Who Said That?

"I am convinced: people with pure hearts live better lives!  Actually, one of the things I look for in a staff member is innocence.  I love it when a person is not full of malice or unforgiveness or is not wrestling with secret sin.  You can just tell by their countenance-they are wonderful people to be around."

Please leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please no google searches or cheating.  Answer to follow in one week.

Update on Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 12:24PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This comes from Ted Haggard in September 2002.  It can be found in Simple Prayers for a Powerful Life, (Regal Books) p. 109.

Comments

[matt]

George Steinbrenner

[DB]

I am puzzled. How does one know someone else is wrestling with _secret_ sin? This reminds me of the Minster (Rev. Dimsdale) in the novel "The Scarlet Letter": He wrestled with secret sin all through the novel until his death and all the while his congregation thought it was a sign of his holiness. I think rather than worrying about other people's sins, I prefer to think that mine (and I hope their's) are laid on Jesus by a merciful God. I know my heart isn't pure enough to qualify as a staff member for this guy.

["lee n. field"]

Ted Haggard.

Just looking at who the most ironic person in Unitedstate-ian protestantism right now would be. As to how he finds out about secret sins, maybe that's a "word 'o knowledge" charismatical type special revelation thing. Church board meetings must be fun.

[Matt Holst]

Sounds like tht local hero of ours, Ted Haggard. If it is, I know what that "pure heart" of his has done to his family.
I wonder how his health is now?

[Andrew]

lee n. field sniped my guess.

Ted Haggard

[Randy]

Joel Osteen

[Charles S]

Ted Haggard

[Coyle]

Billy Graham? Sounds like something from the "later" Graham, not so much from the younger fire-and-brimstone Graham, who wasn't afraid to give a Jonathan Edwards sermon in California...

[reg]

I would guess Ted Haggard just because of the irony of it.

[Joy]

Bill Bright

[Larry]

Haggard was my first thought also.

["lee n. field"]

A non-guess: Ex-gov of the Illinois People's State and "Friend of 0", Rod Blagojevich.

[Philip Walker]

I can just hear Osteen saying it, although it's only in me heid. Osteen, of course, is he of the "I don't associate with people God isn't blessing" mentality; apparently, it breeds negative thoughts and negative thoughts mean Bad Stuff Happening. Christ-like to its core, that.

[KyleinWI]

Haggard pre-fall. He would not say such a thing anymore.

[John Y]

I like DB's answer the best. This could be any number of people. Inspired no doubt by John Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. As Rod Rosenbladt loves to say Wesley is the Father of all non-denominational Churches where the possibility of Christian perfection abounds.

Joel Osteen was the first to pass through my head. I suppose it could have been Ted Haggard too. Obviously, it was not anyone who had a good understanding of the Doctrine of Sin.

[Andrew Meredith]

Robert Schuller?

[dsanger]

Joyce Meyer

[PB]

James Dobson? J/K - sort of...

[dag]

James Dobson. not kidding.

[timinator]

Teddy HAggard