New Life members welcome Jones

[SedesDomi]

Former male prostitute: "I was thanked for exposing the church"

As soon as the visitor from Denver walked through the church doors Sunday morning, heads turned. Word spread quickly: He was here.
Just about every person who offered him a handshake said the same thing: Welcome, thank you and God bless.
About 14,000 people pour into New Life Church in Colorado Springs each Sunday, so anonymity is not difficult to achieve.

One exception is when you are Mike Jones, the former male prostitute whose allegations of a three-year sexual liaison with church founder Ted Haggard triggered national scandal and led to Haggard’s fall.

Jones attended services Sunday at New Life Church on a reconnaissance mission for his forthcoming book and said he was greeted warmly.

 

[beckers]

this article is werid.

1.) the members are thanking Jones for bring the sin of Haggard to the public so that he is humility and was cast out by his fellow members? I understand that the member believe that by Haggard sin being brought foward that Jones has helped cleanse their church BUT thanking him? That takes it a little far.

2.)I don’t condone what Haggard done but this line worries me. “Haggard and his wife, Gayle, have completed a counseling program at an Arizona treatment center and are back in Colorado Springs awaiting direction from a panel overseeing what has been termed Haggard’s “restoration,” Brendle said.” Restoration??? Doesn’t forgiveness and cleanising come from God? Here it seems that a panel of men is going to delcaring if Haggard is truely forgiven and a changed soul so that he can belong to their church??? Sinners are everywhere. you can’t cast them out…

3.) Like this quote by Jones though

*But Jones - who came forward out of anger toward Haggard’s political stances against homosexuality - said he wasn’t impressed on the whole. If the Gospel message is enough, he said, why the loud music and MTV-quality production? *“There seems to be something missing, some realism, in my opinion, because it’s so vast, like some kind of self-contained city,” said Jones, who said he was raised Methodist but is estranged from organized religion. Says a lot about these mega churches…

 

[beckers]

an update.
denverpost.com/ci_5164921

The Rev. Ted Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is “completely heterosexual” and told an oversight board that his sexual contact with men was limited to his accuser. …

Haggard mentioned Missouri and Iowa as possible destinations. Another oversight board member, the Rev. Mike Ware of Westminster, **said the group recommended the move out of town, **and the Haggards agreed.
“This is a good place for Ted,” Ware said. “It’s hard to heal in Colorado Springs right now. It’s like an open wound. He needs to get somewhere he can get the wound healed.”

I am still get over the fact that a church is shunning a member in this way. They want him to move out of town.Yes the man sinned and no he should’t hold a leadership in their church in anymore but he shouldn’t be come an outcast from a church and have to move across the country to heal. This man has emotional issues and his community should be there for him not pushing him a way because he doesn’t conform to their views of being a christian. There are sinners at every church.

beckers

 

[homewardbound]

I hope he heals, but I don’t blame people for not wanting him around anymore. Just because someone says they’re healed and aren’t going to do anything anymore, doesn’t make it truth. Most abusers abuse more then once. Much more.

Then again, I’m a SA victim of a pastor and I struggle with forgiveness greatly. So my opinion doesn’t count.

 

[beckers]

I hope he heals, but I don’t blame people for not wanting him around anymore. Just because someone says they’re healed and aren’t going to do anything anymore, doesn’t make it truth. Most abusers abuse more then once. Much more.

Then again, I’m a SA victim of a pastor and I struggle with forgiveness greatly. So my opinion doesn’t count.

Why would your opinion not matter? forgiveness is hard for anyone but I would think especially in abuse cases because no one deserve to be abused. The fault lies with the abuser. It does sound like you are trying and no one can’t ask more than that.

I just have a problem with the board of directors basically saying we don’t even want you as a memeber of christ house. You need to go some where else to pratice.No they shouldn’t embrace him with open arms and allow him back into the ministry but they shouldn’t threw him out as an outcast. Your friends, your fellow christians are suppose to help you when you fall. Instead it like they are washing their hands of him and want nothing to do with even acknowledge him as a person.

 

[CathCentrist]

Ya gotta love the way Evangelicals approach things so simply - Once saved always saved - Gay? no problemo! A few weeks of counseling and presto chango! No more gay! Ahh, if only life were that simple.