What I’ve always found interesting, and very troubling is the church’s response to one sinning especially when it’s a sin of this nature; and this happens to a greater or lesser degree depending on which rung of the social ladder you are- that distinction is sad in itself.

Should churches respond by ostracising its members when they fall?
Is that the way Christ would respond?
Isn’t the church for all sinners? Shouldn’t it not then act like a hospital for sin sick souls?
Big or small- sin is sin, and as long as the person repents it really isn’t the perogitive of the church to play God.

No, I do not think that he should be asked to stand down- He who is without sin, please cast the first stone.
This is a time for the church to embrace him- not condone actions, but say we are standing behind you during this difficult time—and keep him in the church!!!!
Indeed a lot of the Bible has man’s interpretive footprints over it; but one thing is clear…the Bible calls for us to love each other like we do ourselves— it’s the one thing that’s clear and it is the one thing the church fails to do

Now Art, I mean Ted, says “Ok, I had sex but I didn’t swallow”.

When Oral Roberts’ prize student, Bishop Carlton Pearson, came out of the closet as a Universalist the evangelical church

Yeehaw! I fucking LOVE Carlton Pearson’s point of view and posted more elaborately on it elsewhere:

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Universalism & Salvation
- But, but, Universalism isn’t fair!
- The Role of Satan in Universalism

Hehe. Oral Roberts! Never ceases to crack me up!

Seriously though: what pulling the “gay card” means is that Haggard is intentionally being destroyed in the eyes of his followers: Evangelical Christians. Somebody played this card very much on purpose. Who? Why?

I was refreshed to read about Billy Graham in a recent Newsweek, and how he has mellowed in his age. While now recognizing some parts of the bible might actually be “man’s” revelation, he also regrets his political links, wishing he’d stay of of politics. He has seen alot and seems to have gained some wisdom.

Buried within that piece was a mention of the early days of Haggard’s “church planting.”:

“Pastor Ted soon began upsetting the devil’s plans. He staked out gay bars, inviting men to come to his church.”

Back on topic though: the coolest thing this Haggard dude could have done though - instead of resigning - was to maybe (if it’s true, of course) just come out of the closet.

Agreed. Just once I’d like to see a ’scandal’ like this take place, and the preacher use it to promote discussion and thought about how and why we choose what we do from the bible to guide behaviour. There’s nearly as much space given to prohibitions about women acting as full members of the community as there are about homosexual actions. Somehow, gaying it up in gaytopia has become the big no-no though. I don’t even mind the hypocrisy so much as to how Christians like to just throw it all under the rug and pretend there’s been no artificial modifications of meaning made to certain sections at all.

And congrats on weathering the BoingBoing effect so well.

well, just don’t forget your raving fringey occultist friends, when you’re selling ads on your site for a quarter mil and getting blowjobs from hookers while you do posts…

” tim boucher implicated in blogger sex scandal…”