Ted Haggard and What’s Right

Ted Haggard News Story

I don’t know Ted Haggard personally, nor have I ever attended his megachurch in Colorado Springs.  None of that matters to me at all in regards to this news story.  The media is spinning it as the worst thing to hit Christianity since the Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker fiascos nearly 20 years ago.  (I’ll forgive those of you in your 20’s if those names mean nothing to you!)

My concern here has always been the media’s rush to judgement when Christians are concerned.  Haggard has already been made to be guilty until proven innocent.  The man involved in sharing the allegations has been given a free pass in what he has alleged.  I live in Denver and the local media here has not written one story looking into this man’s life (as of today) and hasn’t tried to establish any credibility to his testimony.  It’s just assumed he has some validity, or if he doesn’t the media’s not spinning it that way.  Just days ago, an active member of our nation’s senate made a silly comment about our troops being uneducated and the media had it on file and yet, is still doing all it can to dismiss it for what it was claimed to be, a bad joke.  Of course, this story has taken a backseat to Haggard’s and nobody’s worried about it for now but why the double standard?  When Bill Clinton had an admitted affair with a young, impressionable White House intern, it was these same media types who said people needed to back off and that it didn’t affect his ability to lead, even if he initially lied about it.  Oh I know they would say this involves a man who is a Christain and leads a large, significant organization so it’s different but it’s not.  The whole mess with Haggard, John Kerry, or Bill Clinton is about what’s right.  If Haggard is guilty as some say he is, then he needs to step down permanently from the NAE and New Life Church but that doesn’t make him a leper that has to be whisked off to some colony.  If fact, he will need his church more than ever.  If he’s innocent, we still need to lift him up in prayer because his life will be forever scarred with this alleged indiscretion.

I’m not one for large style churches like the one Haggard leads.  More and more, these types of churches are producing the types of leaders that the media zeroes in on and attacks because of the size of their congregations and the supposed influence those churches have.  My opinion is that we need to rethink these larger style gatherings and re-assess what they mean to the whole of the body of Christ.  That’s another post (or series of posts) for another day.  I just think of all of the really great pastors that I don’t know who are leading awesome congregations of people who are changing lives for eternity.  The media will never know them.  Most people will never know them.  The important thing is that God will know them and know them well.  This story isn’t the worst thing to hit Christianity as the media says.  It’s simply something that we deal with and move on.  God’s truth remains and it never changes!