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When I saw the transcripts of the Rev. Ted Haggard’s phone message, my first thought was that it sounded more like a call to his dealer. That would have still been a big story but more of a local affair. You know, “Pastor of Megachurch Bought Meth from Sketchy Guy.”
I’m rather speechless about this whole Ted Haggard story. I grew up down the road from his New Life megachurch (pop. 14,000) and have followed his ascendancy for years. I’m rather uncertain what can be said about the media coverage, too.
Here is the latest from Denver. This does not prove anything one way or the other, of course, it just adds evidence that the truth is somewhere in between the accuser’s pre-election media splash and the Rev. Ted Haggard’s initial denials. In other words, the lie-detector test backs the position already accepted by the leadership of New Life Church.
Gosh, once we get through Tuesday, it’s only two years until the next presidential election. And unless Tom Cruise throws his hat in the ring, it looks like Mitt Romney will be the candidate whose religion will get the most media attention.
The Washington Post‘s 2,300-word profile of Martin O’Malley left me in a state of confusion. How does one write about a talkative Irish guy who speaks of his “Jesuit ideal of being ‘a man for others’” without mentioning his religious affiliation or exploring how this shaped his political philosophy?
“Plunging necklines and navel-bearing tops” are not appropriate for Halloween, says Couric. In her “Katie Couric’s Notebook” segment Monday night, the CBS Evening News anchor lashed out against the “$5 billion Halloween industry” for marketing “sleazy” costumes to girls. What’s interesting is that this came from an “Only On the Web” videocast. As far as I know, this segment never made it on over-the-air television.
Following up on Sunday’s post regarding this new breed of religious Democrats, I want to highlight an excellent comment by one of our readers:
