Saturday, January 2, 2016

The Deep Politics of God


Currently, the majority of people in America associate the name of Ted Haggard with sexual scandals within the U.S. Evangelical movement. On November 2, 2006, Haggard was accused of engaging in a homosexual tryst. This accusation was made by Michael Jones; a former gay escort/body builder who claims Haggard paid him for sex and drugs. Jones went on Peter Boyles radio show on KHOW volunteering to take a polygraph test (Gorski and McPhee). The test was administered by John Kresnik, who characterized Jones’ answers about sex as “deceptive”. However, Jones said that he probably would not take another polygraph test. This raises substantial doubts about the voracity of Jones’ claims, especially in light of Kresnik’s willingness to disregard the initial results because of Jones’ prior stress, lack of sleep, and an inability to eat. Thus, at least some of the allegations against Haggard may prove to be false. Yet, that being said, it has been firmly established that Haggard bought methamphetamines (Harris). Methamphetamines are supposed to enhance the sexual experience for homosexuals. Haggard also admitted to receiving a massage from Jones, which, of course, raises suspicions.

In the end, America has been presented with an evangelical leader who has been involved in drug use and sexual immorality. The latest installment in a long series of depraved fiascos was engineered, in part, by Michael Jones. Essentially, Jones is a homosexual who wants to frustrate the efforts of traditionalists and conservatives who are trying to prevent homosexuality from being normalized. To achieve such an end, Jones probably exaggerated and embellished his story. Before anyone takes Jones’ story at face value, it should be remembered that he is a drug-dealing prostitute. Given that shady background, one does not have to be an evangelical Christian to suspect Jones of perpetrating some deception. The Haggard story is very tragic because there are no “good guys.” Instead, there are merely varying degrees of evil. A beleaguered America, tired of all the scandals and demoralization, is presented with the familiar portrait of a preacher who has fallen to immorality and hypocrisy. Yet, the only revelations that have been made available thus far are being provided by a moral reprobate whose only interest in exposing Haggard is the subversion of the traditionalist campaign to maintain sexual sanity.

However, beyond the lurid haze of a story that makes the 1977 Thornbirds novel seem tame, there is an important component being missed here. An investigation into Ted Haggard’s background reveals a much deeper story.  (more...)

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