The Ted Haggard and Oprah Winfrey Showdown

Oh brother!  This is super painful to watch.

So Oprah is interviewing Ted Haggard and his family even as I’m typing this.  Oprah has asked him a lot of questions about his affairs with gay men, etc, etc.  Two things are clear to me from this interview: 1) Oprah doesn’t really understand transformation in a Christian context and 2) Ted Haggard has a powerful testimony.  But it was painful to watch them try to understand each other.  So much bypassing!  I’m not sure they ever made it onto the same page.

It’s possible that this show is going to ignite many conversations–public and private–about sexuality, Christianity, transformation, etc.  We have so much to learn from each other.  At this point in my life, I have learned that sexual orientation is complex.  Judging and pretending to understand yields so little fruit. In no area of my life has transformation happened rapidly, and I am crazy for expecting it to be any different in the lives of others.  And what about the some people that don’t/won’t/can’t change? Well, I won’t try to do God’s job, so that’s between God and those people.

 I think Ted Haggard’s story is heartbreaking but really interesting. I’m glad that we has bold enough to go on Oprah and talk so openly both about his shortcomings (perhaps an understatement?) and about the grace of God that saves, heals, reconciles, and restores.  Oprah didn’t get it.  I have a friend that often says “You’ll get that in a minute.”  I hope Oprah gets that in a minute.  I hope Christians continue to learn how to show grace when people–famous, infamous, and ordinary–fail us.  I hope we learn how to be honest about issues that make us uncomfortable, stuff we don’t understand, stuff that is real, complex, and messy.  God’s grace is never too far away.