March 20, 2006

Ted Haggard’s “Easy Christianity”

When image and fame trump the Cross

Paul Tautges

Several months ago I was given a copy of a videotape of a Dateline NBC program on the power and popularity of Evangelicalism that had aired October 28, 2005. Tom Brokaw was the host and Ted Haggard, pastor of the 10,000 member charismatic New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado , was the main attraction. Mr. Haggard is also the current president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), a fellowship of fifty-two member denominations as well as many coalition partners and para-church ministries. The NAE was founded in 1942 as the official beginning of the New Evangelicalism, a movement that began as a breakaway from biblical fundamentalism. 

Following some brief comments by Brokaw in which he introduced Rev. Haggard and summarized the current attention being given by the media to the megachurch movement, the newscaster confessed to the Colorado pastor that he found it strange that any reference to mankind being sinful or guilty was absent from the New Life Church service he had attended. To which Haggard replied, “We do talk about sin, but the issue is Jesus took care of our sin and Jesus removes guilt from our life so the emphasis in our church isn’t how to get your sins removed, because that’s pretty easy to do. Jesus did that on the cross. The emphasis in our church is how to fulfill the destiny that God’s called you to.” 

To which Brokaw responded in a surprised tone, asking for the sake of clarification, “You’re making it easier for them?” 

Haggard replied, “Making it easier for them, just like Jesus did, just like Moses did.” 

“WHAT?,” I said. Where did that come from? “Give me one example,” I said to the TV screen, because I can find no occasion in which Jesus made it easy for anyone to have their sins forgiven and neither did Moses (read Leviticus if you doubt that). Forgiveness has always come as the result of the death of innocent life. What is easy about that? If this is what the leader of the NAE believes and teaches, no wonder Evangelicalism is in such serious theological trouble. 

Yes, Jesus took care of our sin on the Cross, but He never made it easy for a sinner to be forgiven in the sense that Haggard means. Salvation was never presented by Jesus or Moses as something that a wise consumer can simply obtain by snap decision (unfortunately, neither of them had advance degrees in church marketing). Instead, Jesus prepared His disciples to guard against a message that offers “easy Christianity.” 

You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you” (John 15:16). 

Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matthew 7:13-15). 

“Sheep’s clothing” is probably not a reference to imitation sheep, but false shepherds who made their garments out of the wool they fleeced from their flock. These are the kind of men that Paul warned the Ephesian elders to guard against: 

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them (Acts 20:29-30). 

Theologically, a wolf is one who possesses all the outward signs of being a spokesperson for God, but in reality preaches his own message for the purpose of drawing a following. At the risk of being called judgmental, I must confess that this passage came to mind many times while viewing this documentary. 

Later in the program, Mr. Haggard unashamedly told Brokaw, “We are in the business of trying to spread the love of God and help people live a good life.” What kind of anemic message is that? Any leader in any of the world’s religions could say the same thing! With answers like that, it is easy to see why this style of megachurch Evangelicalism is so popular. No Cross, no offense! But the greatest tragedy is that if there is no Cross then there is no gospel, which means the new life that Haggard is calling tens of thousands of people to is a gospel of human improvement not the Gospel that saves totally depraved sinners. And last time I checked my Bible, all human improvement gospels lead gullible followers straight to Hell (Matthew 23:15). 

Though, like Paul, I rejoice when the name of Jesus is proclaimed (Philippians 1:18), I am deeply saddened by the lack of sound theology in Haggard's response. In front of millions of television viewers, he had the golden opportunity to carefully communicate the biblical message of salvation, but instead the president of the largest organization that claims to propogate the evangel, the good news, invented his own message—a gospel of “love” and self-help. WHAT A TRAGEDY! In the same number of words, Haggard could have said, “We are called to spread the truth that without personal, repentant faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, men are damned,” but he did not. Why? Because the biblical call to repentance and obedient discipleship is far too offensive for the man-centered, sin-friendly approach of the market-driven, megachurch movement. 

Throughout the program, it was very clear that Haggard is proud of the fame of this so-called Evangelicalism that he believes is making an enormous impact for God in America. How differently the Apostle Paul saw things! Paul saw fame not as an asset to be sought after like a power broker, but as a liability to the cause of Christ because of its potential to obscure the Cross by drawing the eyes of the world to skillful communicator rather than the humble, crucified and risen Savior, Jesus. 

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body (2 Corinthians 4:7-10). 

The shallow, entertainment-driven, megachurch movement builds human empires at the expense of teaching the depth of biblical truth and, therefore, violates the principle of the above passage. And that principle is this: God’s glory is obscured by the glory of man. When the glory of man is exalted above the glory of the crucified and risen Christ, the surpassing greatness of God is hidden behind the veil of human engineering and ingenuity. Unlike Ted Haggard, I am not impressed with the numerical magnitude or political power of modern-day Evangelicalism which appears to have lost much of its theological moorings. Instead, I am grieved by it. Grieved because it appears that once again fame has been purchased at the expense of the Cross. 

In the cross of Christ I glory, 

Pastor Paul 

(Paul Tautges is also the author of a book on biblical counseling entitled, Delight in the Word.)