Ted Haggard Comes Out In favor of Gay Marriage

Well, here we go again. Another one bites the dust.

Another well-known “leader” within Christendom has given his stamp of approval to homosexual marriage. This time, it’s Ted Haggard. Haggard was former head of the National Association of Evangelicals, and former pastor of  the 10,000+ member New Life church in Colorado Springs, CO before being forced out in a sex scandal. After going through a period of “reparative therapy”, he started another church, known as St James Church not too far from New Life. This new church has apparently been seeing steady growth, and has gone from a few dozen to a few hundred members. Now the Ted Haggard story has taken another twist; he’s now come out in favor of homosexual unions.

In cover story article with gay magazine The Advocate, we read:

Many people remember Haggard’s cameo in the 2006 documentary Jesus Camp, where he said, “We don’t have to debate about what we should think about homosexual activity. It’s written in the Bible.” Today, he says his words were taken out of context, that he was speaking to a group of believers about Scripture, not making a statement on what should or should not be inculcated into law. In 2006 he supported Colorado’s Amendment 43, which banned gay marriage under the state constitution, though he also supported a failed proposition that would have granted domestic-partnership rights to gays and lesbians.

Now Haggard wants to be clear: He supports civil marriage rights for gay couples. “The word marriage is a big deal to people of faith,” he says. “We’ve made it sacred. That’s why I believe that churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples should have total freedom to have whatever types of unions they believe as godly. But I think that we as a democratic society, as a constitutional republic — if we don’t respect individual civil liberties, then we’re making a horrific mistake. The church is in the early stages of another ‘the earth is flat’ crisis. I say to all religious people that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry on the subject. Or we’re going to be embarrassed in another 10 or 20 years.”

(Full article online here.)

Is this man serious? Why would the true church be “embarrassed” about standing up for biblical truth? This man is a joke – and that’s putting it nicely. Rather than standing up for biblical truth on this important issue, he has chosen the path of doctrinal and spiritual compromise. Simply shameful.

I was a bit surprised when I first saw this report, but then again, I guess nothing should really surprise me anymore when it comes to this topic. By now it’s abundantly clear that this gay marriage thing is going to be a defining issue (and a dividing issue) in the church world in the years and decades to come. One only wonders who will be the next domino to fall prey to this doctrine which originates from the pits of hell.  

VIDEO: Eddie Long Accuser Speaks Out: You Be The Judge (UPDATED)

I've made some updates this post to include not just the first video of Jamal Parrish, one of the [alleged] victims of Eddie Long, but also the videos of comments by his second accuser Spencer LeGrande, and also comments from Long himself, as well as from the plaintiffs' attorney:

The first of the accusers in the emerging Eddie Long scandal has spoken to the media for the first time. In a brief interview outside his home in Colorado, the young man, Jamal Parrish has broken his silence.

Considering the impromptu nature of this interview, and the pressure he must be under with these recent circumstances, I found this man's words to be articulate, courageous, and credible. Yet the video was also somewhat gut-wrenching to watch. To my mind, either this kid is a tremendous actor, or this is someone who's still dealing with a lot of pain. May he and the other 3 alleged victims be in our prayers.

This is my third post regarding the Eddie Long story, and there almost certainly will be more as it unfolds, because this is a story that resonates with me for two main reasons.

I've been personally captivated by this story from the beginning partly because I'd been aware of such accusations against Long for some time, and had solid reason to believe convinced they were true. So to watch this unfold now in the media is intriguing, so say the least. But beyond that, there's the simple fact that is a story that may impact all of American Christianity for some time to come. Anyone who remembers the Jim Bakker/Jimmy Swaggart stories from 20+ years ago will tell you that those stories did serious damage to the image of the church and to  the cause of Christ. The Eddie Long case today has the potential to do the same. For years, skeptics, mockers, and those who hated the church would invoke the names Bakker and Swaggart as they would paint the church and the gospel in the most negative light they could. My fear is that the name Eddie Long will be used similarly; quite simply, he could end up becoming the Bakker & Swaggart of this decade... but with a gay twist -- a prospect that is already causing many church-bashers in the gay community to salivate with anticipation and glee. If you're a Christian in the USA, this story might end up affecting you more than you even realize right now.

There are some who insist that these accusations against Long are just a trick of the Devil. My take on it is this: it's only a trick of the Devil if it's not true. Those who have read my previous posts on this matter can already tell where I stand regarding the truthfulness of these accusations. At this point I'll just post the video here, let the [alleged] victim's words speak for themselves, and let the reader come to his/her own conclusions on this.


The [alleged] victim, Jamal Parrish speaks:


The second accuser tells his side:


Eddie Long speaks to his church Sept 30, 2010.
The attorney for the young men,BJ Bernstein, makes her comments to CNN after the Jamal Parrish video interview.

Further Thoughts on the Eddie Long Situation...

So I decided to see what Eddie Long had to say for himself Sunday morning. After days of waiting, in what had turned out to be a story of national interest, millions were interested to hear what Bishop Long would say regarding the scandal that broke lat week. What we ended up with, however, was sort of a non-denial denial.

Well, maybe it's just me.... But if someone had accused me of multiple counts of gay sex with young men who were under my mentorship, (essentially making me not just an adulterer but a gay/bisexual sexual predator) I would be looking for first camera and microphone I could find to get this message out loud and clear:

"I didn't do it. I am completely innocent of these charges. These charges are lies. I have not engaged in sexual activity with these young men or any other men..." (etc, etc.)

I was waiting to see if Eddie Long would say that, but of course he didn't. Mr. Long, I don't want to hear you tell me that on the advice of counsel you will not be addressing these charges in public, but only in court. I'm sorry, but that's weak.

If you didn't do it, your church members, your flock, are waiting for their shepherd to say "I'm innocent and did not do these things." Forget what your lawyer advised you; speak to your flock and declare your innocence... if indeed you really are innocent.

Then again, some folks following this story might think this is all just a scheme from the Devil. I don't.

...Or that the man of God is being set up. I don't think so.

Or they think these young men are all lying. I don't believe that at all.

No, I'm not an enemy of Eddie Long. I don't know the man.
I simply believe a pastor should be clean. He doesn't have to be perfect... just clean. And there are some of us who have very good reason to believe Eddie Long is far from clean in this matter.

I actually wish I could say more, but I'm trying to be restrained here. All I'll say for now is this: there have been whisperings about this situation for years now. Now would be the ideal time for any first-hand eyewitnesses to speak up...whether they be family members, present or past New Birth staff members or whomever. There are long term, even eternal consequences at stake here --- for the 25,000 New Birth church members, for the four young men involved (and perhaps more to be revealed), and yes, even for Eddie Long himself.

May the will of the Lord be done.

Thoughts on the Eddie Long Scandal

Much of Atlanta, where I live, and the internet church world has been abuzz since the revelation less than 48 hrs ago that Bishop Eddie Long is being sued for sexual coercion by 3 young men he had been mentoring. Long is pastor of one of America's largest churches, the 25,000 member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, in the Atlanta suburb of Lithonia, and is probably one of the top 10 most influential preachers in our nation. Initially, I was going to put up a quick post here with my thoughts on the issue, but when I learned Eddie Long was going to make a public statement today on the matter, I decided to wait till he did so before posting. I figured it would be good to at least hear what Bishop Long had to say regarding these serious allegations.

I guess I shouldn’t have bothered even waiting. The latest news this morning is that Eddie Long canceled the radio interview and press conference that were scheduled for today. This is after a third lawsuit was filed yesterday in addition to the two originally filed on Tuesday. He is adamantly denying the claims, however, and of course most of his church members are supporting him through this ordeal, which is understandable I suppose.

But frankly, my concern is for Eddie Long’s soul. And trust me when I tell you I believe there’s good reason to be concerned. Indeed there have been rumors and whisperings about Long for a while now, which I used to immediately dismiss whenever I heard them. I know that ministers, and especially prominent ones, are susceptible to lies from the devil in order to bring them down or bring reproach on the Lord’s name. Thus, without something substantial to hang my hat on, I figured I should give Eddie Long the benefit of the doubt. That changed some time ago.

I received some information last year from an unimpeachable source here in Atlanta that convinced me that the whispers were not just empty rumors. It made me sad to hear it, but it was persuasive enough for me to become convinced that Eddie Long indeed had a problem in terms of same sex attraction. This source, who works in the media and spent some time around Long for a news article, witnessed some --- shall we say--- questionable interactions, first hand. And when he/she (I’m being ambiguous regarding the gender to shield this person’s identity and privacy) mentioned to one of Long’s staff members what he/she saw, the staff member sheepishly conceded that they, his inner circle, were aware of his “struggles” in that area, but still had faith in him.  I’ll just leave it at that without going into further detail.

It immediately made me wonder how many people knew this, and how long something like that could stay under wraps without exploding into the public arena.

Suffice it to say that from that moment on, not only was I convinced that the rumors were true, but I’ve been concerned that this issue was a ticking time bomb that could one day explode all over Bishop Long, having a negative effect not only on his church, but the body of Christ as a whole, since the fall of high profile ministers (Bakker, Swaggart, Tilton,etc) always hurts the image of the church as a whole.  Well, with the news from 2 days ago, I’m thinking the bomb may have finally gone off. Only time will tell how bad this could all get, but I have a very uneasy feeling about where this could all lead.

There’s a lot at stake here.  Even if the allegations are true, from what I’ve seen so far, the accusers might have a tough time proving their case. Yet even if Long is exonerated in this, he could still be end up being viewed as guilty in the court of public opinion.

Of course, there is still the possibility that these 3 accusers are lying here, the case could get thrown out of court, and Eddie Long and his church put it all behind them and move on. That still would not negate the fact that Bishop Long has a problem in this area, if, as it appears to me, he actually does. I’m sure it’s hard for any preacher to admit to gay attractions and/or activity, and the natural impulse is to deny, deny, deny all accusations, and hope it all goes away. Still, for any preacher to lie about their sexual misdeeds, whether homosexual or heterosexual, is like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. It just doesn’t deal with the underlying problem. Besides, since all liars will have their part in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8), it would be a horrible thing for a person to depart this life with unrepented sin in their souls as they go to meet their Maker.

There’s still a part of me that hopes this is all not true. But, based on the information I was given, there seems to be little reason for me to believe it’s not. However this all plays out, I do hope the body of Christ does not get too badly damaged by the fallout. Furthermore, if Bishop Eddie Long is innocent in all this, I do hope the truth comes out and his good name is cleared. But if indeed he has had this secret life on the down low, I hope he uses this as an opportunity to come clean, get it right with God, and start afresh, even if he loses everything he’s built up over the years at New Birth. Indeed, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul (Mk. 8:36)?

This is serious stuff. The lives, souls, and eventual destinies of tens of thousands of people could well hinge on what develops as a result of this case. May God’s hand be at work in this situation.

Pentecostals find fertile ground in Latin America

Great article from BBC News. In Guatemala and other parts of Latin America, people are ridding themselves of the Mary-worshipping false religion known as Roman Catholicism, and embracing Pentecostal Christianity. Definitely a good sign, to say the least.

Article excerpt:  
Pentecostals find fertile ground in Latin America

By Steve O'Hagan BBC Radio 4 Crossing Continents

In a suburb of Guatemala City, a 90-day non-stop televised fundraiser for a Pentecostal church is in full swing. At one end of a courtyard is a make-shift TV studio, where a steady stream of believers are queuing to present gifts to a pastor live on air.

A man and his son have brought two floppy-eared puppies. A boy of seven has brought a cute white kitten. A woman and her daughter are clutching a plump brown hen. Noise fills the air, but the animals are quiet.

Perhaps they know they are about to be donated?

The man and the boy with the puppies are next up. They are ushered in front of the cameras, where the pastor waits to bless and thank them. With tears in their eyes the pair hand over the dogs to church workers, who whisk them away.

But these tears are not for the puppies, they are tears of joy at having helped the church.
"We are not sad to give these dogs," explains the man to me afterwards. "We are doing something that will help spread the word throughout Guatemala."

The dogs do not have far to go. Next door to the studio is an ad-hoc market. Here, everything that is donated to the church is put on sale to other worshippers. The money raised this way joins the donations pouring in from callers to the phone lines. The goal is to raise enough to build a new television studio, a high-tech purpose-built media hub to carry the Pentecostal message across all of Guatemala.

"They bring wonderful gifts - animals, televisions, even cars," the church's smiling PR woman tells me. "And it's all for one reason, and that is to spread the word of God."

The Pentecostal word has spread explosively here in the past 40 years. Estimates suggest that over four in 10 now follow the faith in Guatemala. And the same thing is happening across Central America - traditionally a bastion of Catholicism.


Here at the tele-marathon, it is clear from their dark skin and flashes of traditional textiles that many of the followers are of indigenous Mayan descent.

These people are generally poor, and discrimination against them by the elites of European descent is a part of life here.


Full article here:
Related article (from bbc.co.uk): Pentecostal Church 'sees growth'

Faith: Even churches aren't immune

The economy is affecting everybody. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody -- even churches.
recent AP article:

Borrowing during boom years comes back to hit congregations during mortgage crisis

By RACHEL ZOLL
The Associated Press
Posted Jul 10, 2009

Metropolitan Baptist Church was bursting out of its home.

From a group of freed slaves in Civil War-era Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Baptist had grown into a modern-day megachurch and community service powerhouse. In 2006, construction began on the congregation's dream complex in Largo, Md. - a $30 million campus with a 3,000-seat church, an education center and an 1,100-car parking lot.

Last year, the congregation sold its church in Washington. Preparations began for the move to what leaders had taken to calling "God's land in Largo."

But on Oct. 20, their plans were abruptly put on hold.

The Rev. H. Beecher Hicks learned that financing for the project had dried up. Construction stopped. And the congregation found that it was homeless - reduced to renting space and struggling to find new financing.

Add houses of worship to the list of casualties of the mortgage crisis.

Foreclosures and delinquencies for congregations are rising, according to companies that specialize in church mortgages. With credit scarce, church construction sites have gone quiet, holding shells of sanctuaries that were meant to be completed months ago.

Congregants have less money to give, and pastors who stretched to buy property in the boom are struggling to hold onto their churches.

"The economy has dramatically changed over the last year to 18 months in a way that very few, if any, had expected," said John Stoffel, administrative pastor at Seabreeze Church in Huntington, Calif.

Seabreeze spent about $12 million on a new complex that was completed in 2007. But a drop in donations, partly due to a rift between the pastor and some church members, forced the church to renegotiate for an interest-only mortgage. Stoffel said Seabreeze hasn't missed a payment, yet the mortgage is far from the church's only debt. The church also owes $1.2 million - due this year - on bonds that helped finance the project, and must repay a $200,000 loan that a couple took out on their house to help Seabreeze cover its costs.

It's hard to quantify just how many churches are at risk. Foreclosure records are scattered throughout county offices nationwide. Completing a foreclosure takes months or longer, so it's too soon for many failures to show up on a company's books. In financially stressed churches, clergy are often reluctant to discuss their plight. They don't want to alarm their congregants, and they fear that any complaints about their dealings with banks will backfire.

"Right now, when you're at the mercy of the lenders, you don't want to look like you're coming out against them," said Bishop Eugene Reeves of New Life Anointed Ministries International in Woodbridge, Va.

The 3,500-member Pentecostal church near Washington needs a couple of million dollars to finish its new $19 million complex. Construction stopped last spring when New Life's lender said it would make no new loans to the church, Reeves said.

"We now have children who don't have classrooms to get into, adults who have to go to an overflow room," Reeves said. "We have parking issues. We don't have enough spaces for cars."

Across the country, congregations large and small are struggling to pay off debt:

Full article here.

"Evangelist" Tony Alamo Convicted. Good riddance.

Article: Sex abuse testimony ends Alamo's long crime career

By DEBORAH HASTINGS (AP) – July 26, 2009

Of all the horrid accusations against evangelist Tony Alamo — and the list is long — it was the testimony of formerly loyal subjects, recounting "marriages" between their cult leader and girls as young as 8, that may end his 40-year rule and send him to prison for life.

Born Bernie Lazar Hoffman, the 74-year-old faces up to 175 years behind bars following his conviction Friday on 10 counts of transporting young girls across state lines for sexual purposes. Some jurors wept while women described being molested by and forced into sex with their decades-older pastor.

Among many who've watched Alamo's handiwork since the 1970s — which produced allegations including kidnapping, brainwashing, child abuse, tax evasion and threatening a federal judge — there was never any doubt the street-hustler-turned-pastor should be locked away for good. Their question is, what took so long?

Full aricle here.

'Gay' Man Sues Bible Publishers

A homosexual man is suing a Bible publisher because the Bible refers to homosexuality as a sin. Three words come to mind when I read this story: STOP THE MADNESS!

Seriously, how far away are we from homosexuals suing churches for preaching what the Bible teaches... and winning!?

Bradley LaShawn Fowler of Canton, Mich., is seeking $60 million from Zondervan Publishing and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing for violating his constitutional rights and causing him emotional pain, because the Bible versions they publish refer to homosexuality as a sin. The lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, The Grand Rapids Press reported.
Fowler, 39, claims that the Bible has made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment."

Full story here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69147

Another Reason Not To Go To Church? Hardly.

So much of the media has been abuzz over the Juanita Bynum/Thomas Weeks story. It's actually been one of the most blogged story since the story became national news a little over tow weeks ago . Bishop Weeks, who received his ministerial credentials in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World denomination. Bynum, referred to by some as a prophetess, came out of the independent New Greater Bethel Ministries church in Jamaica, New York, and became quite a sought-after speaker on the Charismatic preaching circuit since her breakthrough hit sermon "No More Sheets" . Mr. Weeks allegedly gave his wife a bit of a beatdown in a parking lot of an Atlanta area hotel on August 24th. He's facing charges, and she recently authorized her lawyers to file divorce papers although none seem to have been filed yet as of today.

No doubt, this is a black eye on the church. I've seen a lot of comments made on message boards and blogs all over the place, stating a wide range of opinions on this matter. What got my attention though, is how many people who look at this incident, and others like it, say "see, that's why I don't to to church".

Well, newsflash for anyone who thinks that way: that wont be a good enough excuse for you if you don't do your duty before God and live according to his will. Nobody's perfect, not even bishops and prophetesses. The imperfection of the messenger doesn't negate the truthfulness of the message. If we all waited for the clergy members of any particular religion to be perfect, then none of us would have any religion at all, since you won't find a perfect clergy member in any religion on earth.

The bottom line is though, people want to find excuses to justify them not submitting their lives to God's will. So any preacher that falls give them an excuse to to say "see, the church is full of hypocrites anyway". Well , my guess is, if it wasn't that excuse, they would find some other excuse for not doing what they should do - and simply because they just don't want to do it.

The fact is , there are literally tense of thousands of preachers all across America. None of them is perfect. Some of them will fail badly, and some very publicly. Anyone who thinks the failures of any particular preacher or preachers is justification for him not going to church, and not repenting of his sins like we're all supposed to , is kidding himself.