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Christianity Today, November, 2007

Haggard Reprimanded

Former president of the NAE told to stop seeking financial support.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 10/23/2007 08:55AM

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A request from Ted Haggard for money to keep his family afloat was "inappropriate" and "unacceptable," according to the pastors overseeing his restoration.

In late August, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals e-mailed friends asking for financial support while he pursues a master's degree. Haggard said his family was planning to minister and live at the Phoenix Dream Center, a half-way house for the homeless, those coming out of prison, recovering alcoholics, drug addicts, and prostitutes.

But the overseers' statement said "it was never the intention of the Dream Center that Mr. Haggard would provide any counsel or other ministry. He will be seeking secular employment to support himself and his family."

Haggard resigned from the NAE and was removed as senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs last November, after his relationship with a former male prostitute was revealed.

Haggard's four-pastor team of overseers seeks to contact him weekly, said Mike Ware, a member of the team and pastor of Victory Church in Westminster, Colorado. Ware confirmed that Haggard is attending the University of Phoenix, but said Haggard had not discussed with the overseers his plan to seek financial support.

Haggard declined comment to CT.

"If you look back on previous scandals, guys who get caught in these things, they tend to want to get back into the ministry very quickly," said Jim Newheiser, president of the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship. "[Haggard] will need to learn to be a member of a church under the leadership of others."

Ware said the overseers' goal is to restore Haggard to public life as a Christian. Ware declined to discuss Haggard's possible restoration to public ministry.

Related Elsewhere:

David Neff blogged on the meaning of Haggard's fundraising letter as the story unfolded.

Our previous coverage of the 2006 Ted Haggard scandal is available in our special section.

Haggard's positions as pastor of New Life Church and president of the NAE have been filled by Brady Boyd and Leith Anderson, respectively.

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November 2007, Vol. 51, No. 11

Comments (13)

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Displaying 1–5 of 13 comments

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alex

October 27, 2007 2:07pm

He does have a job. His job is begging all of us for money.

Canaan

October 27, 2007 2:22am

Yes, Brandon, that's exactly what I wondered. Could it be because CT is a right-wing mouthpiece and that they wanted to keep quiet as long as possible?

Blair

October 26, 2007 9:10am

Well, Ted will learn in his first grad course on counseling, that he needs to take care of his own issues before he can help others - WONDED HEALERS... sad to watch.

Roy

October 24, 2007 7:01pm

Typical, typical, typical..... Where is the practical and visible application of Galatians 6:1-10? I see precious little application of James 5:13-20, the Sacrament of Repentance and Restoration. Where is the practice of 2nd Corinthians 2:5-11? In all these passages we find penance is designed to return people and leaders to the positions they had before their spiritual lapse. This is what God did with David and Peter. Why do these modern pharisees not follow the clear biblical pattern? Claiming to be the christian arm that most clearly expresses the forgiveness and grace of God, they do not in practice exhibit the same! What we usually see in these cases is someone disbarred as it were and relegated to the garbage heap of life. Perhaps they can open up a street mission in the slums, while others step in to what they helped build and use it for their benefit. Or, in the case of PTL, they have a feeding frenzy and dismember the spoils of their christian "housecleaning."

marianne Miller

October 24, 2007 6:45pm

Obviously, Ted Haggard feels a sense of entitlement to other people's money, a far-too-common trait among current Evangelical leaders. The best way for him to get healed is to put duct tape over his mouth and serve others quietly and anonymously in some obscure corner of the universe. Also, like I once told my 17-year-old son: "GET A JOB!" What is he thinking when he asks others to support his family? Hasn't he ignored their needs enough as it is??

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