Exodus International has a story it would really like you to believe. It wants you to think that Exodus is a simple ministry of encouragement to Christians who have same-sex attractions but don’t want to act on it. Exodus, so the story goes, doesn’t harm gays or stick its nose into anyone else’s business; it’s just about like-minded people helping one another live the lifestyle they freely choose.

This bogus narrative is important now Apple has denied Exodus International its iPhone app. Exodus President Alan Chambers wants the world to believe his claim that the move has trampled on his and other ex-gays’ rights and freedoms.

Peterson Toscano is one voice of thousands sharing a story that contradicts Exodus’s version of events. In his latest post, he expresses his astonishment at reading this claim from Exodus:

“In no way shape or form is our message about trying to cure or do we try to promote that type of methodology or message,” Jeff Buchanan, Exodus International’s Senior Director of Church Equipping & Student Ministries, told The Christian Post.

Asks Peterson:

[Was] I caught in the Matrix all those years? Is Jeff Buchanan saying that thousands of ex-gay survivors were duped into believing something Exodus didn’t actually offer?

In recent years, Exodus has avoided direct promises of gay-to-straight change. But it has certainly capitalized on the vagueness of language such as “freedom,” “liberation” and “healing.” Its mantra continues to be “Change is possible.”

Read Peterson’s story for more insight into what Exodus has stood for throughout its history. For more background information, check out our Exodus International archives, and read Emily K’s recent article What Exodus Believes in 2011.

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