COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- - Embattled minister Ted Haggard admitted yesterday that he received a massage and bought methamphetamine from a gay prostitute who claims to have exchanged sex for money with the evangelical church leader for three years.

Mr. Haggard was driving out of his home in Colorado Springs with his wife, Gayle, and three of his five children when he gave a brief interview to a gathering of reporters.

He stepped down Thursday as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and as pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church of Colorado Springs after Michael Jones, 49, said he had been having paid sex with Mr. Haggard once a month for three years and helped provide him with methamphetamine.

Yesterday, Mr. Haggard said that he had never had sex with Mr. Jones but that he did buy methamphetamine out of curiosity. Mr. Haggard said he didn't consume it but threw it away.
Mr. Haggard said he was referred to Mr. Jones for a massage by a hotel in Denver, where he travels to write books.

Mr. Haggard drew a silent stare from his wife when he told the gathered reporters that he received a massage from Mr. Jones.

KKTV in Colorado Springs reported that New Life associate senior pastor Ross Parsley told a meeting of church elders Thursday night that Mr. Haggard had met with the church's overseers earlier in the day and "had admitted to some indiscretions." Mr. Parsley told the elders that Mr. Haggard had said some of the allegations were true, but not all of them.

"Pastor Ted" is one of the most powerful Christian leaders in the country. As president of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of New Life Church, he spoke regularly with President George W. Bush and wielded almost as much clout as Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. In 2005, Time magazine described him as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in the United States.

"We have direct access [to the White House,]" Mr. Haggard told a Wall Street Journal reporter shortly before the last presidential election, adding he could take a concern to the President through staff and get a response within 24 hours.

A fit and self-assured 50-year-old, Mr. Haggard rides a motorcycle, favours jeans and open-collared shirts and has an electronic copy of the Bible in his Palm Pilot.

"He's a new breed," said colleague Bishop Phillip Porter, pastor of All Nations Church of God in Christ in Aurora, Colo.

Fellow clergy say Mr. Haggard's prominent role in politics, including his leadership in the current election campaign to ban gay marriage, has also made him a vulnerable public figure.

Among his many political pursuits, Mr. Haggard is an architect and vocal proponent of Amendment 43, the Nov. 7 ballot measure that would define marriage in the state Constitution as a union between a man and a woman. He has preached against homosexuality and used to minister at gay bars, but is not considered an extremist on the issue.

In fact, Mr. Haggard supported a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Texas anti-sodomy law.

"If you would line him up with other evangelical leaders, he would not be one of those who was most hostile to the gay community," said John Green, senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Jeff Crank, a former congressional candidate from Colorado Springs who is campaigning for Amendment 43, credits Mr. Haggard for showing strong leadership on family issues and efforts to help the poor, among other things.

"I don't think he's been a bomb thrower," Mr. Crank said. "He's been a responsible leader in his church. That's gained him notoriety. It also puts a target on his back."

Mr. Jones, 49, said he had thought about revealing his alleged affair with Mr. Haggard months ago but was advised by his attorney that he needed to gather more evidence. KUSA-TV reported Thursday night that a voice analysis expert compared a voice-mail recording provided by Mr. Jones with a recording of Mr. Haggard's speech and that they matched.

Mr. Jones said he decided to come out with his story before the election to influence voters.

"There are two important initiatives," he said, referring to a measure that would grant same-sex couples legal protections afforded to married couples, and Amendment 43.

"Friends have suffered because of our laws. I felt obligated to get the information out about the hypocrisy of people who make these laws and those who support them."

Mr. Jones, who describes himself as a former prostitute, failed a polygraph test administered yesterday in Denver, when questioned about sex with Mr. Haggard.

The polygrapher, John Kresnik, said the results "indicated deception," but he also believed the results may have been skewed because Mr. Jones was suffering from a migraine and didn't get much sleep. Mr. Jones has said he will take the test again.

Source: www.theglobeandmail.com