The Return of Ted Haggard
Ted Haggard has once again found himself in the limelight—this time not for his very public personal problems, but rather for his quick return to ministry.
It’s a story that plays out every few years: a leader falls from grace, goes into a period of rehabilitation, and then attempts to rebuild their ministry. Google can help you find countless additional examples of leaders who have gone through this process. To me, there’s always an element of concern that surrounds these reappearances: Will anyone ever trust these leaders again? Should they?
I believe in mankind’s limitless capacity for sin, and in the limitless power of God’s forgiveness and grace. However, just as it takes time for one to become ensconced in sin, it takes time to break free from it. And the people who are hurt by someone else’s sin often need time to forgive as well. When I’m wronged, I always attempt to forgive people quickly with words, but it often takes my heart a bit longer to catch up to that commitment. I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment. I can only imagine the difficult issues one would have to work through after a trusted pastor’s fall from grace.
Haggard’s fall and return will not be the last story like it, so rather than debate the merits of his particular circumstance I’d rather use it as a way to give context to a discussion on the restoration process. It’s unfortunate, but many of us have trusted (or will trust) a leader who has gone through a moral failing of some kind. The Bible doesn’t give us an outline of how to restore a leader, although 1 Timothy 3 outlines the qualifications overseers and deacons should have before they start their ministry, which seems to give us a good overview of where a leader should be before they return to ministry.
How do you think the restoration process should happen? Should there be an imposed timeframe in which the leader is considered “barred” from ministry? What steps should they have to go through in order to be considered fit for ministry? And how should the hurting people left in their wake handle the situation?
The question should be a bit broader. For one, what is the upshot to his return? His position is he can help those in similar situations since he has experienced them first hand. But his own testimony can be a major hindrance to the credibility of the solution.
Einstein said it is impossible to solve a problem with the same mind that created it.
Fallen ministers that have bounced back are rare at best. Especially in this case. Since these are ministers of God it seems forgiving and restoring are a given. However being “a leader†is not a guarantee or a developing vacuum for the Body of Christ.
What Haggard did for the most part is not as worrisome as to why he did what he did. In order for you to go the direction he went you would have to be fairly ignorant of the Kingdom and how it functions.
In my opinion it is a display of what happens when people get saved from something and not into anything. We are saved from Hell but we are never saved into the Kingdom. You can not remove darkness or diminish its effect. Darkness can only be displaced. The more light you have the less darkness surrounds you.
The lack of light is the real question here. The other question is does repentance, or forgiveness or restoration generate the light needed to displace darkness or only enable the person to start again in letting that light dominate their life. Renewing the spirit God can do. Renewing the mind a man must do.
As a man thinks so is he. If you see and here a man long enough you will be able to understand what he thinks. I believe in general Mr. Haggard is not ready for prime time. The need to start having a church again just does not seem contrite enough. It is more why than how.
through Ted’s words and interviews…
Discern it and perceive it through the lens of God’ Word…HE IS DECEIVED…unless God opens his eyes to see.