The money didn't come out of tithes, it came from the insurance company. Just for the record.

Though I agree with all points.

I agree with this up to a point. I am sure that CNN made it seem like hush money. It certainly LOOKS like hush money, to this kid. But, the article I read from the Denver Post, the new Senior Pastor claims it wasn't hush money and that the church wanted to help the kid because they thought Haggard had exploited a vulnerable and impressionable kid.

(And before someone jumps on my use of "kid" - he was only 20 years old at the time!)

Having said all that...I think Haggard is a glory whore and a narcissist. The kid claims that he came forward with this info, not to further shame the church, but because Haggard made an HBO "documentary" (which will air soon) and is profiting from his exploits with him and that it was wrong. Haggard can't stand to have the spotlight off him. You'd think a guy who had shamed his family, humiliated his wife, wrecked his congregation & hurt his kids would have learned some humility - but no.

So, yes - the Church should not hide and cover up. Especially this one - someone there must have known there were problems - but everyone wanted to protect the people, the money and the institution they'd established. Instead they wound up almost destroying it all.

this post seems really gossipy to me. 

If we are all guilty of paying hush money to keep quiet about our sins, we aren't doing what Paul said when he told us to present ourselves to Christ as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.


Ummmm, what?  I think I got lost in the analogy.

@Theophilus166@xanga - The idea was that we are changing our outside, but not our inside- which is more important.

I agree. Thank you. I still think the message is important though... It isn't about that single church, but the church as a whole... how can we prevent something like this and if it does, how can we act responsibly as the Body of Christ. And what are we doing about churches that are in trouble? We can't just sit around... that is my message anyway... And I hope more people see that then the "gossiping"

I don't think that church has enough American flags out front.

I have family members that go to that church and the explanation I was given is that the insurance company paid out a settlement to the young man...

My family was also saddened but I wonder maybe things were kept quiet because of the young man that was involved to protect him...

Just my thoughts

"Is the Church supposed to look like a bunch of people who have it all together? Or is the Church a group of sick people who are looking for healing?"

Neither. The first is the same as the Pharisees, who were condemned for their lofty ways when they were no better than the rest of the people. The church is also not supposed to be sick, however. The whole reason Jesus died on the cross is so that we can be redeemed for the things we do. He wiped our sins away completely, which means that, when we become Christians, there is no sickness to deal with - it's been dealt with already by the only One able to deal with it.

Or at least that is how the church should be. That is how they should think and feel. Instead, there is a very real sickness in the church. Instead of accepting this great gift and attempting to strive to be better people, they simply hovel on the ground, plagueing themselves and others with the "knowledge" that they are no better than worms because of the myriad sins they commit each day. And yet, because they're shining examples of Jesus, they must lord this great revelation of sinfulness over the rest of the world to bring everyone up to their pious level of sackcloth and ashes.

Maybe I can't read, but I sort of remember Jesus saying he came to free us, not enslave us. This is enslavement, plain and simple. The worse part about it is that the One Christians claim to serve is holding out the key but they keep chaining themselves to wall in denial.

New Life is a plague of denial, hypocrisy, and secrets. It's the disease that so much of the church as a whole has become. The continuing incident concerning Ted Haggard is only a public glimpse of the sickness underneath. 

First of all, I like how you called the guy his...buddy.  That made me chuckle.

Anyway, yeah, I don't think they should have paid him to keep quiet.  It said in another article that it wasn't "hush money", but that they just asked him not to talk about it.  I'm not sure what the difference is, though...isn't that essentially hush money?  The church should have just stayed out of the business with the "buddy."  On the other hand, who really knows what the truth is about the whole situation, you know?

@ImpOfDisparagement@xanga - We are still flawed- even if we have Jesus. It is hard to reach perfection, am I right. Jesus said himself- It is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy. Jesus came to help mankind- who is sick... and until we don't need a savior, we will always be sick.
I want you to be sure that I never intended to bash this church when I wrote that. My intention was to say that we are imperfect and we need to try harder- kind of like what you are saying. But instead of bringing down this church, we should be praying for it and for ourselves so we don't follow the same path.

Remember the parable about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. We don't want to think we are any better than anyone else. We all fall short of the Glory of God! Let's not say, "Thank you God, that We are not like that church!" Surely, each church has its own problems... and this is coming from a guy who normally bashes the organized Western church!

@elvesdoitbetter@xanga - I suppose the moral of the story is, "be sure your sin will find you out."