Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Ted Haggard’s hot mess won’t go away
I was really hoping to keep my keyboard away from the train wreck that is Ted Haggard. The last time I paid any attention to the former evangelical minister was when all of his mess turned public in 2006. Actually I didn’t care about him. Hypocritical preachers are easy to find.
The real story was his wife. After escort Mike Jones told Haggard’s sorry tale , a reporter stopped the Haggard family as they were pulling out of the driveway. Instead having a no comment, Haggard decided to answer the reporter’s questions. Mrs. Haggard’s face was pinched tight and unlike her husband she was not giving any TV ready grin. Instead she looked at her man with a “I so wish my meth taking gay husband would shut-up” glare.
There will be more looks of hatred in the Haggard household after KRDO’s investigative report airs tonight. Apparently Haggard had a sexual relationship (note: there are differing reports on whether the sex was consensual or not) with one of the volunteers at his former spiritual home New Life Church. After Haggard got booted out of that house, the new minister found out what happened to the the unnamed volunteer, in his early 20’s now , and paid the guy a rather large sum of cash to keep everything on the hush-hush. The cash was supposed to be used for college and counseling.
“It wasn’t at all a settlement to make him be quiet or not tell his story,” New Life Church senior pastor Brady Boyd said. “Our desire was to help him. Here was a young man who wanted to get on with his life. We considered it more compassionate assistance _ certainly not hush money. I know what’s what everyone will want to say because that’s the most salacious thing to say, but that’s not at all what it was.”
Come on Boyd! We are all adults here. It was a settlement. Man! Why can’t ministers just be upfront when their churches get caught in crazy stuff?
Would the fact that I want to see this be considered “morbid curiosity?”
http://www.hbo.com/events/trialsoftedhaggard/index.html
I consider The Haggart Formerly Known As Reverend comic relief. There’s no way I can take him or anything relating to him seriously.
According to another report:
“Haggard, in his statement Monday, said he met with Haas two years ago – after the first allegations came to light – and asked him “forgiveness for our inappropriate relationship.” Haggard’s wife and a representative of New Life Church attended the meeting, Haggard said.”
So… ya… his wife has known about this one.
The crazy thing here is that the church leader (Boyd) who replaced Haggard is saying that the money paid to the young man (for college… you know… compassionate assistance) was not “hush money”. THEY ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF PAYING HIM $179,000.
It would be interesting to know how many other individuals were granted this sort of compassion by New Life Church over the past 10 years.
Will people just say anything? ANYTHING?