Rev. Haggard: Gay or Not Gay? and more.

This story will be HUGE if the allegations about Rev. Ted Haggard having gay liasons with a manwhore turn out to be true. The "expert on lying" in this article doesn't believe his denials. Here is how I break down the story.

Things that suggest it is

1. Haggard sure stepped down awfully quick from the NAE
2. His denials do not seem nearly strenuous enough. If someone accused me of this I would be outraged, and I'd be calling the guy a lunatic and saying that I couldn't wait until everyone realizes this wacko doesn't have a stitch of evidence, because there is none.

Things that suggest it is not

1. The accuser has not released any evidence. (Though he says he has some and may be trying to sell it)
2. The timing is suspicious. Colorado is voting on a gay marriage amendment, and this guy may be trying to discredit a prominent supporters.
3. If I'm Ted Haggard and I'm looking for a prostitute, do I really choose a 49-year-old? Really? Don't I try and find someone a little younger? I think I do.

This whole story makes me nervous. My dad was a professor at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College when he had his downfall. It created chaos in many many lives that were connected with his ministry. I really really hope this story is not true. Besides the specific impact on people's lives, it will be another reason for people to distrust ministers, and another angle for hollywood to lampoon Christians. Did we really need another prominent hypocritical pastor? Again, let's hope this is not true.


This article in Christianity Today is one of the best I've read in a long time. Professor David Gushee spells out, much better than I ever could, some reservations I've held for a long time about the church's "outsourcing" of it's duties to the government. Here is an excerpt:

How can we truly believe that the world's transformation is happening right here, right among us, when we can't stop divorce in our midst, or abortion, or greed, or internal church conflicts?

Ironically, we turn to the state to enforce the values we can't seem to advance in our own churches. We're rightly concerned about our collapsing families, internet pornography, decadent movies and music, and the weakening of sexual morality. But we often can't seem to prevent the encroachment of these problems in our own Christian families and congregations. As if in response, we keep trying to change our nation's laws.

I have more to say on this, as it pertains to gay marriage, but I'll save that for another post.


Son of famous evangelical says he is leaving the Republican party.


If you're a fan of the NBA and/or humorous writing, you should read this NBA preview. This guys is one of my favorite reads.


These are some of the coolest pics I've ever seen.