Exodus International apologizes to gays and then shuts down

"Exodus International, a large Christian ministry that claimed to offer a "cure" for homosexuality, plans to shut down.

In a press release posted on the ministry's website Wednesday night, the board of directors announced the decision to close after nearly four decades.

“We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change -- and they want to be heard,” Exodus board member Tony Moore said.

The closure comes less than a day after Exodus released a statement apologizing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for years of undue judgment, by the organization and from the Christian Church as a whole.

“Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we’ve ceased to be a living, breathing organism. For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical," said Alan Chambers, president of Exodus.

The apology coincided with the ministry's annual conference in Irvine, Calif., and the planned broadcast of a "Gods & Gays" report on "Our America With Lisa Ling," which is slated to air on OWN tonight.

Last year, Chambers decided to stop endorsing the widely denounced practice of gay "reparative therapy." The full text of his personal apology is available here.


Chambers isn't the only Exodus member who is sorry. In April, John Paulk, former chairman of Exodus and the co-author of "Love Won Out: How God's Love Helped Two People Leave Homosexuality and Find Each Other," renounced his past involvement in the "ex-gay movement," and expressed remorse for his actions.

“For the better part of 10 years, I was an advocate and spokesman for what’s known as the 'ex-gay movement,' where we declared that sexual orientation could be changed through a close-knit relationship with God, intensive therapy and strong determination," Paulk said. "At the time, I truly believed that it would happen. And while many things in my life did change as a Christian, my sexual orientation did not."

He added: "Today, I do not consider myself 'ex-gay,' and I no longer support or promote the movement. Please allow me to be clear: I do not believe that reparative therapy changes sexual orientation; in fact, it does great harm to many people."

Exodus plans to launch a separate ministry that aims to be more welcoming."---http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/20/exodus-international-shuts-down_n_3470911.html

 

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Christianity at its best requires humility. It must have been a bitter pill for these people to swallow, but I can only commend them for it. A further tiny sign that the culture advances, dragging even conservative elements of the church with it. The Christian church as a whole - in all denominations - has an unhealthy obsession with controlling sexuality. It goes back to St Paul. Though not, it seems to me, to Christ himself, who said practically nothing about it!

 

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This is interesting and I suppose good news, that this organization recognized the error of its ways.

I think if more ‘Christians’ were to spend more time pulling the weeds out of their own yards, they’d have little time to pull ‘’perceived’ weeds out of others.
But, I digress. There’s a number of people who label themselves Christians, but they are busy about the world, and not of God at all. Gossiping, being unkind, discriminating, and behaving in bigoted ways, etc…but they grab the Bible and raise it in the air, ‘proclaiming’ their faith. God sees it all. So, who they think they are fooling, I’m not sure.

Christians will be the downfall of Christianity, not ‘the world.’ People tend to not want to follow a ‘’religion’’ where many of its members talk out of both sides of their mouths. It’s important to make a distinction that not all people who follow God, who believe in Jesus’ teachings, behave in this manner.

When you stop to actually look at the basic tenets of Christianity…it’s about following Christ. He seemed to be a humble, reserved man. Not haughty, and proud. Not demeaning and belittling. Christ was none of those things. So, it’s always a head scratcher when I meet ‘Christians’ who live their lives completely counter to what is being preached in the Gospels. Why bother telling people you are Christian, then? At the end of the day, God sees it all--and if people are paying attention, they won't be fooled.

Matthew 7:16

Small steps, right Magical?

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Are we going to say , the homosexual lifestyle is the right way of living ? Definitively NOT !!!! Society is going to flip flop in their life style and the teaching in the New testament is the reference frame

 

There are a lot of teachings in the NT...
"Love your neighbor as thy self," is the key one that Jesus spoke about.
If ppl feel homosexuality is wrong, that is fine so long as you don't discriminate and use the bible as a tool to promote hatred of a class of ppl you disagree with.

Jesus was about love first. Even in telling ppl of how to live righteously, he did so in love and out of love for the person.
Organizations such as the one in the OP, are using the bible and their misinterpretation of what it means to be a Christian in the world...to promote bigotry.

That's more of what I'm saying, arauca.

 

I helped my homosexual brother in lawn, now been ordained as a priest , According to how my view are portrayed, you folks are wrong . His sitter my ex wife died 16 years ago ,yet I am continuously helping him financially for his carrier and I should have ignored him since his sister ( my ex wife ) died . I believe lets action speak .

 

Small steps indeed. When I was an avid christian teen wasting away my golden years highlighting my bible in map colors and repenting nightly of my sinful thoughts and deeds I was quite sure I was supposed to be just like Jesus. Humble, authorative, zealous, and grandiose about being the chosen son of God. Then I went to college and my world opened up. So much more to know and be interested in. And no longer this warped ideal of being something that no human was ever meant to be. I don't blame christians for being human. I blame christianity for putting into their heads that they are somehow superior and better than nonchristians. That they are "saved" and others are doomed to an eternity in hell simply for not believing like them. That is an insidious idea to put inside one's head. It's the source of alot of hate and prejudice in christians, especially the hatred and mistreatment of gay people. I'm glad the world is waking up to the reality of the sham that christianity is. With any luck such religions will be quaint artifacts of history by the year 2050.

 

Again what is from God will prevail way beyond 2050, But you somehow got yourselves on embracing homosexuality
For me Homosexuals are just rebels against the bible because it tells them this is not the natural way. As my brother in law gets older ( now 60 ) his rebellious mind is changing , and so probably many homosexual change as the years advance .

 

Humble and reserved? This is a guy who compelled people to drop everything and follow him because he was God in the flesh. He sold himself as the only path to salvation, and promised that the world was about to end. He was an apocalyptic rabbi that pissed off the establishment; there was literally nothing humble or reserved about him. As for demeaning and belittling, he once refused to help a woman until she knelt and called him God. Of course he was demeaning. He said that rich people don't get into heaven. Have you even read the NT?

 

What do you mean "homosexual lifestyle"? Going to art museums? Going to gay and lesbian film festivals? Dining at fine restaurants? Meeting a date at the local coffee house? Getting a few beers with buddies at the Sunday beerbust in the local gay bar? Noone said this is the right way of living for everyone. But it is a RIGHT of gay people to live this way if they choose. Who are you to impose your chosen lifestyle on others as the "right way of living."?

 

Agreed. Is the heterosexual lifestyle the right way of living? Definitely not! Is the religious order lifestyle the right way of living? Definitely not! They are all just one of many ways of living, and the only person who can decide it's right is the person living it.

. .. . as it's been doing for the past 6000 years.

 

So were blacks, and abolitionists, and people who wanted to give women the vote. None of that is "the natural way" but we changed anyway - and we are better off today.

Agreed. So do heterosexuals.

 

I am not imposing, I am just posting my opinion . Same as you are posting your opinion and expecting some reply , if you were not expecting reply you would not post.

 

What book are you rebelling against with your heterosexuality?

 

Please explain me what is heterosexuality

 

That's when you get a boner for girls.

 

You are entitled to your opinions arauca, but the trouble comes when people build organizations designed to hate a particular sector of the population, and use their "religion" to do it. (But under the guise of helping society)

Don't you find that type of deception troubling?

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I think you have that backwards. They believe in God, and that the Bible is his word, so any society they build will reflect the horrible moral example of the Bible.

 

No idea why you guys still respond to arauca. He's just looking for excuses to dump on homosexuality.

 

I'm just looking for an excuse to dump on Arauca.