Ted Haggard: Wants God and Christians To Wink At His Rebellion

Excerpts from a news article at The Christian Post:

Disgraced pastor Ted Haggard didn’t hold back when criticizing the Christian right during a recent interview, in which he accused the movement of acting ungospel-like and having the wrong understanding of human sexuality.

“I think the religious right is increasingly impotent right now in America,” Haggard said on ABC's World News Sunday. “And it’s going to have to return to the Gospel in order to regain strength.”

The former evangelical leader said there is a gap between evangelical leaders and the Gospel, and stressed that the real message of the Church is that Jesus came to heal imperfect humans.
“Jesus is good news, not bad news,” Haggard told ABC's Dan Harris.

But a gay sex and drug scandal brought down the evangelical leader in 2006. Many had directed their criticism not only at Haggard, but at the evangelical community for its hypocrisy. Before his fall, Haggard had often publicly railed against homosexual relations.

Now after being “shunned” by the Christian right, as Haggard described his situation, his tone regarding same-sex relations has become notably softer.

Although he still does not believe that same-sex marriage is biblically permissible, he is now supportive of same-sex civil unions.

“Just as the church made a horrible mistake several centuries ago insisting that the earth is flat,” Haggard said on ABC, “I think the church may make a major mistake in our generation saying that sexuality should be this and nothing else.”

He went on, “The Church has to look at humanity realistically. We all got to humble ourselves and do everything we can to serve people in need. Not to dictate them; not to hate them; not to punish them.”

Since his fall, Haggard has expressed bitterly that he expected the Christian community to be more forgiving of his sins than they have been.

End quote.

The problem is, Haggard is justifying his sin and is complaining that real Christians won't accept his sinful rebellion of lies and deceit. He needs to shut his mouth and pray for God's mercy, because as he stands now, he is under God's wrath, earning hell. He has not shown any godly sorrow nor repentance, but rather a continual lust for the limelight and acceptance, tearing down what God has declared.

Let's revisit what God says about homosexuals:

1Ti 1:10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,

1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Jud 1:7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
Rom 1:25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Rom 1:26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;
Rom 1:27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Rom 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Rom 1:29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,
Rom 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Rom 1:32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.


1Co 5:11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler--not even to eat with such a one.
1Co 5:12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?
1Co 5:13 God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."

The Gospel of Jesus Christ contains the NEED for salvation which is SIN. Sin would include sodomy, adultery, etc. as well as sin in thought and deed. We are born as sinners, born hostile toward God. If one does not understand WHY he is under God's wrath, he will not understand he needs to BEG for God's mercy and salvation. Haggard, as a "pastor" doesn't even know this fundamental truth. He ought to start reading the Gospel of John and Romans.