| Ted Haggard  AKA Ted Arthur Haggard
Born: 27-Jun-1956
Birthplace: Indiana
Gender: Male
Religion: Born-Again Christian
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Matter of Dispute [1]
Occupation: Religion Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Pastor Ted After attending Oral Roberts University, Ted Haggard spent five years at Bethany Baptist Church in Baker, Louisiana. While on a camping trip near Colorado Springs, Haggard felt a divine presence urging him to remain in the area, and founded his New Life Church in the basement of a Colorado Springs home in 1985. Haggard bought oil in bulk for anointings and literally turned cartwheels as part of his charismatic style, and attendance outgrew his basement within weeks, forcing moves into progressively larger rented spaces. New Life Church is now owns a huge building that seats 8,000, and is just down the street from the headquarters of James Dobson's Focus on the Family. Haggard and Dobson have long professed their friendship.
On the "Pastor Ted Recommends" section of his church bookstore, Haggard urges followers to read books by Pat Robertson and Phyllis Schlafly, Newt Gingrich and Dinesh D'Souza. Haggard's own books include Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century and Primary Purpose: Making It Hard for People to Go to Hell from Your City.
Christianity Today called Haggard "the National Association of Evangelicals' optimistic champion of ecumenical evangelism and free-market faith." Haggard says "Free markets have done more to help poor people than any benevolent organization ever has." Jesus, of course, said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth ... for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" and told a rich man to "go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Haggard, though, responds to such criticism by saying that we understand economics much better now than in Christ's time, basically endorsing the "trickle down" theory that great wealth for a few helps even the poorest in society. "Jesus was in the 1st century," Haggard has explained, "and we're in the 21st century".
Prior to his resignation, Haggard had been called the second-most powerful evangelical leader in America, just slightly behind Dobson. Haggard was elected President of the NAE in 2003. The group was founded just after World War II, in an effort to foster cross-denominational support instead of public disputes over the different doctrines of different churches. It now includes 43,000 churches with about 30,000,000 members in 51 denominations, and The Wall Street Journal reports that Haggard has "an advisory role" in the Bush-Cheney White House.
In November 2006, Pastor Ted Haggard resigned from his leadership of the National Association of Evangelicals, America's largest evangelical group, and stepped down from the pulpit of his 14,000-member New Life Church amid allegations that he had paid for regular trysts with a gay prostitute. Haggard had long been an outspoken critic of "the homosexual lifestyle".
Denver resident Mike Jones, a professed male escort, alleged that Haggard had been a regular customer, calling him about once each month and paying for sex, and that Haggard had asked Jones to supply him with methamphetamine. Jones said he knew his customer only as "Art", which is Haggard's middle name. Even as he resigned, Haggard denied the allegations, announcing to reporters, "I've never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife, I'm faithful to my wife." The following day, though, his church's acting pastor sent an email to members, stating that Haggard had "confessed" to church elders that "some of the accusations against him are true".
[1] Resigned from NAE after allegations that he had relations with a male whore from Denver, Mike Jones (who claims to have voicemails of Haggard's voice). Jones told AP that the two had sex "nearly every month over three years." In a KGO radio interview Jones stated the price was his standard rate of $200 per hookup, and that Haggard was already quite familiar with the mechanics of what they were doing. Haggard issued a denial, stating "I did not have a homosexual relationship with a man in Denver. I am steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife." Paul Asay and DeeDee Correl, "Haggard Resigns National Role Amid Allegations", Colorado Springs Gazette, 2 November 2006. A letter from Haggard to New Life Church read aloud on 5 November 2006 admitted to his "sexual immorality" but did not delve into specifics.
Wife: Gayle Alcorn (one daughter, four sons)
Daughter: Christy
Son: Marcus
Son: Jonathan
Son: Alex
Son: Elliot
Slept with: Michael Forest Jones (according to published reports)
University: Oral Roberts University (1978)
University: University of Phoenix
Arlington Group
National Association of Evangelicals President (2003-06)
Born-Again Christian 1972
Time Magazine 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America
Risk Factors: Methamphetamine, Glossolalia
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Jesus Camp (15-Sep-2006) Himself
Official Website:
http://www.tedhaggard.com/
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