Haggard, Homosexuality, and Authentic Faith

As I watched the "Ted Haggard Scandal" unfold on television several of my colleagues - who profess to be Christians - began to make angry and snide remarks about Haggard. Over coffee with a fellow theologian this past week, she made the remark that she was not sorry for Haggard at all.

"Why should we feel at all sorry for this bigot?" she asked me. "This man promoted hatred of a group of people who cannot change their sexual orientation any more than they can change the color of their skin! I'm glad he was ousted and I am glad the Religious Right took a major hit!"

Though Haggard and I likely disagree on every theological point other than how to spell "Christianity," I could not help but be saddened by the news. To be honest, Haggard's unabashed support of the Religious Right's agenda, along with his unwavering approval of everything the Bush Administration has done, angered me. I also was angered when I heard in amazement that this man, who used the pulpit to demean and vilify homosexuals - my friends - was accused of an adulterous homosexual relationship with a prostitute. I was angry at his deceitfulness and angry at the fact that yet another minister who placed himself high on a pedalstall had fallen and hit the ground hard.

But my angered quickly turned to sadness. I was saddened over the fact that felt he was forced to live a lie; he felt he had to hide his true self in order to be viewed as an "upstanding" Christian. I was saddened because I realized how misery-ridden one's soul has to be to preach such hatred against homosexuals when you are, in fact, a homosexual as well. When he spoke those condemning words, he realized that he was secretly condemning himself.

I also was saddened and severely disappointed at those ministers, who befriended him and supported him in the past, quickly went into "damage-control-mode" and separated themselves from him as far as they could. Falwell and Robertson stated that they "never really knew Haggard that well." Dobson, who was working side-by-side with Haggard to push for an anti-gay marriage bill on the 2006 ballot in their home state, removed himself from the group of ministers that will supposedly "treat" Haggard's homosexuality, (which is another, more horrifying topic all together), stating that his "schedule" will not allow him time to do so. Even the White House, who Haggard tremendously supported in the pulpit, distanced themselves, stating in a press release that "they never knew Haggard that well." (This coming from the President who held a weekly phone call with Pastor Haggard about religious affairs and stated that the only thing he and Haggard disagreed on was what brand of truck to drive.) This is a time when Haggard's friends need to draw close to him and support him; not run the other way. Those that act this way are not true friends; they are cowards.

My sympathy not only lies with Ted, but with Mike Jones, the male prostitute that broke the news about their affair. Jones has received death threats from Christians - or rather people that claim to be Christians - over his decision to "go public". I echo my friend, Dr. Tony Campolo's sentiments in a recent blog when I ask what caused this child of God to go into a life of prostitution? Most people turn to a life in prostitution when they feel that they have no other choice. These men and women feel unwanted, unloved, and unneeded by society. Was it because of all the anti-gay rhetoric in politics and in the Church that caused Jones to feel unloved, unwanted, and unneeded? How many gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people out there are made to feel this same type of shame and "dirtiness" because of what is said in the mainstream media, politics, and (of all places) the Church?

One of Haggard's statements during this ordeal contained such a nugget of truth, a truth I believe that the media and the Church as a whole was unable to pick up on. Haggard, when having his formal apology read to his former church said that there was a part of him that was dark and that he had been warring within himself all of his adult life. This statement should have proven once and for all that the statement my fellow theologian made was right: "you cannot choose your sexual orientation anymore than you can choose the color of your skin." Haggard had been warring against what he was and what the rigid traditions of the Church told him he was supposed to be.

When will we in the Church realize that God loves the homosexual just as much as he loves the heterosexual? Do we not realize that God sees both as his/her precious children? The arguments that fellow Christians use to vilify this group of people are arguments that I have heard before. When I study the history of the Civil Rights Movement, I find that the Christians who supported segregation and believed that blacks were inferior to whites used the same arguments and could point to similar vague scriptural references that those Christians who demean homosexuals use today.

In my church, I have met gay and lesbian Christians who have made my faith appear superficial by comparison. They tell me of their struggle to deal with who they are and the knowledge they had of God. Many of these men and women hated themselves because they believed God hated them. How many of those statistics of homosexuals who have committed suicide did it because they believed that God hated them? Scripture tells us that in Jesus there is neither Greek nor Jew; Slave nor Free; Male nor Female; for all are one. It is high time we Christians start following Jesus over silly human doctrine. It is time we Christians start becoming as radically inclusive as Jesus in our communities. It is time we Christians start believing the scripture that tells us God is love, and begin showing that unconditional love in everything we say and in everything we do.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Pastor Haggard. My thoughts and prayers are also with you, Mr. Jones. May we followers of Jesus discover the radical love that Jesus has for all of us before more suffer needlessly.