What do they have to do with each other? Simply viewed, it gets down to the struggle between good and evil, and newsworthy issues of the past two weeks.
I am a member of New Life Church, and Ted Haggard has been my pastor up until his dismissal last week for what has been termed “sexually immoral conduct.” Today is also Veterans Day, and I am running a book fair at Fort Carson Army Base, south of Colorado Springs.
I have spent three days talking with family members and some of the soldiers who have returned from 12 to 15 months in Iraq. I am honored to be in the presence of those who have unselfishly served our country overseas and returned home safely, harbored by their families. The children are happy to have their daddies (and sometimes, mommies) home. Wives look relieved, anxious, happy, concerned all-at-once in their husbands’ presence. The “Mr. Mom” dads are ready to give back, if temporarily, duties of child care to the mothers whose recent concerns were of terrorist enemies and not “is it time to change the baby’s diaper?”
Each time a squadron of troops returns to Fort Carson, the front page of The Gazette is awash with colorful photos of heart-warming reunions—kisses to new babies, hugs to long-missed wives—tears abundant, wetting smiles.
Not so happy-looking was the widely published front-page photo last week of Pastor Haggard and his beautiful wife, Gayle, cornered by news reporters as the Haggard family left home one morning. Writers drooled over the sensational alleged transgressions made public by self-professed gay prostitute, Mike Jones, against the now former president of the National Association of Evangelicals. It rocked the Christian world and our congregation the week before the election, the intent of Jones who stated plainly he could not remain silent about his involvement with Pastor Haggard, a man who strongly favored the passing of Colorado’s Amendment 43 that would define in Colorado legal marriage as only between a man and a woman. Voters felt the same way, as #43 easily passed on November 7. I voted in favor of it.
I have heard some returning soldiers express strong opinions about US politics. They are proud to be in the military and know the media does not tell the entire story of the good they are doing in Iraq. On the home front, some are also concerned about the issue of immigration from Mexico. As I wrapped up yesterday’s book fair, a married couple who both returned this week from the war front explained their solution to building a fence at the US/Mexico border: “We need to do it. The entire border. And for those people we let in, there should be a requirement that they must speak English. And they each need to serve one year in the military, defending the country they want to live in. Then they can stay here.” I’ll admit, it sounds like a good idea to me.
President Bush has said the Iraq war is about good versus evil. I too believe it is. As a mother of two sons in the military (USAF and USN), I support wholeheartedly the US efforts to conquer the enemy who wants to prevent its own people from being free.
Pastor Ted admitted publicly he struggled in his soul with darkness that he eventually succumbed to. He is not an evil man. I know him to be a faith-filled, excellent Bible teacher, now known to have human failings. Yet this past week, we have learned of a new side of him, one that is hard to face: the hypocrisy, the deceit. Aside from the immoral sexual behavior and admitted purchase of drugs, the saying-one-thing, doing-another truth of his behavior has come out, and a world full of people (let alone, our congregation) now should be led to examine their own souls and attitudes before they point a finger at another and cry, "Liar." That doesn't mean we brush under the rug what this revelation tells everyone about Ted Haggard. Let's instead do a personal assessment of our own integrity and honesty and go on to become better people. Because being a hypocrit and deceiver is just as much a sin as any other. Choose good and "right" instead of evil and "wrong." How does one know the difference? I'd suggest start by reading the Bible as an instruction guide for how to do it right. That's my reference guide for life, and still, I too know I fall short. It's in the trying where there are blessings.
Our church will survive. As Interim Pastor Ross Parsley stated in last Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Haggard is “public proof that every person is indeed in need of a Savior.”
As we come into this Christmas season, let the world news shout of the one who came to conquer evil—Jesus Christ, the son of God. In only Him can eternal salvation be found. Through only Him, when this world as we know it passes away, will evil be banished.
In the meantime, we will yet struggle with wars, earthly temptations and human weaknesses. New Life Church has been open about what is going on internally. For that, I am grateful because it's the way a healthy family works.
I also thank God for the soldiers of our country and the soldiers of Jesus Christ who stand tall to do battle for others’ sakes in this world darkened by the evil that is sometimes unconquerable. It’s only for a while.
