Shawn O’Donnell, whose picture was included for a long time on the home webpage of Exodus International, spoke at the University Christian Ministry at Northwestern University.
As reported by the student newspaper, O’Donnell shared with the students how he entered Love in Action to try and overcome his same sex attraction and how he finally found freedom in accepting himself the way God made him to be.
But O’Donnell said he felt sad when he realized he was still gay even though he had tried to suppress it.
“I didn’t feel any better.’ he said. “I actually felt worse because if anybody had tried not to be (gay), it was me.”
O’Donnell left the ministry when he realized he was still gay, he said.
“After a while I thought, ‘This isn’t working,’” he said. “I was still having these feelings and still having these thoughts.”
O’Donnell’s outreach to these student is admirable and helps counter untruthful claims that some in the ex-gay ministries have made. And his message was taken to heart at NU. As Elena Tsinikas, a peer minister at UCM, said:
“I think there needs to be more than one view of the Church,” the SESP senior said. “People think Christians will harm GLBT people, but there are churches out there who love and accept people.”
I can’t even begin to count the amount of vehemently anti-Christian gay men I’ve met. I agree that we do need to cultivate alternate views of the Church. Many of us are still struggling with the bad taste left in our mouths from previous run-ins with well-meaning, but misinformed fellow Christians. It does help to know that there are more accepting people in the service of Christ out there. It’s just a matter of finding them ,building upon our common Spirit, and letting others know that we are here to help build them up, not to offer the same harsh abuse that the fundamentalists brandish.
That reminds me of a good friend who’s a UCC minister. I told her once, “If more Christians were like you, Christianity would have a much better reputation.” She was wryly amused.
I’m not sure I’d call the attitudes I’ve encountered “vehemently anti-Christian”. It makes me think more of the attitude of European Jews in pre-modern times – all Christians had to be assumed to be anti-Semitic until demonstrated otherwise. Similarly, there are so many American Christians who are reflexively anti-gay and who justify it by their faith, it would seem recklessly optimistic not to do likewise.
If it takes this much to try to overcome being gay….the reason why it can’t be done, is because people are fighting what is God given.
Straight people must take themselves and put themselves in the shoes of the gay person.
What would it take for a STRAIGHT person to live with the same gender as a couple, paying bills, having sex with each other?
That should be enough for straight people to understand, it’s not for STRAIGHT people or GAY people to change.
If it takes all this threat, and destruction to family cohesion and all…
the power of gay identity is beyond the frail conceit of straight people.
They really are fighting God’s gift to gay people.
AND straight people.
It’s miracle that so many gay people DO survive and courageously and with their family values and love for others intact.
How DARE Love In Action, take it upon themselves to do such a thing!
This really tells me, they wouldn’t recognize what has God’s heart on it, if God showed up and slapped them hard with it.
Sorry, but I think my faith in our mother Creator just came out.