Ted Haggard is Back!

Ahhhh, the wonders of love and forgiveness! Not to be confused with Merle, Ted Haggard, famed Colorado preacher and former leader of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals has made an unexpected return to public life. Haggard became a household name and lost his NAE leadership post as well as pastorship of his 14,000 member church in 2006 after allegations that he was caught using meth and enjoying the company of a male prostitute, Mike Jones--no, not THAT Mike Jones. "Pastor Ted" as he is known to former congregants explained his bad behavior at that time by recounting his molestation by an adult male at the age of 7 and asking for forgiveness. Thereafter, his church placed him under supervisory counseling by several peer pastors and Ted agreed not to make public appearances in the near future, nor resume preaching until his "restoration process" was complete.

Now, I have no doubts that Haggard was sorry. Whether he was sorry that he got caught in immoral behavior unbecoming a pastor or truly repentant that his actions brought shame upon his family, his organization, and his church is something that only God can judge. As a born-again Christian, however, I am ashamed of the bad behavior of our leaders who have fallen in very public scandals including Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, and most recently Bishop M.B. Jefferson and Paula and Randy White of Without Walls International Church here in Tampa. Unfortunately, these leaders like many others become successful and famous in their own right, and then proceed to destroy their reputations as committed family men and purveyors of moral Christian living which they carefully built on the way to the top of their profession or vocation.

The secular world lumps all of these disgraced leaders with the whole of Christianity, neither caring nor realizing that one or several religious leaders are not representative of the entire body of Christian believers worldwide. After all, if a non-Christian were to beat his wife as did Juanita Bynum's husband, Bishop Thomas W. Weeks III we would not say that ALL non-Christians are wife beaters. Moreover, if a non-Christian was convicted of fraud as as was St. Petersburg, FL Reverend Henry Lyons, former President of the National Baptist Convention, we would not then say that ALL non-Christians are hypocrites, frauds, and criminals. Yet this double standard is often applied to those who claim the Christian faith. Our duty, then as Christians is to live the same lifestyle that we demand of everyone else, so that no one can call our actions or motives into question. Yes, Christian leaders are men and women with faults just like everyone else, but many rationalize their behavior by saying that because they are "just men" that God does not revoke their gifts or calling (Romans 11:29). While this may be true, their natural or God-given talents still do not excuse them from practicing personal responsibility for the things for which they hold others accountable (Matthew 23:1-4; Luke 12:47).