The American Spectator

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p> HAGGARD AND HYPOCRISY br> Re: Francis Beckwith's The Case of Ted Haggard : /p> p>I suppose that Mr. Beckwith is so confused by the Ted Haggard affair that he can find nothing better to do than launch an attack on "secular humanists" for some imagined lack of ability to define hypocrisy as wrong. This kind of fuzzy thinking is common with so many so called "people of faith." A hypocrite is a hypocrite, and it does not take a belief in God to recognize one. Religious people, contrary to what they would like you to believe, have no monopoly on morality, and wearing your religious beliefs on your chest does not guarantee that you are a moral person. br> -- C. W. Bussells /p>

The Reverend Dr. Beckwith pleads with us to have mercy for Ted Haggard, who recently disgraced the Christian faith, with an extra-marital affair. After reading the article in the paper last week my heart sank thinking about another minister disgracing the gospel of Christ. This man was deemed worthy by his brethren in Evangelical circles, that group which I belong to, so to have lived a facade and maintained a high profile yet deceptive walk within Christian circles and also to those others watching from afar, that to me is the real shame.

Yes, shame. It is a word seldom used lately. Scripture is replete with references about the seriousness of our Christian walk. Most certainly forgiveness and restoration are given when we sin or fail to be faithful in our Christian walk, but to walk in deception is a particularly repugnant. It leads many astray. For leaders the measure is higher by their own personal acceptance of choosing the walk of a leader. It is a singularly defined choice and one not to be chosen lightly.

In recent years too many leaders within our Christian denominations have been subject to sexual sin. Then within what seems like minutes they expect to be forgiven and restored to the place they once occupied. After Clinton's White House antics I personally know of more than 20 churches here in the State of Texas, whose leaders, be they Pastors, Youth Directors, or Deacons, were swept into the folly and shame of sexual sin. The crisis came for those churches because they did not know how to deal with this sin. I fully believe the reason we witness so many destructive behavioral sins such as these all stemmed from the fact that if the Leader of the Country is exempt from any sort of punishment for lying and deception and misuse of his personal power, then how can ordinary congregations deal with sin behavior such as this. It was quite remarkable and sad to watch.

p>I am not prone to judge Mr. Haggard or any other person for sin. That does not preclude me from discernment and wisdom about the depth of destruction his behavior has placed on the Body of Christ. By his folly he has led many astray and caused shame fall upon Christ. His accountability is before Christ. It is tragic those who will never see the Gospel because of this. br> --

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