In the middle of an article on November 12th in the Denver Post about Christian response to revelations about Ted Haggard is a sign of a revolutionary change in the language of ex-gay ministries.
Alan Chambers, president of Orlando-based Exodus International, which advocates “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ,” describes more accepting attitudes in his movement toward the role genetics may play.
Exodus’ stance is that homosexuality is “multicausal,” Chambers said. One side of the debate is guilty of saying it’s only genetics, and the other side is guilty of saying homosexuality can “go away” with prayer and reading the Bible, he said. Chambers said biological and developmental factors play a role.
“Whatever the root cause, people make a choice,” Chambers said. “Not about their feelings, but about what they do with those feelings based on convictions and not on science.”
Historically ex-gay ministries have been very hostile to the notion that biology plays any part in the determination of sexual orientation. Claims such as “No one is born gay!” (Greg Quinlan) and “Those who want to insist on genetic determination are perpetuating a tragic myth” (Exodus) and “people are not born gay and there’s never been a test that has found a gay gene” (PFOX) are typical of anti-gay activists and ex-gay propaganda.
However, as we first noticed back in September, Alan Chambers may be recognizing that faith-based claims that are in conflict with the overwhelming abundance of scientific research can hurt your cause rather than bolster it. He also seems to be recognizing that prayer and religious immersion may not result in a change in same-sex attractions.
We welcome this new attitude of Alan and hope that he continues to be open to changing his message, at least to the public, when evidence shows him to be wrong.
We also think that a new focus on sexual behavior, rather than reorientation, at least has a basis in traditional evangelical interpretation of Scripture. While this message is not as useful as an anti-gay politically tool, it may be more useful for those to whom he targets his ministry.
We would encourage Chambers to continue in the process of rethinking Exodus’ public image. We could suggest that he discard the unbiblical notion of sinful “identities” and give up the baseless claim that those who disagree with Exodus’ definitions of a holy life are by definition not Christians.
Alan carefully avoids acknowledging that religious beliefs are also a choice. At Love Won Out in May I attended a break-out session he led for the benefit of ex-gay folks. His first recommendation to them was to simply believe, single-mindedly and without questioning, that God had called them to their ex-gay journey.
As I explained to one of my fellow attendees during the lunch break, that opening surprised me. I felt it wrote off folks with progressive Christian backgrounds like mine. My beliefs beginning in childhood have been informed and affirmed by religious leaders who used critical thinking skills to examine scripture, human experience, and church tradition. Faith, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, did not have to be uncritical or blind in order to be strong.
Alan has also just written that pastors and anyone in leadership needs to come out, to which I replied, “yeah, but they need to change the toxic environments they’ve created” first.
I am not sure that Alan Chambers or any of the leaders of Exodus is in a very good position to lecture anyone about being honest, to oneself or the public at large.
Alan Chambers wants the clergy to come out and share their struggles. Now, Peter LaBarbera [Americans for Truth] wants all homosexuals in the Republican party to come out and the party to rescind its sexual orientation policy as LaBarbera says it is anti-family. And in that same article the AFT is reported to have said that all homosexual staff members in both major parties should be open about their lifestyle – “in the interest of full disclosure to the public and each member’s constituents.” Then you have anti-abortion pundits like Jill Stanek equating Republican homosexuals with anti-life. Saying “Homosexual activists push comprehensive sex ed, too, which promotes gay sex. The goal of the gay/abortion lobbies here is the same: Talk up sex to titillate kids to enter into promiscuous hetero- or homosexual lifestyles while calling the behavior normal. Gays get fresh meat, and pro-aborts get customers..”
Toxic environment anyone?
I’m not so sure that you should be patting Chambers on the back for this apparent change in views. What he, like many Christians I have spoken to lately, is saying it that no matter what the cause of a person’s homosexuality should be, it must be changed as that is mandated by his god. That will forever be his message and one which will not sit well with people here.
“Whatever the root cause, people make a choice,” Chambers said. “Not about their feelings, but about what they do with those feelings based on convictions and not on science.”
He’s making some progress. He believes sexual orientation (at least homosexuality) has biological and environmental roots. He believes we don’t choose our feelings, but do choose our behavior. He wants to do away with the term ex-gay. Now if he would only disentangle EXODUS from politics and break away from NARTH.
Frankly, I don’t have any inclination to believe Alan Chambers, or any of these other charlatans, are “christians” – after all, it seems rather chic these days to stake the religious claim as a cover for any sort of manipulation and deception that spews forth.
However, since we do know that religious interpretations are chosen and not immutable characteristics, these people really have nothing to say about other lives. Seems to me that they have their own struggle to attend to – and no amount of cloaking behind the “I’m a Christian” veil is going to make their story any sweeter.