Forgive the Randy Reverend

Please forgive Ted Haggard - the gay-hating, meth-smoking, whore-humping reverend - says Soulforce.

American organisation Soulforce has launched a letter writing campaign urging gay people to express concern and compassion to Rev Ted Haggard, the president of a major Evangelical group, who resigned after admitting to a sexual relationship with gay rent boy Mike Jones.

Haggard, 49, married with children, resigned after Jones, who had a problem with Haggard’s hypocrisy, disclosed their relationship to the press.

"People may look at me and think what I've done is immoral, but I think I had to do the moral thing in my mind, and that is expose someone who is preaching one thing and doing the opposite behind everybody's back," Jones told KUSA Radio.

In an open letter, Haggard admitted “guilt of sexual immorality” to his 30-million-member congregation, and asked for forgiveneness.

He drew more anger from gay groups when he further denigrated homosexuality by saying, “There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life."

To counter general gay disapproval of Haggard’s actions, Soulforce’s Media Director Paige Schilt issued the following statement:

"This is obviously a moment of personal, familial, and professional crisis for Rev Haggard."

"We want to make sure that the voices of intolerance and homophobia are not the only voices that he hears during this difficult time."

Rev Richard Kirker, Chief Executive of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement praised Soulforce for their campaign and told GAY.COM that Haggard “needs people who genuinely understand and empathise unconditionally”.

“I expect he has very few of those from within the hard-line, unforgiving fundamentalist world which he has inhabited for the whole of his conflicted, misguided and confused adult life,” he continued.

“It will remain an open question - perhaps indefinitely - as to whether he ultimately embraces and accepts his own sexuality, with his heart and mind, but one thing is clear. If he is tempted by the false prospectus and bogus claims of all the so called ‘ex-gay’ ministries he will suffer another fall which will be even more painful.”

“ Ted Haggard has been no friend of lesbian and gay people because he was no friend to himself. He has been at war with us and himself.”

“ Let us be graceful enough to forgive and be ready, if the day happens, to welcome him into the community he has so self-destructively shunned.”

To write a letter to Haggard, click here.