Haggard's gay affair his wife's fault -- 'she let herself go'

[bobbieinok]

http://community.livejournal.com/dark_christian/

The Pastor's Wife Made Him Do It

From Salon.com/Broadsheet

Our friends at EvangelicalRight.com knew we'd be eager to hear about this response to Ted Haggard's scandal, from our old pal/nemesis Pastor Mark Driscoll. Driscoll leads Seattle's Mars Hill Church, and a good portion of the larger evangelical youth movement, teaching the doctrine of wifely submission to Christians nationwide. (To learn more about Driscoll, you can read Salon's excerpt from my book "Righteous: Dispatches From the Evangelical Youth Movement" here.)

Driscoll blames Haggard's affair with a male escort not on the former pastor's homosexuality -- which he abhors as much as that other spawn of Satan, feminism, -- but on his wife, Gayle Haggard. Why? 'Cause, he says, Gayle let herself go.

"At the risk of being even more widely despised than I currently am, I will lean over the plate and take one for the team on this," he wrote on his blog. "It is not uncommon to meet pastors' wives who really let themselves go; they sometimes feel that because their husband is a pastor, he is therefore trapped into fidelity, which gives them cause for laziness. A wife who lets herself go and is not sexually available to her husband in the ways that the Song of Songs is so frank about is not responsible for her husband's sin, but she may not be helping him either."

As we all know, this argument is as illogical -- that a man would have sex with another man because he was turned off by his aging wife, and not because he's gay -- as it is demeaning. How she looks should have no bearing on this. But, I must rise to Mrs. Haggard's defense, if only to point out that Driscoll is obviously using her as an opportunity for frat-boy girl-bashing of the highest right, guys? high-five! order. Find a picture of Gayle Haggard. It's easy to do this week, with her husband's fall from grace splashed over the front pages. And look at her. Come on: She looks fabulous.

Her failing is not in too few hours on the treadmill, but in her beliefs. First, that she should submit to her husband, as she has preached to her women's ministry in Colorado Springs, and as she and Ted wrote in a book they published this year called "From This Day Forward: Making Your Vows Last a Lifetime." (It's still for sale today at the New Life Church bookstore, and available for your ironic viewing at Amazon.) And second, that he can be healed of his "sickness" -- that under the close watch of Focus on the Family's James Dobson, God can cast the gay out, and the girl-crazy boy she married will be hers once more.

more....

[Ecumenist]

1. Umm, yeah....

She didn't submit herself enough, consequently, her penis and scrotum fell off, her pecs became hypertrophic and fatty and her beard stopped growing. That's what always happens when you don't take care to bow and scrape to your hubby, Gayle...
What is this idiot smoking??!

[Skittles]

2. men tend to turn gay when their wives gain weight

didn't you know that? :o

[anitar1]

3. I thought she was rather attractive ,

The Haggards were in their car and he was blathering and smiling with a reporter and wife , Gayle, looked a bit ill.

[happydreams]

6. She is very attractive. Check this out. He's the one with

the problem.

http://alumniweb.oru.edu/oru%20alumni/right137.html

[Samurai_Writer]

10. She's extremely attractive for having had five children!

It never amazes me that some of these men expect women to be fit, attractive, with perfect hair, makeup and dress at all times for their pleasure. Even if the woman's had five kids, works fulltime (and being a pastor's wife IS a fulltime job), takes care of the kids fulltime, home schools, etc. Not to mention the physiological changes that occur with every pregnancy.

I'd like to see one of these men do even HALF that and still look 'perfect' for their mates.

[happydreams]

11. Women love us for our , uh...

((((internal beauty...))))

[DemBones DemBones]

4. Hey, he let himself go -- to a male hooker!

But of course it's HER fault. :puke:

[happydreams]

5. I thought it was his brother Merle stealing

all the glory?

[Matilda]

7. I hope Driscoll's wife (if he's lucky enough to have one)

gives him a good thumping for that.

Idiot.

[jeanmarc]

8. In addition to Gay Marriage Ban

Republicans should run on 'Wives Let Themselves Go' ban. Should work wonders for getting out the vote.

[Tyo]

9. So would the reverse be true?

If my boyfriend starts to put on a little weight or kicks the sex down to once a month or generally refuses to submit to me as a good Stepford Boy should am I suddenly going to go "girl crazy" to compensate?

[marmar]

12. Right-wingers live in a sick, twisted bizarro world....

That such a thought would even enter his brain indicates a level of psychopathy I can't comprehend.

[ismnotwasm]

13. LOL

"Lean over the plate and take one for the team"

Not touching that one, except to say he is a complete ass AND an idiot