Pastor: Haggard admits to 'some' allegations
Evangelical leader earlier denied man's claim that he paid for sex, drugs
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• Top pastor quits after sex allegations
Nov. 3: The Rev. Ted Haggard, the leader of the National Association of Evangelicals and a vocal opponent of gay marriage, resigns after being accused of paying for sex with a man. NBC's Keith Morrison reports.
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Updated: 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Rev. Ted Haggard, who stepped down as head of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals on Thursday after allegations that include having gay sex, has confessed to some of the allegations, a fellow pastor said in an e-mail to church members.

"It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true,” Ross Parsley, the acting senior pastor at New Life Church stated. Haggard on Thursday also stepped aside as leader of the 14,000-member New Life Church, based in Colorado Springs.

“He has willingly and humbly submitted to the authority of the board of overseers, and will remain on administrative leave during the course of the investigation,” the e-mail stated. A copy was obtained by KMGH-TV in Denver.

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Haggard, a married father of five who has been called one of the most influential evangelical Christians in the nation, denied the allegations, telling Denver's KUSA-TV late Wednesday: “I've never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I’m steady with my wife, I’m faithful to my wife. So I don't know if this is election year politics ... or what it is.”

His accuser, Denver resident Mike Jones, refused to share with The Associated Press voice mails that he said backed up his allegation, stating that he is having them reviewed by a voice analyst. Jones further claimed that Haggard paid him for methamphetamines.

Gay marriage on state ballot
The allegations come as voters in Colorado and seven other states get ready to decide Tuesday on amendments banning gay marriage. Besides the proposed ban on the Colorado ballot, a separate measure would establish the legality of domestic partnerships providing same-sex couples with many of the rights of married couples.

Jones, 49, told The Associated Press he decided to go public with his allegations because of the political fight. Jones, who said he is gay, said he was upset when he discovered Haggard and the New Life Church had publicly opposed same-sex marriage.

“It made me angry that here’s someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex,” said Jones, who added that he isn’t working for any political group.


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Discuss: What do you think of the allegation?



Jones, whose allegations were first aired on KHOW-AM radio in Denver, claimed Haggard paid him to have sex nearly every month over three years. Jones also said Haggard snorted methamphetamine before their sexual encounters to heighten his experience.

Jones said he had advertised himself as an escort on the Internet and that a man who called himself Art contacted him. Jones said he later saw the man on television identified as Haggard.

He said that he last had sex with Haggard in August and that he did not warn him before making his allegations this week.

What's on alleged voice mails
Jones said he has voice mail messages from Haggard, as well as an envelope he said Haggard used to mail him cash. KUSA-TV reported excerpts from some of the alleged voice mails late Thursday.

“Hi Mike, this is Art,” one call began, according to the station. “Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply.”

A second message, left a few hours later, began: “Hi Mike, this is Art, I am here in Denver and sorry that I missed you. But as I said, if you want to go ahead and get the stuff, then that would be great. And I’ll get it sometime next week or the week after or whenever.”

Jones said Haggard was referring to methamphetamine.

“There’s some stuff on there (the voice mails) that’s pretty damning,” he said.

Haggard, 50, was appointed president of the evangelicals association in March 2003. He has participated in conservative Christian leaders’ conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied members of Congress last year on U.S. Supreme Court appointees after Sandra Day O’Connor announced her retirement.

After Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, Haggard and others began organizing state-by-state opposition. Last year, Haggard and officials from the nearby Christian ministry Focus on the Family announced plans to push Colorado’s gay marriage ban for the 2006 ballot.

At the time, Haggard said that he believed marriage is a union between a man and woman rooted in centuries of tradition, and that research shows it’s the best family unit for children.

__________________
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

— Benjamin Franklin

The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.

John Adams from the " Treaty of Tripoly, article 11

Is the pastor running for office.

Depseratetion is a fickle thing you Rats

Here is what gets me about stuff like this. When Foley was outted, there was the mantra, "He is against gay marriage." This guy gets outted and again, "He was against gay marriage."

Why does a guy who smoke pole every now and then HAVE to be in favor of gay marriage? This is like saying all blacks have to vote FOR certain issues because they are black or that Mexican-Americans HAVE to be against immigration reform.

__________________

Liberal-a person who has his cake, eats his cake, and complains that other people don't have cake, and believes that you should donate your cake to them

Is John Kerry running for anything?

__________________
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

— Benjamin Franklin

The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.

John Adams from the " Treaty of Tripoly, article 11

It would be like you saying that your are against hetero marriage. you just wouldn't do it... it's the hypocracy that sticks.

__________________
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

— Benjamin Franklin

The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.

John Adams from the " Treaty of Tripoly, article 11

no but he opend his big mouth. This comment by the way proves the sensetivty the left has to kerry comments. And it also proves that the left knows it is over for them

Why is he a hypocrite? He does not believe in gay marriage. My ex-brother in law is queer as a football bat and he does not believe in it either, is he a hypocrite?

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Liberal-a person who has his cake, eats his cake, and complains that other people don't have cake, and believes that you should donate your cake to them

Queer as a football bat?????

Just goes to show that even religious leaders are able to be corrupted by the world we live in. Guess he gave into temptation. He is human, and humans are bound to make mistakes. He should be humiliated and ashamed.

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HuffDawg
Independant Thinker
Patriotic American

I would rather hunt with Cheney than drive with a Kennedy !!!

If you ever see a football bat, you will admit, it is pretty queer.

__________________

Liberal-a person who has his cake, eats his cake, and complains that other people don't have cake, and believes that you should donate your cake to them