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Group apologizes to gay community, shuts down 'cure' ministry
By Ed Payne, CNN
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1439 GMT (2239 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Exodus International promoted "freedom from homosexuality" through
"power of Jesus Christ"
* I'm sorry for "being part of the very system of ignorance that
perpetuated" hurt, leader says
* Apology: Gay community has been subjected to "years of undue
judgment" by the group
* The Exodus board of directors votes to launch a new ministry called
Reduce Fear
(CNN) -- After 37 years, Exodus International, an
organization whose mission was to "help" gay Christians become straight, is
shutting down. But not before issuing an apology.
"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," Tony Moore, an Exodus board member, said Wednesday.
The announcement comes
less than a day after Exodus issued a wide-ranging apology to the gay
community for "years of undue judgment by the organization and the
Christian Church as a whole," a statement from the group says.
"Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we've ceased
to be a living, breathing organism," said Alan Chambers, the president of
Exodus. "For quite some time, we've been imprisoned in a worldview that's
neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical."
Chambers, who has a wife
and children and previously identified as gay, has acknowledged that he
has "ongoing same-sex attractions."
Granderson: Oops, I left my sexual orientation at home
Gay men suing over conversion therapy
Outlawing gay conversion therapy
Therapy claims to change homosexuals
"It is strange to be
someone who has both been hurt by the Church's treatment of the LGBTQ
community, and also to be someone who must apologize for being part of
the very system of ignorance that perpetuated that hurt," Chambers said. "Today
it is as if I've just woken up to a greater sense of how painful it is to be a
sinner in the hands of an angry church."
LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning.
California law banning gay 'conversion therapy' put on hold
New focus on a therapy
Exodus, which has
promoted "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ," has
de-emphasized conversion therapy in recent years as more of the
counselors in its network have abandoned the practice.
The American Psychological Association defines conversion therapy as aimed at
changing sexual orientation, but adopted a resolution in 2009 condemning the
practice.
In it, the organization
said "mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can
change their sexual orientation through therapy or other
treatments."
But the same resolution
also encouraged therapists to consider the religious beliefs of clients
who say such beliefs are important to their views of homosexuality.
The APA removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders in 1975.
But yet with the apology, some things have not changed, according to Chambers.
"I cannot apologize for
my deeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture
surrounding sex, but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and
respect for those who do not share them," he said. "I cannot apologize
for my beliefs about marriage. But I do not have any desire to fight you on
your beliefs or the rights that you seek."
Conversion therapist: Lawsuit won't stop us
A new ministry
With the closing of Exodus International, the board of directors voted to begin
a new and separate ministry called Reduce Fear.
"This is a new season of ministry, to a new generation," Chambers said. "Our
goals are to reduce fear, and come alongside churches to become safe, welcoming
and
mutually transforming communities."
It's meant to align with Jesus' New Testament message found in John 13:34 -- "A
new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another."
"From a Judeo-Christian
perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we're all prodigal sons and
daughters," Chambers said. "Exodus International is the prodigal's older
brother, trying to impose its will on God's promises, and make
judgments on who's worthy of His Kingdom.
"God is calling us to be the Father -- to welcome everyone, to love unhindered."
.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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