Tonight is Alexandra Pelosi’s HBO documentary on anti-gay evangelical Ted Haggard, founder of the 10,000 member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, who has since been caught up in multiple gay sex-and-meth scandals.  It’s interesting to be here as it sets to air.  Longtime CS resident Rich Tosches, perhaps one of the better writers in the Springs, wrote a damning column in the Colorado Springs Independent on the effect that the massive influx of evangelical ministries has had on the town.  It really is a must-read column from a resident who watched the evangelicals transform the Springs into ground zero for intolerance (usurping Orange County, of all places).  Click on the snip below to read the full column:

If you click the snip above you’ll see I am the only one to comment on the column to date.

After reading Tosches, I snooped around on Wikipedia and realized there were no photographs of New Life Church.  Since I photographed Focus on the Family last March, I headed out to Voyager Parkway to see the grounds of this huge house of worship.  They gave me a media pass for Wikipedia, but they told me I could not take pictures, so I declined the media tour.   What I could see of the building was impressive enough; I didn’t want to waste my time if they weren’t going to let the 4th most popular website in the world document the interior.  Below are a few shots I took for Wiki:

I like this shot–taken from the International Bible Society’s grounds–even though the placement of the sun cost me clarity in the buildings.  It’s still my favorite.

This is what they call “The Tent” – I imagine a reference to those old-timey revivalist holy-ghost meetings.

The main entrance and the main worship center.

Pastor Brady Boyd was around, but too busy for me to do his portrait (I asked, flashing my Wikinews credentials).  I might try to contact him again.

Afterwards, I went over to Hooters for a bleu cheese burger, and somehow the scantily clad women in their orange satin hot pants topped off my Ted Haggard Day in Colorado Springs with a smile.  Thanks, “Sarah”.