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Ted Haggard: My Thoughts on Shame

Chapters 10-18 of Luke include significant warnings for “religious leaders,” “teachers” and “Pharisees” (those who use the Scriptures to judge others), all of which provide ample warning to modern leadership. In the midst of his text, Luke notes, “This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did” (Luke 13:17).  

Here, we have Jesus intentionally shaming the religious leaders, teachers of the Scriptures and the Pharisees, while the common followers were able to see it and rejoice in him.

Christ had the courage to give his life for us, identifying with us as sinners and taking on our shame. He doesn’t impose shame on repentant sinners, only the self-righteous. When describing himself in Luke 18:32, he said, “He (Jesus) will be handed over to the Romans, and he will be mocked, treated shamefully and spit upon.”

He demonstrated Courageous Grace (my wife’s latest book title). Jesus had the courage to identify with us, while we were yet sinners, even though he had full assurance that we would not be 100 percent free from sin until we see him face to face.

I don’t say this to excuse sin, only to explain our role in being Christ-like and relieving shame from those who are in Christ.

Probably the strongest identifying marker of an authentic follower of Christ is a willingness to be identified with the sinner and invest in healing and restoration. This identification is contrary to the false Christian leaders of our day who distance themselves from sinners and use the Scriptures to impose shame, actually using the appearance of their own moral superiority to gain power and influence. In doing so, they are denying the Gospel and instead promoting an appearance of godliness that woefully lacks the power of God.  

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ted@churchleaders.com'
Ted Haggard is the founding pastor of St. James Church in Colorado Springs, CO, the second church he and his wife, Gayle, have started during their 34-year marriage. Their first church, New Life Church, enjoyed 22 years of consecutive double digit growth, primarily through conversions, and grew from 20 people meeting in the basement of their home to 14,000 people meeting on a $50 million campus. Ted served as president of the 30,000,000 member National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) from 2003-2006, where he became a public figure representing evangelicalism in the press and with world leaders. In 2006, Ted resigned from all leadership positions confessing to personal moral failure. He confessed, resigned, repented, and submitted to church authorities for a two-year period of healing and restoration.