Confession is good for the soul

"Okay, I admit it. I called the gay prostitute, but only to get a massage. I didn't know happy endings were part of the deal. And, sure, I called him back and bought the drugs, but only to be nice (it was a great massage). And anyway, I tossed the drugs in the trash. It was just to prove that I could resist the temptation. I resisted, so get off my ass. Gotta go now..."

Sure, that's not the exact quote, but that's approximately the text of Reverend Ted Haggard's alibi in his little gay sex and drugs scandal. Now, I personally don't give a rat's ass if he did what he's accused of or not. My problem this morning is with Haggard's critics who say he should have "practiced what he preached."

See, I think that's backwards. Telling him to practice what he preaches says that being a homosexual is wrong and that he should have kept those urges buried and prayed for hetero urges.

Here's the thing: I think he should have preached what he practiced. Imagine an evangelical preacher actually reaching out to the gay community and inviting them to worship.

Would a fundamentalist church that was open to all, regardless of "life-style choices" survive? I'm not gay, and I'm not a Christian, but I bet there would be a market for such a church.

"Practice what you preach" is pure hypocrisy. Go ahead and preach what you practice.

And don't forget to click here and tell me what an idiot I am for saying that.

Tags: Ted Haggard, gay prostitute, preaching, hypocrisy, fundamentalist