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Ted Haggard





EARLY LIFE AND CONVERSION

Born in Indiana ,Sharlett, p.42. Haggard became a Born-again Christian in 1972 after hearing evangelist Bill Bright in Dallas .

In November 1984 he was associate pastor of a Megachurch in Baton Rouge, Louisiana . According to Haggard, a missionary with whom he was travelling in Colorado, Danny Ost, had a vision of where Haggard would eventually found his church. He moved to the area shortly afterwards and founded New Life Church, first in his own basement and then in a series of successively larger spaces, most of the early ones Strip Mall s and the like.Sharlett, p.43-44. New Life Church now sits directly across from the United States Air Force Academy; only a major highway divides them.


RELATIONSHIP WITH PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

Haggard is a firm supporter of President George W. Bush , and is often credited with rallying Evangelicals behind Bush during the 2004 election. Tim Egan. " State Of The Union: The Evangelical vote ." BBC News, UK Edition. 9 November 2004. Accessed 4 July 2005. Jeff Sharlet reports that Haggard "…talks to… Bush or his advisers every Monday…" and opines that "No pastor in America holds more sway over the political direction of evangelicalism…"Sharlett, p.42, 43.

Breaking with some of his usual allies, Haggard has objected to the U.S. '', November 8, 2005.


HAGGARD'S THEOLOGY


Haggard considers himself a part of the Third Wave Of The Holy Spirit and accepts the Five-fold Ministry , beliefs often associated with the Charismatic movement, even though proponents deny they have any association with that movement.

As a result of these theological leanings, a significant minority of evangelicals seriously question Haggard's Christian faith. Some even consider him a "false prophet."" Ted Haggard... The New Billy Graham or another Joseph Smith? ". In-sheeps-clothing.org. Accessed 4 July 2005. The entire site in-sheeps-clothing.org is a critique of Haggard. Within Evangelical Christianity , this criticism comes largely from those who do not accept that Charismatic experiences and belief are valid.


QUOTES

  • ''For many people, the stereotypical image of an evangelical is a very serious old man with an expensive suit who is against whatever is happening that day.'' Quotation Marks . ''Christianity Today''. October 2003. Accessed 4 July 2005.


  • ''(George W. Bush) will be known as the man who stood up to Islamic fundamentalism being used to tyrannize their own people, so that in another hundred years, in the Islamic world, he'll be viewed as a great liberator.''" George W. Bush: Faith in the White House (film review)." ''Christianity Today''. 24 August 2004. Accessed 4 July 2005.


  • ''The spirit of the Lord woke me in the middle of the night and powerfully spoke to me. He told me that if we could mobilize 1,000,000 intercessors to pray for Saddam Hussein, he would leave Iraq, thus avoiding the need for a war.''Quoted at in-sheeps-clothing.org , accessed 4 July 2005.


  • ''We fully embrace the scientific method as American evangelicals, and we think, as time goes along, as we discover more and more facts, that we'll learn more and more about how God created the heavens and the earth.'' – From an interview with the Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins about the relationship between religion and science on Channel 4's '' The Root Of All Evil? ''. When Dawkins asked, "The scientific method clearly demonstrates that the world is four and a half billion years old. Do you accept that?", Haggard said, ''"Yeah, you know what you're doing is that you are accepting some of the views that are accepted in some portions of the scientific community as fact, where in fact your grandchildren might listen to the tape of you saying that and laugh at you."'', to which Dawkins responded, "You want a bet?"


  • ''Sometimes it's hard for a human being to study the ear or study the eye and think that happened by accident.'' - From the same interview on Channel 4's " The Root Of All Evil? " In response Dawkins asked what he meant 'by accident', and Haggard replied ''"that the eye just formed itself somehow"'' and that ''"some Evolutionists say that"''. Dawkins responded "not a single one that I've ever met, you obviously know nothing about the subject of evolution".

  • :Haggard then said ''"Or maybe you haven't met the people I have. But you see, you do understand, that this issue right here of intellectual arrogance is the reason why people like you have a difficult problem with people of faith. I don't communicate an air of superiority over the people because I know so much more, and if you only heard the books I know, and if you only knew the scientists I knew, then you would be great like me. Well, sir, there could be many things that you know well, there are other things that you don't know well. As you age you'll find yourself wrong on some things, right on some other things. But please, in the process of it, don't be arrogant."'' Richard Dawkins ''et al'', 2005. '' The Root Of All Evil? ''Channel 4'' Television.

:More information on this issue can be found in the Evolution Of Eyes entry.


BOOKS BY HAGGARD

  • ''The Life-Giving Church''.

  • ''Dog Training, Fly Fishing, And Sharing Christ In The 21st Century: Empowering Your Church To Build Community Through Shared Interests''.

  • ''Primary Purpose: Making It Hard for People to Go to Hell from Your City ''.

  • ''Primary Purpose 2''.

  • ''Loving Your City into the Kingdom: City-Reaching Strategies for a 21st-Century Revival'' (with Jack W. Hayford).

  • ''Taking It to the Streets: Transforming Communities Through Prayerwalking''.

  • ''Confident Parents, Exceptional Teens'' (with John Bolin).

  • ''Simple Prayers for a Powerful Life''.

  • ''Foolish No More! : Seizing a Life Beyond Belief''.

  • ''Letters From Home''.

  • ''The Jerusalem Diet''.



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