Rev. Ted Haggard Begins "Restoration" With Laying On Of Hands

[kurth]

Rev. Ted Haggard Begins Spiritual "Restoration"
November 9, 2006 11:21 a.m. EST
Jacob Cherian - All Headline News Staff Writer

Denver, CO (AHN) - Rev. Ted Haggard, former president of the National Association of Evangelicals has agreed to a rehabilitation that may last three to five years. Haggard was senior pastor at the New Life Church with 14,000 parishioners in Colorado Springs, until a Denver man said Haggard paid him to have sex over a period of three years and took methamphetamine during the liaisons.

The two men who have agreed to oversee the restoration are Pastors Jack Hayford of The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California and Tommy Barnett of First Assembly of God in Phoenix, Arizona. Focus on the Family founder James Dobson has declined to take part in the procedures citing lack of time.

The Houston Chronicle quotes H.B. London who is vice president of Focus on the Family: "I see success approximately 50 percent of the time...Guys just wear out and they can no longer subject themselves to the process." London, who is not involved in Haggard's restoration process, said that Haggard will have to come out honest. The process will include counseling and prayer. Each restoration is unique to the needs of the participant.

London says, "From the Christian perspective, we think in terms of prayer, we think in terms of what we call godly counsel, where godly men who are clean themselves insert themselves in the life of the one who is struggling." He added, "I'm sure there will be those who lay their hands on Pastor Haggard as an act of faith, calling on the act of God to restore and heal...The prayer can be therapeutic, the laying on of hands can be ceremonial."

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7005460455

[kenny blankenship]

1. On that Old Rugged Crotch--er, CROSS

[cui bono]

2. So he's getting another "massage"? n/t

[louis-t]

3. "Laying on of hands" is a poor choice of words.

giggle.

[Xeric]

9. So is saying

"insert themselves"
These guys are SO obvious.

[louis-t]

12. Heh heh, he said "insert"

[yankeeinlouisiana]

4. Laying of hands?

Isn't that what got him into trouble in the first place?

:shrug:

;-)

[karlrschneider]

Laying on of hands...

uh huh.

Gonna pray the gay away?

:eyes:

[hlthe2b]

5. Seems to me that the "laying of hands" is where all this started...

:evilgrin:

















Go forth and heal, I guess...:eyes:

[BOSSHOG]

6. Isn't that program a dating service?

[eleny]

7. More hypocrisy - feh.

[Skidmore]

8. CNN was reporting that his "restoration" would take

as much as five years. He must be pretty hard core degenerate in that church's estimation.

[kenny blankenship]

20. Will he have his virginity restored when the 5 yr process is completed?

I've read that some Godly ladies pay big bucks for hymen reconstruction, so thinking analogically, I naturally wondered about Ted's restoration. Will he be "cherry" at the end of all the work?

[Skidmore]

23. And his baby teeth too.

[Rockstone]

10. What's he laying them on?

[demokatgurrl]

17. WHO's he laying them on? n/t

[Mrs. Overall]

11. Would someone please give that guy a poison snake?

I think we need some serpent handling to prove that God has forgiven him.

[BootinUp]

13. When is the brain surgery scheduled to start?

;)

[skiddlybop]

14. Oh no you didn't...

Stop. Girl. I mean it. Stop.

[BlueManDude]

15. Is this an exorcism of his gayness?

[foxeyes2]

16. Sad

You know I am really disappointed in the responses to this article. It seems that all anyone wants to do is to make fun of Haggard and the situation. In reality it isn't funny. It is terribly sad that they still believe that anyone can be "healed" of being gay. It is terribly sad that Haggard himself believes that a part of him is evil and vile simply because he is attracted to men. It is heart breaking that he will be given false hope and will see those hopes dashed. It is sorrowful that he will be told that he must pray, believe, fast, read the bible, and so on and so on if he wants to be free and yet when he does all those things nothing will change and he will be blamed for a lack of faith, for a lack of effort, he will be accused of wanting to hang on to the "sin". What he is getting ready to go through will be hell on earth. If he lies and says the "cure" is working then he will be tormented knowing that it isn't. If he tells the truth and says the "cure" isn't working then it will be all his fault. This can and probably will mess him for years possibly for life. He more than likely will suffer great depression, his wife and kids will suffer along with him. My heart breaks for him. I wish he would experience grace, true grace that would lead him into self acceptance. Yeah I know there are some who will say he doesn't deserve grace and that is true but that is the beauty of grace. It is a gift no one desrves but we all need and have all received at some time in our life. So I wish Haggard well. I hope others will join with me.

[kestrel91316]

18. Oh, we all know it's not actually funny. In fact it's tragic.

The closet is NOT a healthy place to be.

Trouble is, he's still such a hardcore brainwashed fundie, he can't see that. Any mockery here is directed at the fundie angle, not the gay angle.

But I think you already knew that.

[kurth]

21. It's a choice for Haggard to make

He's an intelligent adult who is fully capable of making choices. However, the inference is clear that Haggard wishes to stay in the church and subject himself to these "procedures".

[Crankie Avalon]

19. LOL!!!!

Restoration through the "laying on of hands" by godly men "inserting themselves" into "struggling" men for their salvation and succor--especially their succor, praise the Lord!

...and now, brothers, let us pray: Dear Lord, as we lay hands upon each other, lead us not into the temptation of hands that suddenly seem to have a life of their own, involuntarily running down the length of our brother's manly, nay, godly chest. Banish all impure thoughts from our imperfect minds, oh, Lord, such as--just purely for a hypothetical example, you understand--well, say an impure thought like how a little baby oil would make this laying on of hands business go a lot more smoothly by cutting down on friction from all the rubbing up and down the length of our brother's body that we're not supposed to be doing, especially in the area of our brother's purely coincidentally erect nipples. Dear Lord, infuse our godly bodies with your strength and purity, from the crown of our humbly bowed heads that house our now newly purified minds, right on down to our shaved and glistening buttocks, AMEN.

[porphyrian]

22. Are they big, muscular hands? - n/t

[izzybeans]

24. Mr. Show's Bob and David predicted this one. They even provide some footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnVUcehZgjU