A Son of Exodus International Says They (We) Have Done More Hurt Than Good
Reading the speech on line of Alan Manning Chambers on Wednesday as he announced the demise of Exodus International, the controversial Christian ministry founded 38 years ago in Anaheim to — as one often hears — "pray away the gay."
Chambers, who has led the Orlando, Fla.-based group for 11 years, said he thinks the church is becoming a more welcoming place for gays, and that Exodus, founded as a refuge for Christians battling their same-sex attractions, has simply done more harm than good.
“While there has been so much good at Exodus,” said Chambers, who credited the ministry for saving his life at 19 when he was a suicidal because he could not reconcile his sexuality with church teachings, “there have been people that we’ve hurt. There are horror stories.”
Perhaps this is why he seemed entirely comfortable in his skin when he joked about almost reading the word “transactional” as “transsexual.” He told the crowd, “I love glitter,” and confessed that over the last 18 months as his views on homosexuality have evolved away from church teaching, that he has “begged God so many times to let me be a decorator.” (“God said no.”} I wonder in what form???Adam asks)
On OWN’s “Our America with Lisa Ling,” Chambers will face a group of people he described as “ex-gay survivors” who will confront him about the failures of so-called “reparative” or “ex-gay” therapy, which seeks to change individuals' sexual orientation through prayer.
The encounter, said Chambers, “was excruciating. They told their true stories in a way that I will never forget. Stories of abuse, and pain, missed opportunities, awful words spoken to them.”
It’s “curious"that someone who has led the charge against gay self-acceptance for so many years has had such a potentially influential change of heart.
“I believe we’ve come to a time in the church when it’s time to lay our weapons down,” Chambers said. “We’ve fought the culture, and we’ve lost. But I think we’ve lost for a good reason.”
Time to spread the good word on that, brother. Yeah brother how about an Im sorry so many died!
When I first heard of these people just before the y2k in Polk county Fl. at a PFLAG meeting and was described to me how the gay community was preparing for a counter punch being that Exodus had picked the most vulnerable to go after, the young. As this preacher of their lays downs his arms he does with a sense of comedy and he seemed happy and even had god talked to him. He acknowledges the mistakes and the suicides, but I guess when you lay down your arms is not a time to say Im sorry I was the cause of people dying.
Religious rights pro or against gays scares the jesus out of me. May be is because I was one of them and I saw how well a lie can spread with any religion. These particular speech or sermon tells so many stories without repeating them. I was interested because of the quote of "laying down their arms.” But I read it and I got irritated because when you are responsible for suicides because of your misinterpretations and right out lies, may be that should be addressed also. They are not letting down their ams because they are nice people. They are made to lay down their arms by an american populace that no monger accepts a lot of these snake oils and lies. They are doing a “google” when they hear something that sounds different or crazy. They know that their church and members that pay for their careers there would be no more. So it’s time to mix the kool-aide and come out with a different color and flavor. If there is a hell no body deserves it more than Exodus and the so Called Christian Right.
Adam Gonzalez, Publisher
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