Holy Jesus!

[Hippikos]

Haggard leaves posts amid gay-sex scandal...

Former male escort says he, pastor had 3-year relationship.

A Colorado Springs-based giant of the conservative Christian movement, with direct access to President Bush, stepped down Thursday as leader of the National Association of Evangelicals in the wake of allegations by a former male escort that the two had a three-year sexual relationship.

The Rev. Ted Haggard also took leave as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church he founded in his living room in 1985.Haggard said in a statement he could "not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations."

He said he would step down to allow the church to carry out an investigation and so that he could "seek both spiritual advice and guidance." His three-paragraph statement contained no denial of the allegations by 49-year-old Mike Jones, of Denver.

Jones, a bodybuilder and personal trainer, went public with a general claim of a sexual affair with a prominent pastor on Peter Boyles' morning talk show on KHOW radio Wednesday, but neither he nor Haggard was identified. KUSA's 9News first reported Haggard's and Jones' names Wednesday night.

Haggard, 50, initially denied the allegations, telling 9News Wednesday night that "I've never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife. I'm faithful to my wife."

But KKTV in Colorado Springs reported that New Life Associate Senior Pastor Ross Parsley told a meeting of church elders Thursday night that Haggard had met with the church's overseers earlier in the day and "had admitted to some indiscretions."

Developing...