The Trials of Ted Haggard

For the first couple of months since we've been back, we were given free HBO as part of our dish package. Now it's costing us, so it's time to cut those channels! However, I'm glad I hadn't done that yet, because I was able to DVR a documentary called "The Trials of Ted Haggard." As HBO's website describes it:

"Once upon a time, Ted Haggard had it all: prosperity, a doting wife, five kids and a ministry that reached 30 million followers. The larger-than-life founder and pastor of Colorado's New Life Church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Haggard was one of the most formidable forces in America's Christian evangelical movement. But in 2006, it all fell apart. Pastor Ted admitted to "sexual immorality" and buying methamphetamines from a male prostitute, which abruptly ended his career, sending him and his family into free-fall. The bombshell not only rocked the ministry, but everyone who knew him - especially his wife and five children.

A film by Alexandra Pelosi (HBO's Emmy®-winning "Journeys with George"), THE TRIALS OF TED HAGGARD takes an intimate look at the life and hard times of the ex-minister. "

If the name Pelosi seems familiar, it is: her mother is Nancy Pelosi - speaker of the House.

Anyway, watching this documentary was hard. I grew up in Colorado, just 30 minutes north of where Ted Haggard's former church is in Colorado Springs. I had obviously heard about all the things that happened with Haggard's ministry and had tried to keep up with the story as much as possible, but since moving back to Ohio I hadn't heard much. There were many things about The Trials Of Ted Haggard that made me sad.

First, I feel sad that a man of God has done what he has done. I'm not here to debate homosexuality or drug use or any of that - yet a Christian leader (rightfully so) is held to a higher standard and the phrase "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" is definitely true in church circles.

Second, I feel sad that Christian leaders are isolated and alone in so many ways, and when they do struggle with something, they feel like they can't share it or reveal it out in the open because they will get crucified for doing so. It's like we have such high expectations of our leaders, forgetting that they're human, and because we put them on a pedestal, there is absolutely no room for failure. Several times Haggard in the documentary talked about how he felt so trapped because he knew he had a problem, but because he was a pastor of a church of 14,000 people and because he represented 30 million Christians as the leader of the National Association of Evangelicals, he couldn't get out from under the pressure.

Third, I feel sad at how he and his family were treated. They had to leave their church - understandable I guess - but also had to leave the state of Colorado. I don't understand that part. He tried to get another job but couldn't find one. Here's a man who led thousands of people and I'm sure led a huge staff, but couldn't get any kind of regular job. I think the documentary said at the end that he was selling life insurance now. Thankfully, he was allowed to move back to Colorado. But still - I grieve that this man who has influenced so many lives is now friendless.

Please understand that I am in no way condoning anything that made Ted Haggard fall. However, I just think that no matter what we have done, whether we are a church leader or we are a church janitor or we are a church attender - we should be treated with dignity, respect, forgiveness and love. You could see the pain on his face when he talked about the way people treated him after the scandal, and how low he and his family felt. I hope that true restoration can take place in his life, and in the rest of his family's lives - and that people can forgive and move on.