Is there a better response than, "Ted Haggard has discovered that he is totally heterosexual"? I took some liberty, and placed myself in my brother position today. I'd like to hear your thoughts, my email address is posted at the close for 'feedback' and comments. Some are writing and asking where I found this letter - again, I wrote this 'fictional' letter for this blog's consideration.
My Ted Haggard letter to the church and media...
"I want to personally explain my situation for all of you today. I'm being beaten by a sexual identity issue. I'm confused sexually with my bi-sexual temptations and feelings. This constant, and lifelong battle has lead to my exposed sinful relationship. The guilt over this immoral behavior has developed into a drug fascination that, praise God, never fully developed, but was introducing itself as a salve to my constant battle with guilt."
"I have determined in my heart that I'm committed to a monogamous, heterosexual lifestyle and relationship with my wife. It is God's way, a righteous, healthier sanity in the face of creations sinful, sexual confusion. As for my covenant, I love my wife - to this there is no question. She is the desire of my heart. My separate and individual struggles with sexual identity stem from deep, personal sinfulness, birthed inside of me as a young boy."
"I'm a great sinner, in the magnitude of David, Moses and Mary the prostitute. Through this public, shameful ordeal, I'm finally broken enough to lay pride and self-righteousness aside, and deal with my fleshly weakness in God's truth and Jesus' sufficient grace. I'm a confused sinner like the rest of you, totally needing His indescribable grace to reach me in this time of destructive sin."
"I'm learning to renew my mind and strengthen my heart by walking in God's truth and receiving God's amazing grace. Fallen creation, and my own personal sin has caused this inside of me. My sexual confusion needs to be controlled by discipline and obedience. I'm learning to put my thoughts and feelings on trial, to overcome the temptations and live a life as a committed heterosexual husband, father and child of God. It will not be easy, I now understand that I will always have these 'feelings', and I may not always be successful in beating them mentally or physically - but God's powerful grace is always ready to pick me up, and place me back in the race."
"Church, I'm sorry that my sin has caused so many in God's 'graceland', and those seeking God's 'graceland', so much hurt and pain. I need your forgiveness, your own offering of grace and loving accountability to stay the course of recovery and commitment."
"I close with this encouragement. We are all sinners in great need of understanding God's grace, nobody knows that better than me today. It is His grace gift that compels us to His righteousness. I tried to deny my sinful core and confusion by playing the self-righteous religious game - it killed me, and it caused great damage to His gospel."
"If you are striving to be perfect, stop. Be authentic with yourself and our situation. If the 'good news' was that only good people go to heaven, then why did Father God have to advance upon His law of the Old Testament? The truth is, we are filthy, perverted and contaminated sinners who needed an atonement of death. Jesus' perfection satisfied the debt that I cannot pay, and today His grace is sufficient until the day that I 'break the tape' of this race against my flesh in His amazing grace. Don't follow me, follow His love and find His grace sufficient for you today."
"If I don't see you sooner, I'll see you after you 'break the tape' in heaven."
Sincerely,
Ted Haggard, sinner saved, and 'changed' by grace...
Comments: erichogueshow@hotmail.com
