Recent allegations of criminal drug use on the part of Rev. Ted Haggard along with at least 3 years of paid sexual services from a gay, male prostitute come as a near-October surprise. The GOP had, coincidently, been gaining recent ground over the Dems until the news of Haggard’s “indiscretions” surfaced earlier this week. Today polls are showing that the Democrats have taken a sure lead, an indicator I believe, of broad fallout from the scandal.
But what of the man and his family? They, like any others in distress, need our prayers. While there is much gossip, and probably more scorn, the Haggard family, like any of us, are only human beings on the path of redemption. I am thankful that under the hand of a mighty God, the historic cross of Christ continues to cast an efficacious shadow across time and space and that there, a sure, atonement was won for all who believe.
Novelist Stephen King, in a nod to American Christianity, wrote in “The Green Mile,” “Atonement was powerful; it was the lock on the door you closed against the past.” Though King is no paragon of evangelical Christian values, there is truth in his statement. When our sins are truly “under the blood,” that blood of Christ becomes a locked door against the missteps, failures and shortcomings of our past. Let’s pray that there is special grace for the Haggard family, and Haggard’s church to walk through that door amid the unravelling of one more Christian leader’s precipitous lapse from grace.
There are also lessons to learn from this most recent failure of Christian leadership but more on that another time…
Ted Haggard Did What?
November 4, 2006 · 3 Comments
But what of the man and his family? They, like any others in distress, need our prayers. While there is much gossip, and probably more scorn, the Haggard family, like any of us, are only human beings on the path of redemption. I am thankful that under the hand of a mighty God, the historic cross of Christ continues to cast an efficacious shadow across time and space and that there, a sure, atonement was won for all who believe.
Novelist Stephen King, in a nod to American Christianity, wrote in “The Green Mile,” “Atonement was powerful; it was the lock on the door you closed against the past.” Though King is no paragon of evangelical Christian values, there is truth in his statement. When our sins are truly “under the blood,” that blood of Christ becomes a locked door against the missteps, failures and shortcomings of our past. Let’s pray that there is special grace for the Haggard family, and Haggard’s church to walk through that door amid the unravelling of one more Christian leader’s precipitous lapse from grace.
There are also lessons to learn from this most recent failure of Christian leadership but more on that another time…
Categories: Christian News · Commentary · Hooligans