The light of truth can be scorching at times. This is an experience Ted Haggard probably is currently going through. A former senior pastor of an American mega church and the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals and an active opponent of gay rights and gay marriage, he had to step down from his office after it came to light that he entertained sexual relations with a callboy and bought drugs from him.

A lot can be said about all this, and not all of it would be wise. What is most striking for most of the media reporters probably is the stark contrast between Haggard's preaching and his actions (judging from the reports - I don't know Haggard's preaching myself). We shouldn't be surprised or even angered that this is a big thing for the media, and that they are making use of it. It should be a big thing for the church! In today's media society, wrongdoings like this one are punished and published instantly. We can either be angry about it and complain about the secular media that is not able and willing to report objectively (whatever we sometimes mean by that) - or see it as a chance, as God inciting us to strive for holiness.

For me, I am happy that the whole thing came to light. It is a lesson for myself to re-examine my own heart, to ask myself whether I am hypocritical in some things that I believe in, and to ask myself how the church should deal with issues like these. A lot of interesting questions are raised by this case, and in the end, the openness of others towards Christ and the Gospel will hopefully not be determined by the misbehaviour of Christian leaders, but how the church deals with them.

(Photo: Dave Gingrich)