Ted Haggard, 52, one of America’s most influential evangelists until allegations of gay sex and drugs brought about his spectacular downfall in 2006, is “still struggling with his sexuality”, according to a documentary that will be aired in the US on January 29, 2009.
The leader of the National Association of Evangelicals until his fall from grace, Haggard was said to have been turned “straight” after three weeks of intensive counselling overseen by four ministers. On February 6, 2007 one of those ministers, Tim Ralph, stated that Haggard:
Is completely heterosexual.
Oh, how wrong he was.
Ralph later claimed that he meant to say that therapy:
Gave Ted the tools to help to embrace his heterosexual side.
Hmmm. The tools didn’t work either, is seems, for Haggard is still a gay as a striped marquee.
The pastor, a practicing homophobe, would trawl gay bars ostensibly to “save” homosexuals, but he was “outed” in November 2006 by prostitute and masseur Mike Jones, who alleged that Haggard had paid him to engage in sex over a three year period, and that Haggard had also purchased and used crystal methamphetamine.
Jones said he went public after learning of Haggard’s true identity. His reason for coming forward was Haggard’s hypocrisy:
It made me angry that here’s someone preaching against gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex.
Haggard then confessed:
The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality. And I take responsibility for the entire problem. I am a deceiver and a liar. There’s a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life.
In the documentary – The Trials of Ted Haggard – the disgraced pastor, now a second-rate insurance salesman, says he is still struggling with his sexuality but is committed to his marriage for the sake of his children. He has five.
The reason I kept my personal struggle a secret is because I feared that my friends would reject me, abandon me and kick me out, and the church would exile and excommunicate me. And that happened and more.
Haggard’s wife, Gayle, says she is committed to Haggard.
I know to restore the honour to our children is to help restore honour to their father.
Haggard says:
At this stage in my life, I am a loser.
Two clear lessons emerge from this sorry, sordid mess:
First, religion is uniquely placed to screw up people’s lives. When Haggard declared “There’s a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark”, he was referring to his homosexuality, but these words could equally apply to his Christianity, which was responsible for his self-denial, his deception, his hypocrisy and his lies.
Second is that people who are naturally homosexual cannot change their sexual orientation, any more than a white person can turn black. Evangelicals should take this fact on board, and instead of concentrating so much of their efforts on “curing” gays, they should find themselves another hobby. They may have better success turning alligators into aardvarks.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:49 am
This may well be the best bit of news I have heard all year. Did you see the Root of All Evil documentary where he threatens Richard Dawkins? Methinks he protested too much?
What a prick. Probably became a minister because he couldn’t get a boyfriend.
December 22nd, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Gods, what an utter loser. There are few things more satisfying than seeing the most pious of preachers exposed as hypocrites and frauds. Unless said fallen-preacher refuses to go away because he is determined to show everybody, unable to accept that you might as well try putting the Mona Lisa back on display after a tomato has splatted over it for all the image repair it will amount to.
December 22nd, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Hoisted by his pethard, perhaps not. As much as I would like to see this moron ‘set upon’ by his church chums I doubt it will happen, as they share the same hypocrisy and will probably claim that he is now cured.
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Well Angela, his Christian friends will likely spend a princely sum attempting to rebuild his image, but I have a feeling that poor Teddy will soon realize the masochism of this. Haggard’s relationship with his five children would likely have stood a far better chance if he had accepted that he got caught out as a gigolo screwing, meth-head hypocrite and melted into the background for a dignified (as possible) quiet life. Now, as he begs Christians to take him back, using more image-conscious distain towards homosexuality than ever (albeit from a different angle), does he care about how much mockery his kids will have to share in as, with every superior grinning spiel, his past is dredged up repeatedly in the press? No… his ego comes first.
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 am
Too bad he can’t just be honest with himself and everyone else. But his oppressive, bigoted religion makes him think he has to pretend to be straight and even persecute LGBT people so that’s what he does, at the expense of himself and countless others. Sad and sick.