Ted Haggard

Pray for Ted Haggard, his wife, and his children - they're going to need it.

One of the verses in the passage I preached from this morning was 1 Corinthians 10:12 ("Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall"). We all have to be careful that we don't look at Haggard with scorn and think that we could (or would) never fall like that. Yes, we could. Even though we are justified (declared righteous by God), we remain sinful. Because of that, all kinds and degrees of sin are possible for each and every one of us. None of us can get on our "high horse" and look down on someone else. We may not buy meth or visit a prostitute, "but each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust" (James 1:14). My point here is not to absolve Haggard (he's responsible and accountable for what he's done), but rather to remind us not to drop ten tons of condemnation on him before we can utter the phrase "tsk, tsk, tsk."

Gordon MacDonald, who knows something about moral failure in ministry, has some good thoughts on the Out of Ur blog. Make sure to read the comment section, too.