Ethics

Haggard's Church Paid Off Victim

By Ed Brayton

As Ted Haggard is making the rounds of talk shows to promote a documentary about his fall from grace and (alleged) redemption, there's more information emerging about his dalliances - including one with a young church volunteer:

Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard's former church disclosed Friday that the gay sex scandal that caused his downfall extends to a young male church volunteer who reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard -- a revelation that comes as Haggard tries to repair his public image.

Brady Boyd, who succeeded Haggard as senior pastor of the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, told The Associated Press that the man came forward to church officials in late 2006 shortly after a Denver male prostitute claimed to have had a three-year cash-for-sex relationship with Haggard.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on January 27, 2009 (boomark / email).