| Ted Haggard : Lessons Not Learned

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Ted Haggard : Lessons Not Learned

tacitus	print page
Mon Nov 06, 2006 at 02:13:49 PM EST

James Dobson dedicated the Monday morning edition of his radio show, Focus on the Family to the Ted Haggard affair. He and three guests, Albert Mohler, Ravi Zacharias, and H.B. London, discussed the fall-out of the scandal and its impact on Haggard, his family, his church, and the wider Evangelical community.

For once, I am not going to comment on what Dobson and his pals said. It's what they didn't say that is the most illuminating aspect of their conversation.

Throughout the program, they paint Haggard as a soul who has lost his way, burdened with the heavy demands of leadership and the loneliness and isolation that his high office entailed.

In effect, they attempt to cast Haggard as the archetypal Biblical Christian leader--a servant to his flock--who, only through the pressures of his job, was led astray. And in doing so, they completely and, I suspect, willfully miss the main point of the whole sordid affair.

Ted Haggard was a powerful man. He was the pastor of a 11,000 strong church he himself had founded, and was the president of a 30-million-strong evangelical organization. With the sort of power Ted Haggard accumulated comes responsibility, yes, but it also brings a high level of privilage, wealth, patronage and influence that can be very hard to resist. Indeed, few people can resist when you have thousands, even millions, of people hanging on your every word, looking to you for direction, and giving you their unquestioning loyalty.

People who rise to power are usually equipped with a streak of arrogance and ruthlessness that helped get them there, and Christian leaders are hardly an exception. And those traits become even more dangerous when coupled with the self-belief you must have that God is guiding you actions and your words as you preach from the pulpit on Sunday mornings.

I am sure that just as much as Ted Haggard knew what he was doing was wrong, he also believed he was invincible. This was not a man simply succumbing to the temptations of the flesh, this was a man who felt he could indulge in anything he felt like doing--dangerous drugs, cheating on his wife--knowing that his actions (short of being found out) would not be called into question.

Even when the whole thing came crashing down, it took Haggard several days to realise he could not lie his way out of this. You bet your bottom dollar that if his accuser had not saved those phone messages, Haggard would still be denying it all today. Of course, now he's saying all the right things, but only because he has been given no choice.

Evangelical leaders probably looked upon the trials and tribulations of the Catholic church with a sense of smug satisfaction. It couldn't happen to us. But pastors of evangelical and fundamentalist churches have every bit as much power to abuse as Catholic priests.

One has only to listen to Albert Mohler and James Dobson on the radio shilling for the Republican party and spreading malicious lies about "liberals" everywhere to see their arrogance and ruthlessness in action. Sure they're not abusing children or cheating on their wives (probably) but they abuse their power, their position of trust, nonetheless.

And that is why, to Dobson and Mohler, Ted Haggard's problems are not about the abuse of power that he had accumulated. To admit as much would be to shine an uncomfortable spotlight on their positions of power and privilage, and demolish the carefully cultivated image that they are humble, selfless foot-soldiers working solely for the Lord.

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Ted Haggard : Lessons Not Learned | 77 comments (77 topical, 0 hidden)

Something most everyone seems to be missing (none / 0)

I've been concerned too that there are issues that aren't being addressed and that the religious right is doing it's best to sweep them under the rug. Arrogance and narcissism, as you point out, may be part of the picture but I think there are other issues that may be more threatening to the right leaders.

Important to note they they have strenuously avoided any discussion of his sexual orientation. In fact, the "sin" for which they are holding him responsible is his lack of faithfulness to his wife.

The letter Haggard left for his congregation is revealing - although it hasn't been widely published in its entirety or received much attention. I found this portion particularly interesting.

I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.
For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach.
Through the years, I've sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn't want to hurt or disappoint them.
The public person I was wasn't a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe. LINK

This doesn't sound like a man who was simply abusing power. Indeed, it sounds like the pain of a closeted gay man who has struggled to meet the impossible demands of judgmental and bigoted religious beliefs in an unforgiving social environment. (The story of the NJ Governor, McGreevy, also comes to mind here).

This confession is extraordinarily threatening for the religious right. It's important to remember that the religious right leaders have a lot invested in convincing everyone that orientation is a "choice" and a "lifestyle" rather than an intrinsic identity and that to be gay is a sin rather than a normal human variation. They also have significant financial and political interest in convincing the public that homosexuality can be effectively treated with their brand of "therapy" (reparative) if the individual truly desires it.

The fact that a prominent religious right leader, who believes in the sinfulness of his behavior, has struggled with it throughout adulthood raises serious questions about "choice." The admission that he he sought assistance (their brand of "treatment"?) on a variety of occasions without resolution of the problem raises serious questions about their claims that homosexuality can be "cured." Unfortunately, the choice he made was to fight his "demons" covertly while overtly condemning the behavior.

I hope that there will be some positive outcomes from what has been a tragedy for him, his family, and his congregation: first, that these implications are discussed openly to educate the public and second, that Haggard find himself a respectful, knowledgeable, secular therapist to educate him and help him sort through his conflicts in a constructive way. It would be really cool if he was then able to tell his story (as McGreevy has done) and speak to those who have have been similarly misled or even destroyed by false beliefs. That could be true healing and redemption.

It's important to note, incidentally, that Dobson initially offered to assist with his "restoration" but then backed out because he was "too busy." Probably a good thing since for all his blather on the topic, I doubt Dobson knows how to begin to deal with this situation. Suspect the right leaders will distance themselves as quickly as possible. To "love the sinner" is easier in theory than in practice.

by Psyche on Thu Nov 09, 2006 at 07:10:56 PM EST