Thu. June 3, 2010
Colorado Springs, Colo. -
Anti-gay marriage crusader Ted Haggard, who was drummed out of his mega-church after a gay sex scandal, is now back in the pulpit.
This time, though, the pulpit is in his living room in Colorado Springs. Haggard and his wife Gayle are starting a new church called St. James.
"Everybody is welcome: Democrats, Republican, independents, gays, straights, tall, short, addicts and recovering addicts," Haggard said Wednesday, standing outside his house with his wife.
You probably remember the whole Haggard sex scandal from 2006: Haggard, the head of the National Association of Evangelicals, was campaigning hard against gay marriage. Unfortunately for him, he'd been hooking up with (and sharing drugs with) a male prostitute.
Haggard now says he's going to transform the lessons he learned into lessons for others.
"It's a church for sinners -- for people who have hit rock bottom and people who want to help people who have hit rock bottom," Haggard said.
As for being gay, Haggard calls himself a "heterosexual with issues." He said the church welcomes gays but will not perform gay marriages.
A blogger on the website "Christianity Today" wrote that the church should really be called "Second Church of the Hypocrite."
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