1 Boring Old Man

Initially, after Ted Haggard [sort of] came clean about his homosexual fling with hooker Mike Jones, James Dobson was to be on the "treatment team." But several days later, he changed his mind giving time constraints as his reason. I sort of doubt that. Reverend Louis Sheldon of the ultraconservative Traditional Values Coalition reported that Haggard had told him "homosexuality is genetic" shortly before the scandal errupted. My fantasy was that Dobson bailed out because Haggard was going to be a tough nut to crack, and he didn’t want to be associated with the failure.

Haggard faces grueling spiritual ‘restoration’ after scandal

There will be prayer, and perhaps the laying on of hands. There will be counseling and a confession. And there will be advice, confrontation and rebuke from ‘‘godly men’’ appointed to oversee the spiritual ‘‘restoration’’ of the Rev. Ted Haggard.

After tumbling from the pinnacle of the American evangelical movement amid allegations he snorted meth and cavorted with a male prostitute, Haggard has agreed to a rehabilitation process that could last three to five years.

‘‘I see success approximately 50 percent of the time,’’ said H.B. London, vice president for church and clergy at Focus on the Family, the conservative Christian ministry in Colorado Springs. ‘‘Guys just wear out and they can no longer subject themselves to the process.’’

Those who fail ‘‘end up selling cars or shoes or something, and being miserable and angry the rest of their lives,’’ London said.

…

‘‘It cannot be just a matter of friendship. It will have to become almost a confrontational relationship,’’ he said. ‘‘You’ve got to confess your sins and you’ve got to have a group of people around you who will not let you whitewash the issue.’’

The process includes counseling, in groups and alone, and prayer. Each restoration is unique, with a program tailored for the needs of the participant.

…

‘‘I’m sure there will be those who lay their hands on Pastor Haggard as an act of faith, calling on the act of God to restore and heal,’’ he said. ‘‘The prayer can be therapeutic, the laying on of hands can be ceremonial.’’

Focus On The Family Official Joins Haggard Team

Focus on the Family said Tuesday one of its senior officials will join the team overseeing a counseling program for Ted Haggard, the evangelical minister who was fired from his megachurch amid allegations he had sex with a male prostitute and took drugs.

H.B. London, who heads Focus on the Family’s church and clergy division, will replace Focus founder James Dobson, who withdrew from the team citing a lack of time.

…

Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian ministry in Colorado Springs, said the panel that fired Haggard invited London to join the team overseeing Haggard’s counseling, called restoration.

London told The Associated Press last week that Haggard’s restoration could take three to five years and would likely involve counseling, in groups and alone, and prayer. He said it could sometimes be confrontational, and that only about half the ministers who enter such programs succeed.

Dobson called London "an excellent choice," citing his experience in working with pastors.

1. London sounds cynical and sadistic on the face of things. This doesn’t speak very well for Christianity. It sounds like they equate techniques that sound a lot like "brain washing" or "prisoner interogation" with spiritual conversion. I sure don’t recall a biblical reference for that idea.
2. Ted Haggard looks and sounds like a homosexual man. He’s already said that he’s sought assistance before, presumabely within the church world. Likewise, he apparently thinks his homosexuality is genetic. That doesn’t sound like a very good candidate for a therapy that rests on the premise that homosexuality is a choice, a sinful choice.
3. Ted Haggard is an intelligent guy who has been on the top of the church heirarchy. One wonders if he’s going to tolerate this kind of program.