Pastor Ted Breaks The Law And Defies The IRS, Again
As head of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of the largest megachurch in Colorado Springs, you'd think Ted Haggard would know better than to blatantly campaign for candidates. But when you talk to George W. Bush every Monday morning, as Pastor Ted does, we guess you're above the law. From the Colorado Springs Independent:
There's a lot of praying going on over in House District 18. State Rep. Michael Merrifield's praying, his opponent Kyle Fisk is praying, and so, too, is Pastor Ted Haggard, the charismatic leader of the largest church in the state.But by now, the Fisk campaign might be praying that a letter, written by Haggard on behalf of Fisk, doesn't backfire on the candidate.
Earlier this month, Haggard sent the message, on his personal letterhead, to thousands of people urging them to send money to, volunteer to help, and pray for Fisk, who is challenging Merrifield in the district that includes part of downtown Colorado Springs, its west side and Manitou Springs — "the one area in El Paso County that is not currently well represented," Haggard wrote.
How that one area is not being well represented is unclear, though it might simply be the fact that Merrifield, who is running for his third term, is the only Democrat in the county's 13-member legislative delegation.
In his letter Haggard did make it clear that his support for Fisk is as a "private citizen" and not as the pastor of New Life Church. (The Internal Revenue Service prohibits pastors from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit.) Fisk currently works for Haggard as an associate pastor at Boulder Street Church, an outreach of New Life Church, and previously was executive director of the Colorado Springs-based National Association of Evangelicals, of which Haggard is president.
"I am not writing you today as the pastor of New Life Church, but as a private citizen who is a friend and employer of Kyle Fisk," Haggard wrote. "I am very proud of Kyle Fisk ... He is a competent man who is well informed and conversant in the subtleties of American government and politics. I like this guy a lot."
For his part, Merrifield calls Haggard's letter "pretty sleazy."
Related: Must See You Tube Video: The Duke Of Haggard Loses His Shit
Bill McCartney
