Ted Haggard

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Ted Arthur Haggard (born June 27, 1956 in Yorktown , Indiana ) is an American , evangelical former preacher.

In which he founded church , the evangelical New Life Church in Colorado Springs , to the group of so-called in the US mega-churches heard Haggard was a "Pastor Ted" known. He also co-founded the Association of Life-Giving Churches . The US magazine Time Magazine named him in 2005 to the 25 most influential evangelical Christians in the United States.

biography

Ted Arthur Haggard was born in Indiana . In 1972 he had a revival experience and has since called himself a "born again Christian ". In 1978 he married Gayle Alcom. The couple has five children. In 1984 Haggard became an assistant pastor in Baton Rouge , Louisiana . A few years later, Haggard moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he started his own church, New Life Church .

Positions

Haggard is a staunch supporter of the policies of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush . In a June 21, 2005 article in the Wall Street Journal, Haggard cites the following statement: “Ted Haggard, the head of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals, jokes that the only disagreement between himself and the leader of the Western world is automotive: Mr. Bush drives a Ford pickup, whereas he prefers a Chevy ". ( Ted Haggard, head of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals, jokes that the only disagreement between him and the leader of the Western world concerns the car: Mr. Bush drives a Ford pickup while he prefers a Chevy. ) Indeed The fight against global warming was one of Haggard's convictions: He supported the Evangelical Climate Initiative in the United States, despite the fact that President Bush had long believed that climate change due to human activity had not been proven.

Haggard publicly condemns the practice of homosexuality , saying, “We don't have to debate about what we should think about homosexual activity, it's written in the Bible.” ( We don't have to discuss what we think of homosexual activity, it stands written in the Bible. ) His rejection goes beyond questions of sexual intercourse, and he also rejects the state-legal recognition of homosexual partnerships, although this would mainly affect non-sexual areas of life such as property law, contract law or, in the case of binational partnerships, immigration law.

Under the leadership of Haggard as president, the evangelical organization National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) campaigned for a culture war in a document For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility . The NAE document is directed against abortion , against gay marriage , but also against increased taxes and further immigration to the United States and calls for an expansion of education in the US population. Haggard stepped up his preaching to gays by occasionally visiting bars in Colorado Springs that appeal to gay audiences and inviting men to come to his church.

Television and film

Haggard has appeared on various television shows in the United States, including Dateline ( NBC ) and 20/20 ( ABC ).

In 2006 he gave an interview to Richard Dawkins , professor at Oxford University , for the television documentary The Root of All Evil? . After the interview was recorded, Haggard evicted the film crew from his property with the words " You called my children animals " and attempted to confiscate the television crew's equipment. Dawkins later reported that Haggard was upset because he (Dawkins) defended the theory of evolution in the previous discussion .

Haggard appears in a long scene in the film Jesus Camp .

Resignation after sex scandal

After former call boy and massage therapist Mike Jones announced in the media that Haggard had paid him three years for sex, Haggard resigned as chairman of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) on November 3, 2006 . The following day he was also released from the office of pastor by the board of directors of his church. According to Jones, Haggard (whom Jones knew as "Art"; Haggard's middle name is Arthur ) took methamphetamine when he met .

Haggard initially claimed not to know Jones. On November 5, 2006, however, he informed his community in an open letter that he was in fact "guilty of sexual immorality".

Jones had decided on this public outing of Haggard because Haggard had publicly appeared in politics against the legal protection of lesbian and gay partnerships. Jones told ABC News, "I had to publish Haggard's double standards." Haggard has the ability to influence thousands of followers and he preaches against gay marriage. But in his hidden private life he lives the opposite of what he preaches. Jones hoped voters would understand. On November 7, 2006, Colorado voted on the prohibition of gay marriages in the Colorado Constitution; Despite Haggard's outings, the majority of those who voted voted for a corresponding constitutional amendment.

Ted Haggard continues to take the public view that homosexuality is sinful. That's why, on the advice of his friend James Dobson , he went to Christian ex-gay therapy. After only three weeks of treatment, he is now convinced that he is heterosexual . He and his wife moved from Colorado Springs in 2007 and now lives in Phoenix. In January 2011, he said in a television interview that he was bisexual .

criticism

Critics who are not close to his church accuse him of hypocrisy and bigotry . This has been reported by the media, among others. a. by the musician Roy Zimmerman , processed satirically.

Internal church critics, on the other hand, accuse him of violating the God-given rules that he himself preached.

swell

  1. ↑ a b Don't be arrogant! - Humanistic press service. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007 ; accessed on May 29, 2015 .
  2. ^ TIME Names the 25 Most Influential EVANGELICALS in America. In: content.time.com. January 30, 2005, accessed May 29, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Cheer Up, Conservatives! In: opinionjournal.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2005 ; accessed on May 29, 2015 .
  4. ^ Groups: Gay marriage issue not Congress's. Archived from the original on July 2, 2004 ; accessed on May 29, 2015 .
  5. ↑ For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility ( Memento of the original from October 21, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nae.net
  6. ↑ Soldiers of Christ - Inside America's most powerful megachurch with Pastor Ted Haggard ( Memento of November 30, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ↑ Unknown title on YouTube (video not available)
  8. ^ Fire, brimstone around "Jesus" film. In: denverpost.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007 ; accessed on May 29, 2015 .
  9. ↑ After sex allegations against US evangelist: Ted Haggard fired from supervisory body
  10. ↑ Homo allegations: TV preacher resigns - Queer.de. In: queer.de. November 3, 2006, accessed May 29, 2015 .
  11. ^ Neela Banerjee: Accused of Gay Liaison, Head of Evangelical Group Resigns. In: nytimes.com. November 3, 2006, accessed May 29, 2015 .
  12. ↑ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061105/ap_on_re_us/haggard_sex_allegations ( Memento from November 7, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ↑ Accuser recounts trysts with 'Art' ( Memento from November 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ↑ Haggard begins antihomo therapy. In: queer.de. November 8, 2006, accessed May 29, 2015 .
  15. ↑ Ted Haggard is moving. In: queer.de. November 3, 2006, accessed May 29, 2015 .
  16. ↑ Ted Haggard Says He's Bisexual. In: cbsnews.com. January 30, 2009, accessed May 29, 2015 .
  17. ^ "Ted Haggard Is Completely Heterosexual" by Roy Zimmerman on YouTube , April 6, 2007

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Haggard, Ted
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Haggard, Ted Arthur (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American evangelical preacher
DATE OF BIRTH June 27, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Yorktown, Indiana