosed that he and "a lot" of others knew about Haggard's homosexuality "for awhile ... but we weren't sure just how to deal with it."

Months before a male prostitute publicly revealed Haggard's secret relationship with him, and the reverend�s drug use as well, "Ted and I had a discussion," explained Sheldon, who said Haggard gave him a telltale signal then: "He said homosexuality is genetic. I said, no it isn't. But I just knew he was covering up. They need to say that."

God, just in those quotes there is so much evil and forked-tongued speech. They "weren't sure just how to deal with it"?? Oh, I'm sure any Christianist demagogue would be able to tell a garden-variety fag just how to deal with his homosexuality -- but this wasn't just any gay man, this was one of their own. So rather than treat him the way they would treat someone without power and influence, they froze and shilly-shallied. I'm sure they would have liked this situation to go on forever -- just as the Catholic Church wished all those pedophile priests would eventually just die and the problem would go away -- all because of their totally unrealistic and wishful view of what sex is.

Then there's the smug, superior note: "They need to say that."

A man whose mind stopped functioning long ago, for the most part, except the parts that animate the knee-jerk response.

Also classic is this statement: Speaking of the election results, in which Rick Santorum and several other darlings of the Christian Right were drubbed:

"We know that in America the people are with us," insisted the founder and chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, one of the largest groups in the Christian right. "They're just confused."

Right, Lou. It's just a PR problem. The American people are confused about what you represent. Sure.

Link to the story courtesy Andrew Sullivan, The Zero Boss.

Lou Sheldon, Ted Haggard, religious right, Traditional Values Coalition, homosexuality, homophobia

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, Lou Sheldon, Mike Jones, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Evangelical spin begins

Writing on Beliefnet, a New Life Church clergyman posits what looks like the religious right's first angle on the Haggard debacle: the investigation into his behavior is "over," and what needs to happen now is forgiveness and healing.

That is a lie. As Larry Stockstill, the head of the "overseers" panel appointed by the church to look into the allegations against the senior pastor, said in a Sunday press conference, the investigation continues:

...Leaders at the former pastor's church believe he is still being deceptive about the extent of his sexual activity, the Rev. Larry Stockstill said Sunday.

Stockstill, Haggard's mentor and head of the church's investigation into allegations by former male escort Mike Jones about Haggard's sexual and drug activity, said officials will require Haggard to take polygraphs and undergo psychological evaluations before considering his return to church life.

Haggard's computer hard drive also will be examined for evidence of longer-term illicit sexual activity, Stockstill said during a news conference at New Life Church.
The church's board of overseers is also undertaking a thorough review of Haggard's financial situation, although no allegations of improprieties have been made and no evidence has surfaced of any financial wrongdoing.

Maybe lying is contagious.

Update no. 1: Satire: "Evangelicals regret being such dicks about Clinton"

Update no. 2: They may have taken the Daily Show clips off YouTube, but you can still read the transcript of Jon Stewart's bit on Haggard on a blog called The Third Path.

Update no. 3: Analysis pieces:

Salon's Lauren Sandler
A long piece by an evangelical on Christianity Today

Ted Haggard, Larry Stockstill, Patton Dodd, New Life Church, religious right, Jon Stewart,

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Monday, November 06, 2006

All Haggard, all the time

The Rocky Mountain News has a couple of interesting pieces on l'affaire Haggard today:

In a press conference following Sunday's sermon, the "overseers" charged with investigating Ted Haggard's errors said they would be inspecting his computer hard drive and his finances and will require the disgraced preacher "to take polygraphs and undergo psychological evaluations." They also said they believe "he is still being deceptive about the extent of his sexual activity."
The RMN also asked local gay pastors to comment on the events.

In the Denver Post, Mike Jones called Haggard's apology "hollow":

Jones said he had sex monthly with Haggard for three years, ending in August. From those sexual encounters, Jones said he believes Haggard is a homosexual, despite having a wife and five children.

"Ted, you need to be honest with yourself," Jones said over the air. "If you're a gay man, you're a gay man."

Somehow I don't think that's the direction the Team Haggard is going.

Update no. 1: On Huffington Post, Harry Shearer: "Of all the people who sprang October surprises, I trust Mike Jones. The former gay hooker, unlike the Iraqi "court" and other late newsmakers, had the balls to say upfront that he was timing his allegations about Ted Haggard's sex life in the hope of affecting the election. Even before Haggard acknowledged the truth of the matter, Jones--who had lie-detector problems--passed the ultimate lie detector: he was telling an obvious truth: he wanted to sway the vote."

And Arianna herself: "Mark Foley and Ted Haggard are textbook examples of how the relentless denial of reality perverts judgment and rots the soul."

Update no. 2: Michelangelo Signorile interviews Mike Jones:

MS: Was he a top or bottom? What was he interested in?

MJ: When I was on the radio show in Denver, the question was asked: Did you practice safe sex? I said, 'We used a condom once." The talk show host goes, "You mean he wore the condom once?" I said, "Uh, no, I did."

MS: What about with oral sex. Was he the passive partner or the active partner?

MJ: You know, it kind of went back and forth --- and I can't say he was very good at it.

Oh, snap! Does this ever stop getting better and better!!?!

Update no. 3 Newsweek also has an interview with Jones, somewhat less colorful.

Ted Haggard, Mike Jones, Larry Stockstill, gay clergy

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, Mike Jones, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Dobson inadvertantly confirms some Haggard details

The pope (as it were) of right-wing Christians in Colorado Springs, Focus On The Family head James Dobson, tackled brother Ted Haggard's mess today on his organization's daily broadcast, and along the way confirmed something about Mike Jones' story for the first time.

Up to now, Jones -- the Denver male prostitute whom Haggard called "my accuser" has said that he had a three-year sex-for-pay relationship with Haggard. Haggard denied that early on, and when he subsequently dribbed out various confessions and admissions, it became unclear just what he was confessing to. As Haggard said in his letter to his former church, "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."

Until this morning, no one had said anything about which of the allegations the "board of overseers," appointed by Haggard's church to look into the matter, had confirmed. But this morning Dobson blurted out that Haggard's "sins" had stretched out over "several years." I take that to be a confirmation that either Haggard's visits to Jones had indeed taken place over the three years claimed by Jones, and/or that Haggard had had other same-sex encounters over "several years." We're clear on that now.

Another interesting note was struck by one of Dobson's radio guests, a preacher named Ravi Zacharias, who said twice that problems of "sexual sin" like Haggard's often "begin in the home" and are the result of marital problems and "often a loss of sexual intimacy." (Racy talk for the Christianists!) So all this foofah about how great Haggard's wife is, and how none of this could possibly be her fault -- the implication is that things weren't all that great between them.

Of course, none of this matters, who cares about these people's problems -- EXCEPT for two things. One, these people put themselves on a pedestal as wonderful examples of everything that's good and Christian, and they influence many thousands of people, so it matters when they say one thing and do another; it speaks directly to their credibility. Not only that, but Haggard took part in the weekly teleconference between evangelical leaders and Karl Rove's staff -- he can hardly claim not to have been in a position of power and influence. And two, these were the very people who jumped all over Clinton for his little sexual indiscretion, and you can bet they made hay over that FOR YEARS. So excuse me for talking about this twerp Haggard for a few days.

Finally, there is clearly one aspect of this whole thing the Christian conservatives have decided not to talk about at all: the drug problem. Not a single word on Dobson's broadcast, and not a single word yesterday at Haggard's former church. Isn't that interesting?

Ted Haggard, James Dobson, Ravi Zacharias, rightwingchristians

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, James Dobson, Mike Jones, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Sunday, November 05, 2006

The devil and Mike Jones

Here's Ted Haggard's letter to his former congregation as printed in the Colorado Springs Gazette. He calls his same-sex desires (if that is what is is referring to) "dark... repulsive... dirt" and offers a curious report on the efficacy of the homophobic, right-wing Christian approach to homosexuality:

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.

The public person I was wasn't a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe.

So you're saying... that whole approach didn't work out too well, did it? Every consider just facing up to the fact that you're queer and you like taking drugs?

I would love to hear what 12-step people have to say about this.

He does manage to be a man when it comes to Mike Jones, whom he calls "my accuser":

He is revealing the deception and sensuality that was in my life. Those sins, and others, need to be dealt with harshly. So, forgive him and, actually, thank God for him. I am trusting that his action will make me, my wife and family, and ultimately all of you, stronger. He didn't violate you; I did.

The only problem with this is that the word "devil" itself is from the Greek word for "accuser," diabolos. So it could be said that Haggard's statement, while sounding magnanimous, is the epitome of damning with faint praise.

In this accompanying story about the scene at Haggard's church this morning is a more postive note: According to one of the investigating "overseers," a Rev. Larry Stockstill (!), "God chose to reveal pastor Ted's sin."

Okay -- God... the devil... Which is it?

It's a political ploy by Satan himself and his minions to try and take the focus off the real issues of the election.

So... sounds like the jury's still out on that.

Update 1: A Salon.com article on the scene at New Life Church this morning says that suddenly everything about the place "seems so gay."

Update 2: The New York Times also reports on this morning's service: "It was not until a letter was read from Mr. Haggard's wife, Gayle, that the tissue boxes were really needed." Doesn't that sound special.

Update 3: If you have the patience, here is a very long streaming video -- about 30 minutes -- of the entire address to the New Life church by "overseer" Stockstill. Link courtesy JoshMShep (evidently a New Life member).

Earlier:

Colorado Springs Gazette:

They were working late Saturday night at New Life Church. They squeezed extra chairs into every corner of the megachurch's massive auditorium. They placed extra boxes of tissue in every aisle.

Wonder what else they were up to? Writing press releases, probably, and trying to figure how new ways to explain concepts like "hypocrisy" and "pharisee."

Statements of apology (from the disgraced clergyman) and "encouragement" (from his wife [!!]) will be read during the service, which will probably be spoken of as a time of healing. I think it would probably be more effective if they didn't skip the moourning, bargaining and enraged anger steps.

All that remains now is the announcement that Haggard has decided to go into rehab for his drug problem. He might meet Mark Foley -- he's supposed to be in there for another couple days. They would have a lot to talk about.

New Life Church, Ted Haggard, hypocrites

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, Mike Jones, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Haggard fired

BREAKING:

Citing his admissions of "sexually immoral conduct," New Life Church founder and former head of the Nat'l Assoc. of Evangelicals has been fired by the board of New Life Church -- press release, courtesy Non-Prophet. Here's the local paper on the firing.

This photo shows Haggard's impromptu press conference yesterday as he left his house. He admitted buying methamphetamine in front of his wife and kids -- see 'em? The CNN site has the video.

The weird smile never left his face.

Should be an interesting time at New Life's services tomorrow, when notes from Haggard as well as "a note of encouragement" from his wife will be read. Don't miss this article in the Denver Post -- a reporter was present as remaining New Life ministers and staff planned tomorrow's services.

Update: Also in the Denver Post: Bush campaigned in Colorado today, speaking from "Mile High Coffee" -- who needs meth when you have some of that shit? -- but left it to Cheney to campaign in Colorado Springs, home of Haggard and New Life Church. Can't find anything that says Cheney was asked about Haggard or commented on the scandal, but really -- could people in that two-industry town (God and the Air Force Academy) be talking about anything else?

Ted Haggard, New Life Church, Non-Prophet

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

There's got to be a morning after

Lacking any new bombshells today in l'affaire Haggard, I am wiping the come off my keyboard after my orgy of posting over the last two days. Only thing I have new is this post by Slactivist, the widely-read moderate Christian blogger whose main claim to fame is taking apart the ridiculous Left Behind page by page. Slactivist has both a .gif of Mike Jones' newspaper "massage" advertisement and a good point to make about Haggard's future: the "repentence" that Haggard will be called on to show simply means "he will go back to living a lie" as a closeted gay man.

I think there is an alternative explanation to the very fine mess Haggard finds himself in: and that is, that he is a bisexual who mostly has relationships with women, but when he does meth, he likes to get really down and dirty, and he can't do meth and get down and dirty with his wife (link to an article by her about being "a pastor's wife" courtesy Wonkette).

So seeing Mike Jones does two things for him -- he gets the drugs, and he gets to have nasty sex. This is known on Craigslist as "Party and Play" -- take drugs and get down. The drugs lower your inhibitions and let you do what you really want to do. My theory is not that Haggard is a closeted Kinsey 6 but a guy who likes to do drugs and have sex, and the most convenient person to do both with is a nice male prostitute. But in any case, he certainly has some 'splainin to do.

Oh, there is one more thing: a website called PageOneQ found Mike Jones' web page, complete with pix (sfw) and rates.

Ted Haggard, meth, bisexuals, party and play, Craigslist

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Friday, November 03, 2006

Long ago, Haggard 'staked out gay bars'

A friend tipped me off to this little-noticed line in the April 2005 Harpers magazine story on New Life Church and Ted Haggard -- the first half of which the author, Jeff Sharlett, reprinted in his blog today:

At the time, Colorado Springs was a small city split between the Air Force and the New Age, and the latter, Pastor Ted believed, worked for the devil. Pastor Ted soon began upsetting the devil�s plans. He staked out gay bars, inviting men to come to his church; his whole congregation pitched itself into invisible battles with demonic forces, sometimes in front of public buildings.

Emphasis mine. How clear things seem in the light of day.

Updates:

MSNBC profile of Haggard as a "maverick"
CNN quotes Haggard: "I called him to buy some meth, but I threw it away. I was buying it for me, but I never used it. I was tempted, I bought it, but I never used it. He told me about it. I went there for a massage."(Thanks, Guru of Nothingness)
Colorado Confidential published a nice summary of Thursday's statements and events
Interesting Salon article on Colorado Republican politics, especially with respect to gay issues.
This screenshot from Google News is interesting: three big foreign papers are playing the scandal for its connection to politics:

Ted Haggard, gay bars, Jeff Sharlett, New Life Church, Colorado Springs

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Smoking gun in Haggard scandal: always save the stained blue dress

BREAKING:

Courtesy BoingBoing, news that the voice messages saved by the male prostitute are from Pastor Ted Haggard.

Perhaps better now to say: former Pastor Ted Haggard. Here's a valedictory profile on the Rocky Mountain News website.

Update 1: Haggard now admits buying meth from Jones.

I guess that would explain the text of the phone messages:

"Hi Mike, this is Art. Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply. And I could pick it up really anytime. I could get it tomorrow...

The story from the Colorado Spring Gazette quotes Haggard as saying:
"I bought it for myself but never used it," he said. "I was tempted but I never used it."
Now that's just sad.

Update 2: Haggard admits receiving "massage" from male prostitute.

Ted Haggard, voice mails, voice messages, New Life Church

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Haggard 'admits some indiscretions' as accuser fails polygraph

BREAKING:

An assistant to former leading evangelical leader Ted Haggard "stated in an e-mail to parishoners late Thursday night that Haggard confessed to some indiscretions alleged by a homosexual prostitute."

Non-Prophet has the email sent by Pr. Ross Parsley to the members of Haggard's New Life Church. Non-Prophet has been a burr in the side of Haggard and New Life for a long time, so of course they're the ones to have the email.

Meanwhile, the male prostitute who outed Haggard as a methamphetamine-gulping big gay failed a lie detector test administered today.

Updates will follow throughout the day. So best!!!!111!

Evangelical-friendly Christians comment in their blogs on the Haggard scandal:

"I do so hope that the "evangelical community" does not react in the way the so mercilessly tend to do in similar scenarios. Hopefully Mr. Haggard will not be laughed at, discredited, slandered, or kicked to the curb as if he were a filthy leper..."

Christianity today: In his sermon last Sunday, Haggard prayed: "Father, we pray that lies would be exposed. We pray that deception would be exposed."

Bill Kinnon: Haggard's fall has something to do with the lack of accountability typical of "the infallible-senior-pastor-model" associated with megachurches.

The Revealer: Jeff Sharlett, author of the 2005 Harper's Magazine article about New Life Church, says Haggard "is a victim of the very closet over which he publicly stands guard, as are all the New Life church members he's led into it."

News updates:

Time magazine: 'Mega-Scandal for a megachurch'

Ted Haggard, New Life Church, male prostitute

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Blogs on Haggard allegations

Best posting title evar:

omg rev. ted haggard eets teh meatpole LOL!!!!!11one

That posting contains a link to a well-produced documentary video (8 min 45 sec.) posted on YouTube of New Life and Haggard.

More video: Watch the local TV news interview with Haggard (on that page, click on "Watch the exclusive interview with Ted Haggard") in which he sounds way too cheerful about the whole thing, as if he were talking about an exciting upcoming Sunday School picnic. Best line: On the man who made the allegations: "What'd you say his name was?"

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard

Leading fundie resigns after being outed

BREAKING:

The head of Colorado Springs' New Life Church and the president of the National Association of Evangelicals resigned today following allegations he had a sexual relationship with a Denver man -- a male escort, naturally, who said Haggard had been a client for three years.

Haggard and New Life Church were the subject of this October 2005 Harpers article; here's an April 2005 account of a Haggard visit to Hawaii (from which the photo at left was taken).

Hey Republicans! Energize your base, okay? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!

Other accounts:
Rocky Mountain News
Denver Post

Ted Haggard, New Life Church

Labels: Colorado Springs, Focus on the Fundies, New Life Church, religious right, Ted Haggard, tedhaggard