In an interview with Christianity Today, Exodus spokesman and ministry manager Randy Thomas warns that the Supreme Court ruling against sodomy laws will shape public policy.
“This ruling gives validity to the gay community,” Thomas said. In addition to potentially redefining the family, it further solidifies their position as a political and social force.”
Earlier this month, Mr. Thomas told XGW:
… Sodomy as a criminal statute was going too far.
In my response to Mr. Thomas, I noted that he had in fact flip-flopped.
And now, in warning Christianity Today of the consequences of the ruling, he flip-flops again.
If Mr. Thomas or his organization oppose the criminalization of sodomy, then perhaps he should provide this critical bit of information to Christianity Today.
This really hurts. I love Randy, and practically everything I read of his lately disappoints me and causes me great pain.
I suspect (and have seen and heard a great deal of this personally) that professional ex-gays (and more liberal conservative Christians) are afraid of making their disagreements with the PRR party line public for fear of disfellowship, losing their jobs, whatever. I often think, Where is the “courage” they ostensibly mustered in order to change their behavior? My belief is that their refusal to confront PRR and conservative Christian policies and practices with which they disagree in the public square nullifies the value of statements they make in private or off the record (not to mention puts them in violation of commandment number nine out of the big 10, which, naturally, does not include homosexuality).
Another thought occurs: So Randy says, “This ruling gives validity to the gay community.” Don’t we, as fellow children of God, have and deserve validity? Don’t we, as citizens? Again, GLBT people, committing none of the big 10 sins, are portrayed as something to be feared, as being less valid — less valid — as people who break the big 10. This is Christian love? Is Michael Johnston, for example, more valid than us because he’s tucked away at Pure Life Ministries?
I think some of the exgays who spent time at Bridges Across used it as a means of learning how to better spin their message, and then, as they saw society slowly warming up to the idea of treating gays more equally (to an extent), got scared and went back to the old playbook, at least in public. Very sad.
I know exactly what the whole problem AND its solution….First, the problem facing the personal healthy attitude one has about ones sexuality is ,of course,built upon external attitudes towards it! ex: the image and stereotype that women have experienced for years by the pressure created by the media moguls as to the definition of beauty,Therefore,most women have a poor self image..Gays are no different,when someone calls them sicko, pervert or disgusting,your going to HELL! it Really has an impact on the integrity of ones sexual orientation! I have seen many,many articles of supposed ex-gays saying how miserable they were being gay and all of the drugs,promiscuity and unhealthy behavior it entails..Well DUH! these things that are so PREVALENT are created by oppression..ex:Black community (slavery and discrimination) and Chinese community in the 18th & 19th century (opium) EVERY OPPRESSED SOCIETY HAS HIGHER CRIME DRUG AND SEXUAL CRISIS DUE TO OPPRESSION.!!!!This did not mean that the chinese and black communities tried to become more “White” “Straight” or more “Christian” I truly beleive that these so called ex-gays are just digging themselves bigger hole in an already punctured unhealthy,sexual image and what is even worse they are bringing childern into this world! How is this child going to face being gay and have a healthy attitude toward their sexual identity if they turnout to be gay?…. I’ll tell you how it is one of the truly sick disgusting things christians would rather have them do… “COMMIT SUICIDE”!! These so called “Christians” have a low key message that subliminally tells people “being dead is better than being gay” The Bible has been used for hundreds of years as a weapon and as a pass key to murder,intimidation,power,control,wealth,prostitution,bribery,war,greed,lust,gluttony,envy,pride,malice,hatred,famine,suicide,destruction and pestilence!etc…etc.. It is of no surprise that it is very thing used for the right-wing to “convert Gays” into self-loathing puppets at the cost of their self esteem and personal sexual health!The answer is not to make more glad-to-be-gay-propaganda books but inform and remind the community as a whole that we still are oppressed and that in order to change whats wrong with our community we must make change outside first and expose what the right wing fascists use against us is our own reactions to the very pestilences of our community that they helped to create. The fascist christian reicht that promotes a so called healthy “family oriented” christianly love is identical to the propaganda Hitler used to promote his christian family fascist ideals it was never showed as an evil,fanatic,christian reicht that it truly was.. the “problems” in our community that are created through oppression by these “christians” are only the “symptoms” of oppression that they use against us it is the perfect weapon it is self guiding once planted it will program itself and will continue to destroy without any need for maintenence!(They say we are perverted sickos..and through oppression we do sicko pervert things) They say “see we were right!” In as far as those supposed ex-gays even their founders were denouncing it after they realized how much damage can be done by trying to change something that was never intended to be changed….