At a time when he should be getting a job, earning a wage from real labor, and focusing on his supposed “recovery” from lifelong homosexual struggles, the Rev. Ted Haggard has apparently sought donations for himself and for a defunct Colorado charity that the Rocky Mountain News (with help from writer Dan Savage and attorney Dave Coffman) has linked to a convicted sex offender.

Today, overseers of Haggard’s supposed ex-gay recovery rebuked the fallen minister and canceled his plan to work for the Phoenix Dream Center, a halfway house for people struggling with compulsive behaviors.

According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, the overseers said:

After their fact-finding was complete, they (overseers) informed Mr. Haggard that his plan and his communications about it were unacceptable. Mr. Haggard’s solicitation for personal support was inappropriate. It was never the intention of the Dream Center that Mr. Haggard would provide any counsel or other ministry. Mr. Haggard will not be moving in or working with the Dream Center. He will not be doing any ministry. He will be seeking secular employment to support himself and his family.

Unanswered questions:

Why would Haggard, who received a $138,000 severance package from his former church and owns a $715,000 house in Colorado, need two years’ worth of charitable handouts for himself and his wife?

Why would Haggard launder those handouts through a convicted sex offender?

Categorized in:

Tagged in: