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A Colorado Springs-based giant of the conservative Christian movement, with direct access to President Bush, stepped down Thursday as leader of the National Association of Evangelicals in the wake of allegations by a former male escort that the two had a three-year sexual relationship.
The Rev. Ted Haggard also took leave as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church he founded in his living room in 1985...
His three-paragraph statement contained no denial of the allegations by 49-year-old Mike Jones, of Denver.
Jones, a bodybuilder and personal trainer, went public with a general claim of a sexual affair with a prominent pastor on Peter Boyles' morning talk show on KHOW radio Wednesday, but neither he nor Haggard was identified. KUSA's 9News first reported Haggard's and Jones' names Wednesday night.
Haggard, 50, initially denied the allegations, telling 9News Wednesday night that "I've never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."
But KKTV in Colorado Springs reported that New Life Associate Senior Pastor Ross Parsley told a meeting of church elders Thursday night that Haggard had met with the church's overseers earlier in the day and "had admitted to some indiscretions."
Parsley told the elders that Haggard had said some of the allegations were true, but not all of them.
Jones said on Boyles' show Thursday he felt compelled to come forward because he believes Haggard, an opponent of gay marriage, is a hypocrite. Jones said he received money from Haggard for sexual liaisons in Denver and that he witnessed Haggard using methamphetamine.
"After sitting back and contemplating this issue, the biggest reason is being a gay man all my life - I have experience with my friends, some great sadness of people that were in a relationship through the years" and were not able to enjoy the same rights and privileges as a married man and woman, Jones told Boyles on air.
"I felt it was my responsibility to my fellow brothers and sisters, that I had to take a stand, and I cannot sit back anymore and hear (what) to me is an anti-gay message."...
His explosive charges come as Colorado voters are considering a constitutional amendment - backed heavily by the evangelical community - that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. Another measure, opposed by many evangelicals, would allow same-sex civil unions in the state...
Haggard was well-known to the Bush administration. Various news articles over the years have made reference to Haggard's close ties to the White House, which sees the evangelical community as a major source of political support.
Last year, Harper's magazine, in a profile of Haggard, said "Pastor Ted" talked to Bush or his advisers on a weekly basis. Haggard was phoned personally by an administration official after Bush nominated conservative John G. Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court last summer.
The Rev. Ted Haggard also took leave as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church he founded in his living room in 1985...
His three-paragraph statement contained no denial of the allegations by 49-year-old Mike Jones, of Denver.
Jones, a bodybuilder and personal trainer, went public with a general claim of a sexual affair with a prominent pastor on Peter Boyles' morning talk show on KHOW radio Wednesday, but neither he nor Haggard was identified. KUSA's 9News first reported Haggard's and Jones' names Wednesday night.
Haggard, 50, initially denied the allegations, telling 9News Wednesday night that "I've never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."
But KKTV in Colorado Springs reported that New Life Associate Senior Pastor Ross Parsley told a meeting of church elders Thursday night that Haggard had met with the church's overseers earlier in the day and "had admitted to some indiscretions."
Parsley told the elders that Haggard had said some of the allegations were true, but not all of them.
Jones said on Boyles' show Thursday he felt compelled to come forward because he believes Haggard, an opponent of gay marriage, is a hypocrite. Jones said he received money from Haggard for sexual liaisons in Denver and that he witnessed Haggard using methamphetamine.
"After sitting back and contemplating this issue, the biggest reason is being a gay man all my life - I have experience with my friends, some great sadness of people that were in a relationship through the years" and were not able to enjoy the same rights and privileges as a married man and woman, Jones told Boyles on air.
"I felt it was my responsibility to my fellow brothers and sisters, that I had to take a stand, and I cannot sit back anymore and hear (what) to me is an anti-gay message."...
His explosive charges come as Colorado voters are considering a constitutional amendment - backed heavily by the evangelical community - that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. Another measure, opposed by many evangelicals, would allow same-sex civil unions in the state...
Haggard was well-known to the Bush administration. Various news articles over the years have made reference to Haggard's close ties to the White House, which sees the evangelical community as a major source of political support.
Last year, Harper's magazine, in a profile of Haggard, said "Pastor Ted" talked to Bush or his advisers on a weekly basis. Haggard was phoned personally by an administration official after Bush nominated conservative John G. Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court last summer.
A bit more background info on the story
Under Haggard's leadership, the National Assn. of Evangelicals, which has 30 million members, reaffirmed a policy statement that describes homosexuality as "a deviation from the Creator's plan" and calls same-sex relations a sin that, "if persisted in … excludes one from the Kingdom of God."
Haggard has lobbied for a U.S. constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage; he also supports the gay-marriage ban that will go before Colorado voters Tuesday.
Haggard has lobbied for a U.S. constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage; he also supports the gay-marriage ban that will go before Colorado voters Tuesday.
We're talking about some impressive hypocracy here. Its rather striking to me that some of the individuals most strongly opposed to gay rights turn out to be closeted gays.
Self-hate 
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