New Ted Haggard news

[christa08]

I just read this on AOL news.

Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard's former church disclosed Friday that the gay sex scandal that caused his downfall extends to a young male church volunteer who reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard

Here is the link to the article.

http://news.aol.com/article/disgrace...026x1201178957

I think it's kind of good that he described his sexuality as "complex" instead of claiming to be totally straight. I think it would be great if he would just come out and say outright that he is a gay christian and then work for equality and use his "fame" (or whatever you want to call it) for good things.

[Daniel]

Interesting article. It indicates that the young man saw himself as being victimized. Intimating that the church wanted to keep him from talking about the affair.

Boyd said the church reached a legal settlement to pay the man for counseling and college tuition, with one condition being that none of the parties involved discuss the matter publicly.

Boyd said a Colorado Springs TV station reached him Thursday to say the young man was planning to provide a detailed report of his relationship with Haggard to the station. Boyd said the church preferred to keep the matter private, but it was the man's decision to go public.

Guess we will have to wait to see what over developments there are. As it is, I wonder what has happened with this young man. Is he gay? Is he out, and self-accepting?

Or has he gone the way of Exodus?

As for Haggard, this puts him in something of a different light. He's gone from being the self-proclaimed victim to a victimizer.

I don't care who you are. It's a breach of ethics to have sex with those you are- essentially- under one's pastoral care. The power difference in the relationship can only bring harm. As noted in the article...

David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — which has largely focused on the Catholic sexual abuse scandal but also speaks out on cases involving Protestant clergy — said the new disclosures about Haggard are more disturbing because they involves a church volunteer.

"Technically, legally, they were both adults," Clohessy said. "Psychologically and emotionally, Haggard was dramatically more powerful. ... By definition, any sexual contact between a congregant and minister is inherently abusive and manipulative."

[christa08]

Originally Posted by Daniel

Guess we will have to wait to see what over developments there are. As it is, I wonder what has happened with this young man. Is he gay? Is he out, and self-accepting?

Or has he gone the way of Exodus?

As an ex-member of New Life Church, I am almost positive he is not out and self-accepting.

I found it kind of strange and suspicious that the beginning of the article said the agreement was that all parties involved would not speak about it publicly but then they had a quote from Brady Boyd that the money was not hush money.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by christa08

As an ex-member of New Life Church, I am almost positive he is not out and self-accepting.

I found it kind of strange and suspicious that the beginning of the article said the agreement was that all parties involved would not speak about it publicly but then they had a quote from Brady Boyd that the money was not hush money.

Yes. I thought the same thing. The church's action will be viewed as hush money. Otherwise, why not just help the young man out without restriction? Preventing him from talking about it only furthers the damage.

One good thing? The church says it will not prevent this man from speaking now. Know what? The young man may not even be gay. That would be an interesting twist. Though, that would strain credibility too, would it not?

What a tangled mess.

Addendum: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/new-ted-haggard.html

KRDO, which is set to air the interview with the volunteer, played a clip of it for viewers yesterday. In the clip, the volunteer says: "Sometime, somewhere, some reporter will ultimately get to me and they'll say what about BLEEP? And I will say what BLEEP said was true."

The BLEEPs, the station says, were in place to protect the identity of the volunteer.
KRDO reports: "A member of New Life Church tells NEWSCHANNEL 13 that Haggard took advantage of him sexually one night. The man, in his early 20's, claims he was paid a large sum of money by New Life Church to keep the abuse quiet. Under an agreement with the church he was not supposed to speak of the allegations with anyone outside the church. If he did, he would violate the agreement and would forfeit the money and could be sued by the church."

More to come it seems...

http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=9725700

[Daniel]

Ted Haggard Escort Mike Jones: I Knew There Were Others

http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/ted-haggard-esc.html

Following the recent revelations that Ted Haggard had sex with a male church volunteer, and perhaps others, escort Mike Jones unleashes on those who have mocked him for coming out with his Haggard story and made assumptions about his reasons for doing so, as well as the Human Rights Campaign, and New Life Church.

Says Jones in a new video:

"With all the recent news that’s coming out right now, I hope people understand why I had to say something. Because if I hadn’t said something, this would still be going on at the church. And it’d probably be even worse. I’ve always been a bit disappointed in the gay community and some gay groups. I have been ostracized by the gay community. I contacted groups like the Human Rights Campaign when my world was coming apart for help. They refused to even return my phone call. In Denver, I have been spit on, I’ve been yelled at, I’ve been called just a whore. And I would be lying if I didn’t say that hurt. But I am sick of people also making decisions based on headlines. Do you know just the other day, the LA Times printed something about the upcoming documentary coming out, and stated that Ted Haggard and Mike Jones did drugs together. I never did drugs with Ted Haggard. Never. Ted Haggard has said it’s a good thing Mike Jones spoke up. Otherwise he would probably be a drug addict and he would probably continue his deceitful path. The reason I am saying this is because no one else will. So if you want to continue with your nastiness towards me and your jokes, I want to ask you to look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What have I done to make a difference in this world?"

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/01/25/8366

Partial transcipt

I knew that there were others, others that I could not publicly out. They had to do it themselves. But they were scared. Some of their parents knew about what was going on at the church. And some of the parents just wanted to turn a blind eye to it.

I also realized it was going to be just probably me, out there all alone facing the press, facing the criticism.

Now when Brady Boyd took over as pastor of New Life Church, I contacted him. I wanted to talk to him about these other young men that were coming to me with their stories. This was serious.

And you know, Pastor Boyd refused to meet with me.

[M]ost of my anger is at New Life Church. For over two years, I have suffered being all alone out there, taking all the heat for all that’s going on. For all this time, they knew there were others. And they paid hush money to this man to be quiet, when they could have admitted it, that there were others right at that moment. And that would have helped me out so much, instead of putting me out there to face it all on my own.

I am so angry at the church. They stated at that time that Mike Jones was the only man out there that had relations with Ted Haggard. And it’s wrong and it was a lie. And they owe me an apology.

[sjbouza]

I am sure there were many more than we will ever know about. I am sure they will be coming out of the woodwork now that this documentary is airing. Everyone wants a piece of the spotlight.

As to the cover up by the church. Should we expect any more? Look at how long the Catholics dolled out the hush money to the child molesters that they have in their midst. Look at the hush money that has been paid out to hundreds if not thousands of people so they won't make the "church look bad". Well now more is coming to light. For the church not to call it "hush money" then tell the person to sign a legal document saying he will not speak of this, by definition that is hush money. Would they have given the money without him signing any legal documents? I don't really think so. So that tells me something about the morals of this church and the people involved in it.

Face it all you fanatics out there. A person cannot change who they are. A homo cannot become hetero or vise versa. Get over the lies. You have told them for so long that you actually believe them. No matter how many times you call a rose a cat, it still remains a rose.

Peace,
Scott

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by sjbouza

No matter how many times you call a rose a cat, it still remains a rose.

A Rose is a rose is a rose.

Stein is credited for not only being one of the first out lesbian's in the 20th century, she also changed the way language is used in literature. It's thought that, in the line above, she meant that 'things are the way they are'. And I could not agree more.

In this situation, Haggard can say that his sexuality is "complicated", but actually, things are the way they are.

[Matt Algren]

Inappropriate question, but let's dish, shall we?

Ted Haggard: Top or bottom?

[christa08]

Originally Posted by Matt Algren

Inappropriate question, but let's dish, shall we?

Ted Haggard: Top or bottom?

I think he's a top. He looks kind of controlling...

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Matt Algren

Inappropriate question, but let's dish, shall we?

Ted Haggard: Top or bottom?

You're taking this thread places!

Mike Jones- if I remember correctly- said Haggard did neither, opting instead for the blow-job. But I could be wrong about that.

[Matt Algren]

Originally Posted by christa08

I think he's a top. He looks kind of controlling...

Which is exactly why I think you're wrong. Daddy likes to be put in his place!

Originally Posted by Daniel

You're taking this thread places!

Mike Jones- if I remember correctly- said Haggard did neither, opting instead for the blow-job. But I could be wrong about that.

That was just to assuage his guilt.

Joking aside, I feel bad for him. He's between a rock and a hard place here. Go one way and lose everybody he hasn't already lost. Go the other and quietly live in shame. It's a sad state of affairs.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by Matt Algren

Joking aside, I feel bad for him. He's between a rock and a hard place here. Go one way and lose everybody he hasn't already lost. Go the other and quietly live in shame. It's a sad state of affairs.

I do feel like he is fooling himself, and no-body but himself in the end. It is a sad state of affairs- seeing that it seems like he did have more than one daliance. Affairs plural! Acting out all over the place!

It is still possible for him to get things together and live as a gay man in the world. And be happy. It really is. All is really needs to do is deal with all the religious crap in his head that tells him otherwise.

But he seems to be playing the same old game over and over again, trying to get the same result. Things will only change for him when he starts to question his assumptions about God, sex and the devil.

Addendum: from a writer who has seen the documentary that is coming out (ha!) this week.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2...ain-ted-h.html

Haggard is not letting his struggles shake his faith in God, nor is Gayle the least regretful about her decision to marry Ted. I find this wholly admirable. Less admirable is the worldview they cling to, one that sees homosexuality as something to be avoided at all costs. Though it's clear that his much-publicized attempt to "pray the gay away" was less than a resounding success for Haggard, and he now considers his sexuality to be a complex matter, nothing he says to Pelosi challenges the conservative evangelical credo of hetero today, hetero tomorrow, hetero forever.

Why are we not surprised?

Making something of a redirect here, this situation- and those like it- remind me of an observation made by the Hindus in their sacred texts. They note that the mind has two essential actions, being either attracted to or repelled towards from an object. True equanimity, it seems, is learning to find balance between the two.

Hard to do when one's belief system is skewed. When one's very nature is considered flawed, sinful, and worthy of condemnation.

Where is the love in that?

[Daniel]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...ckikgD95VB7780

Former church member: Haggard performed sex act

By ERIC GORSKI – 10 hours ago

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A young man who formerly attended New Life Church says that then-pastor Ted Haggard performed a sex act in front of him in a hotel room in 2006 and sent him explicit text messages.

His hidden relationship with Haggard, the man said, was followed by a period of isolation, struggles with drinking, drugs and suicide attempts.

Those latest allegations against Haggard, once an influential national evangelical leader, were reported Monday night by KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs, which interviewed the man, now 25.

In a statement earlier Monday, Haggard apologized for his "inappropriate relationship" with the former church volunteer, but said it did not involve physical contact.

The newly disclosed relationship added a chapter to Haggard's dramatic fall, which began in November 2006 when a Denver male prostitute alleged a cash-for-sex relationship with Haggard.

Haggard confessed to undisclosed "sexual immorality" and resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of New Life Church.

The latest revelations involve Grant Haas, who told the TV station that he met Haggard in 2005 when he was 22. He said he told Haggard that he had been kicked out of a Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for his "struggles with homosexuality."

"It seemed like at that moment his eyes lit up and his whole attitude towards me changed," he told KRDO. Reached by text message Monday, Haas agreed to be identified by The Associated Press. Haggard's statement also identified him.

"I'm like, 'This must be God,'" said Haas, who described wanting to be a pastor himself. "Why would this big guy, this big evangelical leader, be taking such an interest in me?"

Haas told KRDO that one night in Cripple Creek, a casino town west of Colorado Springs, Haggard "asked me if we were going to be godly or bad that night." He said he told Haggard that he wanted him just to be his friend and pastor — but Haggard masturbated in front of him.

Haas also said Haggard at certain times sent him between 1,000 and 2,000 text message a month, some describing his sexual experiences and drug use from the road.

After the Haggard scandal in November 2006, Haas said he contacted the church immediately.

The church has said it struck a legal settlement with the man — it has not named Haas — in 2007 that paid him for college tuition and counseling as long as he did not speak publicly about the relationship. Brady Boyd, Haggard's successor as pastor at New Life, called it "compassionate assistance — certainly not hush money."

According to documents Haas provided KRDO, he is to be paid $179,000 through 2009. Haas claimed the church didn't follow through on promises to pay for counseling and medical treatment.

"Their main focus was, you know, cover it up, don't say anything," he said. "You'll regret it if you come forward."

Haggard, in his statement Monday, said he met with Haas two years ago — after the first allegations came to light — and asked him "forgiveness for our inappropriate relationship." Haggard's wife and a representative of New Life Church attended the meeting, Haggard said.

Boyd disclosed details of the relationship on Friday. He said then that evidence pointed to a long-running "inappropriate, consensual sexual relationship." On Monday, Boyd clarified that "sexual" didn't necessarily mean physical contact.

"Our hearts go out to everyone hurt by the inappropriate actions that took place under former Pastor Ted Haggard," Boyd said in a statement.

Boyd also suggested that the man would not have come forward if an HBO documentary on Haggard were not airing this week. On Sunday, Boyd told his congregation, "I'm sorry that this wound has been reopened for many of you."

Alexandra Pelosi, director of the HBO documentary, said Monday she was sorry if that was the case.

"But this is what happens when you don't handle things properly at the time," said Pelosi, a daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "If the church had been 100 percent full disclosure at the time, maybe this wouldn't be a problem now."

Haas maintains a Web site on which he acknowledges that many people are visiting the site to learn about his experiences with Haggard. On the site, Haas identifies himself as a recent graduate from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

His resume says he was an intern at New Life Church in 2005 — the church described him as a volunteer — and currently works as an investment company as a retail account manager.

"As far as my personality, I'm a fun outgoing guy with a great sense of humor," he says on the site. "I don't take myself too seriously and have learned from my past experiences to laugh and enjoy life."

Haggard, 52, is married with five children.

So- you have two tortured gay men who think they can't be gay and Christian. That's what this amounts to. Shows the extent to which one's beliefs, worldview and upbringing can harm, not only oneself, but others.

One hopes that Mr. Haas - now that the bubble has burst- will now avail himself of real therapy, and not anything of the exodus sort.

Addendum



One gets the impression- what do you guys think?- that Mr. Haas is more intent on obtaining an additional payout more than anything else. All this for witnessing Haggard wank off and getting text messages.

Being gay is so bad that you can get your college tuiton paid for! Why am I feeling that there is something very Jerry Springer-ish about this whole thing? One wants to have compassion for the guy, but I am left shaking my head for the idiocy of the whole thing.

Come out! Come out! Wherever you are!

[Daniel]

This recent blog is very telling in its underlying worldview, containing both questions to and answers by Haggard.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/god-and-...rgive-him.html

Do New Revelations in Ted Haggard Sex Scandal Make it Harder to Forgive Him?

January 27, 2009 04:43 PM ET

By Dan Gilgoff, God & Country

There are new disclosures in the scandal surrounding disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard just as he's promoting Alexandra Pelosi's new documentary about him. From the AP:

A young man who formerly attended New Life Church says that then-pastor Ted Haggard performed a sex act in front of him in a hotel room in 2006 and sent him explicit text messages.

His hidden relationship with Haggard, the man said, was followed by a period of isolation, struggles with drinking, drugs and suicide attempts.

Those latest allegations against Haggard, once an influential national evangelical leader, were reported Monday night by KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs, which interviewed the man, now 25.

In a statement earlier Monday, Haggard apologized for his "inappropriate relationship" with the former church volunteer, but said it did not involve physical contact.

This seriously complicates Haggard's campaign to rehabilitate himself in the public eye. Until now, Haggard's publicly disclosed extramarital relationships extended only to a gay prostitute named Mike Jones. It would be difficult to make the case that Jones, who says he received money from Haggard for sex and drugs, was victimized by Haggard.

This new revelation is a different story. It's much easier to see a 23-year-old parishioner as a victim of Haggard abusing his power as a pastor—especially when the young man claims the episode was followed by struggles with drugs and suicide attempts—even if he's not alleging that Haggard forced him into anything. The substance of the ordeal, and the failure of Haggard to disclose it, will make it a lot harder for audiences to sympathize with Haggard while watching Pelosi's sympathetic portrait of him.

But should it?

I looked back over Haggard's comments about sin, forgiveness, and redemption from my recent interview with him (here and here) and, according to the theology he espouses, I suspect that Haggard probably feels he's already done all he needs to do to get right with God and to be embraced by the church, even after this new disclosure. Are there Christian readers out there who agree or disagree with Haggard about that? Here's the relevant excerpt:

Have your views on homosexuality changed, in terms of the science or the theology?

It has.... When I started in counseling, I thought I was a spiritual disaster and a complete idiot for what I'd done. And the counselor started out by saying "You're spiritually OK." He asked, "Have you repented?" Yes. "Have you memorized scripture?" Yes. "Have you been through inner healing?" Yes. He said, "According to the Bible, you are in fine relationship with the Lord Jesus." And I said I think I am. I love Him. I've never rebelled against him willingly. This has been a wrestling in my life, never an acceptance thing.

And then he said, "You are rationale—have you read books on the subject?" Yes. And he said "Ted, if you could pray about this and be OK, you would have done it. If you could think about this and rationalize your own life, you would have done it. This is not spiritual nor reasonable. It is physiological." And he started to teach me how the brain works. And in that process, over two years, I've grown in eliminating the incongruities in my life. I've learned physiologically how the brain works and how that related to sexuality.

Now theologically, I still believe that the Bible has an ideal for all of us and that ideal for sexuality is that it should be expressed in heterosexual, monogamous marriages. However, I know that mankind is diverse and that is why the Lord provides forgiveness for all of us and love for all of us. Just as the Bible says, I hate divorce but we all understand loads of Christians have been through divorce, so we know God has other things that he has an ideal in our lives that we as human beings just aren't going to achieve.

Does that mean that one can be a good Christian homosexual just like one could be a good Christian divorcee?

It means that every human being is in equally desperate need for redemption and that humanity is so far off track that we shouldn't hate each other and that there is certainly no basis for any born again Christian to judge another born again Christian. We as people of faith are the fellowship of sinners that have been graciously redeemed. We are not the fellowship of the self-righteous.

So should a church accept a homosexual without trying to change his or her sexual orientation, just like it would accept a divorced woman without trying to reunite her former husband?

Churches need to accept everyone. And everyone needs to equally submit to the changes that the Holy Spirit's working into their lives. But even the unrepentant sinner in first Corinthians that Paul had put out of the church in second Corinthians he said, "Now take him back—don't leave him out too long or his sorrow will be too deep." And churches of all places need to be places of love. Jesus said that you can identify his disciplines by their love for one another, not by how they beat each other up and throw each other out... I was making a mistake pre-scandal by being too judgmental and by forming "evangelical opinions" without each of those opinions being informed by the Gospel and being saturated in love.

As presented, this counselor doesn't know what he's talking about.

The big clue? Haggard talks about a lifelong 'wrestling' with being gay. He rejects acceptance of the same, even though his behavior has screamed otherwise. Now he calls it "complicated". That may be a ever so tiny step in the direction of self-acceptance, but it hardly could be called a reaching over the fence, could it?

Both the counselor and the client swallow the big fat lie that you can't be gay and Christian. And so does the interviewer.

There you have it. In black and white.

Has anyone sent the bloke a copy of Boswell? I mean seriously. The man needs information. Scholarship. Not more propagranda.

If you are reading this Mr. Haggard, please PM me, I will send you my copy.

[Daniel]

I am not planning on watching Oprah tomorrow, when Haggard and his wife appear on the program. It just kills me that Haggard's wife has been playing along with this charade the whole time.

I guess she didn't watch or read Prayers for Bobby, did she?

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/new...ere-no-secret/

Haggard's wife: Same-sex struggles were no secret

Associated Press
Published January 27, 2009 at 1:19 p.m.

CHICAGO — Former evangelical pastor Ted Haggard's wife says she knew about his struggles with same-sex attraction for years and felt he was "winning the battle" before a scandal involving a male prostitute triggered his downfall in late 2006.

Gayle Haggard makes the remarks in an appearance with her husband on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to air Wednesday. She said she was shocked when Haggard first told her the truth about the allegations against him.

"The first words out of my mouth were, 'Who are you?"' she said, according to a publicity release issued today by Harpo Productions.

However, Gayle Haggard also said her husband told her early in their 30-year marriage that he "struggled with some thoughts."

"I felt it was the thing that could destroy Ted if he gave in to it," she said. "So I prayed for him and I felt as though he was winning the battle."

Haggard, 52, resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and New Life Church in Colorado Springs after the male prostitute went public. Haggard confessed to "sexual immorality."

The scandal widened in recent days with disclosures that Haggard also admitted to an "inappropriate" relationship with a church volunteer, Grant Haas, who was 22 at the time.

Haas told KRDO in Colorado Springs that Haggard performed a sex act in front of him and sent him illicit text messages. He informed New Life Church shortly after the scandal broke, and the two parties reached a settlement in 2007 that included a confidentiality agreement. Haas went public as Haggard is heavily promoting an HBO documentary about his time in exile.

You know, there is within conservative Christianity this idea that one must fight against the evil of homosexuality. And not only that, but there is virtue, glory and great attainment in doing so.

A very destructive path, not only to ones self, but to others. One's mind is turned against one's very Self. And the Light of Love Within.

[christa08]

This whole situation is just crazy. I feel bad for his wife because I know how much it must hurt to find out that your husband has cheated on you. At the same time, I hate that they're all refusing to accept that he's homosexual. He's been struggling for years....HELLOOO

I'm sure he'll continue to struggle until he accepts himself for what God made him to be.

I think some of the leaders of New Life are obviously shady characters. I think it's a reflection of how I feel about organized religion and mega churches like New Life. I've been a member of three churches over the past 20 years and I've witnessed shady situations at all three of them.

You know, there is within conservative Christianity this idea that one must fight against the evil of homosexuality. And not only that, but there is virtue, glory and great attainment in doing so.

I have witnessed this first-hand not only within the church, but within my family.

As presented, this counselor doesn't know what he's talking about.

The big clue? Haggard talks about a lifelong 'wrestling' with being gay. He rejects acceptance of the same, even though his behavior has screamed otherwise. Now he calls it "complicated". That may be a ever so tiny step in the direction of self-acceptance, but it hardly could be called a reaching over the fence, could it?

Both the counselor and the client swallow the big fat lie that you can't be gay and Christina. And so does the interviewer

Excuse me while I go barf.

[tdogg]

Originally Posted by Daniel

Both the counselor and the client swallow the big fat lie that you can't be gay and Christina.

God, I hate that! It's time for every gay person named Christina to stand up and fight back NOW!

Ok, sorry Daniel, I'm just in a mood today and could not resist. Thanks for the timely chuckle honey.

[Daniel]

Originally Posted by christa08

Excuse me while I go barf.

Didn't mean to cause you to retch.

I did, however, go back and correct my spelling.

Christina!



Nothing like a little dyslexia!

(This thread could use more levity anyway, right? Or would that be Levitra?)

[Daniel]

Christina!

[Daniel]

http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/ted-haggard-i-a.html

Ted Haggard: 'I am a Heterosexual with Issues'

Michelangelo Signorile spoke with escort Mike Jones on his show yesterday. Jones told him that he knows of two other men at New Life Church who had similar experiences as Grant Haas, the church volunteer who most recently came forward. Jones posted a YouTube video on Monday saying he knew there were others.

Said Jones to Signorile: "The interesting thing about all of 'em is that all of 'em went to the church or Ted Haggard regarding their homosexuality, not sure how to handle it, or what to do with it. That's what all three of these have in common."

Watch a short clip of Signorile talking to Jones, AFTER THE JUMP...

The Trials of Ted Haggard, the HBO documentary made by Alexandra Pelosi, premieres on HBO Thursday. The L.A. Times did a Q&A with Haggard and asked him about the film, and about where he is now in "wrestling with the issue that led to [his] departure from the church."

Said Haggard on that: "I am very pleased with where I am now. I have an incredibly satisfying relationship with my wife, and I no longer have the compelling and obsessing thoughts attached to same-sex attraction that I used to. So I’m very pleased. I think I’ve met myself more and I’m a healthier person...I don’t know what will always be a part of me, but I know they are no longer compelling, they are no longer compulsive, not even strong. Once in a while, I’ll have a thought. I think it’s just like a person’s thought about whether or not they should -- you know, it’s just an intellectual debate now inside of me from time to time, or an intellectual decision from time to time, rather than a compelling drive or urge. And that’s what I used to wrestle with...What my therapist says is that I am a heterosexual with issues, and I think that’s accurate."

A heterosexual man with issues? What therapist said this? A fundi one with a you-must-be-straight worldview?

Haggard acts out with at least 3 men that we know of. This would seem to be about an more than an issue . How about orientation? At the very least, Haggard could be bisexual. Is that an issue?

Hggard maintains that a family member came on to him as a young man. And this is his reasoning for why he came on to men as an adult.

If that was the case, seeing that I was in love in my best girlfriend in first grade, I should be straight, right? I should want to get it on with girls. And what about that girl who groped me at Evangel? The trauma should make me want to act out with girls now?

Please! Who buys this Reparative Therapy crap?

Oh....the whole thing is screaming gay man going the exodus road. Pray the gay away.