Just to follow up briefly on yesterday’s news, Ted Haggard’s defense changed rather dramatically over night. Accused of paying for gay sex and using illegal drugs, the evangelical leader initially denied wrongdoing. Then the story changed a bit.
After Pastor Ted Haggard went public Wednesday night denying allegations of a homosexual affair, senior church officials told KKTV 11News Thursday evening, Pastor Ted Haggard has admitted to some of the claims made by a former male escort. The church’s Acting Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, tells KKTV 11 News that Pastor Haggard has admitted to some of the indiscretions claimed by Mike Jones, but not all of them.
“Some“? One of the nation’s most influential conservative Christian leaders is accused of some rather surprising and scandalous behavior, but “some” of the “indiscretions” are true?
Haggard resigned from his church last night, saying he could “not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations.” He suggested he’d return, however, after he’d been cleared. It now seems like a safe bet that this isn’t going to happen. Jimmy Swaggart managed a comeback, but he wasn’t gay.
The WaPo’s Alan Cooperman suggested that the Haggard scandal may have political implications, beyond just the evangelical leaders’ close ties to the Bush White House.
Some political observers said his resignation was more bad news for Republicans trying to rally their conservative Christian base to turn out for the midterm elections.
“This is one more factor that could increase the disillusionment of evangelicals with prominent leaders on the Christian right and with the political process as a whole, and some may conclude that perhaps their forebears were wise to be wary about politics,” said William Martin, a professor of religion and public policy at Rice University and a biographer of the Rev. Billy Graham.
Perhaps. The rank-and-file evangelical base certainly has reason to be disillusioned by the leaders in which they’ve invested their trust. Republicans in Congress won’t pass their agenda (banning gay marriage and abortion); Republicans in the White House think they’re crazy (let’s not forget David Kuo); several evangelical leaders on TV are crazy (Robertson, Falwell, et al); while others fall short of the standards they demand others meet (Haggard).
In Colorado, in particular, Haggard is a household name, at least as far as Christians go. How many of those evangelical families will feel so disillusioned on Tuesday that they’ll just stay home? Time will tell, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers are rather high.
On a more humorous note, I thought Wolcott’s take on the controversy was pretty damn funny.
There’s a tender scene in John Waters’ film Pecker in which a hunky young stud, engaged in the act (nay, art) of tea bagging, explains to his aghast parents that he’s not really gay, he’s what’s known as ‘trade’–“Guys blow me!” he explains above the din of the bar. Ah, Baltimore.
I wonder if the toothy founder of the New Life Church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the mesmerizing Ted Haggard, fell under the spell of trade, the pagan rhythm of tea bagging beating like a tom tom on his brow. I wonder, not because I’m prurient, but because the mysterious currents of human nature fascinate me so. And because it confirms my suspicion that all Republican men are privately, passionately, exceedingly gay. According to this exciting morsel, Haggard took part in weekly conference calls with President Bush — “he and the president like to joke that the only thing they disagree on is what truck to drive.”
‘What truck to drive’ — I wonder if that is some kind of cryptic butch gay Western lingo. It’s a shame Will & Grace is no longer on the air to provide enlightenment on such matters, leaving us to forage on our own.
Stay tuned.