I have been on the road speaking ever since this whole Ted Haggard thing broke.
I did two debates with Ron Jeremy on secular college campuses and got hit pretty
hard with some questions about this whole incident. Here are my thoughts.

The world thinks we (Christians) are hypocrites. We are great at saying one
thing and doing another. This whole situation is another great example of that
for the world to throw back at us but I don’t think that is the worst part
about all this.

The worst part is my inbox is full this week of emails from pastors that are
on the same road is Ted. Just to let everyone know, you just don’t wake up
one morning and go get meth and a gay prostitute. Porn is a starting point
for many of these things and it is very progressive and gets you to do things
you never thought you would do. Ted, I am sure started down Porn BLVD and his
dead end happened last week.

So, where do we go from here. Pastors do not have safe places and people around
them they can trust. They will continue to live a lie or wait to get caught
especially after this whole mess. Here is one example. This is not a bashing
session just on Dobson, it is just a pretty clear reason why pastors will remain
in hiding.

The day after the accusation from Ted’s accuser, James Dobson came out with
this statement:

“It is unconscionable that the legitimate news media would report a rumor
like this based on nothing but one man’s accusation,” said James Dobson
of Focus on the Family, headquartered in Colorado Springs. “Ted Haggard is
a friend of mine and it appears someone is trying to damage his reputation
as a way of influencing the outcome of Tuesday’s election—especially
the vote on Colorado’s marriage-protection amendment—which Ted
strongly supports.”

The following day, Ted confesses and steps down from both of his jobs. He
says he will submit under the counsel of a handful of Christian leaders, James
Dobson, being one of them. The same guy who calls him a friend the day prior.

Within a few days of all the news, this story breaks.

Dobson Quits Haggard Counseling Team
Wednesday November 8, 2006 5:46 AM

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) – Citing a lack of time, Focus on the Family
founder James Dobson withdrew Tuesday from the team overseeing counseling for
the Rev. Ted Haggard, the evangelical pastor who was fired amid allegations
of gay sex and drug use.

“Emotionally and spiritually, I wanted to be of help – but the reality is
I don’t have the time to devote to such a critical responsibility,” Dobson
said.

The other two members of the team, Pastors Jack Hayford of The Church on the
Way in Van Nuys, Calif., and Tommy Barnett of First Assembly of God in Phoenix,
declined to comment.

Haggard was forced out as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church
on Saturday after a former male escort alleged they had sex repeatedly and
that Haggard used methamphetamines.

In a statement read at the church Sunday, Haggard confessed to unspecified “sexual
immorality,” accepted responsibility for his actions and asked forgiveness.

The counseling process, called restoration, could take years, said H.B. London,
vice president for church and clergy at Focus on the Family.

Friends have time for friends, don’t they? What message does this send. I
will tell you it sends the message that if you go down this path and you get
caught many Christians, even friends will want nothing to do with you. You
will be fired or asked to leave your job, you will loose everything, and the
world will continue to think we are a bunch of hypocrites. So, the only option
these guys that are hiding have….remain in hiding.

It bums me out. I wrote back to a few pastors this week urging them to come
clean and talk to someone else besides us here at XXXchurch. We can only do
so much for these pastors. I get the temptation. I get why they are hiding
but the bible is clear that your sin will find you out.

How do we change this? My friend, Craig Groeschel over at Life Church says
openly to all of his staff if you come clean…you keep your job. We need more
safe places for pastors to go. The church is suppose to be a lighthouse not
a country club.  Jesus came for the sick not the healthy. Something has
got to change…

Craig