Betting, Wishing, Hoping, Outing
Oh dearie me, you have got to see this:
Haggard's Former Church Holds ‘Day of Hope’
2/19/2007
COLORADO SPRINGS (AP) - Numerous individuals reported knowledge of New Life Church founder Ted Haggard's struggle with a "dark side," leading to his departure from the mega-church, a member of the church's board of overseers told parishioners Sunday.
"We have verified the reality of that struggle through numerous individuals who reported to us firsthand knowledge of everything from sordid conversation to overt suggestions to improper activities to improper relationships. These findings established a pattern of behavior that culminated in the final relationship in which Ted was, as a matter of grace, caught," he said.
Church leaders had billed Sunday as a "day of hope" to discuss claims against Haggard and to bring closure to church members.
The Haggards have agreed to move from Colorado Springs, Stockstill said. The family was considering the Minneapolis and Phoenix areas, and communities in Missouri and Iowa.
The church will provide the Haggards with financial support over the next year, roughly equivalent to the $130,000 salary Haggard received as pastor, Associate Pastor Rob Brendle told The Colorado Springs Gazette.
My Special Closet-Case-Decoder-Ring says:
a) Everyone knew.
b) God knows how many people were in on the party.
c) Ted said he was moving to Iowa... or Missouri. But now Phoenix and Minneapolis are in the running. Where is Ted? Bet on Ted!
d) This is the first time a figure has been mentioned in Ted's Hush Money deal: $130K. Intriguing that it's only for one year... Is Ted going to renegotiate next Valentine's?
e) We'd all love to get a fat check to lie our heads off, but que sera, sera! Ted is getting quite the severance for his deceitful, sex-phobic, gay-demeaning hypocrisy.
f) The only "closure" will come when the truth comes out and this awful religious hoax is shamed to smithereens.
C'mon Ted, someone else needs the wood!
For those of you who want to give Ted a playful nudge— and contribute to some gay young people who are doing the right thing— a bunch of us have started a Ted Haggard Betting Pool to guess what date the media will discover Haggard's next inevitable indiscretion.
June seems to be the most popular month for betting dates... everyone thinks Ted's going to be a June Bride. But hey, every day's a Day of Hope!
Phoenix? Minneapolis? Heck, why not Christopher Street in New York or the Castro in SF?
I saw the movie Jesus Camp last week. The part where Ted Haggard got up and preached got a burst of laughter particularly from one corner of the theatre.
This church fella, Mr. Stockstill? No wonder nothing ever got done! (Ba-da-bump!) But seriously, of course they knew. They probably kept their mouths shut because Teddy Boy brought in the converts and the money.
Speaking of the devil, I heard a rather upsetting but enlightening conversation today between Amy Goodman and Chris Hedges about the religio-fascist movement in which Mr. Haggard is only a bit player.
http://tinyurl.com/25dylu
Posted by: C.S. Lewiston | February 19, 2007 at 10:33 PM
you mean, he isn't suddenly magically a heterosexual?
Posted by: leahpeah | February 19, 2007 at 11:32 PM
If'n they move to Phoenix, I've already got my girlfriends permission to seduce his wife...
Not that she's a looker, but just because.
Maybe I can take her to a local swingers club....
Posted by: mike | February 20, 2007 at 12:50 AM
Minnesota or Iowa? I've read about your tours of the Midwest, and surely, as you and I know, he can't be thinking that he's moving to a more conservative part of the country. Or can he? Maybe he'll announce that he's considering Chicago or Madison next.
Have you ever read the profile of the mega-churches in Colorado Springs that ran in Harper's magazine about a year ago? The art (which came from the churches themselves) is all done in a style reminiscent of gay erotica. I should have thought about who was picking the art at the time, but I didn't put it together. When you live in the decadent Midwest, you just don't have time for evangelical manly Jesuses.
JJ.
Posted by: JJHunsecker | February 20, 2007 at 09:29 AM
let the man go whereever he wants! i think his credability has been shot in the ass(sorry).
he is trying to make good on his promise to 'clean up his act'. i dont think he will, or can but nobody really gives a shit anymore about his opinions, ideas and preaching.
he is done. now if we can just get the rest of the naysayers for personal freedoms to just shut up.
dave
Posted by: dave | February 20, 2007 at 02:47 PM