Anti-Gay Mistry Shuts Down
Contents:
- THE DOWNFALL OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT
- EXOD INTERNATNAL: 'GAY CURE' GROUP LEAR SHUTTG DOWN MISTRY AFTER CHANGE OF HEART
- AFTER EXOD: EVANGELILS REACT AS EX-GAY MISTRY STARTS OVER
- WHAT COM AFTER THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT? THE SAME THG THAT CAME BEFORE.
THE DOWNFALL OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT
* exodus gay ministry *
In 2001, Alan Chambers was hired as the print of the world’s largt ex-gay mistry, Exod Internatnal. Durg the latter part of the 20th century, Exod and siar nservative groups promoted the ia that gay people uld—and should try to—bee straight.
Ex-gay lears traveled to church and appeared on televisn news programs cg a lany of exampl of happily married “former homosexuals” to monstrate that sexual orientatn is a choice and that change is Chambers would unrgo a radil change of heart.
EXOD INTERNATNAL: 'GAY CURE' GROUP LEAR SHUTTG DOWN MISTRY AFTER CHANGE OF HEART
Chambers’s cisn effectively livered the athblow to the beleaguered ex-gay movement. ”As a former Exod participant who once lived a “gay liftyle” but was able to achieve a succsful straight marriage, Chambers was the perfect ndidate to lead the anizatn. And September 2000, Exod’s chairman John Plk was photographed cisg for men at a gay bar Washgton, D.
”The movement tradnalists believed would be their savg grace the fight agast LGBT rights was quickly beg their Achill’ chosen to lead Exod 2001 was like beg the ex-gay Pope followg the Catholic sex-abe sndals. In 2005, he lled homosexualy “one of the many evils this world has to offer.
” And 2006, he lobbied for a nstutnal amendment banng gay marriage. ”Though the ex-gay lear was stewg on the si, he seemed as rolute as ever on the outsi.
AFTER EXOD: EVANGELILS REACT AS EX-GAY MISTRY STARTS OVER
He advoted for California’s Proposn 8, which sought to ban gay marriage the state.
In 2009, he published a book lled Leavg Homosexualy: A Practil Gui for Men and Women Lookg for a Way Out. ”By this pot, the ex-gay movement was already shambl.
A 2013 Pew Rearch poll showed that only 36 percent of Amerins believe a gay or lbian person’s orientatn n be changed. As Satcher reported, morn science had livered cshg blows to the ex-gay movement wh peer-reviewed rearch showg that s iology was bunk. Today, even top Southern Baptist lears have nounced ex-gay therapy, and the school newspaper for the Jerry Falwell-found Liberty Universy has edorialized agast .
WHAT COM AFTER THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT? THE SAME THG THAT CAME BEFORE.
He has voiced his support for Print Obama’s effort to ban orientatn-change therapi for mors and celebrated the Supreme Court’s cisn to legalize gay marriage. “I look at gay and lbian people who are mted relatnships and I believe they n reflect the image of God, ” Chambers says. The former ex-gay lear choos to foc on jt beg hont, stead.
“For those who nnot rencile their fah and sexualy, they n be affirmed their choice of celibacy and vote their liv to more life givg than ‘riddg themselv of the mon homosexualy, ’” Chambers says. “And the gay Christian muny n be affirmed who they already are: beloved. Exod Internatnal, a large Christian mistry that claimed to offer a "cure" for homosexualy, plans to shut a prs release posted on the mistry's webse Wednday night, the board of directors announced the cisn to close after nearly four s.
“We’re not negatg the ways God ed Exod to posively affect thoands of people, but a new generatn of Christians is lookg for change -- and they want to be heard, ” Exod board member Tony Moore closure ls than a day after Exod released a statement apologizg to the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny for years of undue judgment, by the anizatn and om the Christian Church as a whole. For que some time we’ve been imprisoned a worldview that’s neher honorg toward our fellow human begs, nor biblil, " said Alan Chambers, print of apology cid wh the mistry's annual nference Irve, Calif., and the planned broadst of a "Gods & Gays" report on "Our Ameri Wh Lisa Lg, " which is slated to air on OWN year, Chambers cid to stop endorsg the wily nounced practice of gay "reparative therapy. In April, John Plk, former chairman of Exod and the -thor of "Love Won Out: How God's Love Helped Two People Leave Homosexualy and Fd Each Other, " renounced his past volvement the "ex-gay movement, " and exprsed remorse for his actns.