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September 24th, 2010
10:49 AM ET
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If this is true, it's the result of money, power and deceit but God holds all the power. What you do in the dark always comes to light, God sees and knows all, and any man of God knows this. Stop giving your hard earned money to these mega churches to enrich so-called men of God, it's wrong.
I want you to know that a lot of people don't understand the Christian life. Jesus first disciples died terrible deaths for their faith in Jesus. God does want to bless those who believe in him because thats why Jesus died and rose again was to give us life. No one ever mentions the devil because there is evil in this world and the devil does not want to save people, he wants to destroy. As soon as a person believes in Jesus the devil starts planning to bring them down. Thats why you see these spiritual leaders fall and have all sorts of scandals because its a spiritual battle. Its not something new. Even during the early Christians they had the same problems. There is no excuse, everyone has problems but God still requires not to give up and have faith in him. I am a born again Christian, I am also an arab palestinian and also of Puerto Rican decent so believe me, I have been thru it all. I have a very muslim name and people hate me, but I still believe in Jesus. NO excuse to lose your faith. Jesus still loves me.
Lawd to help!!!! Speechless.... Absolutely, definitively, positively speechless... God Bless America & the Church...
Please, no more Ted Haggard. He is still in denial about the severity of what he has done... and he's taking the fam along for the ride.
I'm glad Ted's doing so well, but honestly, I feel like he is doing TOO well and there has not been enough contrition on his part.
I completely agree with Pastor Troy Sanders. It should not take a scandal in order for you to be honest with yourself, your family, and the church. God sees and knows everything so there is no hiding shame from him. To be a Christian means that you wil be Christ-like and most of the people who claim to be Christians are nowhere near Christ-like. They focus on scripture from the Old Testament but Christians are supposed to live in accordance with the New Testament. Christ died so that we might all live and in His eyes no 1 sin is greater than the next. Homosexuality is no different than cheating, lieing, killing, or overeating on Thanksgiving Day. Be honest with yourself so that you won't have to live with situations like this one because noone can lie to God.
Haggard does not get what he did wrong; it was the lies while professing you were a man who follows the Bible. He acts like it is no big deal, and that those who out them are wrong. If no one ever outed you, you would have lied all your life.
I really liked Pastor Ted's response. God is truly with him. Now, Troy needs to look at himself a little closer. Better, he needs to write a new bible and teach from it.
Ted Haggard posted on fb today, that he has cancelled his interview on CNN for Sunday and closed his email and twitter accounts.
This grieves me to pieces. I really hate to hear about such a thing. Homosexuality is huge in the church yet no one wants to talk about it. It's there...in every congregation. I was a lesbian before I became a Christian. God revealed to me in His word where it was not His will for human beings. He said it was an abomination in the old testament and he condemns it in the new testament. The African American Pastor is deceived. He is walking according to the beat of his own drum and not according to the word of God. Any sex outside of the marriage convenant is fornication/adultery. I am delivered and walking in my deliverance 11 years now. Do I have issues from time to time...yes, but I choose the Lord's ways.
My comment is to the Bishop Long case. This is just my personal opinion. I don't think that the allegations are of any true nature, I do believe that God is putting Bishop long through this for a reason. He should come out of this learning a lesson. He claims to be a man of God, so get rid of the tight shirts/clothing when you are infront of 25,000 people spreading the word of God. His appearance is too worldly. Yes your body is the temple of God but go back to the suit wearing. Leave the tight clothing in your home for your wife, not the world. There may be "babes in christ" attending his congregation and can not block out his attire and focus on his body. So he needs to go and come again when this is over. God bless him and his family.
First off; God does not recognized Troy Sanders as a pastor! He says twistedly; "I'm a same gender loving man". No lets call it what it is, Sanders; your a Homosexual. Your a person sinning against Almighty God,openly playing pastor under a false church, proclaiming it's OK to be a Homosexual.
The one thing that I am hoping is that we can begin having real conversations in the Black church about sex and sexuality. The thought of hating the sin and loving the sinner needs to be seriously acted upon. If Long was trying to get at some teens, it is coersion that is an issue more than the act of being gay.
Those who do not chose to obey God's Word in the Bible should not commence to teach it. They should go and get their own religion and write their own bible. God said.. HIm and His word will not ever change.
If Long guilty...it looks from the church video shown here, it seems that Long was younger. He may have gotten overcome by the homosexuality demon, after a while of living in the flesh and not staying close to Jesus. And, Haggard is a hypocrite whether he admits it or not. No one who is a preacher of the gospel should engage in sin, especially homosexuality.
I first want to start of be saying that I am a Christian and I don’t have a motive here. My problem with the whole thing is why is he saying this is an attack on him and his church? This has nothing to do with the church these allegations involve you and you only. I’m not saying this is what he is doing; but it seems to me he is looking to make his church feel that it is an attack on them as a whole to get them to be on his side. He needs to accept responsibility for his actions if this is true and stand alone for his actions. Don’t brain wash the church info feeling that these boys have any motive against them. How sad to do something like this; real men man up and accept responsibility for their actions, not hide behind the 25k people. With all of this said I hope this is not true.
This is why Theology is making the Word Of God have no effect. False Preachers, and false Teachers.
I really think that if these things are true, then bishop long needs and owes the gay community a really huge apology as well as the people in his cogrigation for misleadig them.Its not for me to pass judgement on anyone but let's just be whom we are.
I agree with Ted Haggard's theology of the scripture, but who is the other guy? I do not see any Jesus forgiving power and a message of love in his analysis of clergymen behavior. Very selfish portrayal of religion.
wow if preachers dont practice what they preach, then we are in danger. We trust them and go to church to not only listen to their preaching but also to get spiritual counselling.
I guess it is better to stay home and pray, definitly churches dont seem to be safe.
At marker 6'03" on this video of Anderson Coppers interview with Pastor Ted Haggard, the Pastor has the audacity to equate the hipocracy of a police officer getting a speeding ticket with the hipocracy of Bishop Long, who preaches anti-homophobic ideals as his interpretation of the bible and then is found to have sexual encounters with young boys. Is someone pulling our legs? Is there anyone out there that doesn't see the stunning absurdity of that equivocation? I'd like to know why Anderson didn't remark on the Pastors statement?
For me there are two separate issues here. One being the hipocracy of an anti-gay Bishop [Long] being found to have had sexual encounters with same sex individuals. The second issue is that ... it was with relatively young and very impressionable children! ... This 'bishop' used the respect, authority, good standing, power and money bestowed on him by the 25,000 members of the church where he is invited by those same 25,000 to preach to those same 25,000 ... in order to seduce young boys! Why are we focusing on the gay aspect and not the child abuse aspect!
Troy Sanders you know as well as the rest of us what the "TRUTH" is. you as a man of God can not pre-judge someone else without knowing the facts, when you have your own issue to deal with. you ARE picking and chosing. i would love to hear your sermons on sundays do you preach about homosexuality as you live as one or do you preach only what you think people what to hear. God loves the sinner but hates the sin, and you kow that. Are you a man of God who preach "TRUTH" from the bible. STOP pre-judging lest ye be judge as well. you are going to be have God's wrath on you more because you have been called by him to preach the "TRUTH" so live it as well as preach it
Bottom Line- If God Says it is Wrong, Evil, Abomination Then If You choose to practice such things You alone must stand before God & give an account. Jesus preached Saying "REPENT!" & told people "GO & SIN NO MORE" It is your choice alone whether you will obey or Disobey his words.
Troy Sanders is not a minister of the Gosepl of Jesus Christ. He is a wolf in sheeps clothing.
I am intrigued with the exchange btw Ted Haggard and Troy Sanders. It shows just how hypocritical certain religious leaders are EVEN AFTER being in a searing sex scandal. He (Ted) was flippant and contradictory even in this interview. After years of gay-bashing, he was found to be engaged in same-gender sexual acts outside his marriage and the best he can come up with is "Everyone sins". That's convenient and certainly NOT the message he was toughting years back before he was busted. Troy Sanders on the other hand was articulate, well-versed on the bible and very transparent. He seemed to hold up a "standard" to be applied to everyone, even himself and ESPECIALLY ministers of the gospel. Even if you think being gay is wrong, you have to credit him for being far more responsible in his statements than Mr. Haggard. This situation with Eddie Long, if nothing else, should tear off the bandaid attempting to cover the gushing wound of church hypocrisy, homophobia and exploitation in the (black) church. It's time we had some real and honest talk, which just may lead to a MUCH healthier longterm discourse on the subject and just might save some souls.