Homosexual Evangelical Leader Resigns

Myrtle Beach Online
November 2, 2006

The Rev. Ted Haggard, senior pastor at New Life Church, resigned Thursday as president of the 30-million-member National Association of Evangelicals, following allegations he paid a Denver man for sex over the past three years. He also placed himself on administrative leave from New Life Church, pending an investigation of Jones' claims, a move church officials said is standard after allegations of impropriety.

A man who identified himself as Mike Jones, 49, of Denver told The Associated Press Thursday that he has voicemails from Haggard as well as an envelope he said Haggard used to mail him cash. Jones declined to make any of that available to the AP. "There's some stuff on there (the voice mails) that's pretty damning," he said.

Jones alleged on Wednesday he and Haggard had a three-year relationship. Jones told his story to a KHOW radio in Denver and to KUSA. Jones told The Associated Press that Haggard paid him to have sex nearly every month. Jones said he had advertised himself as an escort on the Internet and that a man who called himself Art contacted him. Jones said he later saw the man on television identified as Haggard. He said he last had sex with Haggard in August. He said he did not warn him before making his allegations public this week.