It saddens me to read that another incident of an inappropriate relationship has come to surface regarding former megachurch pastor and president of the National Association of Evangelicals. A 20 year old church volunteer was paid a reportedly "generous" sum of money in 2006 to keep the situation quiet.
Being in ministry, I will tell you that I feel compassion for anyone who has fallen. I feel sympathy for Ted Haggard, and I pray that he has been forgiven. I also pray that he will be restored. Where or whether the process has begun is one that Ted and the Lord knows. I am not his judge, and that is not my point for even referring to him in the blog today.
I do, however, want to speak of the victims his choices has left in the aftermath. There is his wife, his children, and grandchildren. The victims of his family, who bear his identity. There are the victims of this young man of 20, who undoubtedly has been scarred. ( I would hardly call the male prostitute in the motel room that initially surfaced a victim). His church suffered greatly, and continues to do so. Although it is rebuilding from the ruins, it remains under the stigma of what happened. His current tour via HBO, CNN, and the TV news shows are not helping.
We pray for Ted, and we pray for his victims. May the Lord give strength and peace to all.
1 comment:
I agree with you... sometimes it's hard, for me at least, to know when to draw the line between being compassionate towards a person's struggle, or being righteously indignant over outright disobedience to the laws of God, Himself. When we fall into sin, we just don't realize who all we hurt. Good piece!
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