I was honestly hoping that some of what the second person, Grant Haas, has said was at least exaggerated for tabloid purposes, but that hope seems to have vanished. As an obvious initial move (and by no means will it begin to make this right), has anyone yet demanded that Senior Pastor Brady Boyd step down — immediately? The rest of the leadership at New Life Church can follow suit with all dispatch.
H
The deserve to have all their assets liquidated and the church disbanded.
What concerns me the most if this church suffers the financial and social standing it deserves to, is that they will point the finger of blame at homosexuals and homosexuality rather than their continued and irresponsible campaign of repressing gay people.
Rather than support the healthier channeling of gay sexuality into monogamy among gay couples, this church vilifies homosexuality so that no gay person has a safe zone in which to be honest and derive a healthy self esteem and healthy social network FROM that openness and honesty.
I’m afraid that their corruption of facts and their culpability in this culture of down low activity among the gay men in their church will be exploited as the failures of gay people, rather than the church’s failure of ALL it’s congregants.
What a mess. A horrible, huge mess. Ted Haggard was a young boy once too.
And ALL these decades of struggles and his struggle to keep his public persona intact is the least bit appreciated.
I don’t feel sorry for him. He used his influence politically against other gay people to full effect.
But those young gay people in the care of this church were failed, and hurt by the arrogance of those who run this church.
And there are many thousands more without a voice to challenge them.
Yep, this church deserves to go down in flames, never to return.
When, when, WHEN are these people going to get that the folly of repressing gay men and women is SO unhealthy?
Not only FOR gay people, but ultimately for the credibility and purse of the church itself?
Regan, the truth is always so much more complicated and so much harder to espouse to the public than a lie.
This begs the question of just how truthful Haggard was with his wife. With his MO of lying, he may have left out 3 “minor” details. If they go public, it could mean a very long jail sentence. If the church colaborated instead of reporting to the police, there could be legal charges possibly laid there also.
It seems Haggard with these minors coming forward, may have advanced himself to the ephebophile category, that being sex with a minor that is post pubescent. There is nothing that leads me to think he is a pedophile.
Hmmm….
Large Church covers up sex scandal involving church leaders and young men / other minors. Church Lies and pays hush money. Scandal eventually breaks anyway.
Sounds very familiar.
Oh, forgot to add: State and local authorities do NOTHING!
Oh, and also forgot to add: Church blames GAYS!
Sex with minors, hush money, church cover up, religious leaders lying … I guess Protestants and Catholics have more in common than just basic doctrinal agreements.
Again we see how a religious congregation aka “a church” that is suppose to be a safe haven for believers, has turned into the very thing they preached against. The very sins they accuse others with are in fact the ones they commit. If the allegations are true, and it all comes to light, I hope that not only that justice is served, but that people of all faiths have an awakening to understand the difference between two gay men or women in a loving relationship is not the same as subjecting members of a congregation to sexual abuse; that denying one’s sexuality is a sin in itself and leads to other sins that cause harm that poisons their victim’s mind, heart, and soul as well as their own.
Haggard wants forgiveness as he has stated. As an Orthodox Christian I say G-d forgives us of even the most evil of sins, but each person is responsible to repair the damage they caused due to their sins. And if what is being said here is true, then he had best pray for strength from G-d to be able to carry out his penance because it is going to take more than a few Hail Marys and a few bucks in the poor box to get out of this one.
Emily K….which is why it galls me even further at how Christians as those who run this church consider themselves heroic in how effectively they repress and intimidate homosexuals.
There is absolutely NO courage in their activities.
There is nothing that commands respect in this regard.
Being able to face the truth, to encourage openness and honesty IS more Godly. Can’t they see that?
Not that a gay person be forced to be honest for the purpose of their identity to be attacked and altered, but for the purpose that being educated isn’t a bad thing. And education isn’t a sin.
We are born curious and with the potential to develop a mature consciousness.
I can’t imagine anyone disagreeing on that.
Fear of education from the very source this church’s activity affects the most is seriously irrational.
And dangerous.
That would be my first question: why restrict education to a narrow subject and focus. Isn’t that censure? The very thing anathema to the mission statement of this country AND our very human natures?
Sharon,
A sex abuse victim who is a minor must file a complaint before authorities can get involved. Here are Supreme Court guidelines for the statute of limitations on filing a claim against a sex abuse perpetrator and those that helped to cover up the alleged crime.
If one minor files a formal complaint against Haggard and his previous “clergy”, members involved, the minor could potentially bring them all down, completely.
https://www.delucalaw.com/edit000.htm