heaven is so far away

The previous item regarding ex-minister Ted Haggard neglected to mention one highly salient fact: that his ex-ministry -- New Life Church -- is located in Colorado Springs, roughly 90 miles from where I sit typing this. Just as the recent news was breaking about Haggard's predilection for meth and gay hookers, a fellow-Colorado reader alerted me to an extensive article in Harper's titled Soldiers of Christ - Inside America's most powerful megachurch with Pastor Ted Haggard.

Some believers call the city the... "evangelical Vatican," a phrase that says much both about the city and about the easeful orthodoxy with which the movement now views itself.... Evangelical activist groups ("parachurch" ministries, in the parlance) in Colorado Springs number in the hundreds.... Most prominent among the ministries is Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family, whose radio programs (the most extensive in the world, religious or secular), magazines, videos, and books reach more than 200 million people worldwide.

Dobson famously outed SpongeBob SquarePants in January, 2005. His (i.e., Dobson's) move to Colorado Springs was the signal event that magnetized so many other evangelical groups to do likewise.

I found the graphic below on a site called Jephir Treks America, where it is introduced as follows:

Our first stop was in Colorado Springs at a lovely institution known to the world as Focus on the Family .... everything changes once you get to the bookstore -- the otherwise friendly veneer of children's games and parenting advice gives way to the impressive intolerance of this organization. Here is a collage containing some examples of interesting books to be found in the store.

I have added links. Click on any book cover for further information about its contents.

“Haggard and his wife will undergo a lengthy restoration process under the guidance of prominent spiritual leaders, including Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson. The process, which could take years, will include a more comprehensive examination of Haggard’s alleged misdeeds, and will include polygraph tests.”

'I am a deceiver and a liar'
The Gazette, Colorado Springs
November 5, 2006

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