By Karen Ocamb

No one expected the pre-election surprise. But suddenly on Nov. 2, the Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), head pastor of the 14,000-member Colorado Springs-based New Life Church, and a weekly consultant with President George W. Bush, resigned following broadcast accusations by Mike Jones, a former male prostitute in Denver, that the two had had a three-year sexual affair. Jones also alleged that Haggard used him as a go-between to buy methamphetamine.

At first Haggard, who is married with five children and has regularly preached against homosexuality (including in the controversial documentary Jesus Camp), denied the accusations. "Never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife," Haggard told Denver TV station KUSA, adding that he had never met Jones.

But Jones had telephone messages with Haggard’s voice clearly identified. Jones told interviewers that he struggled with the decision to come forward after he recognized Haggard on television as the man who called himself “Art.” As an openly gay man who advertised exclusively in gay papers and Web sites however, Jones was angry that Haggard publicly supported the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment on the Colorado ballot (it passed).

“People may look at me and think what I’ve done is immoral,” Jones told KUSA. “But I think I had to do the moral thing in my mind, and that is expose someone who is preaching one thing and doing the opposite behind everybody’s back… It made me angry that here’s someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex.”

Haggard immediately resigned from NAE and took a leave from New Life Church. But the story persisted and gradually Haggard revealed more details, including the fact that he bought meth, but threw it away without using it. That admission alone was sufficient for church leaders to fire him.

On Nov. 5, a church leader read Haggard’s letter of apology to his congregation. “The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem,” Haggard said. “I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach.”

Haggard said he would “submit to the oversight” of three men who would “perform a thorough analysis of my mental, spiritual, emotional and physical life. They will guide me through a program with the goal of healing and restoration for my life, my marriage and my family.“

On Nov. 7, Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, withdrew from the counseling team, saying he didn’t “have the time to devote to such a critical responsibility."