My partner and I moved from Atlanta to South Carolina not too long after the Episcopal Church ordained Gene Robinson as its first openly gay bishop. Since we were embarking upon a new life in a new place, we decided to check out the Episcopal churches in the area. I sent an email to the rector of the church in the town we would be moving to and asked him if his church was welcoming to gays and lesbians.
His response was one that Ted Haggard would love. The rector told us that yes, in fact, his church was very welcoming of gays and lesbians—as long as we followed the biblical mandate for sexuality and renounced our sexual orientation and sought to marry nice Episcopal men. Well, he didn’t say it in those exact words—but that was his message. Yes, you're welcome as lesbians to be in our church, but we expect that we'll convict you that you're wrong and will want to change.
That’s the message of Haggard’s brand new church in Colorado Springs, which he announced this afternoon.
Asked if his new church would take a position on homosexuality, Haggard said “we will take positions.”
“I’m going to teach the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse… but I don’t want to be a political activist.” Haggard explained that the church wouldn't advocate a specific public policy, but would instead “encourage” members to strive towards the ideal of biblical heterosexuality and monogamy.
That’s kind of rich coming from Haggard (the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals) who got caught in a sex and drugs scandal with a male prostitute in 2006. Since then, Haggard has been trying to rehab his image—claiming he’s a heterosexual with “homosexual attachments”—whatever that means. Now he calls sexuality “complex and confusing,” and swears his new church won’t be performing any gay marriages:
We are a church and I believe that God’s ideal plan for marriage is the union of a man and a woman in a heterosexual monogamous relationship, so those are the types of marriages we will do in our church. Now, as for society, working with that question, that is a totally different subject. But within the church, that’s where we at St. James will be.
One always hopes that when someone is caught doing the very thing that they preach so strongly against that the person might actually learn a lesson from it and come through the experience a different or transformed person in the end. Sadly this is not the case with Haggard.
I had hoped that Haggard, upon feeling the overwhelming shunning wrath of his Christian brothers and sisters after his revelation, would come to an intimate understanding of how the gay and lesbian community feels about the church—how those who claim to follow Christ will turn their backs on you when you need them the most. In that shunning, I had hoped that Haggard might arrive at a new place—where he would realize how painful that is for the person shunned and vow to never, ever do that to anyone if he were ever back in the position to lead a church.
It’s disappointing when you realize the lesson has gone unheeded—that Haggard is so desperate to again be accepted by those who disowned him that he will bury his own truth and continue to shun, abuse, and belittle others all while hiding behind his pulpit and his Bible.
My partner and I never went to the Episcopal church that had so gladly “welcomed” us. I hope that no gay or lesbian person makes the mistake of believing that Haggard has changed and is really “welcoming” them to his new church.
Meet the new charlatan, just the same as the old charlatan.
Are you saying that someone who preaches against drunkenness and gets arrested for drunk driving should advocate getting drunk whenever one pleases thereafter?
It's perfectly possible to do what that Episcopal leader asked of you,admit that you erred in violating a standard of conduct in order to preserve credibility in an organization that demands that standard of conduct.
Huh? What about YOUR lesson? Please think long and hard about this: What's the point of YOU going to church if YOU'RE not going to follow Biblical principles?
And, if you do find a "church" that does fully accept you, why would you go? After all, any church that doesn't follow Biblical principles just becomes a Sunday "religious social club" and not a church.
I agree that homosexuality is much more complex than many are willing to consider, but your eagerness to dismiss Haggard comes from your unwillingness to admit that life transformation is possible through Jesus Christ and the framework for living presented through the Bible.
If you give yourself totally over to God, you can be transformed. God will transform your legalism, literalism and homophobia into truth, love and joy.
Dear Candace,
Thank you so kindly for such a thoughtful and compassionate article. My daughter, 25, and her partner, drove from Indiana to Connecticut to elope last week, one of just a small handful of states that would have them. I am so proud of her for sticking to her faith and her sense of self. Life is so damn complicated, and we all struggle with trying to be the best person we can be. May everyone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered find peace in their own hearts, and acceptance in their chosen community of faith. I want to live in a world that accepts all good people.
Best wishes to you,
Birdie
I notice he said the new church would be more inclusive. He has an odd definition of inclusive. "Yes you can come here but we will make you so uncomfortable that you will either conform or leave - and possibly lose your faith as well."
Not my idea of inclusive.
But what can you expect?
Conservative Christianity is all about conforming to a particular interpretation of sacred texts (actually it's more like an interpretation of an interpretation) and that is what Haggard is preaching and what he's used to. To change he would have to learn a new theology. He would no longer speak with "authority". He'd have to join the spiritual first graders and not open a brand new church as its self proclaimed leader.
And you can always rely on the conservatives to "forgive" a "rebellion" if the "repentance" is public enough.
Meanwhile it's the same old truncated, emaciated portrait of God as a late Victorian schoolmaster quoting from a book of rules.
I suspect his main motivation is to regain the fame and fortune he lost. In any case, his theology is the same old crap.
The entire religious-right are at heart of most of the problems in this country as they encourage division and demand inequality in AMERICA, "the land of the FREE". They are deeply involved in politics and are the driving force behind the hate-mongering GOP who simply use the Bible and God as weapons, political fund raising tools--while doing exactly what they are pretending to rail against. It's absolutely sickening, and worse, they have NO shame at all. They must be rejected, there's no hope for any of them.
Candice, my very best to you.
I stay away from those groups of people who claim one thing-then try to change you into what they interpret or deem as acceptable or holy.
Ted Haggard seems to have come a long way from the smug self-righteousness he once exhibited concerning homosexuality. I suspect every religious institution has its own definition of "God's perfect plan" or whatever. I'd be concerned if it was a carbon copy of what they are already doing as a matter of habit or preference. That would indicate they are using the G-word to ratify whatever feels good.
It amazes me that none of the posters here seem to have allowed for the continual inspiration and revelation of the Holy Spirit. Our Christian faith is not static, nor was it ever meant to be.
Jesus was a Jew, not a Christian, but his interpretations and revelations about the Hebrew Scriptures were so radical that he was killed for them because his revelations threatened the political and religious status quo. Jesus modeled the idea that faith continually grows and changes as God grants us knowledge and revelation. From his teachings and revelations grew the tradition in Judaism that has come to be known as Christianity.
Additionally, part of what we know, learn, and experience about any religious faith comes from the body of believers who practice that faith. This history of our journey with God helps us to stand in a long line of tension between orthodoxy and revelation, between resisting change and welcoming new life. As faithful and devout Christians of all different denominations begin to experience how lesbians, gays, transgenders,and bisexuals live godly and spirit-filled lives, we cannot deny their witness to this new movement of the Holy Spirit.
Who are we to inhibit the Spirit? Peter recognized that when confronted with expanding his vision of God's chosen people to include the Gentiles. Our journey today with the ordination of women, the full inclusion of the LGBT community into all aspects of our church life, is directly comparable to struggle with bringing Gentiles and the uncircumcised into the early Church.
Drunkenness is not directly comparable to Homosexuality... however, it is directly comparable when in the context it was used in the original comment. When one is caught doing something unacceptable to a particular group, one does not automatically choose to advocate openly and freely doing it again. The pressure to conform is often too strong. Consequently, the case could actually be made that neither drunk driving NOR homosexuality is a SIN, and the point would remain the same...
Another quick thought. Conservative congregations are not the only ones that are generally accepting to those that accept ONLY a certain interpretation of scripture. If you don't believe this, try having a fundamentalist join a progressive church and get any sort of position at all! They obviously would not be accepted into the "ministry" until they conformed to the norms of that particular religious community.
JS
I always felt, and agree with Candace on this, that I never truly felt God's love until I came clean, and learned to love myself for what God made me. Since that cathartic episode, it is easier for me feel/act like a true Christian. Up until then, I was merely lying to the entire world, and to Christ for that matter.
However, I do not think I will be taking a ride down to the Springs to find out what his church is all about. I wouldn't be able to bear to listen to the hypocrisy. I have enough charlatans in No Colorado to deal with.
God bless, and Peace
In my opinion, they're just not real. I wonder if they're running out of money and growing concerned about their lifestyle?
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There was at least one time in the past, that we know well, when the accepted exegesis of the church conflicted with the findings of science. It was in Galileo's time, and we all know how that one came out.
Now the writers of Leviticus, and for that matter Romans did not have the counsel of Drs. Ruth and Kinsey, or Masters and Johnson.
We are gaining increasing understanding that sexual orientation is something that we are born with. In other words, God made us that way. And God did not create any of us to be abominations.
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